1 ) Square's quality of work has been questionable these recent years , 2 ) relatively short period of time has passed since we have seen FF8 , 3 ) the Final Fantasy series has been evolving so much that I was not sure I would still get the same thrill I got when I played FF IV on SNES .
I was not a bit disappointed .
Right from the beginning , Square shows again that FF9 is a product of quality . Even though it has only been one year since the release of FF8 , this new installment does not show sign of a rushed production . I could not help but notice and appreciate the amount of effort and passion that were infused into the game . I could say with FF9 , Square really strengthens my faith in the FF series , wins my heart , and brings me back to the good old days .
Graphic is one of the first elements that attracted me . The color scheme is very well used to create a nice blend of the whole composition . I did not like the color scheme in Chrono Cross at all because everything is so bright and sticks out like an eye sore . Background , characters , and environment are very well designed in such way that you find unity and harmony . Needless to say , CGs from Square are always top notch , first rated , state of the art quality . The injunctions of CGs are proper , and served to extend the flow of events ; nevertheless , they are wonderful eye candies that I cannot get enough of .
Sound , I agree with most critics , still plaques the FF series on the current PSX platform as unsatisfactory . By no measure that the sound is not good , we just think that it could easily be better , given the experience that the composer Nobuo Uematsu possesses , and the quality of music the PSX can perform . I have to say the sound is good enough for me , and I particularly enjoy the polished quality of various sound effects in through out the game .
Do not expect any revolution in the gameplay department . Square just delivers what you would have expected from a FF game . I could not see anything special about the battle system other than it is simple . Yes , people will still complain about the random battles . I did enjoy the employment of materia and junction system in the previous 2 games ; therefore I hope Square could have incorporated something special to make the battle system a little more interesting . Mini games and side tasks that are scattered throughout the game are both interesting and fun to play with .
Overall , the game rocks ! It has been a long time since I played a good and quality RPG or game on PSX , I greatly enjoy Final Fantasy 9 . The story is nothing spectacular but is delivered and presented very well with nice flow of events and timely unfolding of plots . Bottom line , Final Fantasy 9 is great game that I enjoy playing . Graphic , Presentation and Value outweigh minor imperfection of sound and gameplay . Square has successfully perpetuated the legend of the Final Fantasy series .
001 4 The last installment of the Final Fantasy series on Playstation reached stores nationwide in a very low-key manner . The anticipation and exhilaration that associate with the release of Final Fantasy games have obviously lessened . I uncharacteristically DID NOT pick up the new game on the first day it released . Honestly , I was not too excited about the release of this game due to 3 major reasons : 1 ) Square's quality of work has been questionable these recent years , 2 ) relatively short period of time has passed since we have seen FF8 , 3 ) the Final Fantasy series has been evolving so much that I was not sure I would still get the same thrill I got when I played FF IV on SNES .
I was not a bit disappointed .
Right from the beginning , Square shows again that FF9 is a product of quality . Even though it has only been one year since the release of FF8 , this new installment does not show sign of a rushed production . I could not help but notice and appreciate the amount of effort and passion that were infused into the game . I could say with FF9 , Square really strengthens my faith in the FF series , wins my heart , and brings me back to the good old days .
Graphic is one of the first elements that attracted me . The color scheme is very well used to create a nice blend of the whole composition . I did not like the color scheme in Chrono Cross at all because everything is so bright and sticks out like an eye sore . Background , characters , and environment are very well designed in such way that you find unity and harmony . Needless to say , CGs from Square are always top notch , first rated , state of the art quality . The injunctions of CGs are proper , and served to extend the flow of events ; nevertheless , they are wonderful eye candies that I cannot get enough of .
Sound , I agree with most critics , still plaques the FF series on the current PSX platform as unsatisfactory . By no measure that the sound is not good , we just think that it could easily be better , given the experience that the composer Nobuo Uematsu possesses , and the quality of music the PSX can perform . I have to say the sound is good enough for me , and I particularly enjoy the polished quality of various sound effects in through out the game .
Do not expect any revolution in the gameplay department . Square just delivers what you would have expected from a FF game . I could not see anything special about the battle system other than it is simple . Yes , people will still complain about the random battles . I did enjoy the employment of materia and junction system in the previous 2 games ; therefore I hope Square could have incorporated something special to make the battle system a little more interesting . Mini games and side tasks that are scattered throughout the game are both interesting and fun to play with .
Overall , the game rocks ! It has been a long time since I played a good and quality RPG or game on PSX , I greatly enjoy Final Fantasy 9 . The story is nothing spectacular but is delivered and presented very well with nice flow of events and timely unfolding of plots . Bottom line , Final Fantasy 9 is great game that I enjoy playing . Graphic , Presentation and Value outweigh minor imperfection of sound and gameplay . Square has successfully perpetuated the legend of the Final Fantasy series .
021 4 Before Squaresoft moved on to releasing games for the Playstation 2 game console , the company obviously wanted the PSX's last ( original ) Final Fantasy game to be something special . After all , with Final Fantasy 7 the company successfully brought RPGs into the mainstream through their game's incredible ease of play and amazing technological accomplishments . Then with FF8 , the company opted to take the series in a somewhat different direction through a completely revamped battle system and more character centered storyline . So what did the company do with Final Fantasy IX ? Attempt to return the series to its roots . . . with somewhat mixed results .
On one hand , Final Fantasy IX is an excellent RPG . It has an all around solid storyline , if a bit less serious than previous Final Fantasies , with some interesting and funny characters to go with it ( my favorite being Steiner ) . And Squaresoft thankfully threw away the revamped Final Fantasy VIII battle system in favor of a less cumbersome / more user friendly system .
However , Final Fantasy IX is not quite the nostalgic trip it was hyped up to be . Much of this problem has to do with the graphics , which ( truth be told ) are Final Fantasy VIII's with super-deformed characters and Lord Of The Rings-ish environments . So don't expect the 2 - D anime artwork of FFs 1 through 6 . Squaresoft also insists on using the same brand of fancy-panse prerendered cinemas they've been using in the previous two Final Fantasies ( which , despite being somewhat blurry , are very well done ) which somewhat detracts from the nostalgic feeling of FF9 . One more gripe is that , as with FF's 7 and 8 , the characters are a bit on the stereotypical side ; as opposed to the more generic characters in FFs 1 through 6 .
Still , when all is said and done , Final Fantasy IX is an excellent RPG . The storyline is well crafted , characters memorable , and gameplay near perfect . Just don't buy it expecting the same experience you had playing Final Fantasy VI back in 1994 , because unfortunately you won't get it .
071 4 The game is a great game . . . it has a good story , interesting characters , and does not get boring ( like FF 8 does at times ) .
THe graphics are simply incredible and the sound . . although not even approaching what the PlayStation is capable of . . . is enchanting as well .
Every RPG Player MUST get this game . . . you will NOT be wasting your money on this game .
THe biggest reason I cannot give it 5 stars is that it fails in what it tries to do . . . it does not recapture the grandeur of the old games . It does come close , but the Feel of the old games is simply not there .
One big problem I have with the newer FF games ( 7,8,9 ) is that the games tend to lead you around by the nose too much , there is no sense of exploration . I remember in FF2 and FF3 ( on the SNES ) that part of the game was exploration and finding out what was over the moutain range . . . or in the tower or in the cave . . . . you might even have to complete some task or recover some item to be able to explore more . Now it seems as though the games focus too much on figuring out what you have to do to get from one scene to the next , there is not much freedom in where to go or what you can do at anyone time .
To get a feel of what I am saying . . . grab a copy of Final Fantasy Anthologies and play through one of those two games ( if you can handle the old 16 bit graphics ) . . . and then imagine a game like that with the graphics of FF 9 . . . that is what Square Soft needs to do .
So The jist of this review is that If you liked FF 7 , FF8 . . . you will like this game . If you liked FF7 , FF8 but wished the series would leave the whole SCI-FI thing behind and return to a more Fantasy Feel . . . you will like this game even better that FF7 and FF8 . If you are looking for a FF game that rivals the scope and grandeur of the old games . . . . this comes close , but you will be somewhat dissappinted . . . . . except for the superior graphics and sound .
092 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
At Least ! Good One from Squaresoft !
I've played a lot of game from Squaresoft , especially FF . From all Squaresoft's game , this one is the best !
You can see , good graphics , good characters , excellent sound , quite good long story , Very good mini-game , and blablabla . . .
Things I like :
- The Graphics , quite good 3D graphics
- The minigames , Oooh . . . I just looove the card games , the jump rope games , the strange Pop Quiz , Frog Catching and more other . They're fun to play after you played some stressful parts .
- The abilities . The abilities are very unique . To get the abilities , you must wear an item for short times . It's very different from the other FFs .
- The music , the sound quality is good , and the music is very good . I like it !
- The story , The story is quite good . It needs a long time to finish this game . It's fun ! And the FF9 ' s world is very interesting . You can do an adventure around the world and you can't stop find the fun things ! ! But the fun rate is going down in the end disc 4 .
- CHoCoboS . This one is my favourite . This Chocobo is very cute and you can ride it around the world without found the enemy .
The other fun thing about chocobos is you can find the ' treasure ' in the chocobo forests . Some of them are very useful . Sometimes , your chocobos can be ' upgrade ' when you found a treasure . You can walk on water , climbing mountains ( this is just my favourite ) , and others .
- The characters , each character has each personality and ability . Some of them are very useful especially when they TRanCe ! ! . Like Quina ( eat ) , or Vivi with Steiner ( Sword magic ) , and other unique fun things .
So , for this fun game , I'll give 9.7
Highly Recommended . Must Buy Item in PS 1 .
098 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
This game has acceptable graphics for a PS1 game and the music is pretty good as well . The storyline is very well developed . I may only be 12 years ld but I've beat the game several times and it is a good game for any age as long as you can . This and FF 8 and X - 2 would have to be the best FF games . In my opinion Vivi is the coolest .
107 4 I've been playing Final Fantasy video games since the original came out for the Nintendo way back when before there were all these fancy systems with movies and high-tech graphics . None of that stuff really matters to me . What I want is a game that's fun to play that will keep me interested for the whole run of the game . I found exactly what I was looking for in Final Fantasy IX . . . and more . It is now my favorite game in the series . The characters were so well developed that it was like they were characters in a book I was reading . The story moved along well , and the side quests were fun and interesting .
Unlike the other Playstation Final Fantasy games , this one gets back to the classic fantasy setting for the game . FF VII and VIII were set in a more modern / futuristic setting that sort of took away from the whole fantasy element . It made sense that these characters used swords .
The addition of fancy graphics and the new things that can be done with the new fancy systems does help the game . It adds to it . I loved the ending sequence to this game - - and that couldn't have been done on an old-school Nintendo . I'm glad I finally broke down and got a PlayStation , and I'm very glad I bought this game .
110 4 Final Fantasy IX has to be one of the best video games I've ever played in a long time . I've played a lot of RPGs , and while I still think Enix has the best storylines , Squaresoft never fails to please its audience with a fine game .
After the inconsistent reviews of the outcome of Final Fantasy VIII , I can understand how the sales were rather sluggish at first . I personally don't hold anything against number VIII , I rather liked it . But I can also understand why people didn't like VIII , since certain points rather bugged me about it , too .
The storyline is unlike any other . It goes back to its routes in medieval times with dragons , castles , towns and four party members . Every character has their own class : Thief , Mage , Fighter , etc . It kind of takes away the joy of equipping magic in Final Fantasy VII , but also takes away the pain of the constant drawing of the magic in Final Fantasy VIII .
And the idea of the main hero being a complete jerk was realized by Square that it's time for a change . In this one , the hero is some optimistic flirt , which I honestly prefer over the anti-social pessemist . . .
The plot in this game has many more twists than it did in Final Fantasy VIII , in which it was rather linear . Instead of being hesitant to starting a new game , you'll want to get on it right away after completing it to see certain things that you may have missed that you missed in your previous game .
Final Fantasy IX is a very good game for anybody to own . I honestly think that everybody should have a chance to play it . It's still debatable about how Zidane's appearance confused people if he was either male or female , but it's still fun to enjoy .
176 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
FFIX is in my oppinion the best of all the FF games . It's graphics have held up well and the story is engaging . Plus , it's one of the only FF games with a happy ending . Any true fan will tell you that all the old games are worth playing at least once . Out of all 12 versions of Final Fantasy FFIX is my favorite , best story , great characters and with the most worthwhile ending .
209 4 Squaresoft had gotten a bit bizarre and outlandish with some of their RPGs that came after Final Fantasy VII and IX . From an artistic point of view , they created titles that explored various systems for combat , tactics , strategy , and storytelling , some which worked better than others .
Final Fantasy IX comes back to what really works in an RPG , which is plain heroism , discovery , adventure , and mystery .
011 4 I was ready to hate this game when I first played it , because Final Fantsy VIII was so overly complicated and the story wasn't even understandable . I belived Final Fantasy VII was going to be the best of the Final Fantasys until I had played the 9th installment . The story isn't the best , but far better then most RPGs now days . The interesting characters draw you in and you don't want to stop playing until you find out what will happen to them . The graphics , while not as realilistic as 8 , are just as good , if not better , with amazing backrounds and good chacter models . The musical score is decent , and I belive most would not complain , as It is far better then Chrono Cross or Legend of Dragoon . The Juction system has been discarded for a new , simple system that almost any gamer can get in to . The return of mini games is a welcome suprise as well as a new card game supierior to Triple Triad in most ways . The only big flaw I can see is the random battles which may have been ramped up some , but other then that , there is nothing major that takes away from the game . If you like RPGs then buy it . If not , then at least rent it .
044 4 Not since Chrono Trigger have I played a game for ten hours straight , taking time to get drinks , snacks , and others duties . I have not finished this game yet and I'm amazed . Mini-games that are addictive as nicotine , FMVs that are like a miracle of some god-like diety , maybe a little less than that . The storyline is wondeful and the character are better than that of VIII . At times I feel sad for ViVi , happy for Blank , and a melting pot of emontions for others . Although random battles can drag it down at times , you can go through them quickly . The on-line strategy guide is another nice thing . I recommend this game to any interested in RPGs or fans of the series , if you are a fan of the series why haven't you gotten it yet ? . . .
070 4 When I started playing the game , the first thing that startled me was the excellent graphics . Then I was amazed by the smooth gameplay and enchanting music . And I especially enjoyed the ability to play as two parties . If there's something that makes me addicted , it's a good storyline . Sadly , it takes a while for the latter to surface in this game . Also , the messy battles and strange looking characters failed to impress me . And the overly long absence of certain characters in some parts of the game ( the trip to Burmecia where Garnet and Steiner were away for a worryingly long time ) makes it tiring to help them catch up with the others . All in all , I found the game humourous , the characters lovable and the graphics impressive . Final Fantasy 9 will not fail to enchant less . . . fussy players .
115 4 When I first started playing the old Final Fanl Fantasy games ( I started with II ) , I was really bad at them . But as I progressed , I got better after playing the game over and over again ( ie . fighting Behemoths in Bahamut's Cave ) . I stopped playing them for a while until VII came out in ' 97 ( I wanted III , but we could never find it ) . Then I started getting back into it . But i missed the assigned abilities and stuff and it was all mixed up when I started playing VII . When VIII came out I was totally lost and I thought I was in a funk . But when I heard about IX , i was in an obsession about getting it . I was thrilled to see the black mage on the cover ( like the ones in I and V ) . Then I knew i had found my game . It had all the awesome graphics and stuff as the new games had , but it also brought back a little piece of the past with it . If you like the old games , I highly recommend this one for you . Hey , even if you really enjoyeed the qualities of VIII , dont count this one out , its still pretty good . And all you old-school gamers looking for a new challenge , this is the game for you !
012 4 I am glad they went back to the magic system and love the way they have the abilitys put in . The graphics are awsome and best of all the story and characters are great ! The ATEs they put in also let us see what other characters are doing while not paying them !
149 4 For some reason i never play the game when it came out , now i'm enjoying it a lot ! I love the final fantasy saga .
158 4 This game , while hard to find , is worth every penny . The storyline , graphics , and tactics make for hours of amusement and the music is some of the best I have heard in any video game . Definately a thumbs up !
212 4 this game was a very good game . the graphics in the cg are sweet . the gameplay is very fun and challening . it was very adictive and out of this world . I liked the story and found it very suprising . the ending was the best I have ever seen .
024 4 When I played this game 9 , I was very moved . I have never felt such emotion . As the below reviewer say , if you are Final Fantasy 8,10,11etc , it may be a little dificult that you feel such emotion and are moved . Because the CG etc of 10,11 are superior to this 9 . But I think that there are more great points more than such CG in the game .
For instance , the story is so . 8 was a little adult and difficult story . On the other hands , in the 9 game that was the easy story that can be felt by children even or adults that dislike complex story , but that is not a just easy story , that is , warm atomosphere was surrownded around the story . Everybody can write difficult and complicate stories , but what include such plus points like the warm feeling in such limited easy story is in fact very difficult things I think .
At the same time , the main character is very pretty and calm . The graphic was not the best in the series , but for such calmness the game got to be a best game . May be that will be because I was a old game fan since FF1 about 20 years ago . The 9 characters is like FF1 very much , thefore when I played the 9 I was very happy , I felt the nostalgy . This will be what you can not feel if you are not a old FF fan .
And what I want to say especially is the 9 game systems , that is , very brief game systems . The 7 and 8 and so on were very complex system , I had many times until I got to understand the game systems . In the game , I can enter this story and system without the difficulty .
The 9 is very simple on a side , but can not finish in the simple thing only . You can feel many things , nostargy , calm and so on . Off course music is so .
Thank you for reading my poor English .
022 4 I hated FF8 . . . . it was too technical and there was too much stuff to keep track of . . . . . I loved FF7 . . . . but it was a little too easy . . . . . Final Fantasy IX combines the best features of each game with an excellent storyline . . . . . this game is a must for any fan of RPGs and Final fantasy
029 4 The Final Fantasy series is probably the most popular series in RPG history . My personal favorite has to be FF6 ( Jap ) which is probably one of the greatest Roleplaying games in history . After FF7 was released , it literally blew up the video game history , breaking every record on the charts , and rightfully so . The story was extremely deep and complex , and sephiroth literally took the show . But then came FF8 . Which literally blurred everyones vision of what FF stood for . I mean FF8 was like watching another episode of Dawson's Creek with monsters into the mix . FF8 ' s storyline was rather boring and not interesting at all , though its probably the most realistic FF in the series . But the problem with FF8 was that it never felt like an FF game . The junctioning and drawing system was something so different and very annoying . But never fear , because FF has relinquished their dissapointing release , and have brought us FF9 . FF9 is indeed the best FF for the playstation , there is no doubt about that . Though FF7 probably had the best storyline , FF9 ' s story was much more light but yet something new and fun . I can almost guarantee you , you'll be laughing and enjoying it right when you start the game . All I have to say is , if you enjoy RPGs , then you should Pick up Final Fantasy 9 , Chrono Cross , Breath Of Fire 2 and Lunar : Eternal Blue . They are all great RPG's , probably the best for the playstation this year .
035 4 Ok let me start off by saying that Final Fantasy 6 or 3 here in the U.S . is the best ever . This game is tied for 2nd place with Final Fantasy 4 or 2 in the U.S .
Theres just so much in this game that i love . The artwork has gone back to the series roots . FF7 and 8 had too much a futuristic look to them . This game get back to the hardcore fantasy world with knights , castles , wizards , and swords . The cinematic scenes are awesome as well . But for hardcore RPGers like myself the most important aspects are story , and gameplay . The storyline is strong and makes a great deal of sense . You actually care about the characters you are playing with , unlike FF8 . The battle system has gone back to the series roots as well . There are now 4 characters on screen during battle , unlike 3 in FF7 and 8 . Each characters plays differently and has unique abilities , unlike FF8 when everyone was the same . There is actually armor , experience points and money in this game and they mean something , again unlike FF8 .
Some argue that this game is meant for children . . . . . if they did they obviously havent played it . This game can get tough at times , and even the most hardcore RPGer will see the Game Over screen a few times . This game is SOOOOO deep . Unless you cheat and use a guide then this game has major replay value for someone who likes to find everything . I could have done without the silly card game , but i guess some people just love collecting stuff .
In conclusion if you love the Final Fantasy series , but are in doubt about buying another one after the debacle that was Final Fantasy 8 , trust me buy this game and you wont be disappointed
041 4 There is nothing wrong with Final Fantasy 9 . As many have stated the graphics were not the CGI of 8 and 10 for example . But in ways were smoother and more realistic than those titles . I of course love FF7 , it had the single best bad / feel sorry for villian I had ever seen . No game may accomplish how we understood why Sephiroth done what we know we may have done in our own hearts ever again .
FF9 takes out a lot of the stupid mini games.I don't mind mini games but 7 and 8 had lots of stupid ones that are simply annoying . 9 also had a more real character development and story while also keeping open extreme possibilities .
I'll also say this . . . . I'm tired of writing right now , but thought I would review this because I'm sick of all the people who say it is too kiddy . This game has the best and most real ending of any of the Final Fantasy games . I love 7 but its ending was wacked and 8 just needed help . 9 kept it in perspective with something every human really wants . The perfect ending for our lives . Love
199 4 I Absolutlely love this game . The storyline is a little odd and boring at first i admit but once u get about halfway into disc one you'll love it.i kno i did , the storyline is extremely gripping , ive played thru it 3 or 4 times and im still not tired of it . also the sidequests are great , there are so many of them , chocobo's , cards , bosses etc . the characters in this game are great , good personality and a very interesting style . I lvoe how square took some of the new aspects ( weapons , armor , technology ) and mixed it with some of the older aspects ( magic , airships , castles , swords . ) All in All this is my favorite PS game of all time , a dn the best FF game out there , i definetly recomend you get it while you still can !
206 4 Often , people don't like this FF because of slow load times and such . But , I think it's underrated . It's very cute , and after the seriousness of the past Final Fantasies we could use the humor . The characters are all well-developed ( except maybe Amarant ) and interesting , and the story is great . Plus we finally see a kickbutt female ( Freya ) who can easily do more damage then Zidane without a staff / rod . One of the few things I didn't like was that the crystal thing just pops up in the very end , with no foreshadowing or anything . What with the crystal in the logo , I kinda expected it to be there the whole game .
043 4 First of all , I must say that I am a huge Final Fantasy fan , so perhaps my opinions are not the most unbiased , but it is undeniable that FFIX is simply an amazing game . Every aspect of the game is beautifully and careful worked to create an unforgettable experience . First , the graphics , by far the easiest thing to show the magnitude of this game . As usualfor Final Fantasy game , the CG movies are beyond compare , even moreso here . The movies are extremely detailed and bring a smile to my face whenever one appears , which is very often . Unlike the previous games , FF9 takes advantage of the CG movies to add a bit of action here and there to the story without having the player go through a battle . It really adds a lot to the game and it is nice not having to wait eternities between movies . Also , the in-game graphics are superb as well . Though not as crisp as the new PS2 games , FF9 shows an incredible amount of detail in the characters and backgrounds of the common areas . These graphics are virtually the same as those int he battle sequences which helps the flow of the game tremendously . Second great point of the game , the music . I must admit , many of the tracks in FF9 are not as memorable as those in some of the previous games , particularly FF7 , but comparing it to such high standards doesn't do it justice . There are still some amazing songs to listen to , and you will probably be spending some time on Napster to grab a few of your favorite tracks fromt he game . Third point , the characters . This is such a great part of the game , because the characters themselves are quite distinct . All have their own temperment , goals , and actions that define them from the others and keep you interested in them . Also , none of the characters get to be as annoying as some in previous Final Fantasy games ( You know who ' m talking about if you've played them * Shudder * ) and the dopiest of characters is still enjoyable to have around . Fourth , gameplay . Basic Final Fantasy fare , but that is what is so great about it . If you have played FF games before , FF9 is the easiest system to organize by far . You won't spend hours staring at your menu screen configuring your characters , just strap on an item , learn the skills , and get a new one . If you haven't played an FF game before , the simple system will quickly be learned and you won't have trouble at all . Battles are generally fast paced , and while the random battles can be annoying when you want to explore an area , the game seems more balanced than the others and you will spend less time leveling up characters than you have in the past . Finally , fifth , the story . This is where FF9 takes a lot of guff . I won't go into it too as to ruin the surprise , but there are some similarities between the story of FF9 and the previous games . Many claim that this is a huge blemish on the game , but I don't believe it is that big of a deal . There are some very interesting new ideas in the plot so don't get the idea that it is exactly the same , and you still won't know what is coming next when you play , so when it happens you will probably enjoy it just as much . Overall , this game is absolutely wonderful . It's gorgeous , sounds great , plays well , and keeps you interested for hours on end . I could hardly put it down , and I'm sure if you buy FFIX that you will enjoy it just as much .
063 4 I'm not a hardcore RPG fan , but I've been a fan of the Final Fantasy series since FFIII ( USversion ) and I've played every US released game , up to and including the original Final Fantasy for the NES . The charming thing about FF9 is the retro-cartoony look of the characters . With the previous Playstation FF games the thinking was that the more technologically able the programmers became , the more realistic the game should look . The apex of this ideology was FF8 , a game that , granted , was brilliant in appearance , but whose hyperrealism turned off many fans looking for a lighter experience , such as myself . The characters and apearance of FF9 seem to be a happy bridge between eloquently rendered art and uber-cutesy characters . Unfortunately , somewhere along the line the story-telling also became the most cartoonish , which is a little sad . The story starts off splendidly , a beautiful fairy-tale scenario involving a flying theatre ship and a kidnapped princess initiating it . From there on , we got some pretty fun character interaction , but very little plot other than a focus on warring kingdoms that drudges about for most of the game . The cosmic chaos that is very sparingly alluded to for most of the game doesn't reveal itself unto the player until late in CD3 , which is pretty much the end of the game . So what I'm saying is , the story is a little weaker than previous FF games , which have ranged from oversaturated mindjarring plot-twist-every-minute sci fi epics ( FF7 ) to immsersive , operatic fantasy realms that the player cant let go of after one runthrough . Like other FF games , the story is still thematically sound : a play introduced at the begining of the story turns out some of the more relevant themes before they are portrayed at length by the characters , and to some extent provides an allegory to the plot . But it just doesn't make up for the lack of important story development for most of the game . Alright , Enough about the plot , the game is fun to play and the ability systems let you customize your characters ' special powers sufficiently . The Full Motion Videos are beautiful as always , and probably moreso given the game's colorfully fantastical setting , a return to the steampunk genre ( anachronistic fantasy setting , this one blending industrial era technology and medieval European design and clothing . ) The monsters are really big and scary . Zidane looks like a monkey , and everyone likes monkeys . I've talked too much . This game is fun and pretty . The sluggish story can be very easily ignored by the games other dazzling features .
