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Great graphics, average battle system, and very crappy storyline. | | KOF_BOY from Singapore says (24/Dec/2000): | Hi everyone...anyway i have played this game and now i am still dealing with the disc 3.
Let's start with the bad points first. I must stress that do not expect that this greatly acclaimed best rpg games ever is gonna have a stunning and impressive storyline cus it's not. In fact i find that much of the story is about the characters themselves and about how they feel and blah blah blah.
Example, the princess Garnet...the story will be abt how she feels abt herself as a princess, abt her evil mother, abt friends and so on...it's ok at first...but when it comes to the part where u see like all they starting talking abt all the members are with her and she does not have to feel lonely anymore and stuff liek that...u definitely will feel that the story really sucks...! it was like i have been hearing the princess talk abt how she feels for so many times from disc 1 - 2 that I shouted at the tv screen that i dun give a damn to how u feel abt urself just cut the crap and get on with ur stupid so called adventure...! Yeah...that's really how i felt...real long-winded and crappy.
Second character will be that little black mage named Vivi. He too at first has an interesting story background. He did not know what he was until those evil black mages that looks a bit somewhat like him starting going around and uses firs magic to kill people and destroy town. Those black mages were created by Kuja, (an evil handsome guy) who wanted to be the most powerful person...(blah), and so Vivi disturbed by those black mages that looked like him, wanted to find the truth about them and also hopefully abt his real background. And then when the story proceeds, once again you will hear abt how he complains abt how he feels abt those black mages and their existence, and also the purpose of why vivi exists, and blah blah, and you will Vivi says stuff like he wants to find out more so that he can protects people n his friends and blah blah...(disc 1 - 2). just this 2 character will give u Goosebumps abt how they talk as if they will die is they dun stick together.
I guess part of the story line will be abt the friendships and feelings...but then they make it sound as if they must be there for each other ALWAYS, if not they will not be able to survive this situation. Geez...it's giving me goose bump cus if they know abt true friendships...they will not react that way.
anyway my point is i dun like they way they keep on talking abt how they feel...it's ok at first...but slowly u will feel like killing them cus i was a bit lost at the end of disc 2...i was lost wondering are they really serious abt saving the world? or are they only interested abt complaining abt how they feel and why they feel this way and blah blah...
50% of the storyline sucks...good storyline will be kinda like Legend of Legaia, where u know why u are there fighting and who u are dealing with...good story and characters, or maybe chrono cross, u need to understand the first part of the story to understand the second...Rpg should have a good storyline and definitely not a storyline like this that keeps on talking abt their emotions and blah blah blah while they are trying to defend Gaia (Earth) and fight off the demons...
Characters are okay and the game proceeds well...graphics is very good...3D environment...but frankly what is so surprising that it's 3D? it's nothing stunning or impressive to me really...as I am a multimedia art student that deals with 3D animations and Video...to me it's just okay...
here comes the battle system...i really have to say it's okay...the fight doesn't bore u out...but the trance thingy could have been improved someway...trance is like once in a while if u accumulate the trance point and when it is full, u released a very power energy inside you...the monkey boy and the metal soldier is most powerful while in trance mode...but then again trance goes off in a while...and also kinda like appears in the end of the fight...that when ya full with the points...and u just released it....kinda wasted....
but still....after playing the game....i must say i dun really enjoyed that much with this game...it's okay....no little games for u to play with...and the card game was stupid...u dun get anything even if u win...u just win some god-damn cards that's all...
That’s why I am gonna give this game 6 out of 10 for having such a poor storyline…and also no little games, and also typical battle systems, and also the characters that appeared sometimes makes u wonder is there really a need for such a character to appear in the game…like Quina that frog eating freak…somehow I just feel that squaresoft is not doing a good job for this particular game…to them making an rpg game is chicken feet…with their many years of experience in rpg games, they should have created one rpg game with the real punch in them and not just come up with a crappy story, cool 3d animations and gameplay and expect it to be one of the best rpg games ever…rpg games also means a good storyline since ya playing that role of the characters in the game…if the story is crap, why would I wanna play that game for? Like now I am stopping at disc 3, and playing new games like Donald duck….much more interesting than this rpg game and can definitively entertained me better….
From KOF_BOY
| Great game, but missing something | | Marcus from St. Louis, Missouri says (2/Nov/2003): | Overall, comparing this game to other games on the PS; it was great.
But comparing it to the other Final Fantasy titles... well, it was somewhat lacking.
I have only played FF8 in the past, but I absolutely loved that game.
The biggest way for me to judge how well they did on this game with the storyline and RPG aspect was how I felt after playing it.
After playing FF8, I was TERRIBLY depressed!
The sadness of that grand story ending stuck with me for nearly an entire weak, and some afterwards.
After you had been a part of 'saving the world', and then the unhappy ending of FF8... the emotions of it all and the soundtrack playing with it just blended together perfectly.
Yet with FF9, there was very little emotion felt for the end of the story.
Way too many unanswered questions.
While I still felt sad that the story had ended, it just wasn't the same way as in FF8.
When I first started playing FF9, I just didn't get the feeling that I was a part of the story.
It just didn't make sense at first, and you had no idea what the characters were really like or really what was going on.
I guess I couldn't empathize with the characters as much as I did in FF8.
As the story progressed, it did become better as you learned some details about the feelings of the characters.
