|
|
Post by Joseph DeGolyer on Jan 26, 2015 23:03:16 GMT -7
Hey guys! We're all around the first third of the 3rd disc of FF9 today, and since a review is around the corner, it may be best to add a FF9 review thread...
So...What did you think of FF9?
You could talk about...
Gameplay
Story
Music
Visuals
Legacy
...or whatever else comes to mind! Go hog wild!
|
|
|
|
Post by amoreline1 on Jan 27, 2015 1:08:44 GMT -7
I guess I will start off. First and foremost the thing I liked most about 9 were the characters. Each had a distinct personality, even the side characters did, which not a lot of these earlier final fantasies had. To clarify even the most unimportant characters were checked up on. For instance Ruby, the one girl that was sadly left behind by Tantalus. We get a little event that says what is up with her.
However it is with the main characters that my point is evident. Each save for maybe Aurumat. But then again I never really looked into him/used him so I am sure there is more to his character. I do have to say I love Vivi. He was different for a FF game, which was good. As was Zidane. I do not really remember a carefree protagonist such as him.
To wrap up this bit about characters I will say I love the romance in this game. Unlike the previous FF this actually felt like a better romance. Zidane being a pervert aside.
That leads me to another thing. I love that they give us the opportunity to see what the characters are up to whenever you get to a town. Like Dagger trying to speak country or Vivi revisiting his home when they went to Treno.
I did love the mini games. My favorite being the mail delivery quest that also gave some insight occasionally into what was happening via the moogles point of view.
Also The Place Ill Return to Someday was a sweet song.
|
|
|
|
Post by lightsage on Jan 27, 2015 1:24:15 GMT -7
Personally, I really enjoy FF9. Out of the FF games I've completed, it is my third favorite, after 10 and 7.
Gameplay:
Like most Final Fantasy games, FF9 is exploitable. Probably the easiest way to beat the game is to steal from everything you encounter. Not only does this get you great gear and items, but you'll also level up Zidane's Thievery skill, which can easily achieve max damage if you've stolen a lot. I took out so many bosses by using Thievery on them. Probably my only major complaint is that the battles seem to go slowly. Even with the battle speed set on maximum, it wasn't that fast paced. But, while I call that a 'major' complaint, it certainly did not stop me from enjoying the battles. I really enjoyed the ability system. I would keep my characters using out dated equipment just so they could learn the abilities attached to them, and it was worth it with most of the abilities.
Story:
I don't really think that I'm the best sort of person to provide a story analysis. I'm more of an "either I enjoyed it or I didn't" kind of person. Needless to say, I did enjoy the story. I liked a majority of the playable characters, and even those ones that I didn't like I could sympathize with. The main character, Zidane, is an obvious departure from the more introverted heroes of FF7 and FF8. He is a cheerful (and womanizing) character, but we do find out about his own issues later in the game. I truly felt sorry when it was revealed that Black Mages have a set life span of only about a year (poor Vivi...) and really felt sorry for Zidane's "sister", the only Genome with a soul in a village of dull, souless inhabitants. In fact, the whole game is deceptively dark. It seems light and cheery, but this is also the game that probably has the most death out of any of the Final Fantasy games. Every major city gets destroyed by the end of the game, and one race is almost wiped from existence. Seriously messed up stuff for a game that stars a silly and perverted thief and a princess who tries, and mostly fails, to appear to be a commoner.
Music:
I'm kind of so-so on the music. There are many pieces in the game that I couldn't remember if someone asked me to, but the pieces that I do remember are great. And FF9 has my favorite song with vocals in the series, "Melodies of Life". Thankfully, this song is made better by the fact that when it shows up in the actual game, it is only as an instrumental version with just a woman going "la la la" for the vocals. The actual version is not played until the end credits, which I felt was appropriate.