064 4 Final Fantasy IX continues the trend of excellence that Square has paved . The game , while keeping with the power of the playstation , is a throwback to the roots of Final Fantasy . The characters , towns , parts of the story , and even some of the music , are throwbacks to previous Final Fantasy's . You don't have to be a buff to fully enjoy this game , however .
The graphics are wonderful . The CG sequences are beautifully done . The backgrounds are nice , and the characters interact with each other wonderfully . I like how you have a party of 4 instead of 3 which has been the custom in FF VII and FF VIII . This creates more strategy with the battles . In one of my favorite throwbacks , you don't get to select who is in your party until late in the game . Most of the game people come and go from your party a la FF IV . Also , the characters are much more individualized . For example , Zidane can steal , Garnet can heal , Vivi can use black magic , etc . The class system was pioneering for all FF's , so this was a natural choice .
The game is not too challenging , but knowledge of the game system is absolutely necessary to keep the challenge down . The ability system is very neat . Each piece of equipment lets certain characters learn certain abilities . Each character has ability crystals and certain abilities can be equipped by using ability crystals , which means only so many abilities can be equipped at one time . This system is very innovative and not nearly as complex as FF VII's materia system and FF VIII's junction system .
FF IX is a wonderful experience and the story doesn't fail to please . There are so many things you can do on the side . You will likely spend 10 - 15 hours doing the chocobo side quest , for example . This game is well worth the money , as with all FF's . If you have not experienced this game yet , do so now .
129 4 Final Fantasy is back and better than ever . After the tremendous disappointment that was Final Fantasy VIII , we have this beauty
First off , Final Fantasy IX FINALLY disses the futuristic settings of the last 2 games . Now it really is Final FANTASY . The character designs are downright cheesy , just how I like ' em !
Second , the plot is excellent . After Final Fantasy VIII's practically non-existant plot , I was very pleased . It involves a gang of theifs and a power hungry Queen . It is pure delight and masterfully done .
Third , the characters . You will feel Zidane's ambition , Garnet's sadness , Freya's faithfulness , and especially Vivi's confusion . The characters are all great in their own way , and my favorite has to be Vivi .
Fourth , more game-playing . FF VII and VIII practically knocked you over the head with cinemas . FF IX eases up on the cinemas and delivers more gametime , using CG only in extremely intense moments . And while the FF games dont exactly have the greatest graphics during play , you won't mind at all
And finally , the battle system . After FF VIII's absolutely horrendous battle system , I greeted this with open arms . No more spending a half an hour junctioning fifty thousand abilities . FF IX has established a much easier to use system , that I like to call the AP system . In addition , each character has it's own special type of abilities . For example , only Vivi , the Black Mage , can use Black Magic . Makes sense . Steiner has special abilities only he can use involving his sword .
All the excellent elements in this game are woven together and the end product is smooth as silk . Don't be scared away by FF VII , Final Fantasy IX is an excellent game , and shouldn't be missed
196 4 this is a very enjoyable RPG with a great story [ which starts to really kick in later on in the game ] , an interesting and easy to understand battle system , very fun characters , and an overall incredible feel to it . if you recently got into the Final Fantasies with FF10 , FF10 - 2 , or FF Tactics Advance , you should definetaly pick this up . if you have second thoughts about buying a somewhat out-dated game , don't worry . the graphics push the limit for the PS1 as well as use pre-rendered backgrounds . so even if all you play are PS2 games , you will easily get in to this .
10 / 10
073 4 A lot of things people don't seem to understand about this game is that , It wasn't meant to have better graphics then 8 , it wasn't meant to be a huge step in the new direction that Final Fantasy was heading into . It was rather , a step backwards , paying homage to what made the Final Fantasy series great in the first place . They went back to the small bodies with oversize heads , cute looking characters , little villages and towns rather than the more futuristic aspects that 7 and 8 utilized . And if you paid close enough attention , you would have seen aspects and items from previous final fantasies thrown in as a wink to the true fans . Overall this game was immensely fun to play , it had an epic story . Heart wrenching at times , it had it all . The abilities system was very easy to understand , and it wasn't confusing at all . Once an ability was learned you could switch and change them at will when facing different types of enemies . The wide cast of playable characters ( over ten characters ! ) You never got bored of your party as it was constantly changing . Kuja was an amazing villain ( Which I personally think gives Sephiroth a run for his money . ) and had no trouble using people and then simply disposing of them like a piece of garbage once they had served their purpose in his overall plan . The only thing I didn't like about the game was the card game served very little purpose ( no purpose at all actually ) and the whole trance thing could have been better . Many times , a character would trance at the very end of a battle and did nothing but frustrate me because certain characters trances are very valuable and destructive and it takes a long time for them to reach trance status . But I did like trance when the timing worked out for a character to trance just in time for a Boss battle . It was a good idea , I just think it could have been implemented a bit better . I loved the involvement of moogles in this game . They were everywhere kupo ! . The mognet was a cute touch . Unnecessary but it added a little something extra to the game . Like I said before , I think many fans didn't like this game because they didn't quite understand what Squaresoft meant it to be . Not a revolutionary game , it was a simple farewell to their old style , and to give the fans one last adventure in the style that made Final Fantasy so great in the first place . They knew that once FFX came around , they wouldn't turn back . So I thank Squaresoft for this precious gift of Nostalgia that they gave us before moving into the next generation of RPG gaming .
005 4 Finally , we're back out of the pseudo techno wonders of 7 and 8 , and back to the basics which we all grew to love in earlier final fantasies . Not to say I didnt enjoy 7 8 . However , it's refreshing to see this masterpiece out . Being the final Final Fantasy for the PSX , Square has outdone themselves with this game . Easily addictive , and loads of fun . All I can say is : five stars .
037 4 I am a relatively new gamer to the Final Fantasy Market . I can't say Oh , I've played every single one ! , but I know a good Final Fantasy game when I see one . This one I saw not so well . I absolutely LOVED Final Fantasy VIII . From the breaktaking opening to the cast of characters that I actually felt like I knew at the end , to the dramatic and very emotional ending , I loved it . SuperDeformed ( SD ) people never appealed to me . That's why I probably wasn't as excited about IX when I first heard about it going back to SD . That really disappointed me . To me , it felt like the series was digressing . Don't get me wrong , I don't mean in it's change to total fantasy ( I really like fantasy worlds ) or it's story . Just the graphical move . I didn't think I would like it half as much as VIII . Yet , as I read more about it , I realized how neat it really was . I avidly read game reviews and articles , and every one I read about IX slowly took away my doubts . Soon , I was anticipating it so much , I ordered the Melodies of Life single CD . I love it . The song is very emotional , and rivals Eyes on Me ( but I still really like that song too ! ) . The in-game music is also really good , and you can hear undertones of MoL in it almost everywhere . ( like in VIII with EoM ) I don't mind the SD characters at all ( I did in VII , though . They just looked weird in gameplay . ) . I also like the comical air to it , another part I was unsure of ( because I liked VIII's seriousness ) . Overall , this game definately is worth a try ( and buy ) . The music is very good I mean , Vivi and Eiko are the cutest things I have ever seen ! It is a bit harder , but what do you expect ? Squaresoft isn't going to make it easier . If it digressed in that way , I'm sure there wouldn't be 9 games . If you aren't up to the challenge , you don't have to buy it . But you will be missing out on a great game.My point is that don't judge a book ( or game ) by it's cover . If you do , you are missing out.It gets very high praise from me .
039 4 Over the years Square has brought the best RPGs out to a system ( exluding the Lunar series ^ ^ ) I havent played a bad Final Fantasy game yet and 9 did not dissapoint me . This game is simply amazing . The graphics are awesomely well done and the cut scene CG cinemas will leave your jaw weighted to the floor . The enviornments are lush and detailed . The amount of characters in a party has also been upped to 4 from the usual three . The story is also switched back to a medieval time , but of course you cant forget the semi-futuristic elements such as airships and giant steam powered cities ( Think Final Fantasy 3 ) . The story is simply engrossing . It will keep you hooked until you have beaten it with great twists and turns . I have 2 gripes that I have though . One , I think the main character , Zidane , isnt as memorable as Cloud , Lock , Squall , Cecil or any of the others heroes from previous games . Characters in the game are very well done . But Zidane I think was the wrong type of hero , just my opinion though . Character developement and backround in the game is awesome though . Square quality . The other gripe is the shortness of the game . I had the game for about a week and a half and I was at the 3rd disk . Maybe it was because I was hooked though = ) . My suggestion is by this game , everything about it is awesome and If you love Final Fantasy then this game wont dissapoint .
085 4 Well you are probably not gonna believe me but . . . Ever since this game came out it was around $35.00 and ever since after its release it was reduced to 20.00 . And it has been like that ever since , even today it is 20.00 new.Not because its a crappy game.No its because it is an excellent game.An excellent price for an excellent game.No i'm not gonna spoil it for you cause i want you to buy it.I have owned this game since 2000 , and its not cause i'm a huge fan of the final fantasy series , its that this game is simply one of the best , including final fantasy 7 . FF9 includes great music , great graphics for the playstation 1 and an overall excellent storyline that gives you the chills every time.I love this game.I'm 18 and i still play it today , take my word for it you will not be disappointed.If you want more info on this game just tell me and ill gladly reply.This is what rpg is all about = )
127 4 The series of psx disappointments continues . FF 7 was fun but not really a Final Fantasy game , FF 8 was fun enough to finish ( intresting how the limit break system was just a less random one of final fantasy 3 / 6 ' s ) and now 9 , well 9 was the first final fantasy game that I will not be finishing . It's sad , but the story is neither gripping nor exciting . The creators tried to recapture the greatnest of FF 6 but failed miserably , the humor is well [ bad ] . The dialogue is one of the few average parts , and the graphics were just a FF7 and FF8 mix .
128 4 i bought this game at a mall 3 1 / 2 weeks before its release date and i knew since then i didnt waste my money buying it ! ! i think its perfect because it has a sense of humor and it kinda has a medievel look which i am pleased to see because the last FF i know of that has a medievel look is Final Fantasy 2 which was released about late 80 ' s ! ! also none of the charachters are like real reality based like Final Fantasy 8 ( fictional looking charachters ) like the main charachter is a normal boy but what seperates him from the rest is he has a tail and one of the other charachters is a black mage and the game also has 2 white mages ! ! so i highly recommend this game for anybody who likes RPG's ! !
144 4 I loved this game when I first played it when it was a new release . When my son started liking FF games , I had to purchase all the Final Fantasy games that I had played so he can play them , he really enjoys playing this game .
210 4 This FF title ranks right up there with FFVII . Great story , Great characters , Great battle system . It achieves a near perfect balance between action and story . The card mini-game is so much easier than it was in FFVIII and actually fun believe it or not . I can't think of too many complaints . Your party is divided up quite often ( beyond your control ) so you have a lot of building up to do to even them out . The graphics are done well . Not too showy so they take away from the story and action but detailed and advanced enough to suck you in . Simply put this is what Final Fantasy is supposed to be like .
097 4 Final Fantasy IX has got to be my favorite game of all time . It's a wonderful role-playing game . I've beaten it 5 times and I still never get tired of it . The graphics are really good and so's the background music . There's a good plot going on , and the characters are really easy to like , especially Zidane and Vivi . Each character has a role and personality all their own , and they all add to the overall wonderfulness that is this game . There are several side-quests in the game which add not only to the fun , but also help in making your characters stronger ( and that is ALWAYS a good thing ^ , ~ ) . Not to mention , there are a couple of bosses who are extremely challanging - - in fact , the hardest boss that you face in the game is an optional one , but I would highly recommend fighting him anyway because you get some pretty awesome spoils that prove to be very useful after you beat him . I raise my hat off to all the creators of this game for a job very well done ! ^ , ^
101 4 Final Fantasy IX is the first Video Game I play it on my whole life and Characters is good and Storylines is understanding and I like Blondie Hair guy named Zidane and Garnet and every characters on the game and musics is great and and I like trance and bosses and It's getting harder and harder as I move on the game and I like Battle System and Characters in the Game and ending is great
141 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
A must play . Although the story was a bit confusing the first 2 times I played through it .
151 4 This game is simply amazing . The graphics are by far the best in the series , ( besides X ) and wow , the music ! i listen to the music almost everynight on my ipod . i have the whole soundtract . It isn't to hard to beat , and levealing up is pretty simple . You fall in love with the caracters right away . The storyline is amaizng . And might i add , its so nice to have a game w / out guns and all that crap , final fantasy ix takes it back to a simple time , with magic and swords . Set in a medival setting . The characters are unique and just addorable . They have that childish look to them , but are actually very mature . This game makes me cry everytime . i just love it . it is well worth it . And for it to be only 14 dollars , thats amazing .
190 4 Final Fantasy IX is the most weird insane and brilliant final fantasy game yet . The cut scenes are amazing and so is the sheer quality of the graphics through out . The story line is interesting but easy to follow . Vivi is my favourite character but each character has its own backround and emotions about them . over all 5 stars !
106 4 I am a beginner at Final fantasy , and number nine is the only one I've played or owned . I played Final Fantasy 8 a little bit , but I didn't like it . I may not have played all of the final fantasys , but I can tell you that this is , and always will be the best one in the series !
I like all of the characters ' personalities , especially Zidane's . He loves girls and flirts with just about every girl he sees , but He falls in love with princess Garnet , and she falls in love with him , and they make the perfect couple .
I really like the realistic movies , and I think that they should have one of Garnet and Zidane having their first kiss.In alot of the realistic movies , Zidane looks dumb , but on some of them , he looks really cool .
I love the Trance mode . It's alot better than overdrives , and it should be in every Final Fantasy there is , and every Final Fantasy there will be . This game may have been 4 discs long , but I still think that it is too short .
Almost the only thing that I don't like about this game is where Zidane came from . I think that he should have parents , find them , and Kuja should be completely erased from the game .
Zidane is probably my favorite character . He may seem like an annoying jerk at first , but he changes bigtime for the better as the game goes on , especially when he and Princess Garnet fall in love .
In conclusion , this is and always will be my favorite and the best Final Fantasy in the series ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
117 4 This game is just amazing , the best in the series on the playstation , but nowhere compared to Final Fantasy 2 in the super nintendo . This game brings such a smile to my face when Final Fantasy 8 almost made me cry after such an extreme dissapointment ! The characters are wonderful , desinged by Yoshitaka Amano . The battle system is great and the plot returened to when Final Fantasy is suppossed to take place , not in the future ( blech ) If only the movie that is coming out wasn't in the future . P.S . ( it is scary how much the main character Zidane looks so much like me !
138 4 being a final fantasy fanatic , what else is there to say . the game lived up to expectations , the mini card game is a pretty interesting twist , i must admit i love it though . gameplay is great as usual as with all other ff's even though i must admit there was a lil something missing ( can't place my finger on it though ) . but all in all , a must have for final fantasy lovers .
140 4 This game continues a lot of Final Fantasy traditions : It tweaks the battle , money , item , and command systems , introduces new characters , and has a deep plot to it too ; however , this game is also meant to be a throwback to some of the old Final Fantasies by reintroducing some old elements too . ( such as fixed jobs for each character ) It's the first Final Fantasy to do this , and it definitely succeeds in both ! Final Fantasy fans will definitely enjoy this one because of the latter features . . . and the return of some old faces . Newbies will still enjoy this game though . . . even if they don't get all the references . LOL
146 4 I loved this game to death even I had eight discs of this game ( two separated boxes ) . They are getting weary . I had nowhere to turn until I found out Amazon sells this game . I was so shocked to acknowledge this ! I immediately bought this third one and couldn't wait to get my hands on this game soon !
111 4 FF9 has revived the concept of fantasy . No more of that futuristic world ( FF8 ) . The story is the greatest I've ever played . It's EXCELLENT . After you finish the game , it'll make you think about the story , go over the whole game in your mind . It's that good . The game starts out interesting and finishes that way . The graphics are the BEST . The FMV is better than FF8 ! But this time , the FMV actually help tell the story , and aren't just a visual masterpiece as they were in the past . The characters are some what deformred . . . . on purpose . This game is showing things from the past . You'll be reminded of things from the earlier games . They have Rufus March ( from FF7 ) playing in the 1st disk and other little things . The battle system is the same but this time , it's much eaiser than the stupid junction system . Also , the summons are not as long as they were in FF8 , thank GOD ! After a few uses , they just last 1 sec and then they just tell you how much damage it did . Also , not everyone can use magic . Some are just physical attackers , and two of them use summons and healing and protective magic and one of them uses offensive magic , like Ice3 and stuff . Once again , the story is great ! It has comedy , romance , everything ! This game is like a fairwell to the old ways and it's just giving a salute to them because I hear FFX is going to be quite different . . . in a good way .
018 4 This game is very different from the past two Final Fantasies , but it's a nice change of pace . The world that the game is set in is , in one world , beautiful . The graphics are simply amazing , and I loved the beautifully done cutscenes . The characters in this game were a lot more likable than in FF8 , in my opinion , and there was more humor and lighthearted moments than in FF7 FF8 combined . The ending is amazing , and it's well worth the at least 35 hours of gameplay you'll put into it . I don't really want to spoil much of the plot , but you play as a young thief named Zidane with a mysterious past , who is part of a group hired to kidnap a princess of the midst of a rising war among four great kingdoms . That's just the beginning though , and it gets a lot more deep and complicated . I highly reccomend this game to all RPG fans .
193 4 It feels good to give a Final Fantasy 5 / 5 . After giving FF8 a 4 / 5 due to it's flaws . But it seems to me that FF9 has no flaws . The battle system is well thought out , the graphics are rich and pure , the music is again , astonishing . The story is great . And the best part . . . it's back to the Final Fantasy roots . The random battles are finally not so many . Just the right ammount . Leveling up is fast and fun . I highly recommend this to any RPG and Final Fantasy fan .
197 4 After playing this game all the way through seven times and recently finishing every FF up to Final Fantasy X , I decided that this game was my favorite to play . It is an awesome replay game with an inspiring and captivating story . I recommend that all RPG fans should own this one .
198 4 Its still worth playing if you are a true FF fan . Loads of fun and some really great graphics . Do get this game , a true classic to play .
121 4 Being a big fan of all the Final Fantasy's I belive that this was just the greatest ever made . Compared to all the others it blows them out of the water . This game is not very realistic but i love it , if you were one of the many people to play Final Fantasy 8 you might think that they are simler but they don't come close . In Final Fantasy 9 everything is very unique and fun to see all the aazing things that people have thought of . The battle system is basicaly the same but I like that not everyone can use one thing everyone has some special thing of their own . This game is a great game to get into and play for hours everyday . In this game there is always something to do form Mini-games to catching chochobos .
048 4 best of all the final fantasys i think . its just so much fun to play and has an amazing story . i love rpg games but this one takes the cake . . . but then again all the final fantasys are great . so if you like roleplaying games then buy this right now . you need this to get by . its one of the greatest games of all time .
200 4 This game is great ! When I first played this game I was at my friends house . I didn't think that it is that good , but when I played it , I found that everything is great , ghraphics , controll , and especially the music that made me feel like I was in heaven . It is the best game that I have ever played . I suggest that you should buy it now .
122 4 A step away from the innovative gameplay systems of Final Fantasy VIII and a sucessful fusion of the old with the new makes this the best Final Fantasy made for Playstation . The graphics are great , some of the best I've seen on Playstion and the way the FMVs integrate with the storyline is incredible . The gameplay combines some of the best ideas of the older Final Fantasies with some new ideas . The characters are done extremely well and the interaction between them makes a great storyline as well , the best one out of the Playstation Final Fantasies in my opinion . The Active Time Events ( ATE ) , which lets you see events that are happening somewhere else are fun and add a lot to the story , as well as providing some humor and the decisions you make in them may affect the game later . The summons are also back , but do not have as much importance to the game or the story as Final Fantasy VIII for example , but provide a good amount of eye candy . The large amount of mini-games and sidequests are fun to do also , but not manditory to progress the game , so the game can take you as long or as short as you want . Finally , this game wouldn't be complete without the musical score , one of the best recent scores . The music comes in at perfect times and is very emotional , adding so much to the game . Overall , if you're looking for a new RPG with just about everything Playstation has to offer , this is it .
120 4 If only Nobou Uematsu's music were any better on this game , there would be no question that this game deserved a perfect score . The biggest selling point for me on this game were the story and the characters . The theme is more lighthearted than the previous two and the characters are just believable and endearing . One must feel good to root for an underdog such as Vivi . The classic superdeformed characters and past elements relating to the fantasy world are back and it gives some nostalgia to anyone who missed the fantasy settings of the past . The four player battle system is back and the ability system is much simpler than the previous junction and materia of the past two final fantasies . For anyone who relishes a great game , this final fantasy is definitely worth it .
201 4 Play it . Play it now . No excuses just buy . Why you ask ? Where to start ? Charachters.From shy Vivi to oafish Steiner all the charachters have thier own struggles and conflicts . Vivi doesn't know who he is or where he came from . If you do not have a soft spot for him check 4 a pulse . Everything rocks in this game . From the sound to the charachters you'll want this game .
160 4 The best Final Fnatsy title I have played so far . I have played a lot of Final Fantsy titles in my lifetime , and this is the best one yet . I've played 1,2,5,6,10 , and 12 , and out of them all , this one wins . With its superb storyline , great character personalities , and really cool battle system , this is a must buy . Some reviews say there is a lot of cons to this game , but in my opinion there aren't any . When I first played this game , I had borrowed it from a friend , but now that i found a copy , I bought it first thing . So definatly buy this game , you won't regret it .
014 4 I never dreamed this game would be so amazing . I was not even a Final Fantasy fan before this . In fact , this is the first game of the series I have played . It is by far the best RPG ever made .
113 4 I bought this game not knowing what to expect . I had never before played Final Fantasy , although I had seen many people play it in the past . To be honest , it always looked somewhat boring to me . But within minutes , I was hooked . The intense battle sequences , along with the amazing character development , and graphics , I was blown away . As someone who knows absolutely nothing about the series , or the genre in general , I have to say that it is definately worth it . You should give it a try .
162 4 Final Fantasy 9 was the first RPG I ever played . Years later , it still remains my favorite . Maybe it's because at the time I was introduced it seemed as if the graphics , gameplay , and storyline were all untouchable . I like the battle system and the complexity of the characters . Vivi is my personal favorite , as he is basically a gentle giant who struggles socially despite his incredible power . Final Fantasy 9 is a must have for any Final Fantasy fan or any RPG fan for that matter . It's only $19.99 brand new ! ! ! Even if you've played it , beat it again .
167 4 Great game for Final Fantasy fans . Has great graphics , good story , plenty of areas to explore and many other features that make it one heck of a game .
186 4 In my opinion , this is the best Final Fantasy game for PlayStation . It is definetly worth the buy . It is great for Final Fantasy fans and will keep you hooked for endless hours of fun . It has a great soundtrack and a great story as well .
Don't skip many battles or you'll find yourself to weak to fight stronger monsters . The graphics are beutiful and the music is superb . The ingame movies are full of 3 - D detail and great orchestra . That was another thing I loved about the game : THE WONDERFUL MUSIC ! Sure some songs get on my nerves but overall the music has a very lovely mature sound . I am currently on the fourth disc in the series . Please try this game if you like adventure , action , and some humor . . . . . Thanks for reading . . . . . which I bet you didn't . . . . . I wouldn't have . . . . CU
087 4 this game is one of my favorite final fantasy's . the only thing i have to complain about is that the pictures are deceiving . the copy that you will receive is the greatest hits version of the game . for most people this isn't a bother but for me it was a big deal . the disks didn't have the characters pictures on them like in the pictures . the game runs perfectly fine and i still love it , just telling everyone who cares that it's not an origional one
204 4 Final Fantasy IX is undoubtedly the best installement yet . I mostly like it for its adventure and story . I love to talk to anyone I see and read the signs in the city . That's what I think makes it so great . Everytime you go to a city after you get farther in the game it changes with the time . You also see different people in the cities when you come back . That to me is a great thing in any game at all . I don't really like the battle system or the fact that you get attacked every 5 seconds on the world map or in the field . But i've learned to live with it . Hint : Don't skip many battles or you'll find yourself to weak to fight stronger monsters . The graphics are beutiful and the music is superb . The ingame movies are full of 3 - D detail and great orchestra . That was another thing I loved about the game : THE WONDERFUL MUSIC ! Sure some songs get on my nerves but overall the music has a very lovely mature sound . I am currently on the fourth disc in the series . Please try this game if you like adventure , action , and some humor . . . . . Thanks for reading . . . . . which I bet you didn't . . . . . I wouldn't have . . . . CU
213 4 Okay , alot of people didn't like this game.But I loved it.The ability system was great and the ending was ausome ! I loved it ! Not only did it have a great storyline , but it was fun.I ' ve played 3 of the Final Fantasy games and this one is the best.The characters were fun.And I liked the idea of having shortened summons ( unlike the long ones in Final Fantasy 8 ) . I also liked the card game.Did I mention how cool the characters were ? Anyway , I really liked this game .