But after finally completing the game, I just can't rate the storyline up to par with FF8.
The reasons for this? I can only guess that it was because they didn't elaborate on the background of the characters enough or explain the epilogue about them in FF9.
For instance:
What happened to Zidane after the incident in the Iifa tree?
Where did this "neocron" come from anyways? We heard nothing about what it was truly about except a little dialogue from it.
Little baby Vivis hopping around? That doesn't explain much. Who did Vivi marry? Why didn't he "stop" like the other mages?
What happened to Amarant? change of heart? A new profession?
Beatrix and Steiner? What about them? Did they wed?
Eiko? What about her? She just suddenly calls Cid father and he decides to adopt her? Come on now!
Now regarding the specifics of the game...
There really isn't any point in comparing it to other PS games, because it beats almost all of them! So i'll have to compare it to other games of the series. Namely - FF8.
Graphics: 7
It has been a while since I played FF8, but I was expecting a huge graphics improvement in FF9. Boy was I wrong! The graphics may have been more clean, and more detail was given, but they just looked too jaggy compared to FF8. It's probably a good thing that they moved it to the PS2 for the next version. The CGs just weren't as good as FF8 either in my opinion.
Sound: 6
I just wasn't impressed. Garnet's song was pretty good, but I would have liked to see much more music on that level. FF8 had a much wider variety in my opinion.
Plot: 6
It just wasn't very original, and I had trouble getting into the feel of the game when they kept bringing old steam powered airships into the picture and the "old western" feel.
The thief with a heart saving a Princess though? Hail, Robin Hood.
The ending left too many questions unanswered too, and was just too short for my liking.
Gameplay: 8
The ability system in FF9 was a LOT easier to understand than the Junctioning system of FF8.
And what a relief not having to spend hours on hours leveling just to be able to defeat things!
It was a little too basic though for my likes, and lacked a lot of "new" things when comparing it to FF8.
I wish it had a lot more detail.
Characterizations: 7
They did a great job in this department, but also failed in a way.
The characters' unique personalities were outstanding, and were quite a lot better than in FF8 in my opinion.
What they failed to do was elaborate on the characters histories and their outcomes at the end of the story.
Big bummer there.
To anyone deciding on purchasing this game though, I definitely recommend it.
It may not be up to par with all of the other Final Fantasy versions in many peoples minds, but it is still a great game for sure.
| Ups and Downs | | Arken Nekra says (15/Aug/2005): | The game was okay... and if you've only played 2 FFs, 10, and 9, you really need to play ff7, or 6... They will blow them out of the water... and FF8 and X-2, are the worst in my opinion, sorry... But anyway on to the main point which is to discuss FF9. I beat the game, i found it rather easy, i always try to beat the game at the lowest level possible, because that way you really feel a challenge, and acheivement when winning... I always at least go 20 or more levels lower than any walkthrough would suggest... In FF6 I beat Shinryu at lower than level 40... and they suggest a minimum of level 80. And similarly in 9, i try to do those kind of things, verse the supposed tougher fights such as against hades... I unfortunately never got the most powerful summmon in that game, i got close, but i never knew how to fight the hardest creature inthe game, because i didn't know how to get to him... you know to get the other piece i need to synthisize to form the most powerful summon, Ark, i believe. Furthermore aside from my liking of hard battles, which FF9, how a few of, such has hades, and this other guy... I liked the graphics at the time, also the cinema with Alexander saving the place against bahamut was awesome... But i coudln't really connect with the characters as much as i'd like to, and the story line, tried to be deep, but it to me was kind of shallow... i mean it really just messed with people who are all disturbed emotionally, and lacked to me certain depths... It just didn't compare in my mind to earlier games such as FF7... They lost something in that all.. And the fighting style I liked better in other FFs, and they really didn't develop the final boss as much as i liked in FF9... For example when they developed sephiroth, they gave you not only a reason to dislike him, they developed the rivalry that Cloud had with him, the games they play with eachothers minds, more so Sephiroth's with Cloud's mind... How sephirorth was trying to use Cloud, and Cloud overcoming it in triumph... And the group leader in FF7, Cloud verse FF9, Zidane, and i make this comparison so you can see my disliking of FF9, is that Zidane wasn't as confident as Cloud was, as sure of himself, as a leader... Cloud lost it at one time, but for the most part, he was the uncontested leader, and he had a plan, and executed with confidence he would succeed and would be able to overcome the adversity facing them. And this allowed you to connect with his goal, his purpose, and to realize in real life, a leader would have to have similar qualities so that people would feel confident following him, and that's how it was in that game.. But to me FF9, and 8 that wasn't the case which is why it lacked overall... i mean it lacked the notion of the two titans clashing one another one on the good one on the bad... And it lacked the idea of David and Goliath mentality, FF9 was somewhere in between, and it didn't give me that feel of dire need with the chance, and confidence of victory that the other FF games did. Overall i give it a 6/10, for graphics, certain humor, certain situational character irony, and development, and for the standard FF qualities that we've all grown attached to, for those who like the FF series, and played them probably know what i'm talking about.
Anyway, Hopefully, now Sqaure Enix, keeps it up, and doesn't make another X-2, and really gets back on doing their classic, well developed, unique characters and plot style games.
| FFIX Owns | | SephKid from San Antonio, TX says (13/Aug/2003): | What can I say? This has got to be one of the best FF games ever. I mean, it has everything a game should have. Lovable characters, great gameplay, beautiful storyline. That and the length of this game is very good for an RPG if you spend time doing all of the sidequests and such. Even without doing them, the game is about 50 hours long.
