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Square Scored Big!! |
| Tim T from Florida, USA says (14/Dec/2000): |
I think going away from the future feel was the best thing Square could have done. FFVII was a great game, not the greatest FF, but up there. Then Square came out with FFVIII. I thought it was just lousy. Way to futuristic. In FFIX, it's back to the fantasy. This game had me hooked ever since the beginning. The chararcters may have looked alittle too goofy but it was a good kind of goofy. The storyline is this game just isn't told to you straight-up. You have to use common sense and read between the lines to fully understand the storyline. The music in this game was just fantastic. Just hearing the music reminded me of playing FFII(American), which in my opinion is the best. The graphics in this game were spectacular, and the artwork was great(thanks Yo$#< remove me > at !aka Amano). The new ability system was a good idea, it reminded me of the Esper learning deal in FFIII(America). The trance seemed to always come at the best time for me, at least one of my group memebers went into during the final bosses. The one thing I really thought was the best thing Square did was allow you to put 4 memebers in your party instead of 3, even though I wish it would've been a 5 party system. All around this game was great, I give it a perfect 10!!
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SQUARESOFT GOES BACK TO THE ROOTS |
| Ryan from Hendersonville, North Carolina, USA says (13/Dec/2000): |
I think FF9 is possibly tied with FF7 for the best final fantasy. It has a great storyline and memorable characters, even if they are somewhat deformed. This game brought many unique original features, but what i don't like is how not everyone can use certain things. Like the lead character cannot use magic, and only two can use summons. but Square made it fit with the game and come together. its probably the longest FF ahead of FF7 and has many side quests. The storyline is probably the best thing.
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Another good Final Fantasy as Usual |
| Mike says (11/Dec/2000): |
I really enjoyed this final fantasy all though i am going to have to say it was way too easy. With only 21 hours logged into the game I was on disc 4? Less than a day? Wow - unusual for Final Fantasy. However unlike the first Jack-ass on the review list i think the story was a good one, and i liked how each character while fighting for the same goal, also were on their own adventures. Another thing i liked were the ATE's they helped u get a feel for where the characters were coming from. WEll i guess it is time to wait for FF10!
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it's good,but not as good as expected |
| Tony M. from eugene, oregon says (7/Dec/2000): |
Now I've been playing games ALMOST non-stop since the age of five(I'm now fourteen.)We all know the good points about this game so I'll head straight for the bad.The main problem is that the storyline is so-o weak and they pathetically attempt to cover it up with cool cinemas and that dorky active event crap...and as usual you get ALL of your characters early in the game.Also the game doesn't have good mini-games and it has these long side quests that people looking for a break and some fun really just don't want...plus those side quests really bring down the replay factor(as if it wasn't low enough!)This game is a major let down to hardcore RPG fans,however my devotion to final fantasy is strong and they almost tricked me with those really cool cinemas.If only they put more time into zidane & sarah's(princess garnet)relationship I might have been crying at the end...The source of a solution would probably have been making the game have like six discs(for more stuff.) I give this game a seven because I really liked that they sticked with putting in a cool song like ff8.....The last dissapointment I will report is that they apparently dropped gold saucer from their sequals.
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Interesting |
| Josh from Michigan says (7/Dec/2000): |
This is quite an interesting game. Personally, I much preferred the limit break system of FFVII(I havn't played VIII because I heard it was dumb) but this trance thing in IX sometimes just is stupid. You get it right at the end of the fight usually and then it just wears off so you almost never really get to use it effectively. I also much prefered the materia system of magic as opposed to the skill from the items. Materia was pretty easy to find and train up whereas some items are so rare you can go through hours just trying to find a single item for a specific skill, and you didnt have to rely on only one healer or summoner. I love the new chocobo system, its so much easier(and a little more enticing) to go after big lots of cool treasures than it was so spend 3-4 hours per chocobo training them up to class S then praying to god they would breed and give you the right kind of chocobo. As far as graphics go i cant say much, obviously they are a little bit better than VII and probably somewhat better than VIII but i think squaresoft has pretty much maxxed out the 3D capabilities on the playstation. Some of the FMVs are just amazing, the one where Kuja summons Bahamut is simply incredible. Over all this was quite a good game but personally I prefered Chrono Cross somewhat more than this.
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This game is sorta good because....... |
| A gamer from Canada says (5/Dec/2000): |
Just in case u think that I am insulting this game, I'm not. One thing I hate is the summons because you can't use them right away! On the other hand they look better. This game is really good and lot's of FMV sequences. I give this game a 5 out of 5.
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The Return to Fantasy |
| Joseph from Irving, TX, USA says (4/Dec/2000): |
I am a Squaresoft game player. I have to admit that the game PS library I retained when I purchased my PS2 is 80% Square. I even repurchased an SNES to play games like FFII and Chrono Trigger. So now that you know where my biases are, let me begin my review.
Final Fantasy IX manages to be amazing and disappointing at the same time. On one hand, this is the most fun FF I have ever played (except for the card game, which seemed an exercise in frustration and futility). It has a lighthearted atmosphere with a diverse cast of character. The battle system is not too complicated, yet has a nice variety of options for those who are seasoned RPGers. On the whole, this game well worth the money I spent on it.