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
. . . Possibly my favorite of all that I have played ( VII through X - 2 ) so far . . .
Final Fantasy IX gets rid of a lot of the futuristic elements that are laden in VII , VIII and X . Its story is rich , entertaining , and most of all . . . FUN ! All of the characters are easy to follow and fall in love with . Each one having his or her own story within the story of the game as a whole . Vivi is my favorite character . He is adventuring with Zidane hoping to find a reason to life and why he was created . Vivi basically wants to prove his existence . Along the way he meets many people that are a lot different than him . Some he becomes friends with while others are enemies . Heh , even some enemies in the beginning of the game end up becoming allies . You'll find out as you progress through all four discs .
Final Fantasy VII and VIII didn't capture my heart like IX has . I personally love the castles and airships that you'll find so much of in this masterpiece of a game . Even the characters have left a big impression on me . It is quite difficult to grasp at how much a videogame can affect the way a person feels and thinks . Final Fantasy IX has changed me not only as a gamer but as a person .
There aren't any guns here , folks . It's all about swords , spears , daggers , wands and flutes in . Leave all of the fancy future-style weapons out and bring in the vintage goodies ! There are a vast array of weapons you can use . Each character having his or her own ' type ' . For example : Garnet can use either a Wand OR Racket . Wands aren't meant for attacking an enemy physically , but Rackets are . Although I do not know why you'd seek to do physical damage to an enemy with Garnet . She is a Summoner and her power focuses mainly on Eidolons , the likes of Bahamut and crew .
There isn't anything bad that I find about this game . I guess if I / have / to absolutely pick one thing , it's that some of the dialogue can be cheesy at certain times . With that said , I enjoy everything about FF IX ; a very rare thing to experience in my eyes . Rarely does a game come along that its players can enjoy everything about it . If you're alive and reading this review , and are deciding whether or not you want to buy FF IX or not , do yourself a favor and buy it . This is a game that no RPG fan should miss !
038 4 Final Fantasy IX is an engrossing and captivating RPG . The game takes place in a magical , fantasy-based setting rather than the more high-technology settings of FFVII FFVIII . This is one of the most technically and emotionally developed video games out there . There is so much value in the plots , concepts and ideas . All the issues that the characters are forced to face - from self-worth to love - is done in an understandable , intelligent , and touching way .
Gameplay for Final Fantasy IX is basically like the others in the series . I'm glad that the simple equip system is back . One problem with Final Fantasy VIII was the complex magic junction system . This was a confusing aspect to the Final Fantasy VIII , and it distracted me from that game's beauty . Fortunately , that has changed in Final Fantasy IX . Like older Final Fantasy titles , there are 4 characters in your party instead of 3 . The Limit System is now called the Trance System . Characters can be appointed certian gained abilities in the form of a Crystal System .
One of the most astonishing aspects of Final Fantasy IX has GOT to be graphics . Most of the scenes and settings are prerendered . The attention to details , as far as animations are concerned , are awesome . This whole game is colorful , beautiful , and breathtaking . As far as the CG sequences are concerned , it transcends any other game that I've ever seen . It has to be seen to be believed ! All the CG scenes are beautiful ! The graphics are excellent ; lots of eye-candy !
The music and sound is another great aspect of this game . The music in any and all Final Fantasy games are so emotional and atmospheric . With Final Fintasy IX , not only is the sound great , but with remixed music , it even brings back so much nostalgia from the Super Nintendo Final Fantasies . I really like that ! The music in this game is really moving .
Overall , I thought Final Fantasy IX was really enjoyable . It's a great RPG .
045 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
. . . Possibly my favorite of all that I have played ( VII through X - 2 ) so far . . .
Final Fantasy IX gets rid of a lot of the futuristic elements that are laden in VII , VIII and X . Its story is rich , entertaining , and most of all . . . FUN ! All of the characters are easy to follow and fall in love with . Each one having his or her own story within the story of the game as a whole . Vivi is my favorite character . He is adventuring with Zidane hoping to find a reason to life and why he was created . Vivi basically wants to prove his existence . Along the way he meets many people that are a lot different than him . Some he becomes friends with while others are enemies . Heh , even some enemies in the beginning of the game end up becoming allies . You'll find out as you progress through all four discs .
Final Fantasy VII and VIII didn't capture my heart like IX has . I personally love the castles and airships that you'll find so much of in this masterpiece of a game . Even the characters have left a big impression on me . It is quite difficult to grasp at how much a videogame can affect the way a person feels and thinks . Final Fantasy IX has changed me not only as a gamer but as a person .
There aren't any guns here , folks . It's all about swords , spears , daggers , wands and flutes in . Leave all of the fancy future-style weapons out and bring in the vintage goodies ! There are a vast array of weapons you can use . Each character having his or her own ' type ' . For example : Garnet can use either a Wand OR Racket . Wands aren't meant for attacking an enemy physically , but Rackets are . Although I do not know why you'd seek to do physical damage to an enemy with Garnet . She is a Summoner and her power focuses mainly on Eidolons , the likes of Bahamut and crew .
There isn't anything bad that I find about this game . I guess if I / have / to absolutely pick one thing , it's that some of the dialogue can be cheesy at certain times . With that said , I enjoy everything about FF IX ; a very rare thing to experience in my eyes . Rarely does a game come along that its players can enjoy everything about it . If you're alive and reading this review , and are deciding whether or not you want to buy FF IX or not , do yourself a favor and buy it . This is a game that no RPG fan should miss !
065 4 This game rules . I have not played all of the FF series , but I have played VII , and VIII , and IX is the best out of all of them . I'll have to say Vivi is my Favorite FF character yet . The magic system is much better than Drawing magic . I like having 4 characters on the Battle Field , especially since one character can only do one type of magic or attack . The storyline is great you get really involved . I got to the point where I didn't want to do the side Quests just to know what happended next . The score is deffinantly the best in any game I've heard before . The first time I played I reset it a few times so I could hear the music . All in all this game is awesome . I deffinantly recomend you at least rent it if not buy it .
103 4 This game is truly amazing . The cutscenes are shocking , and the effects beautiful . This has one of the most gripping stories Ive seen , a quality FF8 lacked . A standard theif ' kidnaps ' with a princess . . And her mother wants her back . Powerful Summons called Eidolons are commanded in battle , destroying villages and great cities . Two worlds collide , and Angels of Death clash in the last great battle . Truely an incredible game .
116 4 This game is a new step for Squaresoft . I have played through a ton of squaresoft games , including most Final Fantasy ` s , and I am more pleased than ever to play this game .
The game takes on a relatively new concept over normal character design . Returning to a more innovative design than the human approach the characters are short with larger heads . This adds more of a fantasy demi-human look , but at first they may look strange . This can be a little odd to some people , but you will adopt the principle fairly quickly . The old style turn-based attack has returned , and is carried out very well . A few new elements are introduced when equipping armor and items , which adds a spin on the old design . Job classes are returning , where each character is set to an ability . Like Black Mages cast Dark Magic and Dragoons use spears and incredible leaps . This is a familiar concept from other Final Fantasy ` s , take it from me , I know . When comparing it to FFVII and FFVIII , it ups the standard for gaming again . Seven was groundbreaking , but Eight did seem too similiar to its predecessor . Nine breaks in new ground , following the Squaresoft tradition of evolving its games , instead of building on old . Buy this game . I doubt you will regret it . It ` s a beautifully designed game , and is the next line of Final Fantasy .
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
Strangely , the practically universally-loathed Final Fantasy VIII is probably my favorite of the series although I can't tell you why that would be . IX came soon right after and was released to not as much fanfare but it was just as anticipated with not only a return to more lighthearted fares and more brighter atmosphere and colors but was now in spirit to the NES / SNES days of the series with many references . Of course that also meant that several elements felt . . . borrowed to say the least so IX is one of those titles that is a pretty fun play and quite memorable but maybe we just expect too much of the series since IX is kind of flawed but still entertaining to a degree .
Story : Zidane is part of the Tantalus group , a band of thieves who are planning to sneak into Alexandria Castle and kidnap Princess Garnet . Thing is , however , is that Garnet wants to be kidnapped with worries of her mother , Queen Brahne , and her recent erratic behavior . The group escapes and soon get caught in a huge battle with several kingdoms in turmoil thanks to Brahne and a strange man seen recently in the castle .
Graphics : In many ways , IX is ahead of VIII for graphics although VIII is more realistic , IX just outshines it with more detailed and lush backgrounds , diverse locales and more animated character movements . The FM。 's are the definite highlight since there's a grander scope and they're shot similar to Hollywood productions with an eye on vista shots and exciting sequences . The world map as usual looks ugly while battle graphics are usable but not stellar .
Sound / Music : IX's soundtrack is probably Nobuo Uematsu's most profilic work , with an excess of 100 tracks , including a separate soundtrack for the music played in FM。 's . This is a mixed bag of course since some music such as Messenger of Ruin , The Place I'll Return to Someday , Melodies of Life and Frontier Village Dali are just as great as anything in his oeuvre while there's some decent tracks as well as functional , unmemorable and downright awful . Irony is he says this is his best soundtrack so I'll let you be the judge .
Gameplay : The Final Fantasy series has always been similar to each other with the same battle commands , levelling up and side quests available . But what's different is how you get stronger . Similar to the Esper system , a piece of equipment ( you have 5 slots : armor , head , body , wrist and special ) can come with various abilities , such as Cure and Fire for the mages , Beast Killer for the attackers or support abilities like Antibody and Auto-Life . Each ability has a number of AP for you to master which is received after fighting enemies . After getting the requisitive amount , you can de-equip the equipment and use it freely , whereas if you take it off before you master , you lose the ability until you re-equip it again .
The game is also littered with more sidequests with the big 2 being chocographs and Tetra Master . In the world there is the Chocobo forest , where you play a kind of Hot-and-Cold digging game , digging up items with some being chocographs , a visual clue to a treasure found somewhere in the world . Find it and dig it up and you get better rewards . I've gotta say it's quite an addicting game and although there are times where the accuracy of finding items is a bit too picky , it's still easy to be sucked in . As for Tetra Master , it's confusing , at times it's almost unfair and it's just not as involving as Triple Triad . So naturally there'll be a tournament that's required you beat to progress the story . Just play cards from the start and build a collection and you'll be fine .
The game's difficulty is also a burden for some since at times it's easy . Personally at times it's unbalanced since if you level up properly , the game can be easy but the ATB meter ( a meter fills which'll then allow you to select an action ) is way too slow and enemies can pack a wallop , plus your phoenix downs give you a pathetic starting health so don't be surprised if they're re-killed before you even get to cure them . But this isn't an RPG that'll make you rip your hair out but some will either find it way too easy or at times simply unfair .
Is it the best in the series ? Probably not , unless you particularly love this one . Me , I merely like it : enough to finish it and be entertained by it , but not enough to love it .
090 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
A really annoying part of my life is that there's all these really awesome video games that are not on the market anymore and I have some trouble getting my hands on them and then when I finally do , I have trouble finding someone to discuss them with because I was too young to have played them the first time around . Final fantasy IX is the SINGLE BEST GAME I have ever played . I mean , sure to some people the graphics would leave something to be desired . But I think they're absolutely great .
I inversely kind of like the text boxes as opposed to the long winded dialogue of Final Fantasy X ( which I was old enough to play as soon as it came out ) partly because you can read as fast as you want , and you can tack funky accents on to the characters . For example , in my universe , Blank talks in a Scottish accent , Zidane speaks Cockney , Steiner talks in a Mickey Mouse voice , Eiko sounds a bit like Vivian Blaine and . . . never mind , not important . Anyway . . .
The game itself is too amazing for words . A person could spend fourteen hours playing it without noticing that any time passed at all . It's a game that draws you in right from the very start . Following Vivi's wander around Alexandria , which in itself is rather fun , you get taken to Alexandria Castle , which is arguably the most fun part of the entire game , beginning with a fight which precedes an awesome mini-game in which Blank and Zidane duel . The game is linear , but flexible , and you end up getting pretty attached to the eight main characters - - Zidane , Garnet / Dagger , Freya , Vivi , Steiner , Eiko , Quina and Amarant - - and even to the side characters like Kuja , Puck , Beatrix , Baku ( who sneezes every time he's about to make an entrance ) Marcus , Blank and Cinna and even Ruby . There are so many memorable points in the game - - playing with chocobos in the chocobos forest , hanging out in Alexandria at the start of disc 3 , exploring Alexandria castle at the beginning of disc 1 , saving the people of Cleyra , fighting giant puppies in Alexandria , wandering through the woods to Black Mage Village ( and dealing with the supreme frustration of seemingly malfunctioning signs ) renaming Garnet just ' Garnet ' , kicking the stuffing out of Lani in Fossil Roo , mucking around at Daguerreo , cooking dinner at Madain Sari - - the list is endless , but this list makes Final Fantasy IX a game you'll want to play again and again and again . The plot is fascinating , the characters are delightful , the gameplay is simple , and to be frank , the only difficult part of the game is fighting Lani at Fossil Roo . . . making it all the more memorable when you finally kick the stuffing out of her .
168 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
Final Fantasy Nine usually rates as my favorite Final Fantasy and here's why . . . . The mood of the game . I mean look at the popular RPG's . There not fun ( keep reading before you bite my head off ) . They are a lot of things . They're enticing . They're beautiful . They're intracite . They're complex . They're mezmorizing . They're entertaining . But how often have you played an RPG like Final Fantasy 8 or The Legend of the Dragoon and thought to yourself in a carefree fashion Wow , this is really fun ! Certainly you don't think that when a main character dies , or when a kingdom is under attack . You feel what your characters feel . I mean that's the beauty of an RPG . Its the ultamite interactive novel designed to send you on a powerful emotional roller coaster . That is why they're so enticing . Because unlike the average fighting or sports game , an RPG strikes up your emotions , your imagination , and so much more . Does Final Fantasy 9 do that ? YES ! Then why is it different . . . because the first and primary emotion the author ( not programmer ) wants you to feel is a sense of fun , an element that is far too sparse in the realm of RPG . . . . So lets go over why .
1 . Have you seen the graphics . When paired side by side with its immediate predicessor , you would think that 8 came first . The graphics are what set the mood , and the mood is a light , bright , carefree mood . The characters lack the dark setting that exists in almost every other RPG . Come on . . . How can you look at ViVi and not smile . ( you'll find out as you get more imersed in his story . . . but for now look at him as the cute , would be helpless except he's super powerful mage that we all love and adore )
2 . Listen to the music . Sure their are the serious and sometimes dark moment that drives all RPGs , but the general music of this game is pleasant and free . If you just close your eyes , you'll find that you quickly are at peace .
3 . The comedy . No story ( including RPG's ) can succeed without at least tickling the funny bone . Even the tragedies of the world need a little relief in order to set you up for a fall . This game has plenty , and I think you'll find yourself chuckling at Zidane ( the main character ) and his constant advances towards the Princess Garnet .
Now don't think that this doesn't have that serious and intriguing story line . Like all good games the world is threatened by a great evil , and believe me , you'll find yourself wanting more of this . But the fact of the matter is most people at some point and time get bored with an RPG . The fun factor of this helps keep that boredom at bay . I highly recommend this game to everyone and anyone who wants to truly enjoy an RPG , especially if this is your first one . So please give it a chance . . . . you won't regret it
~ Brandon Scott Johnson
188 4 Strangely , the practically universally-loathed Final Fantasy VIII is probably my favorite of the series although I can't tell you why that would be . IX came soon right after and was released to not as much fanfare but it was just as anticipated with not only a return to more lighthearted fares and more brighter atmosphere and colors but was now in spirit to the NES / SNES days of the series with many references . Of course that also meant that several elements felt . . . borrowed to say the least so IX is one of those titles that is a pretty fun play and quite memorable but maybe we just expect too much of the series since IX is kind of flawed but still entertaining to a degree .
Story : Zidane is part of the Tantalus group , a band of thieves who are planning to sneak into Alexandria Castle and kidnap Princess Garnet . Thing is , however , is that Garnet wants to be kidnapped with worries of her mother , Queen Brahne , and her recent erratic behavior . The group escapes and soon get caught in a huge battle with several kingdoms in turmoil thanks to Brahne and a strange man seen recently in the castle .
Graphics : In many ways , IX is ahead of VIII for graphics although VIII is more realistic , IX just outshines it with more detailed and lush backgrounds , diverse locales and more animated character movements . The FM。's are the definite highlight since there's a grander scope and they're shot similar to Hollywood productions with an eye on vista shots and exciting sequences . The world map as usual looks ugly while battle graphics are usable but not stellar .
Sound / Music : IX's soundtrack is probably Nobuo Uematsu's most profilic work , with an excess of 100 tracks , including a separate soundtrack for the music played in FM。's . This is a mixed bag of course since some music such as Messenger of Ruin , The Place I'll Return to Someday , Melodies of Life and Frontier Village Dali are just as great as anything in his oeuvre while there's some decent tracks as well as functional , unmemorable and downright awful . Irony is he says this is his best soundtrack so I'll let you be the judge .
Gameplay : The Final Fantasy series has always been similar to each other with the same battle commands , levelling up and side quests available . But what's different is how you get stronger . Similar to the Esper system , a piece of equipment ( you have 5 slots : armor , head , body , wrist and special ) can come with various abilities , such as Cure and Fire for the mages , Beast Killer for the attackers or support abilities like Antibody and Auto-Life . Each ability has a number of AP for you to master which is received after fighting enemies . After getting the requisitive amount , you can de-equip the equipment and use it freely , whereas if you take it off before you master , you lose the ability until you re-equip it again .
The game is also littered with more sidequests with the big 2 being chocographs and Tetra Master . In the world there is the Chocobo forest , where you play a kind of Hot-and-Cold digging game , digging up items with some being chocographs , a visual clue to a treasure found somewhere in the world . Find it and dig it up and you get better rewards . I've gotta say it's quite an addicting game and although there are times where the accuracy of finding items is a bit too picky , it's still easy to be sucked in . As for Tetra Master , it's confusing , at times it's almost unfair and it's just not as involving as Triple Triad . So naturally there'll be a tournament that's required you beat to progress the story . Just play cards from the start and build a collection and you'll be fine .
The game's difficulty is also a burden for some since at times it's easy . Personally at times it's unbalanced since if you level up properly , the game can be easy but the ATB meter ( a meter fills which'll then allow you to select an action ) is way too slow and enemies can pack a wallop , plus your phoenix downs give you a pathetic starting health so don't be surprised if they're re-killed before you even get to cure them . But this isn't an RPG that'll make you rip your hair out but some will either find it way too easy or at times simply unfair .
Is it the best in the series ? Probably not , unless you particularly love this one . Me , I merely like it : enough to finish it and be entertained by it , but not enough to love it .
195 4 Now , obviously i can't really say that it's my favorite game . But it's definitely one of my favorites . It is addicting and very fun . the only negative comments I can think of are that the battles that pop up on the world map area can be annoying , and a warning : Level your characters up ! I'm stuck on the Gizamaluke Grotto , and everyone is only at level 8 , so I have to work on it . It's a great game , the cinematics are awesome , and the storyline is great ! It has everything a game needs : Action , adventure , and fun ! I have all the Final Fantasies for Playstation and PS2 . ( Except for 10 - 2 and 11 . ) and they're all great . Final Fantasy is my favorite series of games there is , and I enjoy naming all the characters myself except the main character , which , in this case , would be Zidane . So my point is : THIS GAME IS THE GREATEST !
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
Yes , i admit that I have taken risks in writing the title of this review sincem after all the title was highly opinionated , but here me out . Ill look at it from a reasonable angle .
When Final Fantasy IX ( FF9 ) was released , it was very differant than it's predecessors , Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII . It had gone from a harsh ' sci-fi ' feel to a soft ' fantasy ' feel . The main character was not a silent and melencholy introvert . And overall , the game had a very prelavent tone of charm and whimsy , whereas VII and VIII had , for the most part , more depressing tones . Like I said , very differant from its predecessors .
For anyone who doesnt like simple RPGs , this isnt for you . Everything in this game has been made slightly more simple . No Junction or Materia systems here . Every character has unique abilities that only he / she / it can learn . While I enjoyed VII and VIII's systems , XI's felt more believable . Believe it or not , this simplification adds some serious challenge to the game . Because not everyone can learn ' cure ' or ' revive ' you will have to be careful on forming your groups . and since you can't junction switch at all , you'll find that keeping all of your characters at high levels is a good idea . You cant simply put ' curaga ' on someones hp and have it skyrocket . youll have to do alot of levelling up . This doesnt mean that Final Fantasy IX is impossibly hard . In factm if I were to rate its difficulty level , I would say it was 60% .
these differances in abilities add to the very well written characters . Each character feels alive , and you believe what it says . In past final fantasies some characters , although important to the story line , just didnt feel real ( Cait sith , anyone ? ) but in Final Fantasy IX , each character seems 100% believable . Their dialoge matches their personalities seamlessly . some scenes which have no importance to the story are written in just to make you ' feel ' the character . Such as when Eiko scolds Vivi for looking the wrong way and vivi says I was just looking at the mountains .
And then you have the games visuals . Are the graphics breakthrough ? no . What you have in Final fantasy IXs visuals is emotion . For example , when playing Final fantasy VIII and you look at a floor tile , it just looks like some-old floor tile . But in Final fantasy IX when you look at a floor-tile , you feel a story behind it . It looks unique to each culture's lifestyles and beliefs . You feel a bit of what the tile maker felt when creating it . Yes , every blade of grass in Final Fantasy IX is a work of beauriful art .
One mustn't forget the music . Final Fantasy IX lives up to the high standard of its predecessors when it comes to music . Each song is beautifully well written and perfectly placed . Cooky and silly songs play where there is a village of quirky dwarves , sullen and sad music plays in a destroyed city , and so on . Some people ( myself included ) would get tired of certain songs after awhile in the past final fantasies . For instance , in FFVII when I was in the gold Saucer , although the music was good , it did get tiresome and I muted the volume . Same with Finl Fantasy VIII in Balamb garden . But with Final Fantasy IX i would often just sit and listen to songs re-loop so that I coud hear and feel them again .
The storyline in Final Fantasy IX is beautiful . I wont say anything to ruin it , but trust me . Its amazing .
Out of all this , why do I say that it is possibly the greates game of all time ? Well , i'll explain myself .
Does anybody remember Halo ? No no , not Halo2 . Halo . just plain Halo . It was revolutionary . I remember that everyone played it . everyone who had an XBOX owned Halo . ( partially because after awhile XBOXs started coming with a copy of Halo , but still ) it was a great game . But now , with the arrival of Halo2 , it has just faded out . Even big fans of the origional have said ' Man , there really isnt any reason to play the first halo anymore . Sadly , this is how it is with alot of games . Beautiful and wonderful games slowly fade out when shiny sequals come out . Yes , Final fantasy IX felt some of this when Final Fantasy X came out , but still many many fans play final fantasy IX because of its greatness . In other words , Final fantasy has lived on despite the release of more advanced graphics and things like that .
So , I urge you , ( haha , I sound so devoted ) if you havent played Final Fantasy IX before , play it . Make sure you buy it , because Ive been noticing that its harder to find at Game stores than it used to be .
Finally , ill leave you with one thing . You may hate this game despite everything i've said . Guess what , people are differant . If you try this game and for some unearthly reason you loathe every second of it , well then at least you gave it a shot .
003 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
Final Fantasy IX goes back to its cartoony roots , setting aside the gorgeous characterizations of FF8 . While FF8 was like playing characters in a well done anime movie , FF IX has you controlling rounded , playful looking characters that give the game more kid-appeal .
The graphics in general are stellar . The opening sequence , the animation of water , of birds , of fire , and of other things normally challenging to an animation crew are amazing to watch . Gameplay graphics are quite good , although at times the pretty backgrounds can make finding an object or figuring out an exit to a room a bit difficult .
FF IX is a bit restrictive in its characters . Your thief , mage , knight , and princess healer each need to pretty much specialize within their class . Each can find special items to help them learn and grow , and choose how to aim their growth . This can be done automatically for new players , or with great attention to detail for the more advanced gamers .
Battle is also nice in this way - beginners can have the game pause while they choose exactly which magic to fire at their enemies , while those wanting a challenge can have the entire battle run in real time , depending on quick reflexes and fast fingers . In addition to the players , there are also ' helpers ' , or Eidolons , which add to the drama of a battle .
Active Time Events ( ATE ) will show up occasionally to fill you in on the storyline , showing short movies of things happening elsewhere in the game . These are well done - if you've already seen a particular ATE from a different game , you can simply bypass these . Some ATEs help progress the plot , while others give the player help with new commands .
In all , this is a great game for all playing levels . New and young gamers can set the game up so it gives you time to think during combat , and helps out out with skill setting . Advanced players can tweak all of the details themselves , and immerse themselves in the challenging card games that are part of the plot . There's something in it for everyone !
004 4 Final Fantasy IX goes back to its cartoony roots , setting aside the gorgeous characterizations of FF8 . While FF8 was like playing characters in a well done anime movie , FF IX has you controlling rounded , playful looking characters that give the game more kid-appeal .
The graphics in general are stellar . The opening sequence , the animation of water , of birds , of fire , and of other things normally challenging to an animation crew are amazing to watch . Gameplay graphics are quite good , although at times the pretty backgrounds can make finding an object or figuring out an exit to a room a bit difficult .
FF IX is a bit restrictive in its characters . Your thief , mage , knight , and princess healer each need to pretty much specialize within their class . Each can find special items to help them learn and grow , and choose how to aim their growth . This can be done automatically for new players , or with great attention to detail for the more advanced gamers .
Battle is also nice in this way - beginners can have the game pause while they choose exactly which magic to fire at their enemies , while those wanting a challenge can have the entire battle run in real time , depending on quick reflexes and fast fingers . In addition to the players , there are also ' helpers ' , or Eidolons , which add to the drama of a battle .