But onto why the game is so good. Starting with graphics. The characters models this time around are chibi, meaning they have abnormally large heads and small bodies. Not bad at all. Unlike the FFVIII characters which were realistic, these characters have a more cartoony look, if you want to call them that. Most people might not like the idea, but it just so happens that cartoony characters portray emotions so much better. While playing the game, you can tell just by looking at the characters what they are feeling. Whether it be emotional or physical. At the beginning of the game when the characters are in a snowy mountain cave, you can see them shivering. Very good, Square! Oh, and the CG cinematics? Man, are those good! Although the characters are not as realistic as in previous games, Square has once again shown us their CG producing powers. The places these cinematics are placed in are also very good. Unlike some games, where a cinematic occurs every five minutes, this game places them in the most important and stiking areas of the storyline. They seem more like an award for playing through the game than something that just happened every other scene. You will certainly enjoy them!
Onto the sound. Again, music is by Nobuo Uematsu. Like all previous FF games, the FFIX soundtrack is one of the best to date. The music has more of a midevil theme to it, unlike FFVII or FFVIII, which took place in a modern time period. From the town music to the world map, all the music in FFIX adds onto the wonderful experience while playing the game.
Gameplay and lifespan are very important in an RPG. Unfortunately, the gameplay hasnt changed much as far as the battle system goes. However, there are tons of other things to do like the sidequests. There are so many sidequests in the game, that its hard to do them all. But if you do, this game is guaranteed to last you about 60-70 hours. Beautiful!
The originality is tops! Although the theme of a Princess and a Thief getting together has been common throughout the ages, FFIX gives the theme an original twist. The storyline itself isnt just one thing like someone trying to take over the world like most games. In fact, FFIX doesnt have just ONE storyline. It would seem like there is a seperate storyline for each character! At some point in the game all existing storylines join to make one of the best FF stories ever!
The overall value of the game is perfect! For about $50 you can own this game and enjoy it for hours on end. Not only that, but once you have beaten it you can play it again from the beginning. After 50+ hours of gameplay, its natural you might forget things. Either that or you can just watch and experience your favorite scenes all over again!
I think thats the best way I can explain FFIX. Unfortunately I cannot get into specifics, like what the storyline is and such. You will have to play it yourself. I wouldnt want to ruin anything. Well, please enjoy the game. It's a wonderful experience! Dont bother renting, this is a must buy!
| The Best Game I've Ever Played. | | Lucy from Peterborough, ON says (6/Jun/2001): | WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS!!
I've only played 3 Final Fantasy games (FFV, VIII, & IX), so I can't compare it to many of the other FF's.
PROS:
CHARACTERS:
IMO, FFIX was WAY better than VIII. The most notable thing about this game was its characters. The 8 main characters, the villian and the 'supporting cast' are all unique individuals. Most of the main characters and the villians have well-defined personalities, their own past, and their own out-look on life. I think this is the best aspect of the game, because the character development is comparable to what you'd find in a novel.
GRAPHICS:
The 2nd thing that I couldn't get over was the graphics. FFIX has excellent graphics, more detailed than some PS2 games (coughcoughUnrealTournament&Smuggler'sRuncoughcough). I can't imagine all the work that when into creating each of the places in the game - every shot, every scene was packed with details.
STORY:
The story is was very interesting, and it really motivates you to play the game non-stop (well, it did for me.........I didn't do any of the sidequests the first time around because I wanted to keep finding out more with the story). For anyone who played the game the way I did (story first/sidequests later), it really increases the replay value.
ABILITIES:
The ability system was great in that each person learns their own abilities, as opposed to the less interesting way of everyone having the same abilites. The only problem is that they all have good abilities, so choosing between characters for battles might be hard. The coolest thing was having a character that learns abilities everytime s/he eats!
BATTLE SYSTEM:
It was awesome because you can have 4 people in your party. The ability system complements this in that each character has their own usefulness in battle.
SIDEQUESTS:
There's so many of them!! And other than the Tetra Master card game, they are all useful. Especially the Chocobo sidequest; you can get powerful weapons, lots of treasure, and it's necessary to do some of the other sidequests.
CONS:
CHARACTERS:
Although some characters were really well developed, others were neglected. Like Freya's storyline is introduced & then dropped. And with Amarant, he never finds out about his past, etc, and the players of the game don't find out much about him at all.
ENDING:
Man, I was personally disappointed in the ending. The story was fantastic, but the ending leaves so much unanswered. I would've thought that a well-done story would have had a well-done ending, but I didn't find this to be the case.
DIFFICULTY LEVEL:
The game had some great weapons & bosses, but it was just way too easy. The end bosses were a joke (except Hades), and the only enemies that are extremely tough are yans and tonberries.
This is the biggest problem I had w/ the game: it should have been more challenging! Oh well......
Even though I found faults in this game, the plusses of FFIX far out-weigh the faults. FFIX gets 10 stars, hands down.
| Could've been a little better... | | M. Boone from Seattle, WA says (19/Oct/2003): | I got Final Fantasy IX back in '00. Starting the game up, I was a little bored. The game was meant to be played without a strategy guide, which takes a lot of fun out of the game. Not because I want to use a book to cheat through the entire game, but because the game gives everything away itself.