What could be the downside? A thin plot, lack of a true villain (where have all the Sephiroths and Kefkas gone?), and your characters really don't develop during the course of the game. What you see in the begining is what you get. So get used to it.
As far as having characters that I really cared about, FFVII still has my vote as best (Aeris can't be dead!).
Bottom line, if you are a fan of the series, particularly the early series, definitely get this game. It's the one you've been waiting for. If you aren't a hardcore fan, there may not be enough material to keep your attention, so save your money and buy one of the other Fantasies available.
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Another Squaresoft Jewel |
| Skuld from Amherst, NH USA says (4/Dec/2000): |
Again the masters at Squaresoft have done it again, Final Fantasy IX delivers just what you want. Plot twists, kiler character design, strange and unique puzzles... I could go on. Oh, did I mention it's next to impossible to go about your day without a second passing thinking about that moment when you resume play?
I'm not going to spoil your enjoyment of the game, I'll let you see for yourself what Final Fantasy IX has to offer.
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Another Final Fantasy?????????? |
| Russell Heinrichs from Scottsdale, Arizona says (3/Dec/2000): |
I believe that if you have been playing RPG's all your life, then you will love this game. This game has a nice battle system, especially the way they did the weapons system. This weapon setup makes it so that you have to go level up or you wont get everything. The designers of this game made it so that when you want to save you dont have a chance to. But when you dont really care if you can save or not, you can save. This is one of the best RPG's that I ever played. I would go out and buy this game if you dont have it.
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Great for 12 year old girls! |
| Alan Avery from Soldotna, Ak, USA says (30/Nov/2000): |
As a long time fan of the series, I was simply brimming with excitement seven months ago when I heard about the development of final fantasy IX. After months of anticipation the turkey has landed. The first aspect of this game which left a sour taste in my mouth was the main character - whom I initially mistook for a female. Then there's the ATE system wherein every party member sees fit to rush in opposite directions every time a new place is encountered simply to make room for more shallow plot. And of course, I'd be loath to not mention the card game (the rules of which are shrouded in mystery), an adventure in guesswork. I've come up with 3 distinct theories as to the nature of the numbers on the cards. And while I could rant for hours as to the flaws of the character ability system none of these things matter. This game has been infected with an insipid, sappy storyline. Evidently the writers at Square have determined that quantity is more important than quality here. At the end of disc 2 it was fully 45 min. before I had any meaningful control of my party.
The Bottom line: If you are interested in a game where flowery prose rules above all (including anything as passe as action) this is your game. If you are looking for a game with a more mature plot stick with FF VII & VIII or possibly even super mario bros.
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Best FF Yet |
| Adam Moore from Hornell,NY U.S. says (28/Nov/2000): |
I was convinced that FF8 was the greatest FF game of all, until I finally got my hands on FF9. I think it is the best one squaresoft has created thus far. I love the cg movie cinimas that the game has. One of the best thing that I like about it,{even though I'm only at the ice cavern} is the ability to see what's going on in other areas. Also I like that romance that is developing between Zidane and princess Garnet. I hope FF10&11 like up to my expectations I have for them.
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A relatively good game |
| Benjamin Lu from Singapore says (26/Nov/2000): |
Final Fantasy IX is a one of the great games by Squaresoft of course, not to mention the other Final Fantasy Series, what's cool in this game, is The Chocobo side quest where you can get light blue, red, dark blue and finally the white Chocobo that can fly from forest to forest. The bad point game is the Trance and the summon scene of the eidolons, the Trance is much harder to get now, compared to FF VIII 's limit breaks, limit breaks are also much nicer, and for eidolons, there's now less summon spells compared to FF VIII. But overall, Final Fantasy IX is still a must buy for DIEHARD RPG FANS
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A new approach |
| Ryan SPruill from manteo,nc,usa says (26/Nov/2000): |
Alright.ITs here, but now what? I must admit that this is a great game. It has done something that i never thought a game could do... Make me hate a character on my team. I wont give it away to those who havent gotten there hands on this game yet. But we'll just say that one of the characters you control is a complete jerk. Making your emotional levels with that character wanting to put him on the back burner.
Add that with a involving story, great graphics and cutscenes. New approaches... well not exactly new but a return way of learning abilites. Also adding little tid-bits from all the previous games really grabs your attention, such as when the band starts playing music from final fantasy 7 when the are trapped in monter infested forest. A tear of remembrence will take shape in your eye. This game is not however far from perfect, namely its disks are way too short. within 3 days i was on disk 3. At that i forced myself to take a break away from it, so i could enjoy the game more when i returned. Also on another positive note is the return ability to have 2 players, a very nice touch. So for those who havent gotten there hands on this game yet..... get off the couch and go get this fabu game. But lets keep in the back of our minds that for those lucky enough to own one. Playstaion 2 will have Final fantasy X coming soon.
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Final Fantasy IX:The RETURN |
| A gamer from Rodos,Greece says (9/Sep/2000): |
Final Fantasy Series are back with the best game of the series
and also THE BEST GAME EVER MADE in the history of videogames!
Now everything is different. Centuries better than FFVIII and FFVII, Final Fantasy IX is a whole different than other games.
The "juction" menu is now dissapeared(hopefully)and the FMV are better now! I recommend you to buy this game.
Savvas
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