Active Time Events ( ATE ) will show up occasionally to fill you in on the storyline , showing short movies of things happening elsewhere in the game . These are well done - if you've already seen a particular ATE from a different game , you can simply bypass these . Some ATEs help progress the plot , while others give the player help with new commands .
In all , this is a great game for all playing levels . New and young gamers can set the game up so it gives you time to think during combat , and helps out out with skill setting . Advanced players can tweak all of the details themselves , and immerse themselves in the challenging card games that are part of the plot . There's something in it for everyone !
009 4 When people who play video games hear the words Final Fantasy , even those who don't like that type of game have to admit that the series is very cool . It's creators have a history of Taking beautiful fantasy , Sci-fim type of stories , mixing them with interesting and beautifully developed charachters , putting them into fantastic and epic adventures and battles . Final Fantasy IX Scores in every way . You'll laugh , you'll cry , ( Really ) your jaw will drop at some of the events that happen . You will not be able to shut the game off .
to those who've never played and RPG , I say this : if you like reading , and you like video games , you must play this game . Most RPG's are like fantasy novels turned into videogames . And Final Fantasy is to video games , what the sowrd of truth series it to fantasy novels . simply the best . You save princesses , fight dragons , bring evil doer's to justice , and learn about the meaning of life , love , and beloging . I't not everybodies cup of tea . RPG's , even the best one's are an acquired taste . But should you have the taste for this type of adventure , you'll dig it the most .
For those of you that know the type of game , get it now . It will rob you of sleep , it will keep you from finishing homework , it is truly a captivating game filled with wizards , warriors , acts of courage and sacrifice , beautiful charachter development , mystery , chocobo's , Ultima , Masamune , crystals , and some dude named Cid . For those of you not in the know , Cid is the Q ( From James bond ) of Final Fantsy .
And , of course the graphics a captivating . the music ; inspired . the story ; a work of beauty . The battles ; epic and exciting . Ant the villans are powerful and deep . But these things are final fantasy staples . This is the best Final Fantasy ever .
015 4 To put it frankly , Final Fantasy 8 . . . was pretty darn bad . And I mean downright boring . Sure , the graphics were gorgeous . Sure , the characters were gorgeous ! ( I loved the realistic look ) What bugged me though was that the storyline had declined drastically . In an attempt to further the computer graphics in FF8 , the creators focused too much on design and then drew up a scratchy last minute story . Puh-lease ! Here's the basic FF8 story . . .
Boy hates world . Boy meets girl . Girl likes boy . Boy hates girl . Girl gets into trouble . Boy realizes he likes girl . Boy saves girl . Boy has strange dreams somewhere in between girl getting into trouble and boy saving girl . Boy and girl defeat evil witch . Boy and girl live happily ever after .
Now wasn't that simply enthralling ? * coughs a few times * The characters were also VERY stereotypical as well and not interesting enough . In FF7 we had Cloud Strife , the confused and I-couldn't-give-a-d * * n character . We had Tifa , the Lara Croft look-a-like . ( I'm a girl , mind you . . ) We had Aeris the dreamer . We had Cid , the swear machine , along with Cait Sith the stuffed animal , Yuffie the brat , and Vincent the mysterious . Plus , those villains had REAL personality ! You can't get any better than them turks ! How cool is that ?
Let's evaluate FF8 characters now . Squall , the I-hate-the-world-and-the-world-hates-me typical loner character . Rinoa the kind hearted girl who can touch any soul . Quistis the strict . Seifer the misunderstood . Irvine the lady's man . Zell the violent . Selphie the hyper . Laguna the writer . * yawns * The villains were boooring as well . Seifer wasn't bad , but the ultimate villain of all , was A PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A VILLAIN ! Ultimecia ? Hello , just WHERE did your personality disappear off to ?
BUT THIS ISN'T a rant about how much FF8 . . . . I have better places to do that in . This is a suggestion to buy FF9 . If you hated FF8 and you hated Final Fantasy because of that , you have to give it a second chance ? The storyline in FF9 is REAL ! The characters are REAL ! Heck , the villain has a kick - . . . personality ! You don't get this game and this guide to go with it , and you're missing out a lot .
There's my ranting . Love you all . ^ _ _ _ ^
- Aeris Flower
016 4 Well it has been a little over a year since Final Fantasy VIII was released and Squarsoft has shown the public that it doesn't take long to create a truely imaginative and unforgettable masterpiece . Final Fantasy IX brings back a lot of the themes found in earlier FF titles ( i.e . FF IV , V , VI etc ) This is a blessing considering the last two titles released on the PSX . Final Fantasy VII was great in its own self and very entertaining and Final Fantasy VIII was good too however I found the last to titles in the series to be very serious and neo-esque especially in Final Fantasy VIII . Final Fantasy IX is a fresh change going back to the roots or core of what Final Fantasy is about . . . FANTASY . It has very rhobust characters , beautiful pre - rendered backrounds and of course the georgeous FMV cut scenes . In addition to this Nobuo Uemetsu once again shows the world that he is a gifted person , creating some of the most memorable themes and music for the game . Final Fantasy IX also has a very simple ability system . . . here's how it works :
You have a certain piece of armor , head gear , accessory etc . When these items are equipped you get certain abilities . Now if you wear these items you immediatly have access to the ability and if you wear the item ( s ) long enough and gain enough ability points then the ability is learned . I think this adds a depth of challange because if you are to quick to upgrade you might not have learned all the abilities for that particular piece of equipment . Speaking of equipment , armor shops are back . And to make things even more interesting there are special Synth shops that allow you to synthesize two items to make even greater items . This also makes you want to hold back on selling your items that you have acquired .
Now in nearly every Final Fantasy game there have been summon creatures . Well they are here too . In IX they are called Eidolons . Of course every animation sequence is very nice graphiclly wise and there are all your familiar favorites ( Ifrit , Shiva , Odin , Carbunkle etc . ) The interesting thing in summoning in Final Fantasy IX is that the attack comes in two forms , a short form and a long form that involves animation of the actual edilolon . For example if you summon Rhamu and perform Judgement bolt the short version shows a staff that impales the enemy and lightning strikes the staff . The longer version actually shows Rhamu and does quite a bit more damage .
Saving in Final Fantasy IX is quite interesting . In order to save your progress you must find a moogle . Moogles appear all over the world and they are the ones that can save your game , sell items and they may even ask you to take letters to their fellow moogle friends .
In short this game is a fresh change . To me the last two games had a very serious overtone and was set in a very modern-type environment . This allows you to go back to what we have grown to love . A series that has always told a great story and taken us to a different world . A series in which every game always ends as
final . . .
020 4 . . . in comparison with the other final fantasies , this is just below par .
- The character development for this isn't as clean as say . . . VIII
- The Eidolon / Summon feature is a little shaky .
- The ending is a tad disappointing
- The soundtrack is not Uematsu's best
but . . .
- it's still very very fun to play
- the visuals are , as usual , stunning ( FMVs . . . normal gameplay )
- Although not Uematsu's best , the soundtrack gets better over time ( go pick up the piano tracks after you're done - they're marvelous )
- the story is good
- the references to old final fantasies are fun
IV and VIII still remain at the top of my list , but this installment in the series is still very very good . If you've got some time , pick this up .
023 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
When I played this game 9 , I was very moved . I have never felt such emotion . As the below reviewer say , if you are Final Fantasy 8,10,11etc , it may be a little dificult that you feel such emotion and are moved . Because the CG etc of 10,11 are superior to this 9 . But I think that there are more great points more than such CG in the game .
For instance , the story is so . 8 was a little adult and difficult story . On the other hands , in the 9 game that was the easy story that can be felt by children even or adults that dislike complex story , but that is not a just easy story , that is , warm atomosphere was surrownded around the story . Everybody can write difficult and complicate stories , but what include such plus points like the warm feeling in such limited easy story is in fact very difficult things I think .
At the same time , the main character is very pretty and calm . The graphic was not the best in the series , but for such calmness the game got to be a best game . May be that will be because I was a old game fan since FF1 about 20 years ago . The 9 characters is like FF1 very much , thefore when I played the 9 I was very happy , I felt the nostalgy . This will be what you can not feel if you are not a old FF fan .
And what I want to say especially is the 9 game systems , that is , very brief game systems . The 7 and 8 and so on were very complex system , I had many times until I got to understand the game systems . In the game , I can enter this story and system without the difficulty .
The 9 is very simple on a side , but can not finish in the simple thing only . You can feel many things , nostargy , calm and so on . Off course music is so .
Thank you for reading my poor English .
025 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
For those who like FF8 , FF10 and the ones after it , this isn't for you . Sorry , but there's none of that fanservice and what-not , and the story's not lovey-dovey enough . Well , except for maybe in the end , it gets a bit sappy . Also , if you can't stand the fact that the characters look too kiddish , then this is also not for you .
I have yet to try FF6 and the ones prior to it , but so far , FF7 and FF9 are the ones on the top of my fav list . These two really gave at it for a plot , not to mention a diverse array of characters with personalities that keep you interested . FF8 was bland . Something about a sorceress from the future who tries to take over the world and enough romance in there to suffocate you . Bluntly put , it was lame . I was beyond disappointed . And FFX - 2 made me cry . They didn't even try to hide the fact that it was a game for male fanservice .
FF9 , on the other hand , blew me away . Even with the lack of challenge in the game . The only reason people claim this is for kids is because the physical appearance of the characters have basically been chibified . Other than that , they're much more interesting than those in FF8 . You can tell a difference in their personalities . Some of them will annoy you , and some will amuse you , and some you will love to death . That , I think , is a good enough of an accomplishment .
The fun is rated a 4 because seriously , it's not all that complicated . XD The plot and characters are wonderful , but the fighting's a piece of cake . Unless you try really hard to not train . Then maybe it might be a bit more difficult . If you're looking for something that will require strategy and loads of hard work for the characters , this might also not be the game for you . But if you're looking for a great story line , just a bit of fun , I would suggest for you to buy this . Especially if you were as disappointed in FF8 and FFX - 2 as I was .
026 4 For those who like FF8 , FF10 and the ones after it , this isn't for you . Sorry , but there's none of that fanservice and what-not , and the story's not lovey-dovey enough . Well , except for maybe in the end , it gets a bit sappy . Also , if you can't stand the fact that the characters look too kiddish , then this is also not for you .
I have yet to try FF6 and the ones prior to it , but so far , FF7 and FF9 are the ones on the top of my fav list . These two really gave at it for a plot , not to mention a diverse array of characters with personalities that keep you interested . FF8 was bland . Something about a sorceress from the future who tries to take over the world and enough romance in there to suffocate you . Bluntly put , it was lame . I was beyond disappointed . And FFX - 2 made me cry . They didn't even try to hide the fact that it was a game for male fanservice .
FF9 , on the other hand , blew me away . Even with the lack of challenge in the game . The only reason people claim this is for kids is because the physical appearance of the characters have basically been chibified . Other than that , they're much more interesting than those in FF8 . You can tell a difference in their personalities . Some of them will annoy you , and some will amuse you , and some you will love to death . That , I think , is a good enough of an accomplishment .
The fun is rated a 4 because seriously , it's not all that complicated . XD The plot and characters are wonderful , but the fighting's a piece of cake . Unless you try really hard to not train . Then maybe it might be a bit more difficult . If you're looking for something that will require strategy and loads of hard work for the characters , this might also not be the game for you . But if you're looking for a great story line , just a bit of fun , I would suggest for you to buy this . Especially if you were as disappointed in FF8 and FFX - 2 as I was .
028 4 Okay folks , check this out : In my opinion , 9 and 8 are tied for the best in the entire FF series . But hey , that's me . FF8 was incredible for its complexity , depth and the new , innovative battle systems . FF9 , on the other hand , is fantastic for almost completely opposite reasons . If you are looking for high drama , and deeply complex story lines , look elsewhere . This game is FUN . It's a feel good game , in all aspects . The battle system is a cry back to FF2 ( or 4 , whatever ) , much simpler than that in 8 , but you still feel a large degree of control over your team's development . The characters are a joy to watch , and for those of us with a whimsical frame of mind , there are a lot of laughs . The plot may not have as many twists and turns as did FF8 , but this game is high fantasy , not high drama . In conclusion , if you're looking for a great classic story about good vs . evil that's a bunch of fun to play through , go for this game NOW . But be warned : If you don't know how to loosen up and have fun , you aren't going to enjoy yourself much .
PS - Yes , yes , we're all getting tired of random battles . But hey , it wouldn't hardly be FF without them , right ?
032 4 Yes , i admit that I have taken risks in writing the title of this review sincem after all the title was highly opinionated , but here me out . Ill look at it from a reasonable angle .
When Final Fantasy IX ( FF9 ) was released , it was very differant than it's predecessors , Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII . It had gone from a harsh ' sci-fi ' feel to a soft ' fantasy ' feel . The main character was not a silent and melencholy introvert . And overall , the game had a very prelavent tone of charm and whimsy , whereas VII and VIII had , for the most part , more depressing tones . Like I said , very differant from its predecessors .
For anyone who doesnt like simple RPGs , this isnt for you . Everything in this game has been made slightly more simple . No Junction or Materia systems here . Every character has unique abilities that only he / she / it can learn . While I enjoyed VII and VIII's systems , XI's felt more believable . Believe it or not , this simplification adds some serious challenge to the game . Because not everyone can learn ' cure ' or ' revive ' you will have to be careful on forming your groups . and since you can't junction switch at all , you'll find that keeping all of your characters at high levels is a good idea . You cant simply put ' curaga ' on someones hp and have it skyrocket . youll have to do alot of levelling up . This doesnt mean that Final Fantasy IX is impossibly hard . In factm if I were to rate its difficulty level , I would say it was 60% .
these differances in abilities add to the very well written characters . Each character feels alive , and you believe what it says . In past final fantasies some characters , although important to the story line , just didnt feel real ( Cait sith , anyone ? ) but in Final Fantasy IX , each character seems 100% believable . Their dialoge matches their personalities seamlessly . some scenes which have no importance to the story are written in just to make you ' feel ' the character . Such as when Eiko scolds Vivi for looking the wrong way and vivi says I was just looking at the mountains .
And then you have the games visuals . Are the graphics breakthrough ? no . What you have in Final fantasy IXs visuals is emotion . For example , when playing Final fantasy VIII and you look at a floor tile , it just looks like some-old floor tile . But in Final fantasy IX when you look at a floor-tile , you feel a story behind it . It looks unique to each culture's lifestyles and beliefs . You feel a bit of what the tile maker felt when creating it . Yes , every blade of grass in Final Fantasy IX is a work of beauriful art .
One mustn't forget the music . Final Fantasy IX lives up to the high standard of its predecessors when it comes to music . Each song is beautifully well written and perfectly placed . Cooky and silly songs play where there is a village of quirky dwarves , sullen and sad music plays in a destroyed city , and so on . Some people ( myself included ) would get tired of certain songs after awhile in the past final fantasies . For instance , in FFVII when I was in the gold Saucer , although the music was good , it did get tiresome and I muted the volume . Same with Finl Fantasy VIII in Balamb garden . But with Final Fantasy IX i would often just sit and listen to songs re-loop so that I coud hear and feel them again .
The storyline in Final Fantasy IX is beautiful . I wont say anything to ruin it , but trust me . Its amazing .
Out of all this , why do I say that it is possibly the greates game of all time ? Well , i'll explain myself .
Does anybody remember Halo ? No no , not Halo2 . Halo . just plain Halo . It was revolutionary . I remember that everyone played it . everyone who had an XBOX owned Halo . ( partially because after awhile XBOXs started coming with a copy of Halo , but still ) it was a great game . But now , with the arrival of Halo2 , it has just faded out . Even big fans of the origional have said ' Man , there really isnt any reason to play the first halo anymore . Sadly , this is how it is with alot of games . Beautiful and wonderful games slowly fade out when shiny sequals come out . Yes , Final fantasy IX felt some of this when Final Fantasy X came out , but still many many fans play final fantasy IX because of its greatness . In other words , Final fantasy has lived on despite the release of more advanced graphics and things like that .
So , I urge you , ( haha , I sound so devoted ) if you havent played Final Fantasy IX before , play it . Make sure you buy it , because Ive been noticing that its harder to find at Game stores than it used to be .
Finally , ill leave you with one thing . You may hate this game despite everything i've said . Guess what , people are differant . If you try this game and for some unearthly reason you loathe every second of it , well then at least you gave it a shot .
040 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
There is nothing wrong with Final Fantasy 9 . As many have stated the graphics were not the CGI of 8 and 10 for example . But in ways were smoother and more realistic than those titles . I of course love FF7 , it had the single best bad / feel sorry for villian I had ever seen . No game may accomplish how we understood why Sephiroth done what we know we may have done in our own hearts ever again .
FF9 takes out a lot of the stupid mini games.I don't mind mini games but 7 and 8 had lots of stupid ones that are simply annoying . 9 also had a more real character development and story while also keeping open extreme possibilities .
I'll also say this . . . . I'm tired of writing right now , but thought I would review this because I'm sick of all the people who say it is too kiddy . This game has the best and most real ending of any of the Final Fantasy games . I love 7 but its ending was wacked and 8 just needed help . 9 kept it in perspective with something every human really wants . The perfect ending for our lives . Love
046 4 . . . Possibly my favorite of all that I have played ( VII through X - 2 ) so far . . .
Final Fantasy IX gets rid of a lot of the futuristic elements that are laden in VII , VIII and X . Its story is rich , entertaining , and most of all . . . FUN ! All of the characters are easy to follow and fall in love with . Each one having his or her own story within the story of the game as a whole . Vivi is my favorite character . He is adventuring with Zidane hoping to find a reason to life and why he was created . Vivi basically wants to prove his existence . Along the way he meets many people that are a lot different than him . Some he becomes friends with while others are enemies . Heh , even some enemies in the beginning of the game end up becoming allies . You'll find out as you progress through all four discs .
Final Fantasy VII and VIII didn't capture my heart like IX has . I personally love the castles and airships that you'll find so much of in this masterpiece of a game . Even the characters have left a big impression on me . It is quite difficult to grasp at how much a videogame can affect the way a person feels and thinks . Final Fantasy IX has changed me not only as a gamer but as a person .
There aren't any guns here , folks . It's all about swords , spears , daggers , wands and flutes in . Leave all of the fancy future-style weapons out and bring in the vintage goodies ! There are a vast array of weapons you can use . Each character having his or her own ' type ' . For example : Garnet can use either a Wand OR Racket . Wands aren't meant for attacking an enemy physically , but Rackets are . Although I do not know why you'd seek to do physical damage to an enemy with Garnet . She is a Summoner and her power focuses mainly on Eidolons , the likes of Bahamut and crew .
There isn't anything bad that I find about this game . I guess if I / have / to absolutely pick one thing , it's that some of the dialogue can be cheesy at certain times . With that said , I enjoy everything about FF IX ; a very rare thing to experience in my eyes . Rarely does a game come along that its players can enjoy everything about it . If you're alive and reading this review , and are deciding whether or not you want to buy FF IX or not , do yourself a favor and buy it . This is a game that no RPG fan should miss !
047 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
best of all the final fantasys i think . its just so much fun to play and has an amazing story . i love rpg games but this one takes the cake . . . but then again all the final fantasys are great . so if you like roleplaying games then buy this right now . you need this to get by . its one of the greatest games of all time .
057 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
When I first bought my Playstation back in ' 99 I was kinda new to the whole gaming thing . Sure , I'd played Game Boy Color and had a Sega Genesis before . But I wanted to become a gamer , and FF9 was the first RPG I ever played . It introduced me to the world of RPGs and Final Fantasy too , and it was a good choice . As soon as I started playing I was immersed in what was going on in the game . The storyline wasn't much at first but soon it became more interesting and exciting . The random battles are quite good and teaches you to be on your toes at all times , although sometimes your characters are near death and you want to get to an inn before you die and random battles don't help at all . But besides that , this is a very immersive game with many personality-filled characters . It keeps you interested from the opening cutscene to the closing credits . Plus , there's a little mini-game you can play at the end of the credits , but you'll have to enter in a certain code of buttons in order to play it . The music is also beautiful , adding a mood to each scene . This is a definite must buy for any RPG fan .
066 4 As many people already know , this is the final Final Fantasy for the Playstation , and as such , it is a summation of the past 8 games in the series . The producers made this game with this intent in mind . So you're not going to see anything incredibly revolutionary , like the ( at the time ) incredible graphics of FF 7 or the crazy gameplay system of FF8 . Instead , what you will find is a simply well-made , enjoyable game .
There has been lots of controversy over the quality of the Playstation Final Fantasy games , and my interpretation of this will be no different . This game seemed like the best in the series to me , since it was a well made game . There were no screwed up battle systems like in FF8 , the plot was actually consistent and made sense , unlike FF7 , and the graphics were in general great . In terms of craftsmanship , the only Final Fantasy which is close ( if not better ) is FF 6 .
The gameplay was excellent . The item-ability system was reminiscent of the Esper system in FF6 , the trance system of the limit system in FF7 and FF8 , and the synthesis system from FF8 . All these elements come together to make a game that is fun to play . While the random battles can become a drag , the sheer graphical quality of the fights is enough to make at least the first few ones in each area enjoyable .
The world map is also the largest in the series . While there aren't multiple world maps , there are enough areas in the game to keep you occupied . This means there are plenty of side quests to do , in addition to being able to simply explore lots of places . Each individual town is larger , on average , than any of those in the FF series which came before .
Graphically speaking , this game is incredible . Not just in the technical aspects , but also in the creativity exercised by the artists in this game . No other Final Fantasy comes close to the wonderful way the artists were able to make this world come alive . Every new area is shockingly refreshing and new . The summons , like FF8 , are beautiful , but they aren't long .
The music was pretty good . If I had to pick a part of the game that was weakest , this would be it . But it still good , and much of it did a good job of accompanying what was happening on the screen . It's especially wonderful to listen to various pieces of music after finishing the game and reminiscing about those parts .
Finally , the story was superb . It made sense and what happened near the end of the game was especially interesting . If anything , this game is worth buying just to see Vivi . He's the most incredible character in the entire Final Fantasy series .
You aren't going to find anything revolutionary here . Instead , what you'll find is a well-made , enjoyable game . This is the last Final Fantasy of its kind , and like those before it , it doesn't disappoint !
080 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
This game is a classic ! For a game that is almost 10 years old . . . The graphics are great , the cutscenes well done and cinematic . The Fighting is old school but still fun in 2009 . The story is somewhat typical of RPG's from that time , but the characters themselves are well developed and fun . Comparatively , FF8 , I found that I did not care for any of the Characters in the end . . FF9 is different . To me this is definately and improvment over FF8 . I am hoping that FFX is even better ( No , I have not played it yet . . . I was starting from FF IV and building my way up . )
Very much worth the hours you'll put in Kupo !
081 4 This game is a classic ! For a game that is almost 10 years old . . . The graphics are great , the cutscenes well done and cinematic . The Fighting is old school but still fun in 2009 . The story is somewhat typical of RPG's from that time , but the characters themselves are well developed and fun . Comparatively , FF8 , I found that I did not care for any of the Characters in the end . . FF9 is different . To me this is definately and improvment over FF8 . I am hoping that FFX is even better ( No , I have not played it yet . . . I was starting from FF IV and building my way up . )
Very much worth the hours you'll put in Kupo !
084 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
Well you are probably not gonna believe me but . . . Ever since this game came out it was around $35.00 and ever since after its release it was reduced to 20.00 . And it has been like that ever since , even today it is 20.00 new.Not because its a crappy game.No its because it is an excellent game.An excellent price for an excellent game.No i'm not gonna spoil it for you cause i want you to buy it.I have owned this game since 2000 , and its not cause i'm a huge fan of the final fantasy series , its that this game is simply one of the best , including final fantasy 7 . FF9 includes great music , great graphics for the playstation 1 and an overall excellent storyline that gives you the chills every time.I love this game.I'm 18 and i still play it today , take my word for it you will not be disappointed.If you want more info on this game just tell me and ill gladly reply.This is what rpg is all about = )
086 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
this game is one of my favorite final fantasy's . the only thing i have to complain about is that the pictures are deceiving . the copy that you will receive is the greatest hits version of the game . for most people this isn't a bother but for me it was a big deal . the disks didn't have the characters pictures on them like in the pictures . the game runs perfectly fine and i still love it , just telling everyone who cares that it's not an origional one
088 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
Final Fantasy IX is easily one of the greatest games released for the Playstation and might possibly be the greatest Final Fantasy game ever created . And there are some pretty good other FF games out there . . .
This game reminded me greatly of Chrono Cross , which is another awesome Playstation game . But where that game failed , this one shined . In Chrono Cross there were 40 playable characters all with paper thin personalities . This game has 8 characters but every single one of them was memorable and a joy to play .
Theres the hilarious and hungry Quina , the cute and sad Vivi , the confident ladies man Zidane , and the typical loner Amarant .
Every character oozes with life and looks wonderful . The designs and dialogue are a joy to behold in this game .
Each character is also very unique in that they have their own special skills unlike some other Final Fantasys like part 6 and 7 .
Every thing is perfect about this game , from its story , graphics , music , movies , dialogue , and gameplay . This game took me 60 hours to beat it and every side quest and every second was a wonderful experience .
If there is one minor gripe i have its that the game was too easy . I blew through every boss battle with one try and the only battle i ever died on was against the hidden boss Ozma .
Once you get the Auto Regen skill you can sadly hold down the fight command and just sit back and demolish the game .
In the end this game is a true gem . It is easily one of the greatest Final Fantasy games and one of the top rpgs of all time . If you own a Playstation or PS2 you should not be without a copy of this game .
089 4 Final Fantasy IX is easily one of the greatest games released for the Playstation and might possibly be the greatest Final Fantasy game ever created . And there are some pretty good other FF games out there . . .
This game reminded me greatly of Chrono Cross , which is another awesome Playstation game . But where that game failed , this one shined . In Chrono Cross there were 40 playable characters all with paper thin personalities . This game has 8 characters but every single one of them was memorable and a joy to play .