The first disc is a little boring, but once the eidolons make their appearances, you remember why you bought the game. Disc 3 is where you get hooked, though.
I was really impressed with the graphics, (a big step up from FF VII.) The field graphics were descent, and the FMVs were the best yet. I was also blown away by the catchy tunes they dished out.
The plot, in my opinion, wasn't that original, but the characters and battle system more than made up for it. Zidane and Garnet are among my favorite of Final Fantasy characters, and the use of stones and learning abilities from different epuipment was very satisfying indeed. This also adds some different combat tactics as well. You can take your time leveling up, learning all of the abilities at once, or you can keep all of your epuipment and use them when the ability best suites your situation.
One of the lesser departments of the game though, are the sidequests. There aren't that many, and most of them are pointless, meaning that you don't gain anything thing from them as you would in Final Fantasy VII or VIII. The chocobo sidequest was... different from previous chocobo quests,and certainly a little harder too. (Not to mention the chocobo hot and cold game which annoyed the hell out of me.)
It's all worth it in the end though. The chance to fight Ozma was incredible. Hades on the other hand, well, he's more bark than bite.
The Stellazzio sidequest isn't really that hard, seeing as you obtain most of them as you play through the game anyway.
A lot of the sidequests are connected, which kind of brings them down a little. You have to do the chocobo sidequest in order to get Zidane's Ultima Weapon, and to get to Ozma in order to get the Pumice Piece, which really makes fighting Hades a waste of time if you didn't get to Ozma, seeing as you hardly get any more experience than from a normal fight in Memoria, and the only thing he can really do is Synth the Pumice for you which gives you Ark, which you don't really need because if you beat Hades, Kuja and Necron seem like nothing at all,(altough Necron is a little harder than Hades, but not much.) So, if you want to get any of the major sidequests done, you first must waste your time with the chocobo sidequest.
One final note, is that Final Fantasy IX is a little to short. You can beat it in under 12 hours! It isn't really that hard either, and since you've already beat it, you already know where everything is. The only plus to beating the game over again is the fact that you get Excalibur II. Your're gonna need it too, because your're gonna be pretty weak.
All I can say is, it could've been just a little better.
| An Answer For Old School FF Veterans In Some Ways | | Tiger Young from Memphis, TN. United States says (21/Jun/2006): | Not the best FF game, but is definitely one of the better ones. If u like cartoony-looking characters, simple ability learning system, and medieval-looking settings or fairy tales like places, then this is the game for you. Castles, airships, knights,princess, black mages, summoner..etc..are back. The battle system is mostly similar to the last three FF titles with the exception that the characters all fall into certain classes, which mean that they all have unique abilities that only they can do(just like classic FF games as well, before FF6)...(Pretty much a mixture of old scool FF titles and recently released FF titles). I think the characters are loveable and when together they seem to provide a sort of humorous mood to the game.
If u like the battle system of other FF games,this one will do just fine. (I think its ridiculous to hate the battle system of one FF game and like the battle system of another FF game mainly because all of them derived from each other with a few differences here and there.)
Graphically, I think it's only second to FFX.
Plotwise, it is pretty standard of a Final Fantasy game(which typically have loopholes and untied ends here and there).
The characterizations are okay. The Zidane and Dagger thing seems pretentious and not original to me. Zidane and Dagger love situation, like Rinoa and Squall, is an imitation of Celes and Locke in FF6.
Also,A few things I don't like about the game are
(1)It's too easy.. (They should make it harder like FFIV.)
(2) the main character and main villain look kinda girlish...I guess GAY would be the best word.Zidane does not hold up characters like Cecil or Terra and Kuja just does not hold up to Kefka or Sephiroth.The only thing I like about Kuja is the fact that he's more of a tragic hero than a villian, sort of like Sephiroth...but his costume reminds me of Christina Aguerrilla..yeezzz.[I think square-Enix is aiming toward female audiences and young adolescences...Kinda notice that lately],
3)The game seems a bit too short. (It took me less than 12 Hours to get to Kuja.About 20 hours to get all weapons, abilities, and max level.. what the hell...Completing disc one of FFVII took me a little bit more than 20 hours.)
Overall, a GOOD game if you prefer graphics as much as gameplay. But if you prefer gameplay and don't give a damn about graphics like I do , I recommend FFIV, FFVI(this game is just awesome!!!), and FFVII...All of which have so-so graphics.
If u have been playing FF games up to this point, then chances are u already know that all FF titles are good. So play them all and find out which one is YOUR FAVORITE. You'll be surprise how much you going to end up liking or hating a game once you give it a chance.Damn...I feel like I'm preaching...sorry.
| Good for Diehard FF Fans | | A gamer from Canada says (26/Dec/2000): | Although I've been playing the FF series ever since the first one on the NES, I cannot for the life of me understand why fans would display such an eager and overwhelming emotion about the return of the fantasy setting. Okay, fine I understand that keeping within the tradition, the game should keep within the original theme behind the creation of the series, but one thing I have trouble comprehending is why anyone would not play FFVII or FFVIII simply because of the futuristic theme? If you are diehard FF fan, you would most likely also be a Square Fan. In this case, you would be motivated to at least try any game that Square turns out. Additionally, I think it's quite unfair to berate FFVII or FVIII simply on the basis of the setting. Every game has its strengthes and weaknesses. And I believe that all of the FF games have strengths that overcome the weaknesses. I'm sure that the Aeris theme in FFVII should have pull some heartstrings and the FMV's/graphics in FFVIII should receive some applause.