Visuals:
Probably where the game suffers the most. Square decided to go back to using deformed character models after they showed they were capable of creating realistic looking characters in FF8, so that was a little disappointing. If you didn't know otherwise, you'd never guess that Zidane was actually 17 years old, when he looks like a preteen. I know they were trying to pay homage to old school Final Fantasy, but they would have done a little better with the character's appearances. Other than the characters, I liked the design of the world. Every city you went to was completely different from the last one, so that you knew instantly where you were all the time. The prerendered movies were enjoyable, but, again, suffered from having all the teenage characters appear way too young.
Legacy:
Rather than thinking that FF9 has a great legacy, I think that it was the great legacy. FF9 is an obvious homage to the Final Fantasy games 1 through 5, going back to more magic-based culture than a scientific one like the worlds of FF6, 7, and 8. Like any Final Fantasy game, this one has its flaws, but I personally did not think they were that big of a deal. They certainly did not take away from my enjoyment of the game.
I'm very glad that playing along with the podcast has given me the excuse to play this game again after so long, because it was a truly enjoyable experience. And you can bet that I won't be waiting so long before I replay this game again. Like you guys I'll go ahead and just do a quick rating with the Final Fantasy games that I've completed, ignoring the ones that you guys haven't gotten to yet...
From best to worst:
FF7
FF9
FF4
FF1
FF2
|
|
|
|
Post by gammonstark on Jan 27, 2015 10:10:12 GMT -7
Hey guys! We're all around the first third of the 3rd disc of FF9 today, and since a review is around the corner, it may be best to add a FF9 review thread... So...What did you think of FF9? You could talk about... Gameplay Story Music Visuals Legacy ...or whatever else comes to mind! Go hog wild! It's been awhile, but this is second in line in my queue of games (meaning sometime during the summer). Gameplay: I loved the World Map and flying the airship anywhere. Save Points don't auto-tent you, so there is still the stock up strategy and HP/MP management that I liked in earlier FF games. Turn-based combat for the win. I love that black magic could be divided amongst multiple enemies. Huh, this could be a ramble. I loved everything about the game play. So, can I think of something I did not like.... Hmm, sometimes the minigames could be frustrating (jumping rope, chocobo digging, and I could never fix MogNet), and a very few times I had some trouble exploring with the overhead map or performing slight movements. Probably a control issue, the character running instead of taking a single step. Story: Typical old-school FF, meaning good. Not everything is quite with the hero. There was some good foreshadowing of this with Vivi. Each character felt like they had a story to explore, rather than just tagging along with the main characters. When IX came out, I remember reading a fan theory that IX was the beginning of the story and FFI was the end; that everything made a bit of sense if the games were looked at in reverse order. Something about the rise and fall of technology. I had only played a few FF games when I played IX, but this fan theory maybe came about because IX made references to the early games for the fans. Music: Went out and bought the soundtrack (locally available one, meaning very abridged) the next day. Melodies of Life was the song my wife and I danced to at our wedding. Played the crap out of the songs in both Theatrythym games, and still find myself humming the Black Mage Village or Vivi's theme when I walk around. Visuals: I love the design of the Black Mages and Waltzes. The summons are pretty awesome, too, especially Alexanders. He reminds me of Metroplex in this game. I definitely love this game, and it got me back into final fantasy. Sometimes I play through the first disk just to revisit the Waltzes, grind Ap, or figure out the Card Game. This game along with VI and X are tied for first place. If I put nostalgia aside, then it would probably be IX, X, VI (and that would probably change on a daily basis). |
|
|
|
Post by pooralice on Jan 31, 2015 18:55:30 GMT -7
-The ability system is a hell of alot more user friendly than the nightmarish junction system of 8, to me it felt like a natural evolution to the materia system of 7 (Which it has to be said, is one of the most accessible of the systems). It's not as much fun to play with I will say, but it is one of the most rewarding in the long run as you really feel as if you are developing and growing your characters as opposed to the materia itself (given that it is completely interchangeable between characters).