Theres the hilarious and hungry Quina , the cute and sad Vivi , the confident ladies man Zidane , and the typical loner Amarant .
Every character oozes with life and looks wonderful . The designs and dialogue are a joy to behold in this game .
Each character is also very unique in that they have their own special skills unlike some other Final Fantasys like part 6 and 7 .
Every thing is perfect about this game , from its story , graphics , music , movies , dialogue , and gameplay . This game took me 60 hours to beat it and every side quest and every second was a wonderful experience .
If there is one minor gripe i have its that the game was too easy . I blew through every boss battle with one try and the only battle i ever died on was against the hidden boss Ozma .
Once you get the Auto Regen skill you can sadly hold down the fight command and just sit back and demolish the game .
In the end this game is a true gem . It is easily one of the greatest Final Fantasy games and one of the top rpgs of all time . If you own a Playstation or PS2 you should not be without a copy of this game .
091 4 A really annoying part of my life is that there's all these really awesome video games that are not on the market anymore and I have some trouble getting my hands on them and then when I finally do , I have trouble finding someone to discuss them with because I was too young to have played them the first time around . Final fantasy IX is the SINGLE BEST GAME I have ever played . I mean , sure to some people the graphics would leave something to be desired . But I think they're absolutely great .
I inversely kind of like the text boxes as opposed to the long winded dialogue of Final Fantasy X ( which I was old enough to play as soon as it came out ) partly because you can read as fast as you want , and you can tack funky accents on to the characters . For example , in my universe , Blank talks in a Scottish accent , Zidane speaks Cockney , Steiner talks in a Mickey Mouse voice , Eiko sounds a bit like Vivian Blaine and . . . never mind , not important . Anyway . . .
The game itself is too amazing for words . A person could spend fourteen hours playing it without noticing that any time passed at all . It's a game that draws you in right from the very start . Following Vivi's wander around Alexandria , which in itself is rather fun , you get taken to Alexandria Castle , which is arguably the most fun part of the entire game , beginning with a fight which precedes an awesome mini-game in which Blank and Zidane duel . The game is linear , but flexible , and you end up getting pretty attached to the eight main characters - - Zidane , Garnet / Dagger , Freya , Vivi , Steiner , Eiko , Quina and Amarant - - and even to the side characters like Kuja , Puck , Beatrix , Baku ( who sneezes every time he's about to make an entrance ) Marcus , Blank and Cinna and even Ruby . There are so many memorable points in the game - - playing with chocobos in the chocobos forest , hanging out in Alexandria at the start of disc 3 , exploring Alexandria castle at the beginning of disc 1 , saving the people of Cleyra , fighting giant puppies in Alexandria , wandering through the woods to Black Mage Village ( and dealing with the supreme frustration of seemingly malfunctioning signs ) renaming Garnet just ' Garnet ' , kicking the stuffing out of Lani in Fossil Roo , mucking around at Daguerreo , cooking dinner at Madain Sari - - the list is endless , but this list makes Final Fantasy IX a game you'll want to play again and again and again . The plot is fascinating , the characters are delightful , the gameplay is simple , and to be frank , the only difficult part of the game is fighting Lani at Fossil Roo . . . making it all the more memorable when you finally kick the stuffing out of her .
093 4 At Least ! Good One from Squaresoft !
I've played a lot of game from Squaresoft , especially FF . From all Squaresoft's game , this one is the best !
You can see , good graphics , good characters , excellent sound , quite good long story , Very good mini-game , and blablabla . . .
Things I like :
- The Graphics , quite good 3D graphics
- The minigames , Oooh . . . I just looove the card games , the jump rope games , the strange Pop Quiz , Frog Catching and more other . They're fun to play after you played some stressful parts .
- The abilities . The abilities are very unique . To get the abilities , you must wear an item for short times . It's very different from the other FFs .
- The music , the sound quality is good , and the music is very good . I like it !
- The story , The story is quite good . It needs a long time to finish this game . It's fun ! And the FF9 ' s world is very interesting . You can do an adventure around the world and you can't stop find the fun things ! ! But the fun rate is going down in the end disc 4 .
- CHoCoboS . This one is my favourite . This Chocobo is very cute and you can ride it around the world without found the enemy .
The other fun thing about chocobos is you can find the ' treasure ' in the chocobo forests . Some of them are very useful . Sometimes , your chocobos can be ' upgrade ' when you found a treasure . You can walk on water , climbing mountains ( this is just my favourite ) , and others .
- The characters , each character has each personality and ability . Some of them are very useful especially when they TRanCe ! ! . Like Quina ( eat ) , or Vivi with Steiner ( Sword magic ) , and other unique fun things .
So , for this fun game , I'll give 9.7
Highly Recommended . Must Buy Item in PS 1 .
095 4 Look , I realize you are entitled to your opinions , as am I . So , let me get my two cents in . This is to the people who do not like FF ( because only mages can use magic ( like cure , fire , etc . ) . Stop complaining ! Not only can Garnet and Eiko cure , but Amarant uses Chakra to cure , Freya uses a skill to cure , and so can Quina . This game DOES return to the roots which has only certain characters use magic . It makes it harder . Now , to those who claim this game is childish because of certain things . I am twenty-four years old , and I like this game a lot . My friends like this game . Even my twenty-eight year old brother likes this game . None of us think it is too childish .
To those who complain about the storyline , claiming a thirteen year old could do better . I've read the fan fictions people of such age write about the Final Fantasies ; trust me , they ARE NOT BETTER . If you think you could do better , try it . By the RPG Maker , and DO IT ! Betcha can't , though . If thirteen year olds COULD do better plots , you would think that such companies as Square Enix would hire them . Duh .
096 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
Final Fantasy IX has got to be my favorite game of all time . It's a wonderful role-playing game . I've beaten it 5 times and I still never get tired of it . The graphics are really good and so's the background music . There's a good plot going on , and the characters are really easy to like , especially Zidane and Vivi . Each character has a role and personality all their own , and they all add to the overall wonderfulness that is this game . There are several side-quests in the game which add not only to the fun , but also help in making your characters stronger ( and that is ALWAYS a good thing ^ , ~ ) . Not to mention , there are a couple of bosses who are extremely challanging - - in fact , the hardest boss that you face in the game is an optional one , but I would highly recommend fighting him anyway because you get some pretty awesome spoils that prove to be very useful after you beat him . I raise my hat off to all the creators of this game for a job very well done ! ^ , ^
100 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
Final Fantasy IX is the first Video Game I play it on my whole life and Characters is good and Storylines is understanding and I like Blondie Hair guy named Zidane and Garnet and every characters on the game and musics is great and and I like trance and bosses and It's getting harder and harder as I move on the game and I like Battle System and Characters in the Game and ending is great
102 4 I have seen the one star reviews for this game . The reviews seem to miss what the story is all about . It's about life , death , love , and friendship . The story is far deeper then the carp FF8 . But what is odd is that it seems that many one star review people seem to have started off on FF 7 or 8 .
Well that's all nice . But they miss what they other FF games where about to . Life , death , love , and freindship . They also had deep storys to them . FF7 yes it's good . FF8 well let's just say there is no story on less you like Dawson's Creek .
You want a great Final Fantasy game with a deep story buy FF9 . You want a bad * * * bad guy buy FF7 . You want Dawson's Creek play FF8 .
114 4 The first game I had ever played in the series was FF2 forsnes , and it was great . Although it was nearly . . . , my sister and I saved enough to buy it . Then I got FF3 as soon as it came out , and so on . I even bought a playstation just to get FF7 . FF9 is a big improvement over FF8 , but it still isn't as great as the masterful FF7 . Even though I started out with the fantasy-type quest of the early games , I really loved the dark , science fiction tone of FF7 . Maybe thats one of the reasons why FF9 doesn't seem as good to me . I still like it though . It does remind me of the old snes days , even with its superior graphics . The ability system is a definate improvement over FF8 ' s complicated junction system , but it still can be confusing at times , as you are constantly changing weapons and abilites . I really liked the materia system best . On a better note , the world map is really good , with its mist and upper levels . The world map of FF8 was very cheap . Sure , it was huge , but a lot of it was just plain empty . The entire southern continent ( centra ) had almost nothing on it ! Just a house and a wierd ruin . Not if FF9 . They don't cheat like that .
As for the battle system though , i think it just moves along too slow . The ATB gauge is like a snail , and battles can take a long time . Still , you have to gain levels a lot more in this game than in other FF's . It is noticably harder .
Don't get me wrong , I love the game . I just think it is a little flawed . Don't let me discourage you , if you are a fan of the series you still must have this game .
124 4 Back in the day when I was a few years younger , I'd fallen in love with these games . Particularly Final Fantasy VII , because that was the only one I can really remember . Vaguely I could recall moments in this game that stuck out , but after playing it through now ( nearly , NEARLY at the end ! ) I can honestly say that , throughout the whole of my time with the Final Fantasy series , this has been my best experience .
The system is fantastic - all the characters aren't a blank canvas that you can throw anything at ; all of them have a skill tree . For example , the main protagonist Zidane is a thief , so he learns commands like Mug and Bandit etcetera , whereas with the black mage of IX , Vivi , learns spells that really mess your enemy up . Zidane can't learn Vivi's stuff and Vivi can't learn Zidane's . There are 8 playable characters all with their own unique traits , traits that define their personalities really . Whereas in FF8 ' s case , Squall and his ' team ' don't have personalities because they don't have anything unique about them .
This also has the greatest love story . I'm all for Cloud and Aeris and Tidus and Yuna and everything , but the two leads , Zidane and Garnet , outclass these . At the end and climax of Disc 3 ( greatest bit in the game . First game to make me cry . ) you'll see what I mean .
The music outclasses that of FF8 and comes close to the revolutionary gaming music of FF7 . I like that this one is different . Squaresoft proves that their games can pull off more than futuristic games with guns and all the rest , FF9 is set way back when , with castles and all of that jazz . It's a nice change . Give it a chance and you won't regret it !
The villains are maybe not quite as sinister as the ones in FF7 , but they still make your skin crawl . Coupled with the attachment you strangely make with the characters , you won't be able to get off the Playstation . Honestly . Overall , this game has everything that Squaresoft have been aiming for . They knew they had something when they made FF7 , made their mistakes in FF8 and have finally come together with FF9 to bring something truly spectacular to the table .
This is the 500th 5 - star review for this game . That's a lot of people - and they're just the ones from Amazon that have bothered to write about the awsumnez of FF9 . Gogogogogoo !
126 4 We've all heard of Final Fantasy 8 and Final Fantasy 10 , but does anyone ever mention the game in between ?
Final Fantasy 9 is , sadly , the most underestimated game in the Final Fantasy series . It's the one that pulled me into my FF fandom , and though it's around 6 years old I still love it . The reason it's not as famous as the others is probably because FF9 came out on the Playstation JUST before the Playstation 2 came out .
The storyline is spellbinding - - It captures you right at the beginning and flows beautifully , through cities of eternal rain , clashing monsters , and the ( Traditional plot theme in almost every RPG alive ! ) fate of the world itself .
Everyone can relate to FF9 ' s characters , who struggle to find who they are or where they belong and in the end , find , or almost find , the meaning in a stunning finale . Then you'll find yourself cheering for them ( or mourning over them if you become attached to one who dies . )
The music ? Nobuo , you've outdone yourself . FF9 ' s songs are masterpieces , and you'll find yourself humming YOU'RE NOT ALONE or MELODIES OF LIFE without knowing it . And of course , a couple pieces will bring back amusing scenes just by mentioning their name . ( SLEW OF LOVE LETTERS , anyone ? )
Any cons ? Hard question . If there were a problem , then I can't target it . Perhaps leveling up your character may take a while , but then again that's a traditional part of every FF Game so it shouldn't be counted . And being able to play as a few of the legendary characters ( Fratley , Beatrix ) would be great , but that would take away their status , wouldn't it ? ( And that's an opinion , so I'll let it slide . ) I can think about this until my head explodes , but I won't be able to target an ACTUAL flaw . I , Lyrit , find Final Fantasy 9 the perfect RPG game .
Overall , and again , this has got to be the greatest FF game out there . I've played most of the others popular in the series now , but they just don't strike me like FF9 .
Wait .
What are you listening to ME for ? GET FF9 AND PLAY IT . Once you do , my review will look like it's degrading this game .
130 4 Amazon Verified Purchase
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Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
This game is what got me into Final Fantasy years ago , I was instantly hooked then , and as soon as I bought this game for my self this year I was instantly hooked yet again !
It has probably my second favorite storyline ( second only to FFX ) in the Final Fantasy series , the game play is extreamly fun , graphics are great , especially when you consider when it came out ! It HAS the funnest side quests in ALL the Final Fantasy series , Tetra Masters ( A card game ) and Chocobo Hot & Cold is amazingly addicting !
I rate this 5 out of 5 starts !
Highly recommended to any who like Final Fantasy !
131 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
This game is what got me into Final Fantasy years ago , I was instantly hooked then , and as soon as I bought this game for my self this year I was instantly hooked yet again !
It has probably my second favorite storyline ( second only to FFX ) in the Final Fantasy series , the game play is extreamly fun , graphics are great , especially when you consider when it came out ! It HAS the funnest side quests in ALL the Final Fantasy series , Tetra Masters ( A card game ) and Chocobo Hot & Cold is amazingly addicting !
I rate this 5 out of 5 starts !
Highly recommended to any who like Final Fantasy !
132 4 This game is what got me into Final Fantasy years ago , I was instantly hooked then , and as soon as I bought this game for my self this year I was instantly hooked yet again !
It has probably my second favorite storyline ( second only to FFX ) in the Final Fantasy series , the game play is extreamly fun , graphics are great , especially when you consider when it came out ! It HAS the funnest side quests in ALL the Final Fantasy series , Tetra Masters ( A card game ) and Chocobo Hot & Cold is amazingly addicting !
I rate this 5 out of 5 starts !
Highly recommended to any who like Final Fantasy !
137 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
being a final fantasy fanatic , what else is there to say . the game lived up to expectations , the mini card game is a pretty interesting twist , i must admit i love it though . gameplay is great as usual as with all other ff's even though i must admit there was a lil something missing ( can't place my finger on it though ) . but all in all , a must have for final fantasy lovers .
139 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
This game continues a lot of Final Fantasy traditions : It tweaks the battle , money , item , and command systems , introduces new characters , and has a deep plot to it too ; however , this game is also meant to be a throwback to some of the old Final Fantasies by reintroducing some old elements too . ( such as fixed jobs for each character ) It's the first Final Fantasy to do this , and it definitely succeeds in both ! Final Fantasy fans will definitely enjoy this one because of the latter features . . . and the return of some old faces . Newbies will still enjoy this game though . . . even if they don't get all the references . LOL
143 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
I loved this game when I first played it when it was a new release . When my son started liking FF games , I had to purchase all the Final Fantasy games that I had played so he can play them , he really enjoys playing this game .
145 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
I loved this game to death even I had eight discs of this game ( two separated boxes ) . They are getting weary . I had nowhere to turn until I found out Amazon sells this game . I was so shocked to acknowledge this ! I immediately bought this third one and couldn't wait to get my hands on this game soon !
147 4 Amazon Verified Purchase
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Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
For some reason i never play the game when it came out , now i'm enjoying it a lot ! I love the final fantasy saga .
148 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
For some reason i never play the game when it came out , now i'm enjoying it a lot ! I love the final fantasy saga .
152 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
Overall , this is a pretty good game . Certain aspecks of it are annoying but others are wonderful . Like being able to cast cure on ALL party members at once .
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Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
One of my favorites in the series . Comical with great game play for all ages and just of a bit of an Old School feel . Jody Bissoon
155 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
One of my favorites in the series . Comical with great game play for all ages and just of a bit of an Old School feel . Jody Bissoon
157 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
This game , while hard to find , is worth every penny . The storyline , graphics , and tactics make for hours of amusement and the music is some of the best I have heard in any video game . Definately a thumbs up !
159 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
The best Final Fnatsy title I have played so far . I have played a lot of Final Fantsy titles in my lifetime , and this is the best one yet . I've played 1,2,5,6,10 , and 12 , and out of them all , this one wins . With its superb storyline , great character personalities , and really cool battle system , this is a must buy . Some reviews say there is a lot of cons to this game , but in my opinion there aren't any . When I first played this game , I had borrowed it from a friend , but now that i found a copy , I bought it first thing . So definatly buy this game , you won't regret it .
161 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
Final Fantasy 9 was the first RPG I ever played . Years later , it still remains my favorite . Maybe it's because at the time I was introduced it seemed as if the graphics , gameplay , and storyline were all untouchable . I like the battle system and the complexity of the characters . Vivi is my personal favorite , as he is basically a gentle giant who struggles socially despite his incredible power . Final Fantasy 9 is a must have for any Final Fantasy fan or any RPG fan for that matter . It's only $19.99 brand new ! ! ! Even if you've played it , beat it again .
163 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
This is with Final Fantasy VIII one of the best games on the saga , it is full of good animations , the stoy is excellent and it has a lot of hidden stuff that will keep you playing for hours . A must have if you are a fan of this saga .
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Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
Great game for Final Fantasy fans . Has great graphics , good story , plenty of areas to explore and many other features that make it one heck of a game .
166 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
Great game for Final Fantasy fans . Has great graphics , good story , plenty of areas to explore and many other features that make it one heck of a game .
169 4 Final Fantasy Nine usually rates as my favorite Final Fantasy and here's why . . . . The mood of the game . I mean look at the popular RPG's . There not fun ( keep reading before you bite my head off ) . They are a lot of things . They're enticing . They're beautiful . They're intracite . They're complex . They're mezmorizing . They're entertaining . But how often have you played an RPG like Final Fantasy 8 or The Legend of the Dragoon and thought to yourself in a carefree fashion Wow , this is really fun ! Certainly you don't think that when a main character dies , or when a kingdom is under attack . You feel what your characters feel . I mean that's the beauty of an RPG . Its the ultamite interactive novel designed to send you on a powerful emotional roller coaster . That is why they're so enticing . Because unlike the average fighting or sports game , an RPG strikes up your emotions , your imagination , and so much more . Does Final Fantasy 9 do that ? YES ! Then why is it different . . . because the first and primary emotion the author ( not programmer ) wants you to feel is a sense of fun , an element that is far too sparse in the realm of RPG . . . . So lets go over why .
1 . Have you seen the graphics . When paired side by side with its immediate predicessor , you would think that 8 came first . The graphics are what set the mood , and the mood is a light , bright , carefree mood . The characters lack the dark setting that exists in almost every other RPG . Come on . . . How can you look at ViVi and not smile . ( you'll find out as you get more imersed in his story . . . but for now look at him as the cute , would be helpless except he's super powerful mage that we all love and adore )
2 . Listen to the music . Sure their are the serious and sometimes dark moment that drives all RPGs , but the general music of this game is pleasant and free . If you just close your eyes , you'll find that you quickly are at peace .
3 . The comedy . No story ( including RPG's ) can succeed without at least tickling the funny bone . Even the tragedies of the world need a little relief in order to set you up for a fall . This game has plenty , and I think you'll find yourself chuckling at Zidane ( the main character ) and his constant advances towards the Princess Garnet .
Now don't think that this doesn't have that serious and intriguing story line . Like all good games the world is threatened by a great evil , and believe me , you'll find yourself wanting more of this . But the fact of the matter is most people at some point and time get bored with an RPG . The fun factor of this helps keep that boredom at bay . I highly recommend this game to everyone and anyone who wants to truly enjoy an RPG , especially if this is your first one . So please give it a chance . . . . you won't regret it
~ Brandon Scott Johnson
170 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
I used to have this game a long time ago and somehow lost it through the years . Can't really find it on a store shelf anymore so I was exited to find it here . Awesome game if you like the Final Fantasy series
172 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
Game was good , has lots of material most gamers would want in an overall solid Rpg . . . i would reccomend this game for more of the teen group than the older game audiance , but it is a different expierence than most of the other final fantasy games , the New Ability system is pretty great , the characters are enjoyful . The overall story is decent although it was a little confusing to me since it drifts its predecessors . anyways play this game if you want a fun rpg experience and your a fan of the Final Fantasy series .
Thank you ,
xJoex
173 4 Game was good , has lots of material most gamers would want in an overall solid Rpg . . . i would reccomend this game for more of the teen group than the older game audiance , but it is a different expierence than most of the other final fantasy games , the New Ability system is pretty great , the characters are enjoyful . The overall story is decent although it was a little confusing to me since it drifts its predecessors . anyways play this game if you want a fun rpg experience and your a fan of the Final Fantasy series .
Thank you ,
xJoex
178 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
When I began playing this game , I had played several games of the Final Fantasy series , and was a veteran RPG gamer . I have to admit that this game met and exceeded my expectations , and is what I like to call a masterpiece . The gameplay was fun , the storyline was inventive ( with nice little plot twists ) , and the battle system was fast-paced and worked , two qualities that are a must for a good RPG .
Combine that with good sounds / music , amazing graphics , and stellar cutscenes ( though there could have been more of those without complaint ) , and you've got yourself one very fine PS1 title that can contend with today's high-end RPGs .
179 4 When I began playing this game , I had played several games of the Final Fantasy series , and was a veteran RPG gamer . I have to admit that this game met and exceeded my expectations , and is what I like to call a masterpiece . The gameplay was fun , the storyline was inventive ( with nice little plot twists ) , and the battle system was fast-paced and worked , two qualities that are a must for a good RPG .
Combine that with good sounds / music , amazing graphics , and stellar cutscenes ( though there could have been more of those without complaint ) , and you've got yourself one very fine PS1 title that can contend with today's high-end RPGs .
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Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
FF Family presents itself .
Always a great game . . . no need for explanation !
181 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
FF Family presents itself .
Always a great game . . . no need for explanation !
182 4 FF Family presents itself .
Always a great game . . . no need for explanation !
184 4 I'll consider this game to be a kind of apollogy from Squaresoft for the terrible FF8
The good :
INteresting charachters
good dialouge
Battle system is A LOT better than 8 , none of that Salary based GP or Drawing magic BS .
Graphics are outstanding
The overall story is pretty damn good
The Bad :
I HATE that Knight charachter ! he is such a whiny annoying little bitch ! I was hoping that charachter would be killed off !
The Ugly :
Princess Garnet's mom . . . .
this game mixes the best of the old ( like Final Fantasy 3 ) with the best of the new .
185 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
In my opinion , this is the best Final Fantasy game for PlayStation . It is definetly worth the buy . It is great for Final Fantasy fans and will keep you hooked for endless hours of fun . It has a great soundtrack and a great story as well .
189 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
Final Fantasy IX is the most weird insane and brilliant final fantasy game yet . The cut scenes are amazing and so is the sheer quality of the graphics through out . The story line is interesting but easy to follow . Vivi is my favourite character but each character has its own backround and emotions about them . over all 5 stars !
203 4 I've been reading other reviews and a lot of people called this game complicated the gf junctioning is not difficult at all . I got the basics of this game right away . the card game was hard for me at first ! but once i got it , it was easy
graphics - 5 the movies in this game are amazing .
story - 5 although i never understand why squall is so stand offish
playability - 5 the easy leveling up ( especially compared to ffx ) makes this game soo awesome .
the thing that makes this game the best rpg game out there is not only the characters and graphics , but also all the hidden dimensions . i've yet to get some of the hidden guardian forces in this game . i didnt even think to get a few of them until it was too late to find them and i had to play again ! this game is awesome !
I liked Final Fantasy VIII . I really did . As far as sentiment goes , I liked VIII better than IX . But that's sentiment .
Technically , I have to admit that IX is in most ways superior to VIII . The biggest improvement is in the weapons and combat system ; I liked VIII's GFs just fine , but having to draw magic from enemies got very tedious , and upgrading weapons didn't give many benefits that were worth hunting up all of the ( sometimes incredibly rare ) items to have it done . VIII's junction system also meant that the characters ' abilities were only as unique as you were willing to make them . IX goes back to allowing you to equip weapons and armor , from which different characters can learn different abilities - - the thief character can learn thief-like abilities ( Detect , Steal , Flee , and the amusingly appropriate-to-the-character Protect Girls ) , while the black mage can learn destructive magic and the white mage can learn healing magic . This is accomplished by equipping crystals to the abilities you want to learn , similar to FFVII's materia ; once they're learned , you keep them even when you switch armor , though you still have to equip crystals to them to use a lot of them .
Summons make a reappearance as eidolons , restricted to two characters this time ; magic , likewise , is restricted to three of the characters , though every character has his or her own pseudo-magical abilities . Some of those are more effective than others - - much of the Blue Magic used by the character Quina is mostly useless unless you know what it's * supposed * to do . On the other hand , the game as a whole can be played through without a strategy guide ( I was very proud that I managed it ) , something that I never managed with VII .
The increasing pace of technological advancement shows in the graphics , which are vastly superior to VII's and a marked improvement on VIII's already-fantastic graphical accomplishment . Square wisely modified the summoning sequences during combat so that , after the first few times you summon an eidolon , the graphical sequence is cut short ( another complaint against VIII , whose impressive but long GF summoning sequences eventually got repetetive ) .
Limit Breaks exist in IX , called Trances now ; they more closely resemble VII's build-up system of limit break than VIII's version , but they last for several turns .
IX also once more allows players to rename every player-character in the game . I enjoyed the characters ; Zidane , the hero , in particular was a refreshing change after the moody and intense Cloud of VII and the even moodier and more intense Squall of VIII . The other player-characters get more stage time than the rest of the characters in VII did ; Orko - - err , Vivi - - the black mage has his own very strong sub-storyline , and Freya , an anthropomorphic Dragon Knight of a country called Burmecia , is underused but also quite cool . Not all of the charatcers are so likeable . . . Princess Garnet , aka Dagger , is mostly annoying ( ' Command Failed ! Dagger can't concentrate ! ' Grrrr . ) , and Eiko ( the other summoner ) is even worse . The Knight , Steiner , is unremarkable . As the obligatory martial artist , Amarant is interesting but serves mostly as a foil for Zidane , and Quina seems to serve no real purpose .