Anyhow, don't get me wrong, I did enjoy FFIX as much as many other fans and I did notice the come-back of several previous elements such as the Black Mage look of which I was delighted to note. ( I think Vivi is cute.) However, several things: I did not enjoy the way the game took over almost all control of the game. I'm on the beginning of the second disc and I feel a bit winded. I felt like I was fighting one boss after another. I did pause to level up in some places, but it seemed like the bosses would become exponentially harder to defeat. Also the ATE things were nice, but sometimes annoying. Why does everyone have to split up every time you go in a new town? It's so much harder to buy items for them. The exclamation marks does make it easier to find things, of which could be good or bad. Good so you don't waste time finding things, bad for experts who don't like to be fed with a spoon. Another thing, I agree with another fan that the discs were too short. Perhaps it's because of the increased quality of the graphics that is taking up disc space? I find it queer that each new FF game shows an increased quality in graphics and a greater ability to utilize the system to its fullest potential, but the system wasn't changed. Oh well, all in all, FFIX turned out to be within my expectations....much better than Secret of Evermore (does anyone remember that pile of c*$%?)
| Old School Remains the Best | | Bloody Vixen from Malaysia says (17/Apr/2003): | Final Fantasy Nine has something that the last two games didn't; heart and a great simplicity that was drastically missing in FF8 and FF7. First of all the gameplay is simple, easy and even challenging, and the summons this time will not appear until the second or third disc, which is a very welcoming change since the last two games' could bring a tall man down on his knees with the unwanted repetitive summons FMV. The story may not be 100% original considering that a few of the characters in it have striking or uncanny resemblance with other characters from the other previous titles. But the re-play value is high, and sometimes you just wish that the story could be just a little longer and more mini-games should be inserted in it. I should know since I could manage to finish ever-single mini-game in the series with 100-hours of dedicated playing. The FMV and animations are more than perfect, the ending could shed tears even to the most jaded players, I know that I went down like a baby when the end song finished. Who couldn't considering when you play the game, you could actually feel yourself become one with character, everyone of the unique individuals have at least a tale to tell, a connection to many people out there. The music is excellent and the Song Melodies of Life should go down in history as the most classic love song of the century, but the CD left so much to be desired since it is missing the villains theme-song, sure there is one but it lasted for no more than 2 minutes. And then there is the controversial villain, Kuja, who at first fooled us all with his waist and female-like features. The hero is quite amusing considering that this time Squaresoft has decided enough of the brooding-dark-past heroes who does whatever it is they had too because they were just forced to. Zidane has that cheeky monkey grin(no pun intended) and a soul that can make anyone smile even at the bleakest moment. The heroines are done nicely, except that Eiko can get on your nerves with her spunky, tomboyish, jealous attitudes. There is the other weird character: Quina...not much is said about her/him since she is just a tour guide for the group at a pivotal
session of the story. We could only hope that one day Squaresoft would make another game, which is as special as this, but like in the fantasy world, we could only dream.
| FF has gone mideval | | game_gurl101 from Katy (Texas), USA says (7/Jul/2004): | Final Fantasy IX (9) is certainly not one of the best FF games in my book, but its still high up there. I love the mideval style thing, and the flying ships are awsome. Plus the graphics rock!
You start this game off with a teenager named Zidane Tribal. The odd thing about Zidane is that he has a tail. That will be explained as you progress in the story. Anyway, you are in a group of thieves and your mission is to break into Alexandria Castle and kidnap the Princess for some reason......I forget the reason though, sorry. You break in by taking part in a play that they are holding that year. While your teamates are busy with that, you steal some guard armor and go in search of the princess. When you find her though, she escapes from you and runs off. This sets off a huge chase with you, the princess, and one devout guard. After you have caught her, she asks for you to kidnap her. o.O Well, at least you dont have to force her. So yall escape from the castle but not before her mother, the queen, starts firing missles at your ship. In the end, you end up crashing in the woods.
All in all I think that its a good game. One cool thing is that you can watch different events when this little thing pops up and you press select.
And this game is filled with so many different races. You have one teamate that is so weird, you cant tell if its a guy or a girl. And then theres the black mages, and many others.
Its kinda like visiting the past of FF. I mean, back then(with the first ones) only certain people could summon monsters and cast spells, its the same here.
And I know Trance is a real bitch, seing as how you cant control when you use it, but I thought of it as more of a challenge. And besides, it makes your character so insanely strong (in Zidanes case anyway) that it would be really wrong if you could just control it at will.
Anway, I think its a really great game and you should definatly buy it. By the way, I LOVE the ending of it. Even as you role through the credits you get to see little parts of every FMV, kinda like a small retelling of the story. And the end FMV (after all the credits) was soooooooo awsome. ^-^
| Solid game! | | Lukos from Harrisburg, USA says (23/May/2001): | Like most RPGers have reviewed on these boards, I believe FFIX is the second best game produced from the Final Fantasy line. However, I do not agree that VII is top dog. In FFIX we see a return of more character-unique (or character-specific) skills. FFVII had materia, FFVI (III in US) had the Espers, and FFV had job classes. While those three titles were all great, I believe letting each character possess the SAME skills gets old before too long. Simply having each character possess personal skills draws a player further into the game as they now can associate with and focus on one character (buying the best weapons, armor, etc. Also known as "favoritism").
