The first time I booted this game up and saw the Seifer Vs Squall intro I was hooked. Hearing Liberi Fatali to the Balamb Garden theme. This game was different.
At that point, music hadn't been done like that in video games.
Fisherman's Horizon, The Castle, Premonition, S.E.E.D, Only a Plank Between One and Perdition.
I could go on but this is easily the best soundtrack in gaming.
Card game

And then I played it

A game within a game that might have been better than Yu-Gi-Oh.
Battles got harder and the Queen of Cards

GOAT game


), Setzer did give us the ship so I guess he can slide, Relm and Strago were introduced too little too late (a problem more than a few RPGs have, honestly). The rest are as pointless as you said (though Gau is a powerhouse if you train him correctly).
Terra and Locke didn't even exchange words when they linked back up 

they fukk around and gave us an expansion as dlc shyt was a whole 'nother game
those maps were fukking amazing 

what type of guns are those 