IX is definitely a throwback to the very first Final Fantasy ; the setting is more sword-and-sorcery than VII's technopunk or VIII's blend of fantasy and sci-fi . The black mages from the first game are back and look exactly the same - - a lot like Orko from He-Man , hence my renaming of Vivi - - and the white mage and red mage costumes make appearances as well . So does Garland , FFI's villain , and the Four Fiends who were bosses in the first game . If you played FFI way back when on NES , FFIX will be nostalgia city .
The plot is more cohesive than VIII's - - as warmly as I think of VIII , the writers pulled a couple of blind plot twists that didn't work very well , something they thankfully did not do in IX . The tone , though , is mostly lighter , which tends to make it less engrossing until nearly the end of the game . The villain is more of a presence ; Kuja , despite his . . . er . . . awfully womanly hips , manages some particular sinister moments , and I rather liked him . Unfortunately , they pull a final ' great big showdown battle ' out of nowhere after the defeat of Kuja . I'd rather have had the battle with Kuja be more difficult ( not that it was easy ) and not had the extra end battle ( which was plenty hard , thanks ) .
The ending sequence was sweet , and less abstract than VIII's got in places , but again was not ( to me ) as effective . Part of that may be that Square went back to the more cartoonish sort of characters in IX , instead of using the realistic sort of character featured in VIII . VIII's FMVs tended to look like an extremely beautiful silent movie ; IX doesn't quite capture that . However , the game is full of FMVs and they're just as impressive as you could wish .
Like VIII , IX featured a song ; it was pretty enough , with a lullabye sort of quality , but didn't quite reach the level that Faye Wong's Eyes On Me from VIII did . Still , the sweeter sound fit the lighter tone of IX well enough .
All in all , I did really enjoy FFIX , and I'm looking forward to X . I don't really understand most of the complaints against the game - - but , hey , I liked FFVIII .
017 4 It is unfortunate that this excellent game has been overshadowed by the release of PS2 . Whether you're new to the FF series or a faithful follower , there is something for you in FFIX . SquareSoft has returned to the feel of the older Final Fantasy games , a change from FFVIII , which felt a whole lot more like Parasite Eve than Final Fantasy . More cartoonish than cinematic .
What has changed is the level of sophistication . Imagine FFVII if it were made today , with smoother action and ( believe it or not ) even more story . With more mages and bizarre characters galore , there is more Fantasy than we saw in FFVIII .
One complaint I have is the slow pace . Of course the story is what keeps you interested , and the CG clips continue to amaze and awe , but there just seems to be too many moments where you're stuck squinting at the word balloons as the characters go on for scene after scene of plot development . The first disc is too much waiting , not enough fighting , but perhaps that is understandable for those who need to develop character strengths and familiarize themselves with the FF world , and it progresses from there anyway . At four CDs long , they give you more than enough time for action .
The other complaint is the lack of instructions in the booklet . SquareSoft has gotten smart and linked information to a cheat webpage where you can find equipment information , a walk-through , a bestiary , instructions on how to develop abilities . . . and none of that is available at your fingertips . Maybe I'm lazy , but I like to check the booklet often to make sure I know that the status indicator is telling me my character has been slowed vs . being slowly petrified . Also , the temptation to just read the cheats on the website may prove too much for some people who really only wanted to see what type of monster they were just fighting . Of course you can go the whole game without receiving more instruction than those that appear regularly throughout the beginning of the game .
All-in-all , I would highly recommend this game for anyone who enjoys a good RPG that has a story , has action , and is simply a thrill to watch .
027 4 Unlike most people , I am new to the world of Final Fantasy . The minute I picked up this game , I was completely swept through a world of magic , emotions , and mystery .
Graphics : I was quite impressed with the graphics , needless to say . Even the monsters were fully detailed and colorful . I must say , everything , from Garnet / Dagger's raven black hair to Vivi's little golden eyes surpassed my expectations .
Sound : At first , I thought the music was going to annoy me after playing the game for hours , but each place had their own special theme , and the Chocobo music I found amusing . Square really pumped some sound in this game !
Control : The control is just a little short from perfect . It's easy to get lost on the world map , and I think the random battles happen a little too often , but , it's not a big problem .
Characters : Okay , this is a biggie , so bear with me . When I play an RPG , what I look for is the characters . Square deserves an A + on this one . Each character has their own personality from flirtatious Zidane to ill-tempered Eiko . And each of those personalities change as the game progresses . ( Who didn't feel sorry for Vivi while playing through this game ? ) I was impressed by the amount of drama squeezed into this games . For a minute , I thought that it was impossibe to put that much emotion in a game , no matter HOW many discs it spans over !
Overall , Final Fantasy is a classic for any RPG gamer .
030 4 All good things come to an end . However , it doesn't look like the Final Fantasy steamroller is gonna stop anytime soon . The last FF game for the original PlayStation is a truly stellar one .
The story revolves around a pirate / thespian who kidnaps a princess ( go figure ) who actually WANTS to be captured , a knight of the royal family who follows the princess Garnet everywhere , and a black mage which looks a little like Orko from the old He-Man cartoons . All the goodies are here : MPs , spells , summons ( YES ! ) , and of course , more monsters than you could shake a stick at . If you've played and enjoyed the other games in this series , you'll get to like this one immediately . The newest additions include doing away with Save Points ( you gotta find a Mog to save your progress . If you don't know what a Mog is , shame on you . )
The other changes include the return of the Limit Break meter ( called the trance meter here ) and the all-new ATE ( Active Time Event ) where you can see what two or more different characters are doing at the exact same time as you . Your choices in the game influence these characters later on . Cool , huh ? Okay , let's do the usual run-down :
Graphics - 5 stars - the best on PlayStation , especially with the CG cutscenes . Sweet magic attacks .
Sound - 5 stars - everything's there , including some music from FF 7 8 . Gotta love it .
Control - 5 stars - let's face it : the controls are always the same , but it's a good thing here .
Fun-ocity - 5 stars - Oh yeah , you're gonna like this one . Plan on losing touch with a few loved ones ( like your family , boyfriend / girlfriend , family pet ) before you're done with this one .
OVERALL : 5 Stars . For the FINAL Final Fantasy for PlayStation 1 , what a way to go . Pick this one up if you are a fan of games in particular .
033 4 This . . . This game . . . its one of the greatest games out there for the playstation . This is probably the best I've played since Final Fantasy VII . First let me explain the game . This is kinda a mixture between just about every final fantasy . The main villian is somewhat of a mixture between Sephiroth ( FF7 ) and Kefka ( FF6 ) . Gaining magic and abilities is like when you junction a GF ( FF8 ) . The job systen hasn't really returned but there is a black mage . Charaacters have there own skills , but what one downside is that not everyone can use magic . For example Zidane can steal but he can't use any magic other then his skills , while Vivi is the only character that can use black magic and Dagger and Eiko are the only characters skilled in white magic and summoning . See ? The rest will be explained when you get the game . Also learning magic . As i said its like Junctioning a GF from FFVIII , only to use them you must equip the proper weapons armor and accessories . This prompts you not to sell anything . Next is you can now combine weapons at a Synth shop . This also makes you not want to sell weapons . The music is nice and fitting and the story is pretty good . There are 8 characters in this one and they all prove useful in there own sort of way . The game also takes time to recomend which row they should be in . Also the Draw system has been eliminated and the MP system has been restored . Sorry to say that until you get to disk 3 you can't really choose who will be in and who will be out . Next is that the villian does have a pretty good purpose for the crisis in this one . I didn't find this to be as easy as FFVIII either ( at least it took me more then 5 days to get to disc 4 ) . Well enough said for now i think thats about it . Well lets see . . .
Graphics - 10 Gameplay - 10 Music - 9.5 Story - 9.5 estimated time to beat the game - 40 - 60 hours .
Overall - 9.8
034 4 This game has restored my view of Squaresoft , at least temporarily . You know , you can't just change everything that classifies a game as a Final Fantasy and then slap the FF label on it . There are some features that every true Final Fantasy game on every system from NES to Game Boy to SNES all kept , such as the overall medieval setting with bits of technology , the 4 - person party , the class system that kept all the characters ' abilities unique , appealing main characters , among other things . I'm happy to see them restored to their proper place .
FFIX redeems the series in my opinion . Now , the story is a little less serious than other Final Fantasies . However , that doesn't really bother me because I didn't like all the oppressive gloom of Final Fantasy VII . Final Fantasy VIII was a great improvement , but unfortunately , it was damaged by a love theme that was very poorly done , along with very weak character development . This game's story was not meant to confound you with constant plot twists ( although there are plenty ) or try to mystify you with hidden truths . I don't need video games to teach me anything about life . This storyline was simply meant to be fun , and there's nothing wrong with that .
The character development here is far better , and the dialogue is thankfully not damaged by bad translation or excessive profanity ( there should've been a Soap materia to stick in Barret's mouth ) . No more bad attempts at slang such as chicken-wuss . Granted , Quina's accent can be a little grating at times , but that's deliberate , not a result of poor translation .
I think Zidane's romance with Dagger is very well done , much better than Squall Rinoa's . The problem with the latter is that their relationship just came out of nowhere . There was no connection between them . They spent the entire game getting on each other's nerves and hurting each other's feelings , and then all of a sudden , POOF ! They're in love . Zidane and Dagger obviously develop their connection over time , making it far more believable . Does Zidane have to get past some sort of major mental issues or come out of his shell , so to speak ? Nope . The only problem he needs to overcome is to stop flirting with every girl he sees and concentrate on Dagger . It's just a plain and simple relationship , and there's nothing wrong with that .
I also like Zidane as a main character . He's very sociable , likeable , humorous , and a daredevil , but he can also be a little full of himself at times , and he's quite obviously girl-crazy . So , he's got merits , and he's got flaws . That sounds like a pretty rounded-out and believable character to me . You see people like that in real life , especially at his age . He's also a refreshing change from these recent pessimistic and apathetic heroes , with abrasive personalities that rub everyone the wrong way ( not to mention getting on my nerves as I'm the one who has to play them ) . Forgive me , but given the choice of either Zidane , or guys who say I don't care when you tell them the planet's going to die , my choice is pretty obvious : Zidane Tribal all the way .
The gameplay has also restored some of the older Final Fantasy features which I think were better , while still keeping a few of the newer features to make the game a fresh experience . This game's system is something like a combination of three : the old class system of the original , the Job system of FFV , and a little touch of the Junction system in FFVIII . The class system sees to it that the characters stay unique , only learning what their class will allow , while the little touches of the Job and Junction systems allow customization and strategy . It's an awesome and very well-balanced mix . All characters , even silly ones like Quina , have some specialty that truly makes them a valid team member . Chrono Trigger players will even notice a few Double Techs between Steiner and Vivi . I also like the fact that this system takes away the possibility of creating a party of demigods , though some may see this as a bad point .
I also like the Trance feature , to an extent . Sure , there isn't much eye candy with the attacks , or any over-the-top attacks like Lion Heart ( don't get me wrong , Lion Heart's the best move I've ever seen in an RPG , but it does so much damage it's ridiculous - - and it's so final . . . That attack could have been saved for an FMV in itself , to show Squall finishing off Ultimecia ) . I like Trance because it is more controllable than a one-time limit-break , and I also like the little transformation that it does to the character graphics . What I don't like , though , is the fact that it's completely useless if it comes in at the end of a battle . Also , as relates to the battle system , I find that the ATB gauge runs unusually slow in this game . I don't really like that either , especially in parts of the game where your time is limited ( like the Festival of the Hunt ) . It seems to speed up as you progress though .
Well , overall , this game makes a fine tribute to the older games that made Final Fantasy what it is today . I would most definitely recommend it for anyone . I liked FFVII , and I liked FFVIII , but I honestly believe this one surpasses them both . This seems to be the first and last true Final Fantasy game on the Playstation console , and the best Final Fantasy to come along since the original and FFVI .
042 4 This was by far , I thought , the best final fantasy ever created . Well , that IS if you look over 7 . A couple reasons ,
One , this is the one final fantasy where you FINALLY get to throw away all the realism that was put into FF's before it , and just be entertained by the storyline .
Two , the adventure that square has created is incredable ! You start out not knowing whats going on , and you gradually become more and more attracted to the story as it progresses . You become entertained by its comfortable scenery right from the beginning of the game . The story is easier to understand than most of the other final fantasy's whether that be good or bad ( depends on who you are ) but most people wouldn't care .
Three , the overall Fantasy of the game has been brought back into a wonderful story with beutiful cutscenes . Just play through 10 minutes and you'll be intriged by beutiful flashing lights : D . . .
Four , the story always seems to split into exciting and entertaining twists . You would never expect what happens next because your always brought into different unfamilliar fantasy-like places .
For all the fans of Final Fantasy 6 who won't let go of how they were taken by story and overall feel of the game , I say just get this game and forget about anything else you've ever played .
For everyone that HASN'T played Final Fantasy's before , dive in !
049 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
This game is great and was my first in the series , I played it non stop for the whole school holidays it was that good . It is an easy game to just pick up and start playing . After I played this game I went bak and completed ff7 and then after that i completed ff10 . These were both great games with ff10 providing you with more hours of gameplay ( those dark aeons take a while to beat ) and fianl fantasy 7 my second fav game on the ps1 but neither provide you the depth of story and character that ff9 does . Both battling , storyline , graphics and lifespan are great .
To sum this game up in one is to call it the FINAL fantasy .
050 4 This game is great and was my first in the series , I played it non stop for the whole school holidays it was that good . It is an easy game to just pick up and start playing . After I played this game I went bak and completed ff7 and then after that i completed ff10 . These were both great games with ff10 providing you with more hours of gameplay ( those dark aeons take a while to beat ) and fianl fantasy 7 my second fav game on the ps1 but neither provide you the depth of story and character that ff9 does . Both battling , storyline , graphics and lifespan are great .
To sum this game up in one is to call it the FINAL fantasy .
053 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
First of all , I'd like to point out that I haven't played many other Final Fantasy Games , so I'm not going to compare them .
On to my thoughts about FFIX . It was the first real RPG Playstation game that I ever bought and it's the one that got made me love the genre .
Plot : 4 / 5 Great plot , however they fail to really explain some crucial details ( for example : why does Zidane sees Garnet's memory ? ) . A little more explanations would be nice for my lack of brain cells .
Characters : 5 / 5 You really do get attached to Zidane and Garnet , you laugh at Amarant's oblivious and cynical nature , and just want to shoot Thorn and Zorn . The point is , the characters are interesting and have a personality .
Gameplay : 4 / 5 At first it's hard to understand how to train the characters and use different accessories to learn attacks . However , once that is settled , the gameplay is great . Also , it took me forever to realize that pressing Select on the world screen brings up a map : VERY USEFUL ! You'll get lost if you don't use it . Other than that , good gameplay .
Graphics : 6 / 5 : ) Gotta love the grahics . Squaresoft created different cultures / architectures for each different country . Gaia is absolutely gorgeous . The FMVs are amazing . Two thumbs way way up for the graphics .
Overall : Though it required a lot of time training to beat Kuja and the final bosses , the game is really fun . The minigames range from fun-for-two-seconds ( Jumprope Vivi ) and takes-forever-but-gotta-love-it ( Chocobo Hot and Cold ) and the game itself is great , long and never boring . Five stars out of five it is , then . Great way to get yourself in the world of Final Fantasy .
054 4 First of all , I'd like to point out that I haven't played many other Final Fantasy Games , so I'm not going to compare them .
On to my thoughts about FFIX . It was the first real RPG Playstation game that I ever bought and it's the one that got made me love the genre .
Plot : 4 / 5 Great plot , however they fail to really explain some crucial details ( for example : why does Zidane sees Garnet's memory ? ) . A little more explanations would be nice for my lack of brain cells .
Characters : 5 / 5 You really do get attached to Zidane and Garnet , you laugh at Amarant's oblivious and cynical nature , and just want to shoot Thorn and Zorn . The point is , the characters are interesting and have a personality .
Gameplay : 4 / 5 At first it's hard to understand how to train the characters and use different accessories to learn attacks . However , once that is settled , the gameplay is great . Also , it took me forever to realize that pressing Select on the world screen brings up a map : VERY USEFUL ! You'll get lost if you don't use it . Other than that , good gameplay .
Graphics : 6 / 5 : ) Gotta love the grahics . Squaresoft created different cultures / architectures for each different country . Gaia is absolutely gorgeous . The FMVs are amazing . Two thumbs way way up for the graphics .
Overall : Though it required a lot of time training to beat Kuja and the final bosses , the game is really fun . The minigames range from fun-for-two-seconds ( Jumprope Vivi ) and takes-forever-but-gotta-love-it ( Chocobo Hot and Cold ) and the game itself is great , long and never boring . Five stars out of five it is , then . Great way to get yourself in the world of Final Fantasy .
055 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
I have been playing Final Fantasy games since the first one came out . I have not been playing them because they were in the series . Anyone who has played more than one Final Fantasy game soon realizes that these are all stand-alone games that share some similar mechanics . These reviews that say 8 was good 9 is bad , or 9 was all right , but no 7 , are really missing the point . Final Fantasy IX is a great game . Final Fantasy VII is a great game . Final Fantasy VIII is not even remotely fun . But these facts have nothing to do with each other .
Final Fantasy IX is a wonderful experience . The game play is excellent ; the graphics are unique and rich . Every scene of the game is filled with so much detail that the scenes feel alive . The graphics are integral to the game as well . The whole feel of the game begins with the graphics and then extends into every action and every character and then throughout the plots . I would say that these graphics are astounding not just for their quality which is such an abstract term when applied to graphics , but because of how holistically right they seem to be in this game .
I have read reviews where people have complained about the character development and plot depth . I think these people are too used to characters being over-the-top and intensely deranged . The characters of FFIX act and react much more like real people would under the circumstances of this game . Furthermore , the time that passes in the game is not really relative to the time you spend playing any particular area . You may spend several hours playing a scene that is only a matter of minutes while several days may pass in half an hour . The point is that the characters are moving through events very rapidly and they adjust as they go along while basically still remaining the same because it is not as if they have gone through several years of events with time to reflect and change . They are living these events as you play them and trying to cope while doing what they must do . The plot of the game is something that I feel has achieved an excellent feat . The plot is engaging enough to keep you interested while being broad enough to let you wander while balancing its effectiveness to the game play . This is an incredible balancing act that so many game designers have failed to achieve and that FFIX makes look easy .
Now , as far as control goes , there are several levels to this and the game flaunts its greatness here if no where else . The ability system is simple enough to understand and use while being versatile enough to give you the opportunity to tailor the characters to your liking . You are given options in your characters ' development . Beyond the ability system is the game play itself . You are lead along the path of the plot , but there are so many chances to lose yourself in side quests and mini-games . These quests and games alone are far better than a large number of other games of the genre . If this game were only the sum total of its parts , it would excel , but the game is more than that as it weaves all of these aspects together seamlessly .
There is another very major issue that always needs to be addressed in any game . You go through the game , you win , and it's over , what now ? With FFIX , there are so many reasons to want to do it again . Unless you destroy the game with a strategy guide and waste your time letting yourself be told which nook and cranny to search in , you'll want to go back and get things that you missed . You'll want to fight bosses again , see cut scenes again , try new strategies , develop different skills sooner , play the card game , chocobo hot and cold , see if you can actually win at the jump rope , and so on and so on . Does this game have re-playability ? Before I am a quarter of the way through , I'm already thinking about the next time I'm going to play it over .
This game is without peer . No other game does what this game does , no in the Final Fantasy series , not in the world of RPG's . This game is a gem and an experience that I recommend to anyone no matter what other Final Fantasy games they liked or didn't like .
056 4 I have been playing Final Fantasy games since the first one came out . I have not been playing them because they were in the series . Anyone who has played more than one Final Fantasy game soon realizes that these are all stand-alone games that share some similar mechanics . These reviews that say 8 was good 9 is bad , or 9 was all right , but no 7 , are really missing the point . Final Fantasy IX is a great game . Final Fantasy VII is a great game . Final Fantasy VIII is not even remotely fun . But these facts have nothing to do with each other .
Final Fantasy IX is a wonderful experience . The game play is excellent ; the graphics are unique and rich . Every scene of the game is filled with so much detail that the scenes feel alive . The graphics are integral to the game as well . The whole feel of the game begins with the graphics and then extends into every action and every character and then throughout the plots . I would say that these graphics are astounding not just for their quality which is such an abstract term when applied to graphics , but because of how holistically right they seem to be in this game .
I have read reviews where people have complained about the character development and plot depth . I think these people are too used to characters being over-the-top and intensely deranged . The characters of FFIX act and react much more like real people would under the circumstances of this game . Furthermore , the time that passes in the game is not really relative to the time you spend playing any particular area . You may spend several hours playing a scene that is only a matter of minutes while several days may pass in half an hour . The point is that the characters are moving through events very rapidly and they adjust as they go along while basically still remaining the same because it is not as if they have gone through several years of events with time to reflect and change . They are living these events as you play them and trying to cope while doing what they must do . The plot of the game is something that I feel has achieved an excellent feat . The plot is engaging enough to keep you interested while being broad enough to let you wander while balancing its effectiveness to the game play . This is an incredible balancing act that so many game designers have failed to achieve and that FFIX makes look easy .
Now , as far as control goes , there are several levels to this and the game flaunts its greatness here if no where else . The ability system is simple enough to understand and use while being versatile enough to give you the opportunity to tailor the characters to your liking . You are given options in your characters ' development . Beyond the ability system is the game play itself . You are lead along the path of the plot , but there are so many chances to lose yourself in side quests and mini-games . These quests and games alone are far better than a large number of other games of the genre . If this game were only the sum total of its parts , it would excel , but the game is more than that as it weaves all of these aspects together seamlessly .
There is another very major issue that always needs to be addressed in any game . You go through the game , you win , and it's over , what now ? With FFIX , there are so many reasons to want to do it again . Unless you destroy the game with a strategy guide and waste your time letting yourself be told which nook and cranny to search in , you'll want to go back and get things that you missed . You'll want to fight bosses again , see cut scenes again , try new strategies , develop different skills sooner , play the card game , chocobo hot and cold , see if you can actually win at the jump rope , and so on and so on . Does this game have re-playability ? Before I am a quarter of the way through , I'm already thinking about the next time I'm going to play it over .
This game is without peer . No other game does what this game does , no in the Final Fantasy series , not in the world of RPG's . This game is a gem and an experience that I recommend to anyone no matter what other Final Fantasy games they liked or didn't like .
059 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
For many long-time Final Fantasy fans , the wait for another classic game is over .
Final Fantasy IX goes back to the traditions of the original games in the series while introducing new and fun mini-games , abilities , and characters .
For players who have followed every progression of Final Fantasy from the first 8 bit cartridge on the NES through the PlayStation ( and now PlayStation 2 ) enhanced graphical cd's and dvd's , this game should be a part of your collection .
I have read many reviews from people who have only started their Final Fantasy experience with Final Fantasy VII or VIII . While these games , in their own ways , are fantastic , brilliantly created entertainment , they do not embrace all of Final Fantasy's history .
Final Fantasy IX goes back to original roots of RPG's . Characters who are believable , but still fantasy-based , swords , magic , mysticism . While Final Fantasy VII and VIII also carried fabulous stories and beautifully rendered worlds , the simple break from FANTASY into SCI-FI was , for me , a definite turn-off .
Don't get me wrong , I am , and always will be , a huge fan of VII and VIII , but even as early as Final Fantasy VI ( III U.S . ) , every playable character could wield every possible piece of equipment or use every possible spell . This created a lack of originality in the characters that kept the player from alternating PC's due to lack of need .
Final Fantsy IX , on the other hand , goes back to each character having a specific role and set of abilities and , while some abilities are useable by every character , there is only one Black Mage and one Thief and one Dragon Knight , and the Thief cannot learn the Black Mage's spells , etc .
This alone is enough to earn a respected place amongst RPG's inasmuch as simply making you choose which characters to take into battle with you . The Blue Magic system , a longtime nemesis of mine in other Final Fantasy titles , is well added into this title and quite enjoyable .
All in all , the beautifully rendered world , the unique and often hilarious characters and their antics , the throwback to roots of Final Fantasy history , and the return to a FANTASY world as opposed to a SCI-FI world create what is , all in all , a true gold medal winner of Role Playing Games .
060 4 For many long-time Final Fantasy fans , the wait for another classic game is over .
Final Fantasy IX goes back to the traditions of the original games in the series while introducing new and fun mini-games , abilities , and characters .
For players who have followed every progression of Final Fantasy from the first 8 bit cartridge on the NES through the PlayStation ( and now PlayStation 2 ) enhanced graphical cd's and dvd's , this game should be a part of your collection .
I have read many reviews from people who have only started their Final Fantasy experience with Final Fantasy VII or VIII . While these games , in their own ways , are fantastic , brilliantly created entertainment , they do not embrace all of Final Fantasy's history .
Final Fantasy IX goes back to original roots of RPG's . Characters who are believable , but still fantasy-based , swords , magic , mysticism . While Final Fantasy VII and VIII also carried fabulous stories and beautifully rendered worlds , the simple break from FANTASY into SCI-FI was , for me , a definite turn-off .
Don't get me wrong , I am , and always will be , a huge fan of VII and VIII , but even as early as Final Fantasy VI ( III U.S . ) , every playable character could wield every possible piece of equipment or use every possible spell . This created a lack of originality in the characters that kept the player from alternating PC's due to lack of need .
Final Fantsy IX , on the other hand , goes back to each character having a specific role and set of abilities and , while some abilities are useable by every character , there is only one Black Mage and one Thief and one Dragon Knight , and the Thief cannot learn the Black Mage's spells , etc .