FFIX's music was terrific! Of course, just about all Final Fantasy games have great music.
Graphically, FFIX towers over FFVII. More work was put into the animation and the characters look a bit smoother.
FFIX's storyline is clean and more straightforward than the ever-twisted FFVII. Too many plot twists spoil the broth, as it were. Also, the ATE was quite an improvement as it allowed the gamer to see what was going on with the other characters (less gaps in the story).
The one aspect in which FFIX fails, however, is difficulty. For a novice RPGer this game may be ideal, but for the die hard RPG fans (If you can remember the name of the witch from Final Fantasy on NES this might be you) it pales in comparison to other games. Whether the characters are too powerful or the enemies aren't up to snuff, it just seems much easier to get through than its predecessors. The one good part about this? Less of the annoying hours spent "leveling up."
FFIX has a fair amount of side quests and challenges as well, making the game worth playing a second time through. For all the advanced players out there who think FFIX is "too easy" or is lacking in side quests -- Try to get the Excalibur II. Then we'll talk.
By the by, the best of the FF series, I believe, was FFII (SNES). For the time of its release and the platform Square had to work with they definitely hit a gold mine.
| Probably the greatest ff game since final fantasy 6(aka 3) | | ben from ca., usa says (14/Dec/2000): | Final Fantasy 9 is probably the best final fantasy game since ff6. Now let me just say that this game is magic, as it is able to capture the feel of our beloved ff games. The beginning of the game is reminiscent of ff6... a great intro that throws you into the game without any confusing battle system. The game is easy to start, with the final fantsy 5&6 style main page.
The characters are innocent in the beginning, almost making us believe that this game was meant for "12 year old girls" with its simplicity, but as you progress through the game and get more intimate with the characters, you begin to realize the complexity of the game. Take for instance Vivi; in the beginning we make out Vivi as a young adolecent that seems to be light-hearted and shy, but as the game progresses, we subtly begin to see Vivi's past and what is in store for him.
The graphics on this masterpiece is vivid and wonderful. Each rendered background draws us into the game, capturing the moment. I would say that this is probably the playstion1 at its finest as this game gives the system a thorough workout! The CG's are just marvelous and beautiful, helping the story advance.
Another part of the game that i believe truely sticks out is the music. When i first got into a battle in the game, it sent a cold shiver down my spine as the fimilar bass sound that started battles in ff5&6 makes a triumphant return and the original score of the game is just outstanding.
This game will go up there in rpg legend as one of the greatest game ever. It makes us feel like a kid again and i use it in a good way. This game just brings back memories of the battle with kefka in the tower of doom, the emotional death of Aries, and the emotional sacrifice in ff2 as the heroes of the game are revived with the prayers of the people that cared and helped them, so that they my fight and save the world. It'll rightfully go up there with games such as The Phantasy Star Series, Chrono Trigger, and the Dragon Warrior(quest) Series!
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| | Jay-D. from Orlando, FL, USA says (19/Apr/2001): | Hello to everyone that enjoys RPGs! I will say for one that I have been a fan of the RPG world since I was a little girl, about 4 years old. Many people are shocked I'm a female, but I am. The video game Final Fantasy caught my attention since then & I am almost 17 years old on this day. I still love Final Fantasy & other Squaresoft RPG games. I have played Final Fantasy IX & beated it already. I have to say it is one of the best games out there at this moment. The plot is stunning & well understanding. The gameplay is awesome. Great job in everything in my opinion. The musicial cues are amazing. I was very impressed that every song that I heard on that game, I loved it. The characters are so smart & great. They look odd, but so unique. That's the thing about FFIX, it is all unique. The battle system is just like the one from FFVI, (FFIII in United States), & I prefer it that way. The animation makes FFVII second best because this time you can actually see the characters' faces the best way instead of them looking at blocked people. I also love how to get a Chocobo & the Mog Mail. I hope they make E-mail on part X. (LOL) I have played almost every Final Fantasy game & yes all of them are wonderful, but FFIX has made an improvement to the RPG industry. I cannot wait to see the Final Fantasy movie & to play the new Final Fantasy game. I am very exicted for all of these great news. I hope Squaresoft continues these Final Fantasy RPGs because no matter how old I get, I will keep on playing them! Final Fantasy IX itself is good enough for the winter that just recently passed. Final Fantasy made my imagination come to life because the game is just so real. It makes you addictive & open minded that you too have to care about the world & people. Like Zidane Tribal says, "You don't need a reason to help people" & I agree.
Peace & keep the fantasy alive!
Jay-D.
| a great game,but not as good as FFVII | | Cloud Strife from Toronto Canada says (6/Dec/2003): | you ever read my review for ff8?boy,that shows how much i hate it.9 is a GREAT GAME,but 7 will always be my favourite.after this, im doing an ff7 review.9 is the second best ff game ever.now,back to the subject:ff9 is a masterpiece.the card game is great(not like 8's lame card game),the graphics were pretty good,the plot was great(not like 8's stupid love story),the characters were great(even though i still wish Cloud was in it),it had great mini games,there was a front and back row(like ff7),the jobs finnaly came back,trance was a good idea to replace limit breaks(i still like limit breaks better though),the game is easy to get addicted to,they kept ATB(ff10 got rid of it),there's classic music from ff7 and ff8(i hated 8's music though)that was remixed,they brought back a bunch of things back from the old nintendo days of final fantasy(which i miss dreadfully),there was more than 1 disk,kuja was kinda cool(i still miss sephy though),there was good sidequests,the characters remind me of ff7's great cast of characters(but not 8's because 8's was stupid),the character's personalities matched their looks,there was great backgrounds,the music matched the things that happen and the background,the world map came back(10 got rid of it and when 9 came out i was worried that it would be gone),everyone is funny in a way(quina reminded me of yuffie in a way),vivi was sorta cute and to top it all off,this game is a brilliant work of art.i know this review may sound like i hate 9 because i love 7 so much but i still like 9 ALOT.i know that this game may not really have anything new,but for those of you who have played the days of the ff games that were released on nintendo systems,you'll probably know that this is a great game.oh yeah, i liked the ending of ff9 too.that was pretty cool.oh-i forgot to mention one thing-if you buy ff9 then good luck!
| ff 9 was the best game ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | | Jarred from Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada says (19/Jul/2006): | this game was awsome i liked how the storey changed over time and the mini games! they were kick ass especially all the side quests i loved em. The bosses were easy/ some where hard like Necron that S.O.B was so damn hard the party that i used was Zidane, Vivi, Steiner, and Aramant their equipment was:
Zidane: weapon- The ultamia wepon
Abilities: Auto-regen, Clear headed, Auto potion, body temp, loudmouth, locomotion, hp 20%, hp 10%, anti body, man eater, and bright eyes.
Vivi: weapon- Mace of Zues
Abilities: Auto regen, Auto reflect, reflect x2, clear headed, antibody, locomotion, auto-potion, body tem Mp+10%, Hp+20%, and bright eyes.
blk Magic: fire, fira, firaga, thunder, thundra, thundraga, blizzaga, slow, stop, poison, demi, osmose, comet, meteor, flare, sleep, drain, bio, death, break, and doomsday.
Steiner: weapon Ragnarok
abilities: hp+10%, hp+20%, long reach,body temp, clear headed, locomotin high tide, isnomianic, and loudmouth, and bright eyes.
Sword art: minus strike, lai strike, armor break, mental break, magic break, charge!, and shock.
Sword magic: same as vivi
Aramant: weapon- Rune claws
abilities: Auto- regen, auto-potion, hp+20%, loud mouth, anti body, clear headed, insominiac, counter, bright eyes, and return magic.
Flare: Chakra, spare change, curse, Revive, and demi shock.
and with all of that and some more necron is real easy BUT! make sure your party is strong enough and prepare well befor hand. HInts i also used the same party for beating Ozma. So if any one has any questions just email me at auron_55_2< remove me > at hotmail.com and i will help u out. But yeah the graphics were awsome for a ps 1 game and i would recamend theis game to anyone who likes rpg or just any one well i hope to help any one out so i will talk to any one soon cya.
| #1 Final Fantasy Game!! | | Alex says (8/Jun/2003): | Introduction:
Final Fantasy VII had a great storyline, but the graphics... Final Fantasy VIII had superb graphics, but the storyline was a disaster (the only good thing about FF8 was Quistis! :P ). But, the game that took the advantages of both and left the disadvantages behind to make Final Fantasy IX!
Storyline:
The game focuses around all the characters, but the spotlight focuses mostly on Zidane, Garnet/Dagger, Vivi, and Eiko. Anyway, the storyline is what makes a game interesting and I give the storyline an A.
Graphics:
The graphics are less advanced than FF8, but more advanced than FF7, but just the same, the graphics made the game fun to look at. The FMVs are cool to watch. I give the graphics an A-.
Sound:
All of it is great! The boss theme is one of my favorites! I love the World music! The Black Mage Village Theme is hip and catchy! A+!
Playability and Life:
The game may be short, but the clock could easily max out with Chocobo Hot & Cold, Mognet, Frog Catching, Treno Auction, and exploring the world. I'd have to say B+.
Characters:
Did Squaresoft really have to add Quina? YEAH!!! Every character is unique in his/her way. The only flaw in characters is what Quina is. Is s/he a male or female! Another flaw is even though every character has their own skills, Garnet/Dagger and Eiko both have the same skills and each can equip a racket. A in characters.
Summoning (or GFs or eidolons):
Summoning is great but I'd rather stick with the full sequences! Anyway, the eidolons are great. But, why did they have to get rid of Alexaxnder!! A-!
Overall:
Final Fantasy IX gets a 10 out of 10 because it totally rules! Quite possibly the last good FF game as FFX doesn't meet the fans' needs, and FFXI, which is online game... That does it on my review!