This alone is enough to earn a respected place amongst RPG's inasmuch as simply making you choose which characters to take into battle with you . The Blue Magic system , a longtime nemesis of mine in other Final Fantasy titles , is well added into this title and quite enjoyable .
All in all , the beautifully rendered world , the unique and often hilarious characters and their antics , the throwback to roots of Final Fantasy history , and the return to a FANTASY world as opposed to a SCI-FI world create what is , all in all , a true gold medal winner of Role Playing Games .
062 4 I am perhaps unique in my position as a Final Fantasy fan . I recognize the warts on the series ( and there are some pretty big ones ) , but I still enjoy it anyway . I won't try to tell you that this is a flawless game , because it certainly isn't , just as Final Fantasy 7 and 8 were neither of them flawless , but I will tell you that it's the best the series had done to date .
First off , the good , and there's a considerable amount of it . Again , Final Fantasy 9 is a technical revelation . The graphics are amazing - - I've frankly never seen better on the original Playstation console , and this is arguably better than most of the computer games out there today . The regular game screens are colorful , well illustrated , easy to navigate ( a big problem with Final Fantasy 7 ) , and just generally aesthetically pleasing , while the FMV sequences are better described with a series of primal grunts of satisfaction than words .
Also as usual , the sound is excellent , though some fans of the series may be a little disappointed with it . Indeed , a great deal of the music in this game was borrowed from previous entries in the series and refitted for this one . Personally , I've got no problem with it , but then I also don't put much into a game's soundtrack .
The story has always been where the biggest problems have occured for the Final Fantasy series , and 9 will serve as a pleasant surprise for gamers in this regard . I can't think of a Final Fantasy game that better told or adhered to its story , and the secret to the game's success on this point is its simplicity . There are no cute plot gimmicks here as there were in the previous two entries ( the pointlessly complex story of 7 and the poor reconciliation between the personal story and save-the-world theme in 8 ) , and that allows the story to be direct , easy to understand , and charming .
Of course , there are still problems with the game . In terms of plotting , minor characters seem to show up and drop off the map an awful lot for a game as story based as this one . Just trace Sir Fratley's course through the story and tell me that's not the case . Square also falls into an old pit trap in their writing as the story itself seems to spiral wildly out of control in the last hour or two of the game . I had never even heard of the final boss before I fought him , and the story element that the game itself references on the back cover ( the crystal ) doesn't even enter the plot until the end .
Taken on the whole , however , this has to be considered the best game in the series to date . The many ( and there are a lot of them ) references to past games will provide long-time fans of the series with an entertaining Easter Egg chase , while the well developed and unique characters and well told story should speak to any neophyte . The character advancement scheme is arguably the best in the series to date , combining individual skill customization with equippability with exceptional talent , and with all the various mini-games and sidequests , you can easily spend sixty hours playing through this deceptively deep game . This truly is a must-have for any Playstation role player , and probably for any gamer at all .
067 4 Well well well . . . If you think FF IX was bad and you liked the other Final Fantasy games , you have not played all or most of them ! Lets take a recap here , the previous Final Fantasy had some nice cut scenes and summons . But there is no story , you can compare it to 12 Monkies or some Time Warping movie . Gets confusing and contridicting . Final Fantasy 7 was another great one , it had awesome gameplay , graphics and the story was great to follow through . Final Fantasy 6 ( japan ) or 3 is the one we all played in the SNES , the soundtrack is awesome and even the orignal soundtrack CD was just as good too ! ( Thanks Square's very own composer Nouob Uestmesu ) The first and second Final Fantasy games were really great too , FF9 is best compared closey to part 3 .
Yes there are some flaws to the game , like the annoying card game and the silly mini games you have to play . The sound is truly remarkable and original , of course the oringal composer for Square has done his work again . His tunes and title music is very done well I must say . The graphics are the same as FF8 , so there is nothing new or bad about it . When comparing FF9 to Chrono Cross , you're comparing an Apple to an Orange . ( This apple is redder than the orange , thats why apples are better ! ! ) Also I will admit that there is a bad Final Fantasy game . Lets say Final Fantasy : Mystic Quest for example . A release after FF2 . Speaking of Chrono Cross , you get over 30 guys to play and they are basically the same , except the element colors and their speical skills . The ending was dissapointing also !
Final Fantasy 9 has been done with the orignal artist from the previous line of Final Fantasy 1 - 3 in the US .
This game is truly for the true Final Fantasy fans out there !
072 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
A lot of things people don't seem to understand about this game is that , It wasn't meant to have better graphics then 8 , it wasn't meant to be a huge step in the new direction that Final Fantasy was heading into . It was rather , a step backwards , paying homage to what made the Final Fantasy series great in the first place . They went back to the small bodies with oversize heads , cute looking characters , little villages and towns rather than the more futuristic aspects that 7 and 8 utilized . And if you paid close enough attention , you would have seen aspects and items from previous final fantasies thrown in as a wink to the true fans . Overall this game was immensely fun to play , it had an epic story . Heart wrenching at times , it had it all . The abilities system was very easy to understand , and it wasn't confusing at all . Once an ability was learned you could switch and change them at will when facing different types of enemies . The wide cast of playable characters ( over ten characters ! ) You never got bored of your party as it was constantly changing . Kuja was an amazing villain ( Which I personally think gives Sephiroth a run for his money . ) and had no trouble using people and then simply disposing of them like a piece of garbage once they had served their purpose in his overall plan . The only thing I didn't like about the game was the card game served very little purpose ( no purpose at all actually ) and the whole trance thing could have been better . Many times , a character would trance at the very end of a battle and did nothing but frustrate me because certain characters trances are very valuable and destructive and it takes a long time for them to reach trance status . But I did like trance when the timing worked out for a character to trance just in time for a Boss battle . It was a good idea , I just think it could have been implemented a bit better . I loved the involvement of moogles in this game . They were everywhere kupo ! . The mognet was a cute touch . Unnecessary but it added a little something extra to the game . Like I said before , I think many fans didn't like this game because they didn't quite understand what Squaresoft meant it to be . Not a revolutionary game , it was a simple farewell to their old style , and to give the fans one last adventure in the style that made Final Fantasy so great in the first place . They knew that once FFX came around , they wouldn't turn back . So I thank Squaresoft for this precious gift of Nostalgia that they gave us before moving into the next generation of RPG gaming .
075 4 I have a PS2 and this is the game that gets the most play right now . Until they make some really good RPGs for the PS2 I will be more than happy playing the Squaresoft RPGs made for the Playstation .
About the game , what more can be said above the other glowing reviews that have been put online . Anyone who does not like this game should not be playing any RPGs and is probably mad that they could not get a PS2 .
The in-game graphics and the cinemas ( rendered movies ) are most excellent . I really was drawn into the characters ( especially Vivi ) and love the way you start to feel you are watching a movie that you are in control of . The powerups make sense and they make sure to work the instructions ( how-to ) as part of the game so you DO NOT have to even pick up the manual to know how to play .
If you have never played an RPG ( whats wrong with you ) or love a good story , fun characters and epic battles then pick this up . You will love Final Fantasy IX .
078 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
Personally , I can't understand what drives people to rate and review this game based solely on its intention to bring the series back to its roots . Does no one have it in them to judge it on its own merits ? It boggles my mind why VIII and IX are essentially ignored by fans of the series . Out of all the games , this one receives the littlest attention , being passed off only as the last game with deformed characters . Okay , why is it not remembered as the magnificent entry in the series featuring Zidane , Garnet , Steiner , Vivi , Eiko , Amarant , Freya , and Quina , in the same node as we place games like FFVI and FFVII ? Let's be honest ; if this had been released in VII's place , no one would have a clue who Cloud or Tifa were . It all has to do with the placement in the series . Had this been the game to change the face of Final Fantasy forever , it would be remembered far more fondly . Final Fantasy games are typically released in threes for their respective platforms ; I - III for NES , IV - VI for SNES , VII - IX for PS , then X - XII for PS2 ( even though XI basically doesn't count for anything but an online game that should never have been included in the numbered series ) . As a result , IX becomes completely lost in the thick shadow of its two primary predecessors , VII and VIII . While VII is fondly remembered by all as the game that changed RPGs forever , and VIII is given far more negative views , how is IX remembered ? As a nod to the series ' roots before X . That's it . No special remembrance of the characters , no references to the story in other games , nothing . But how could anyone in their right mind not love it ? It's the most definitive game of the series . With the largest soundtrack , the greatest music , the best characters , and some of the most fun gameplay , anyone who shrugs it off for the likes of VII or X or something of the like can't possibly be playing the same game I did . Never once throughout the series , save for VI , was I as entranced by a game . Sure , Kuja may not be the most memorable villain , and sure he's a little overtly feminine , but he's also not a deranged lunatic bent on returning to the planet like Sephiroth , either . When you compare Kuja's motives to Sephiroth's , who's the more vile ? It's impossible to top the insurmountable craziness of Kefka ( VI ) , but Kuja still comes in as a close second . There are a few gripes I have regarding this game , however , but only a select few . First , the trance system . Whoever's idea it was to have the trance meter simply reset after battle no matter how much of it was used or not should be fired . When you're leveling and trying to get your characters ' trance bars filled , and suddenly you finish the battle just as it does so , you're looking at a bunch of time wasted ! This flaw is one of the most frustrating things about this game . Also , quite notable , is the end of Disc 3 , specifically the Shimmering Island chapter . Once you're in , there's no escape . Plus , there's no leveling up either . You're faced with battle after battle there and if you haven't leveled high enough for this particular stage of the game , kiss those 40 + hours of playing goodbye ! Unless , of course , you saved just before entering , but some of us aren't that lucky . All in all , an amazing game . Those two flaws don't nearly come close to knocking down a star of my rating . In fact , now that I've warned you of the second one , that's one less flaw you have to worry about . All I can say is , pay no attention to all these idiot reviews across the world raving about FFVII for being the best of the series . Sure , that game is amazing in its own way , as is every FF , but let's face it ; there is nothing visually appealing about it when you break it down . Sure , it may be a PS game , but I found myself glossing over the much larger amount of detail put into its SNES predecessors far more often than its blocky , textureless characters and horribly plotholed story ( which this Compilation of FFVII is doing nothing to mend , but rather hinder even further ) . At any rate , buy this game , along with FFIV and FFVI for the best experience the FF series can offer , along with X and XII . But to be honest , this game is no less great than any of the others . It just takes adapting to new things and pretty soon you'll be as engrossed in this game's plot and gameplay as I was . The only reason I can see someone disliking this game is if their feng shui swings more toward actions games and shooters to begin with . Simply put : if you have ever considered giving the FF series a try , DO NOT PASS THIS UP . Pay no attention to the naysayers ; this is the game to own .
082 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
i really dont play video games that much , but i will play this Great game . This is one of my favorite all-time games . I just love the story line , nothing better . They should make a sequel to this game . i can imagine PS3 ' s highly new graphics with a story line like FFIX . Itd would be cool . but yeah great game 5 / 5
094 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
Look , I realize you are entitled to your opinions , as am I . So , let me get my two cents in . This is to the people who do not like FF ( because only mages can use magic ( like cure , fire , etc . ) . Stop complaining ! Not only can Garnet and Eiko cure , but Amarant uses Chakra to cure , Freya uses a skill to cure , and so can Quina . This game DOES return to the roots which has only certain characters use magic . It makes it harder . Now , to those who claim this game is childish because of certain things . I am twenty-four years old , and I like this game a lot . My friends like this game . Even my twenty-eight year old brother likes this game . None of us think it is too childish .
To those who complain about the storyline , claiming a thirteen year old could do better . I've read the fan fictions people of such age write about the Final Fantasies ; trust me , they ARE NOT BETTER . If you think you could do better , try it . By the RPG Maker , and DO IT ! Betcha can't , though . If thirteen year olds COULD do better plots , you would think that such companies as Square Enix would hire them . Duh .
104 4 Simply put , FF9 is a really good Final Fantasy game , thought it doesn't have the greatness about it as does FF6 , arguably the best of the series . Nonetheless deserves a spot in any self-serving RPG fan's collection .
So far , this is the only 3D Final Fantasy to allow four characters to fight at once . It actually makes sense in FF9 , since customization of your characters ( common in most next-gen FFs ) is all but nonexistent .
The main theme in comparing this game to the other next-gen FF titles is that is so stylisitcally different . It is much more in line with the early Nintendo titles with a more Medieval feel rather than an ultra-futuristic one .
The game's strongest quality , however , is design of its characters . You can't not help loving Vivi , the identity-seeking black mage , or the comic relief of food-craving , ambigiously-gendered Quina . Zidane , the game's hero , is a vast different character than the sulking Squall of the FF8 , and that's a nice change of pace .
If there is a flaw to this game , it would have to be in the Limit system , known in this game as Trance . It can be very hard to predict , and it is only effective in the battle that it starts in . This can get frustrating when the characters with better Trances ( Zidane and Vivi ) get the mode against common enemies rather than bosses , or even more frustrating when it comes just as the monsters are about to bite the dust . And while I realize it should be hard to get these powerful abilities , it's just not as well done as in other FF titles .
108 4 FF9 is an amazing game and i suggest it to all you people .
The graphics are nice for cinematics but just walking around you won't see nice graphics . But normally u wont notice the lack of fine art when you're wandering .
What makes the game very interesting is all types of people can play it . The different characters all have different moves and personalities . You can only have a party of 4 at a time so you have to choose which characters you like best and build them . This is great because people have different fighting styles and this is a key component to boost that idea .
Also like most RPG games FF9 has many different small quests and things you can complete . But FF9 has a very large abundance and when you play it you will learn of a very important quest that is used alot . Square boosts the idea of more playing after the final boss is dealt and done with . Because to get the best items in the game you need to beat these quests .
Another feature like most before , if u do get stuck or tired of trying to beat something you can always turn your time over to collecting rare valuable and powerful cards . Earned from the card games ! Almost everyone in the games ( not enemies ) will play a card game with you .
I myself have never really played through any other FF series but i have played 8 and enjoyed it . FF9 may at first glance seem like a kids game because of the little cute characters you play as . . . but you know what . . . . YOU ARE WRONG ! ! ! ! FF9 is simply a great game . .
simply great game . . .
simply great game . . .
simply great game . . .
simply great game . . .
P.S I havent finished the quests but i got this game almost when it just came out . I have beaten the last boss and take pride in my characters i believe my highest is like 70 something . When my friend told me about how hard the last boss was for him even though he had the best items but characters only level 50 , he said as prepared as u said you were you could not be prepared for the final boss . . . etc . well i beat the last boss with ease . Little did i know the game included 2 more harder bosses . The weaker one ripped me to shreds . . guess i need those items . . . and i didnt bother to try to fight the harder one .
This game is absolutely great i still pick it up every once in awhile to try to beat more even though i beat the game and stuff , and i play other stuff now .
still this game is hard to put down really hard .
I hope that this review helps anybody reading it to decide to buy FINAL FANTASY 9 .
P.S .2 why is FFX for PS2 ? ? ? ?
112 4 I'll confess right up front : I liked Final Fantasy VIII . I really did . As far as sentiment goes , I liked VIII better than IX . But that's sentiment .
Technically , I have to admit that IX is in most ways superior to VIII . The biggest improvement is in the weapons and combat system ; I liked VIII's GFs just fine , but having to draw magic from enemies got very tedious , and upgrading weapons didn't give many benefits that were worth hunting up all of the ( sometimes incredibly rare ) items to have it done . VIII's junction system also meant that the characters ' abilities were only as unique as you were willing to make them . IX goes back to allowing you to equip weapons and armor , from which different characters can learn different abilities - - the thief character can learn thief-like abilities ( Detect , Steal , Flee , and the amusingly appropriate-to-the-character Protect Girls ) , while the black mage can learn destructive magic and the white mage can learn healing magic . This is accomplished by equipping crystals to the abilities you want to learn , similar to FFVII's materia ; once they're learned , you keep them even when you switch armor , though you still have to equip crystals to them to use a lot of them .
Summons make a reappearance as eidolons , restricted to two characters this time ; magic , likewise , is restricted to three of the characters , though every character has his or her own pseudo-magical abilities . Some of those are more effective than others - - much of the Blue Magic used by the character Quina is mostly useless unless you know what it's * supposed * to do . On the other hand , the game as a whole can be played through without a strategy guide ( I was very proud that I managed it ) , something that I never managed with VII .
The increasing pace of technological advancement shows in the graphics , which are vastly superior to VII's and a marked improvement on VIII's already-fantastic graphical accomplishment . Square wisely modified the summoning sequences during combat so that , after the first few times you summon an eidolon , the graphical sequence is cut short ( another complaint against VIII , whose impressive but long GF summoning sequences eventually got repetetive ) .
Limit Breaks exist in IX , called Trances now ; they more closely resemble VII's build-up system of limit break than VIII's version , but they last for several turns .
IX also once more allows players to rename every player-character in the game . I enjoyed the characters ; Zidane , the hero , in particular was a refreshing change after the moody and intense Cloud of VII and the even moodier and more intense Squall of VIII . The other player-characters get more stage time than the rest of the characters in VII did ; Orko - - err , Vivi - - the black mage has his own very strong sub-storyline , and Freya , an anthropomorphic Dragon Knight of a country called Burmecia , is underused but also quite cool . Not all of the charatcers are so likeable . . . Princess Garnet , aka Dagger , is mostly annoying ( ' Command Failed ! Dagger can't concentrate ! ' Grrrr . ) , and Eiko ( the other summoner ) is even worse . The Knight , Steiner , is unremarkable . As the obligatory martial artist , Amarant is interesting but serves mostly as a foil for Zidane , and Quina seems to serve no real purpose .
IX is definitely a throwback to the very first Final Fantasy ; the setting is more sword-and-sorcery than VII's technopunk or VIII's blend of fantasy and sci-fi . The black mages from the first game are back and look exactly the same - - a lot like Orko from He-Man , hence my renaming of Vivi - - and the white mage and red mage costumes make appearances as well . So does Garland , FFI's villain , and the Four Fiends who were bosses in the first game . If you played FFI way back when on NES , FFIX will be nostalgia city .
The plot is more cohesive than VIII's - - as warmly as I think of VIII , the writers pulled a couple of blind plot twists that didn't work very well , something they thankfully did not do in IX . The tone , though , is mostly lighter , which tends to make it less engrossing until nearly the end of the game . The villain is more of a presence ; Kuja , despite his . . . er . . . awfully womanly hips , manages some particular sinister moments , and I rather liked him . Unfortunately , they pull a final ' great big showdown battle ' out of nowhere after the defeat of Kuja . I'd rather have had the battle with Kuja be more difficult ( not that it was easy ) and not had the extra end battle ( which was plenty hard , thanks ) .
The ending sequence was sweet , and less abstract than VIII's got in places , but again was not ( to me ) as effective . Part of that may be that Square went back to the more cartoonish sort of characters in IX , instead of using the realistic sort of character featured in VIII . VIII's FMVs tended to look like an extremely beautiful silent movie ; IX doesn't quite capture that . However , the game is full of FMVs and they're just as impressive as you could wish .
Like VIII , IX featured a song ; it was pretty enough , with a lullabye sort of quality , but didn't quite reach the level that Faye Wong's Eyes On Me from VIII did . Still , the sweeter sound fit the lighter tone of IX well enough .
All in all , I did really enjoy FFIX , and I'm looking forward to X . I don't really understand most of the complaints against the game - - but , hey , I liked FFVIII .
118 4 This was a great game . I loved the story , I loved the gameplay , and I loved . . . the imagery . A lot of people think graphics and story must somehow compete with each other . The truth is that the two should coexist and help each other . Zidane swinging to the rescue the queen wreaking havoc with her new found power and-my personal favorite-the ominous childhood memories of a dark destructive storm with . . . well I'll let you play the game . but these things all tell the story in a way that text could not easily do .
I will give the game a few minuses . The ending is a bit long , contrary to what others have said I found FFVIII to be a bit more challenging ( advanced character customization doesn't automatically make a game easy ) , and the last boss was challenging in an annoying way-there is a random element that make or break the fight based on pure chance .
All in all this might well end up being my favorite game in the series ( a replay or two will settle that one way or the other . ) I have been a fan of the series since the I got the first one for my NES for christmas , so I speak from experience .
123 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
Back in the day when I was a few years younger , I'd fallen in love with these games . Particularly Final Fantasy VII , because that was the only one I can really remember . Vaguely I could recall moments in this game that stuck out , but after playing it through now ( nearly , NEARLY at the end ! ) I can honestly say that , throughout the whole of my time with the Final Fantasy series , this has been my best experience .
The system is fantastic - all the characters aren't a blank canvas that you can throw anything at ; all of them have a skill tree . For example , the main protagonist Zidane is a thief , so he learns commands like Mug and Bandit etcetera , whereas with the black mage of IX , Vivi , learns spells that really mess your enemy up . Zidane can't learn Vivi's stuff and Vivi can't learn Zidane's . There are 8 playable characters all with their own unique traits , traits that define their personalities really . Whereas in FF8 ' s case , Squall and his ' team ' don't have personalities because they don't have anything unique about them .
This also has the greatest love story . I'm all for Cloud and Aeris and Tidus and Yuna and everything , but the two leads , Zidane and Garnet , outclass these . At the end and climax of Disc 3 ( greatest bit in the game . First game to make me cry . ) you'll see what I mean .
The music outclasses that of FF8 and comes close to the revolutionary gaming music of FF7 . I like that this one is different . Squaresoft proves that their games can pull off more than futuristic games with guns and all the rest , FF9 is set way back when , with castles and all of that jazz . It's a nice change . Give it a chance and you won't regret it !
The villains are maybe not quite as sinister as the ones in FF7 , but they still make your skin crawl . Coupled with the attachment you strangely make with the characters , you won't be able to get off the Playstation . Honestly . Overall , this game has everything that Squaresoft have been aiming for . They knew they had something when they made FF7 , made their mistakes in FF8 and have finally come together with FF9 to bring something truly spectacular to the table .
This is the 500th 5 - star review for this game . That's a lot of people - and they're just the ones from Amazon that have bothered to write about the awsumnez of FF9 . Gogogogogoo !
133 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
Ive always been an RPG gamer but just now getting around to FFIX . Im about halfway through and have a good enough feel for the game to write an accurate review . That and im in the mood .
Pros
+ Characters are more defined as magic users / fighters as oppose to FF7 and FF8
+ Story gets exciting ( starting on CD2 ) , classic battle system
+ Surprisingly challenging
+ Always alot going on , different groups of allies doing different things ( Think FF3 SNES )
+ You learn skills by equipping items and fighting with them . This is kinda the new twist in the series at the point the game was made ( like getting magic from enemies in FF 8 or the leveling system in ffX )
Cons
- Steiner ( a character in the game ) is as annoying as crap the whole first CD
- The first CD and the beginning of the second , I feel , are fairly weak . About a quarter through the second CD is where the plot is picking up and the games starting to get fun
- The limit break system is useless . It fills up slow and you lose it all at the end of the battle even if the character doesn't get to attack .
So in conclusion , this is a good solid RPG but you gotta go through the first 8 - 10 hours which are fairly mundane .
134 4 Ive always been an RPG gamer but just now getting around to FFIX . Im about halfway through and have a good enough feel for the game to write an accurate review . That and im in the mood .
Pros
+ Characters are more defined as magic users / fighters as oppose to FF7 and FF8
+ Story gets exciting ( starting on CD2 ) , classic battle system
+ Surprisingly challenging
+ Always alot going on , different groups of allies doing different things ( Think FF3 SNES )
+ You learn skills by equipping items and fighting with them . This is kinda the new twist in the series at the point the game was made ( like getting magic from enemies in FF 8 or the leveling system in ffX )
Cons
- Steiner ( a character in the game ) is as annoying as crap the whole first CD
- The first CD and the beginning of the second , I feel , are fairly weak . About a quarter through the second CD is where the plot is picking up and the games starting to get fun
- The limit break system is useless . It fills up slow and you lose it all at the end of the battle even if the character doesn't get to attack .
So in conclusion , this is a good solid RPG but you gotta go through the first 8 - 10 hours which are fairly mundane .
183 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
I'll consider this game to be a kind of apollogy from Squaresoft for the terrible FF8
The good :
INteresting charachters
good dialouge
Battle system is A LOT better than 8 , none of that Salary based GP or Drawing magic BS .
Graphics are outstanding
The overall story is pretty damn good
The Bad :
I HATE that Knight charachter ! he is such a whiny annoying little bitch ! I was hoping that charachter would be killed off !
The Ugly :
Princess Garnet's mom . . . .
this game mixes the best of the old ( like Final Fantasy 3 ) with the best of the new .
194 4 Final Fantasy IX is the best Final Fantasy ever ! I personally thought that VIII , X , and X2 where extreme dissapointments in comparison with FFIX . There is an actual plot in IX that one can relate to personally . There is much suspense in this game and the movie graphics are incredible ! One can use ships , chocobos , airships , and even the invinceble ( the fastest flying ship in the game ) . The characters of this game are AMAZING ! There is Zidane ( A theif that turns out to be not from Gaia ) , Garnet ( A princess that feels left out of the real world ) , Freya ( A Burmecian dragon knight that has lost all sense of living for her boyfreind doesnt know who she is ) , Vivi ( My personal favorite character who learns that his family could just be dead soon ) , Amarant ( Another theif that tries to learn why Zidane spares his life ) , Eiko ( A lonesome lost summoner who needs a man and a furnished home ) , Quina ( A S / he charcter that we dont know what gender it is , who only thinks about eating but then realizes there is much much more to life , and finally Steiner ( Garnets bodyguard who would give is soul and life to protect her ) . One the best parts of the game is if you hate these weird names you can change them !
THIS IS MY PERSONAL RATING SYSTEM OF FFIX
Game 9 / 10
Graphics ( including videos ) 9 / 10
Fun 10 / 10
Music 8.5 / 10
Combat and Abilities 9.5 / 10
Character Develpoment 10 / 10
Overal rating 9.3 / 10
P.S . . . . To all final fantasy gamers and rpg gamers , this games as items from the other games to which you can buy in an auction house in the city of Treno . HAVE FUN GAMING , I HOPED THIS HELPED !
208 4 Final Fantasy IX is a very fun game that is worthy of the Final Fantasy title . All the aspects of the game are superb for a PSX game and any RPG fan will enjoy this game thoroughly . It is not a very challenging game , nor does it consume as many total hours as some of the other games in this genre , but FFIX still boasts a very solid foundation that , though would not be a good game to get introduced into RPGs , is a nice game for RPG veterans to get into .
There are plenty of side quests that can hold interest for many hours and there is a sturdy storyline that follows through the length of the game . FFIX is no Final Fantasy VII though ; leveling characters to 99 and playing for 70 + hours is not necessary , the optional tough guys are relatively wimpy compared to my old friends Emerald , Ruby and even Omega and the final summon is downright disappointing . Omnislash ( VII ) and Lionheart ( VIII ) were the limit breaks that got your adrenaline pumping but the final trances in IX are embarrassing and pale in comparison . I was even a bit annoyed that the Golden Chocobo had little limitations that got on my nerves .
FFIX is a great game , don't get me wrong , I was addicted to the game until i beat it and completed the side quests that I was interested in . There is nothing ground breaking or revolutionary about this game , but Squaresolf was successful once again in putting out a great RPG that many people will enjoy for an abundance of hours . ( On a personal note-As of this date , I still have not defeated that damn Ruby Weapon in VII . . . one of these days though , my day will come ! )
211 4 This game was the my second RPG , and easily one of the best I've ever played . Even after getting the brand new FFX and loving it , it doesn't even come close to this gaming masterpiece . It is four discs long , and contains more than 40 hours of gameplay ( assuming you build up your party and do some sidequests ) ! The music is great , the graphics are terrific ( for a Playstation game ) , the battle system was the easy traditional style , like all other FFs , the plot was great and pulled me in immeadiately , and learning of abilities with equipment was an easy-to-learn overall nice touch .
The game is about Zidane , a member of the gang band called Tantalus , who helps kidnap Princess Garnet ( who actually wants to be kindnapped ; what a coincidence ) and attempt to take her back to Linblum , one of the other kingdoms in their world , Gaia . On their way , they encounter many obstacles and soon learn of greed and evil emerging out of Garnets-MOTHER ? ! The plot is great , except for maybe the first hour of the game . If you are an impatient RPG gamer , DO NOT GIVE UP ON THIS ONE . Its title has Final Fantasy in it , remember ? It wont let you down . Anyway , you learn abilities through the process of equipping different armor and weapons and fighting in battles .
There are 8 different characters ( eventually ) that you can make a party out of . There is a black mage , two summoners , who can also use white magic ( cure , etc . ) , and a character who by absorbing certain monsters in battle can learn blue magic , to name a few . You can go on numerous sidequests , which include challenging people in the FFIX card game and collecting cards ( why get any stupid Pokemon games when you can have this one ? ) , finding Stellazio and turning them in for prizes , and capturing frogs in swamps to win even more prizes ! These sidequests are quite amusing and I highly recommend trying to complete at least one .
The music to this game is highly creative and is very catchy sometimes . The graphics are beautiful , especially in movie sequences . There are 4 different continents , not to mention a whole other world in which the game takes place and is open for exploring ( there are some hidden places that you can find ) . Here are my ratings for the aspects of this game ( from one to ten ) :
GRAPHICS : 10 ( best I've seen in a Playstation game )
MUSIC : 7 ( most of the time it is great , but it can get a little weird sometimes )
PLOT : 9 ( probably one of the better plots in an RPG )
LIKEABILITY OF CHARACTERS : 8 ( a couple are a little annoying , but but out of the eight , most are characters anyone could get attached to )
SIMPLICITY OF GAMING : 9 ( this is also a great game for beginners , in that it is very easy to learn how to play )
OVERALL : 9 ( This is one of the best games I've played , but other greats like Chrono Chross and FFVII are just as good )
As you can see ( hopefully by now ) , this game is too good to pass up , and I hope you don't . In my opinion , it is suitable for anyone 10 - 99 years old ( It has very mild languagefor a teen rated game , and no gory bloodshed , parents ) . So go out and get this game . You won't regret it . Either way , Happy Gaming .
The interaction , dialogue , and storyline here are all divine . I'd go into more detail but I don't want to ruin the surprise . : )
The character work in IX is so much better than what we've seen in recent games . . . they are personable , and have real depth . Take Zidane for example : the first FF hero since 6 to be a relatively social character . They also all serve a purpose in the game at some point in time . . . there are no Yuffies or Gaus here wasting space in your lineup and costing you wasted money for the one time in the game you'll actually use them . Even the most doubtful-seeming characters in FF9 ( Quina being the first to come to mind ) turns out to be a steady contender with good abilities and genuine usefulness .
All you power gamers out there that loved 6 , 7 , and 8 because * everyone * could use magic to ridiculous results . . . you're gonna hate this . Yes , there are wizards again now ( all hail FF 1 - 5 ) and if you're not a wizard , you're not casting . I don't know about anyone else but this makes ten times more sense to me . It also adds something to the game that the last two were missing completely : a * challenge * . Any hardcore FF'ers will agree with me on this one : 7 and 8 were ridiculously easy . Not to say that 9 is going to kick you around . . . ( I'm on my first replay and am yet to see a Game Over screen . . . ) but at least you'll have to stop and think from time to time .
The battle and ability systems are simplified . No more sitting in front of your TV for an hour at a time digging through 50 billion junction abilities . You learn just 2 types of abilities : Battle abilities like spells for your wizards , lance attacks for Freya , thief attacks for Zidane , etc etc . . . and Indirect abilities that enhance your character in some way , like Auto-Regen or Auto-Potion , different status immunities , and HP / MP extensions . These items are learned by equipping your items , with a system similar to the Esper system in 6 or the Materia in 7 . Except everyone can't just learn everything this time . . . For example : Don't even bother sticking a summon jewel on Zidane to teach him how to call forth Ifrit to burn your enemies . . . he can't do it : )
The only thing that may be confusing at first until you have the time to get used to it is the Synthesis shops . Basically what you do here is combine 2 items to get a different one , that cannot be bought . . . only found or synthesized . One tip regarding the Synth shop that I learned my first time through the game : DO NOT SELL ANYTHING , unless you have more than 2 of the same item . Sometimes you'll end up needing something old to synthesize a new item when it becomes available through your travels . . . if you sell the old stuff , it's sometimes hard to find it again . If you need money , there are 2 great ways to get it besides selling your stuff : Fight monsters , and steal sell Ether ( 1000 gil per bottle . )
Now that's as close as I'll get to a spoiler .
My last rant : Yes , it's true . . . Final Fantasy 9 is a melting pot of all the first 8 FF games , and you * will * see a lot of things you've seen before . . . and even some references to characters and events from other games . If you can't deal with that , don't buy the game . . . IX isn't the breakthrough that VII was . . . but it's also not the disappointment VIII turned out to be . It's simply a creation from the legends at Square to reach a hand out to the new school . . . and to win the hearts of the old school , as they prepare to head into yet another new frontier of gaming . Remember , this is the last game of its kind . . . ever . When 10 is released next year , everything is going to change .
Enjoy it while it lasts . I know I will .
002 4 Ok , I'll admit it . . . I thought 8 was alright . . . but nowhere near the level of excellence that the Final Fantasy series had lived up to in the first 7 games . It made me lose a lot of respect for the series that I've been playing for over 10 years now .
IX has restored that completely . I wouldn't go so far to say that 9 is the greatest FF game . . . but it's definitely up there .
Being an AVID fan ( I have 15 FF titles on 4 systems and still play them all . . . ) , I'm glad to see the guys return to the old school , take their minds off graphic eye-candy and special effects ( yup , that's right . . . less CG . . . and downright cheezy character graphics ! I love it ! ) , and put it back where it belongs in the RPG genre : The interaction , dialogue , and storyline here are all divine . I'd go into more detail but I don't want to ruin the surprise . : )
The character work in IX is so much better than what we've seen in recent games . . . they are personable , and have real depth . Take Zidane for example : the first FF hero since 6 to be a relatively social character . They also all serve a purpose in the game at some point in time . . . there are no Yuffies or Gaus here wasting space in your lineup and costing you wasted money for the one time in the game you'll actually use them . Even the most doubtful-seeming characters in FF9 ( Quina being the first to come to mind ) turns out to be a steady contender with good abilities and genuine usefulness .
All you power gamers out there that loved 6 , 7 , and 8 because * everyone * could use magic to ridiculous results . . . you're gonna hate this . Yes , there are wizards again now ( all hail FF 1 - 5 ) and if you're not a wizard , you're not casting . I don't know about anyone else but this makes ten times more sense to me . It also adds something to the game that the last two were missing completely : a * challenge * . Any hardcore FF'ers will agree with me on this one : 7 and 8 were ridiculously easy . Not to say that 9 is going to kick you around . . . ( I'm on my first replay and am yet to see a Game Over screen . . . ) but at least you'll have to stop and think from time to time .
The battle and ability systems are simplified . No more sitting in front of your TV for an hour at a time digging through 50 billion junction abilities . You learn just 2 types of abilities : Battle abilities like spells for your wizards , lance attacks for Freya , thief attacks for Zidane , etc etc . . . and Indirect abilities that enhance your character in some way , like Auto-Regen or Auto-Potion , different status immunities , and HP / MP extensions . These items are learned by equipping your items , with a system similar to the Esper system in 6 or the Materia in 7 . Except everyone can't just learn everything this time . . . For example : Don't even bother sticking a summon jewel on Zidane to teach him how to call forth Ifrit to burn your enemies . . . he can't do it : )
The only thing that may be confusing at first until you have the time to get used to it is the Synthesis shops . Basically what you do here is combine 2 items to get a different one , that cannot be bought . . . only found or synthesized . One tip regarding the Synth shop that I learned my first time through the game : DO NOT SELL ANYTHING , unless you have more than 2 of the same item . Sometimes you'll end up needing something old to synthesize a new item when it becomes available through your travels . . . if you sell the old stuff , it's sometimes hard to find it again . If you need money , there are 2 great ways to get it besides selling your stuff : Fight monsters , and steal sell Ether ( 1000 gil per bottle . )
Now that's as close as I'll get to a spoiler .
My last rant : Yes , it's true . . . Final Fantasy 9 is a melting pot of all the first 8 FF games , and you * will * see a lot of things you've seen before . . . and even some references to characters and events from other games . If you can't deal with that , don't buy the game . . . IX isn't the breakthrough that VII was . . . but it's also not the disappointment VIII turned out to be . It's simply a creation from the legends at Square to reach a hand out to the new school . . . and to win the hearts of the old school , as they prepare to head into yet another new frontier of gaming . Remember , this is the last game of its kind . . . ever . When 10 is released next year , everything is going to change .
Enjoy it while it lasts . I know I will .
061 4 This game is absolutley a masterpiece . At first I only played small rpgs like Zelda , but when I rented this game I COULD NOT STOP PLAYING ! It is so much fun ! First off , AMAZING STORY LINE ! You get sooo wrapped into it you have dreams about it . * shudder *
The CG graphics are beutiful , it makes you wanna play it over and over again just to see the sequences ! The Characters are very well thought up and now all my friends and I have nicknames from it ! The music is so wonderful I even bought the soundrack which btw is amazing . Final Fantasy IX takes about 40 hours if you don't have a game guide your first time , but it is SO worth it ! The ending is so cool . ^ _ ^ If I could reccomend any game , This would definitly be it , kupo . Oh , and there is one side effect if you buy this game . . . YOU GET ADDICTED .
Overall I have to say this is the best game ever .
105 4 I have played Final Fantasy 5 - 10 , and this is one of my favorites . It may not be liked by everyone but I love it .
GAMEPLAY 8 :
Not much of a change from the other FF's . No more junction system though The Active Time Battle ( ATB ) is still around . You gain experience to level up your characters ( rasies HP , MP , and other stats ) and ability points to gain new abilities . You can have four characters in your party at a time . The game has gone back to it's Fantasy roots intstead of the Sci-Fi from FF7& 8 . Some of the characters may be a little silly but overall I found them likeable . Not much new here but that isn't either good nor bad .
STORY 7.5 :
Basically the same as many of the FF's . The main character is something he doesn't really know he is . He love's one of the other characters . My main problem is that the main villian looks like a girly Sephiroth complete with mascara .
GRAPHICS 8 :
Best graphics of any PSX FF . Great FMX's . Not much else I can say here .
SOUND 6 :
It has some good songs ( though none of them as memorable as the ones in FF7 ) . There aren't any voices in this one though . The sound efects are okay .
CONTROL 10 :
It's an RPG . Not much to worry about in this category .
REPLAY VALUE 10 :
This is a Final Fantasy game so of course it's filled with tons of mini-games . I've had plenty of fun playing them . . . Some include catching frogs , digging treasure up with your chocobo , and a card game called tetra-master . This card game isn't quite the same as FF8 ' s and I thought it wasn't as good as FF8 ' s . Still fun though . . .
125 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
We've all heard of Final Fantasy 8 and Final Fantasy 10 , but does anyone ever mention the game in between ?
Final Fantasy 9 is , sadly , the most underestimated game in the Final Fantasy series . It's the one that pulled me into my FF fandom , and though it's around 6 years old I still love it . The reason it's not as famous as the others is probably because FF9 came out on the Playstation JUST before the Playstation 2 came out .
The storyline is spellbinding - - It captures you right at the beginning and flows beautifully , through cities of eternal rain , clashing monsters , and the ( Traditional plot theme in almost every RPG alive ! ) fate of the world itself .
Everyone can relate to FF9 ' s characters , who struggle to find who they are or where they belong and in the end , find , or almost find , the meaning in a stunning finale . Then you'll find yourself cheering for them ( or mourning over them if you become attached to one who dies . )
The music ? Nobuo , you've outdone yourself . FF9 ' s songs are masterpieces , and you'll find yourself humming YOU'RE NOT ALONE or MELODIES OF LIFE without knowing it . And of course , a couple pieces will bring back amusing scenes just by mentioning their name . ( SLEW OF LOVE LETTERS , anyone ? )
Any cons ? Hard question . If there were a problem , then I can't target it . Perhaps leveling up your character may take a while , but then again that's a traditional part of every FF Game so it shouldn't be counted . And being able to play as a few of the legendary characters ( Fratley , Beatrix ) would be great , but that would take away their status , wouldn't it ? ( And that's an opinion , so I'll let it slide . ) I can think about this until my head explodes , but I won't be able to target an ACTUAL flaw . I , Lyrit , find Final Fantasy 9 the perfect RPG game .
Overall , and again , this has got to be the greatest FF game out there . I've played most of the others popular in the series now , but they just don't strike me like FF9 .
Wait .
What are you listening to ME for ? GET FF9 AND PLAY IT . Once you do , my review will look like it's degrading this game .
191 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
Final Fantasy IX is a great game , taking the series back to its roots [ midevel times , 4 characters fighting , saying annihalated when you die , etc . ] It's a great way to end the PS1 FF's .
GAMEPLAY : It's an RPG [ duh ] . This time , you learn moves through weapons and armor . Let's say you equip a weapon that teaches you Fira . You can use Fira now . But if you un-equip the weapon , you lose Fira . But if you get a certain amount of AP , Fira stays with you FOREVER . So you can upgrade to a better weapon without losing Fira . The Trance system is like the limit break , but you cannot use it when you want to .
Chocobos have a role too . You can play minigames with them to seek out treasure , and upgrade your chocobo . Very neat . Not as good as then FF7 chcobo system , but awesome .
Moogles play their biggest role since FF3 / 6 [ when you actually had one on your party . ] You use moogles to save , some to shop , and send mail .
There is much more to this game , but I will let you see for yourself .
GRAPHICS : Very good for the time . The FM。's look splendid .。。
Music / Sound : I love the music ! Not Alone is a good piece , so is the Trance Kuja fight music .
STORY : The bread-and-butter of FF . The story is great , but I won't spoil anything . So I'll just tell the characters .
ZIDANE : The main hero of the story . He has a tail . He has a spunky attitude , and loves chicks . A great fighter , with a powerful Trance . Can steal items from enimies .
GARNET / DAGGER : 3 words : Cleavage on holiday . She is the 16 year old princess who gets kidnapped by Zidane . A bunch of chemistry here . A great healer , and a great summoner .
STEINER : A knight who's sworn duty is to protect Garnet . Hates Zidane . He can use sword moves , and cobine magic with Vivi .
VIVI : A Black Mage . He doesn't know about himself , and his self-esteem is low . His magic packs a punch .
FREYA : Some kind of rat creature . She can jump on enimies . I don't use her .
QUINA : A rather stupid character who wants to eat everything . Can eat monsters and learn their powers . I don't know if Quina's a boy or a girl .
EIKO : A 6 - year old who lives with moogles . Her moves are simalar to Dagger's .
AMARENT : Kind of a loner . He can throw weapons , and is a decent fighter ,
KUJA : The main villan . As Arnold says , GIRL-Y MAN ! ! ! He wears a thong . Very mysterious .
QUEEN BRAHME : Kuja sells her power , and she becomes evil and wants to take over the world . She is really fat and ugly .
Overall , this game is great . Pick it up and play it .
the main character Zidane is the only one that can steal items from enemies , and Vivi , a young Black Mage , is the only one gifted in using Black Magic . To teach the characters more Action Abilities you'll have to equip them with items that harness new powers . Here's how it works : say Vivi is equipped with a staff that has the Action Ability Thunder . As long as Vivi has that staff equipped , he'll be able to use the spell Thunder , but if he removes the staff , he will no longer have its powers . So he will have to battle with that staff until he learns Thunder . Once the powers are learned , he can equip a different weapon and be on his way to learning its powers while still retaining the spell Thunder .
The characters will also learn Support Abilities from items . These are abilities that support the characters during battles and are always in effect , meaning you do not have to use them first . But you can't have all your Support Abilities active at once since you are limited by your supply of Magic Stones . Each character has a certain number of these stones , and the number will slowly increase as the character levels up . You equip the required amount of these stones to each Support Ability that you wish to be active . For example : Zidane has 11 Magic Stones and the Support Abilities Counter ( randomly counters an enemy's attack ) and Antibody ( protects the character from being poisoned ) . Since Counter requires 8 stones to be equipped and Antibody requires 4 , Zidane can only equip one until he levels up and gains another stone . This system gives you a nice opportunity to customize your characters .
In battles characters may also perform special maneuvers once they go into a Trance . This is similar to Final Fantasy VII's Limit Break . Each character has a Trance Gauge that slowly fills up as he receives damage from enemies . Once the gauge is filled , the character enters a Trance and can perform his own personal ability . If Vivi enters a Trance , he gains , for that battle , the ability to cast two spells in the same turn .
Throughout the game there are many events that you can get into - - from jumping rope , to collecting cards , to even delivering letters . But my favorite has to be treasure-hunting with a chocobo . ( If you're new to the series , a chocobo is a birdlike creature that serves as a horse . ) Sometime during the game , you'll get a chocobo , which will be able to use its beak to dig up Chocographs ( treasure maps ) in certain areas . These Chocographs tell you the whereabouts of treasures by showing you a small picture of an area on the World Map and giving a hint to its location . But your chocobo may not be able to get to the location until it gains the ability to cross certain terrains . At first your chocobo can only cross over plains , but as it finds more treasures it will gain the ability to cross shallow waters , mountains , etc .
Final Fantasy IX is definitely my favorite in the series and may even be my favorite game ever . With its likeable characters , improved battle system , and fun mini-games , I think anybody who enjoys RPGs will have some of their greatest gaming moments playing this title . Well done , Square !
006 4 In my opinion , SquareSoft is one of the greatest video game companies and their Final Fantasy games are the best RPGs you can get . Of all the games in the series , the latest entry Final Fantasy IX is my favorite .
With its ninth installment , Square has gone back to a medieval theme and is using a more colorful graphics scheme . This differs from Final Fantasy VII's and VIII's futuristic settings and their dark , realistic graphics , but I always did like the castles and colors of the first Final Fantasies , so Final Fantasy IX suits me fine . Also , it has some of the best music I've ever heard - - even better than Chrono Cross ' . And the story is more complex and interesting than Final Fantasy VIII's ; it's more like VII's where the characters are a mystery and each has his or her own story to tell . And since the characters are developed well , I found that I liked practically every one of them - - in Final Fantasy VIII I only really liked Squall and Rinoa .
Final Fantasy IX has my favorite battle system of the series . First , Magic Points are back , so you can't just keep casting spells to your heart's content ; you'll first have to make sure you have enough Magic Points . Another welcome return is the challenge of battles ; even normal enemies can come close to defeating you , whereas in Final Fantasy VII and VIII , only the bosses ever pose a threat . Like Finaly Fantasy VI for the PlayStation ( Final Fantasy III for the Super Nintendo ) , each character has his or her own special ability . For instance : the main character Zidane is the only one that can steal items from enemies , and Vivi , a young Black Mage , is the only one gifted in using Black Magic . To teach the characters more Action Abilities you'll have to equip them with items that harness new powers . Here's how it works : say Vivi is equipped with a staff that has the Action Ability Thunder . As long as Vivi has that staff equipped , he'll be able to use the spell Thunder , but if he removes the staff , he will no longer have its powers . So he will have to battle with that staff until he learns Thunder . Once the powers are learned , he can equip a different weapon and be on his way to learning its powers while still retaining the spell Thunder .
The characters will also learn Support Abilities from items . These are abilities that support the characters during battles and are always in effect , meaning you do not have to use them first . But you can't have all your Support Abilities active at once since you are limited by your supply of Magic Stones . Each character has a certain number of these stones , and the number will slowly increase as the character levels up . You equip the required amount of these stones to each Support Ability that you wish to be active . For example : Zidane has 11 Magic Stones and the Support Abilities Counter ( randomly counters an enemy's attack ) and Antibody ( protects the character from being poisoned ) . Since Counter requires 8 stones to be equipped and Antibody requires 4 , Zidane can only equip one until he levels up and gains another stone . This system gives you a nice opportunity to customize your characters .
In battles characters may also perform special maneuvers once they go into a Trance . This is similar to Final Fantasy VII's Limit Break . Each character has a Trance Gauge that slowly fills up as he receives damage from enemies . Once the gauge is filled , the character enters a Trance and can perform his own personal ability . If Vivi enters a Trance , he gains , for that battle , the ability to cast two spells in the same turn .
Throughout the game there are many events that you can get into - - from jumping rope , to collecting cards , to even delivering letters . But my favorite has to be treasure-hunting with a chocobo . ( If you're new to the series , a chocobo is a birdlike creature that serves as a horse . ) Sometime during the game , you'll get a chocobo , which will be able to use its beak to dig up Chocographs ( treasure maps ) in certain areas . These Chocographs tell you the whereabouts of treasures by showing you a small picture of an area on the World Map and giving a hint to its location . But your chocobo may not be able to get to the location until it gains the ability to cross certain terrains . At first your chocobo can only cross over plains , but as it finds more treasures it will gain the ability to cross shallow waters , mountains , etc .
Final Fantasy IX is definitely my favorite in the series and may even be my favorite game ever . With its likeable characters , improved battle system , and fun mini-games , I think anybody who enjoys RPGs will have some of their greatest gaming moments playing this title . Well done , Square !
051 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
Hey guys . I love this game , flat out . It has great characters , a good plot , a good system , and fantastic music . A lot of people think that the game is boring , or maybe they don't like the plot , but I think that those people need to just give it a chance . This was the 7th Final Fantasy I have beaten , and now I have finished 1 - 9 , and this game is in my top four .
There are some problems with this game , but I don't think they are very critical . Most of them affect the first couple hours , but they are nothing toreally have too big a problem with . First of all , the begining is slow . There are about 4 battles in the first hour , and you finish only about 20 - 50 in the first few hours . Also it takes a little getting used to to get into the gameplay . Characters gain magic and abilities based on what equipment they have on .
Anyways , I put this in my top list of games , which are in order of which is most important to play
Final Fantasy VI
Chrono Trigger
Final Fantasy VII
Earthbound
Final Fantasy IX
Chrono Cross
Xenogears
Play those RPG's and you will have experienced the best games ever made .
076 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
For a game that's 10 years old , you can't go wrong playing this one folks . It's a really good game . I think the best part of this game is the relationship between all of the characters . They are funny . And that's what makes this game shines above a lot of other rpg games , and it's a lot of fun to play .
109 4 Contrary to what some anomalies suggest ( You with the 1 star rating ) , this game so far is the culmination of all the great things that define a Final Fantasy .
Don't listen to all the people babbling about it not having an interesting story etc . You buy and judge for yourself . Sure the game is not perfect , but what in the world is ? If you enjoyed Final Fantasy 1 - 7 ( 8 aside ) , if you enjoy RPGs , if you play video games at all you owe it to yourself to play this game .
And at least this game is intelligent and knows what fantasy implies .
135 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
For those that are looking to rekindle that feeling you get from old school playstation 1 rpg's , you need to add this one to your collection . This game was always looked over due to the commercial success of final fantasy 7 & 8 , but I say please give this game a try .
150 4 This review is from :
Final Fantasy IX ( Video Game )
This game is simply amazing . The graphics are by far the best in the series , ( besides X ) and wow , the music ! i listen to the music almost everynight on my ipod . i have the whole soundtract . It isn't to hard to beat , and levealing up is pretty simple . You fall in love with the caracters right away . The storyline is amaizng . And might i add , its so nice to have a game w / out guns and all that crap , final fantasy ix takes it back to a simple time , with magic and swords . Set in a medival setting . The characters are unique and just addorable . They have that childish look to them , but are actually very mature . This game makes me cry everytime . i just love it . it is well worth it . And for it to be only 14 dollars , thats amazing .