| Wow...you people suprise me. the best ff wasn't even a PS game, though it is now | | Candle from Pittsburgh PA USA says (13/Oct/2002): | For any of you who have played Final Fantasy from the very first game you would realize that Final Fantasy 6 is the best. What the hell am i thinking you ask? Lets see, FF7 was good, it had pretty graphics and retained some of the FF characterists, however you could only play three people and your choices in the world were limited. FF8 was a piece of crap if you expected a final fantasy game. However, if you like futuristic anti-fantasy military games and you are easily entertained by pretty graphics and the lack of your involvment in a game then I guess you probally like 8. FF8 had a "point a to point b" story line, there werent any true side quest or branches in the stroy. For Christ sakes i might as well have read the book. Alot of people didn't like 8, as a result square went back to it's roots, hence the drastic change in 9. It is fantasy and it is short stought characters, and allot of the trade mark characters have returned. However, square missed the entire point of why people hate 8, YOU HAVE NO TRUE ROLE IN 8!! Your choices mean nothing, no matter what, the story goes from start to finish. You have very few characters to choose from, even less abilities to learn. This game is worse then 8 and that was thought to be impossible. Square will hopefully wake up and realize what the hell they are doing even though they didn't in 10 because it is the same way. This is why 6 is concedered to be the best, it is fantasy, it has great music (better then 7), has 14 characters you can play and each and everyone of them has their own side stories and secrets. The entire world is for you to explore and to do what you want. This is what FF games have lost ever sense 7 and only time will tell if they will realize this.
| Just What The Doctor Ordered! | | Cardiff City FC from Cardiff, Wales says (19/Feb/2001): | Well... having played the first part of this game it is pretty clear to me that it is VERY similar to the previous 2 final fantasy games... SO GREAT!! Having seen a couple of negetive reviews on this page all ready i had second thoughts on wether to purchase the game... but having bought the previous 2 games before it... i had the belief in the company and the franchise in that in no circumstances would they publish a game worse than their previous ones... and im glad to report that my gut feeling was right! The game is typical final fantasy... sucking you into 'their' weird but compelling world, something that diciples of the series will know all too well about. Graphically squaresoft have drawn aces once again with some spectacular battle sequences... and CGI that is at least on a par with anything in Hollywood. But hey.... we all knew that this game was going to be graphically impressive didnt we?.... In terms of gameplay this game resembles final fantasy 7 more than 8 with more emphasise on the realms of 'fantasy'. To be honest, FF8, albeit a great game, didnt do its name justice, it tried to be too 'real' and as a consequence was a little boring. Yes, the random battles can be infruriating but you gonna have to learn to love it, or, at least pull up with it to enjoy this game.. this game will last you a very long time if you make the most out of it... we are looking at least 40+ hours... now thats value for money. Looking down at early reviews on this game on this page.. i can see that you will either love it to bits.. or hate it!! One thing i can say is that if you do own the other 2 games, and loved them... you are SURE to find this game great as well, Final Fantasy is back whether you like it or not!
| square made this?? | | ad from UK says (13/Apr/2004): | I prefer FFVII simply because of materia you are free to do what you want, any character can summon, cure, or use fire, but in FIX only garnet/dagger and eiko can summon and even they are restricted to a few summons.
the bosses are too easy, if you dont win go up 2 levels and try again, how easy is that?
one major problem is the characters how can a hero be a boy with a tail who has one skill, flirting? he has a few moments like when they get on the cargo ship after black waltz 2 but he is hardly a hero.
another big let down is trance, unlike VII and X you have no control over it, once your bar is full it happens, often at the end of the battle so its pointless, or after you've selected to use an item, and you lose half your bar, VII was easy bar is full save it for a boss, just use magic. but i guess they got one thing right, your bar doesnt go when you die even if trance is poor. the side quests are easy (except for the choco hot and cold thats just annoying and i'm sure you will all agree) and you dont gain much from them.
Graphics - 7 the graphics havent rly changed much since VII but i guess they are more smooth
Sound- 6 can't beat the boss music from VII but i guess the boss music in IX isnt that bad but there isnt any variety.
Duration - 2 if it is possible to get to the 4th disc in 12 hrs it cant be a good play. nuff sed
fun factor- 2 no good games, the card game is boring, choco hot and cold is annoying, they have nothing on blitz ball.
originality- 4 not a original start, steal princess, fall in love with princess, save princess but it has a twist.
value- 4 if u can get it second hand and save money, do it, i wouldnt (didnt) pay full price for this game
| The Best game EVER!!!!!!!!! | | Joshua L. from St. Paul America says (16/Apr/2004): | When I first heard about FF9 I wanted to try it right away because I've always been a big FF lover. I've played 3,6,7,8,9,and 10. I loved all the games except FF8. I mean where they on drugs when they made that game? The graphics sucked the music sucked the battle system sucked the characters sucked the game just really sucked! FF7 was okay but it wasn't all that great but a hell of alot better than FF8! The only bad thing about FF7 is the battle system and the abilities. The abilities should have been more like FF9 because I like the way that once you learn a technique you know it forever. FF10 was pretty awesome but i didn't like the ending. FF9 was the absolute best! The characters were just so cool! Zidanes the Tantulus bandit, Garnet the hotty, Vivi the deep one, Steinart the warrior that has sworn his life to the royals, Eiko with the love for Zidane, Freya with the depressing past, Amarant the tough guy, Quina with the obssession for food, Brahne the fat greedy cow, and Kuja the creepy guy/girl.The variety of music for when the characters had different emotions and the characters theme songs were also awesome. The battle system and abilities were so great! But the storyline was the best of all of the games. Zidane captures the princess who is wishing to be taken away anyways and then he falls in love with her. Then as the story progresses more and more characters seem to slip their way into the story as well. The ending of the game absolutly blew me away!!!!!!! It turned out just as I had wanted it to. It didn't leave much of an open ending which I love!!! Saying it once again this is the best P.S. game ever made!!!
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