-Foursome! This may seem like nothing but the flexibility this gave to your party set-up is worthy of note. With the enforced job/class roles it feels like having a four person party was almost essential for the game; the reduced customization aspects for the characters means your party can only really be truly balanced when you have the option of four characters. At the time this really felt like a big deal, to the point where I initially had difficulty adjusting when returning to the 3 person party games after playing FF 9.
-Speaking of characters, apart from the WORLD itself, the characters are a major strong point. For some reason, I think the return to less realistic avatars is part of what made the characters even more endearing all around. Vivi will always have my sympathy and even Garnet is likeable from the outset.
Although I've seen some criticism of the comedic interactions between Rusty and Zidane, this was one of the highlights of the game. Seeing their relationship develop into trust was very well done also. Eiko is one of my favourite characters from the series overall and although I haven't made it all the way to the end of this game, knowing that she finally gets an adoptive family and becomes a Princess fills me with all sorts of joy. Yes, I may well be in love with her.
I think what it boils down to is that I'm equally interested in every main character's story as opposed to just one or two of them a la 8. (I really hoped Zell would die after only a few hours of his dialogue) It certainly doesn't hurt that the lead character has some charisma too and isn't just a void of personality. Let's just ignore the fact that Kuja is no Sephiroth or Ultimecia and instead of being intimidated by him I was attracted to what I thought was a thong-wearing evil Princess.
-Gaia: The world itself is one of the best things about this game, it's not technologically advanced or futuristic like the two previous games and instead has a much more historical and natural feel to it. The visual style of Lindblum and every other city and building's style is one I was delighted to experience, I'm not saying it's superior to the advanced/ more modern settings of 7, 8, 15 etc, I'm just saying it's beautiful. Quoting Void from his greenmushroom playthrough sums it up best (although he was talking about the pre-rendered backgrounds so I have edited the grammar to fit what my feelings on the world setting) : "I don't know if, objectively, (it's) any better than the last two games. But subjectively, I like (it) more." Delicately put sir.
This aesthetic is even represented in the terrific Uematsu soundtrack, another stellar part of this game. The Place I'll Return To Someday outshines Liberi Fatali, even thought the latter was initially my most played piece of music from any of the game's O.S.T.
I know all my points have been positives, and in many ways that's my point. This is not a perfect game and for the most part I understand and accept most of the popular criticisms on the game. However, I felt it was worth sharing what I liked about the game so much as well as provide some of my own comparisons to 7 and 8.
If 9 is in many ways a homage to the earlier FF games, it has most certainly encouraged me to play them.
|
|
|
|
Post by Shinryu on Feb 1, 2015 5:10:36 GMT -7
Final Fantasy 9 is one of the best and most underrated Final Fantasies up there with Final Fantasy 5.
Seriously everyone seems to love 4,6,7,8,10 but forgets 5 and 9. Don't get me wrong I love all those games too but FF9 really was something special.
Final Fantasy 9 was Sakaguchi's last Final Fantasy game that he was really involved in (it was supposed to be a spinoff game that tried to bring FF back to the classic roots) and was a tribute to everything in the series and his farewell to the franchise. He was barely involved in any FF10 development.
The entire game feels like the most "fantasy" Final Fantasy game. It feels like something out of a fantasy book and I love it.
For a PS1 game Final Fantasy 9 really looks amazing.
Vivi is arguably one of the most beloved characters in the Final Fantasy series. Seriously have you ever met anyone that hates Vivi? Even Cloud and Lightning have their haters but Vivi is loved by just about every FF fan. He is just awesome from the second you start playing as him and his theme starts up.
I view Vivi as the main character of FF9 and not Zidane. Same for how Yuna is the main character of FF10 and not Tidus in my opinion.
The game's story and battle system are the strongest points of the game. Something that was lacking in the previous FF8.
I'm sure you noticed how the game has a ton of nods at previous Final Fantasy games like Cloud's Buster Sword in that one store, remixed music of Final Fantasy 1 Gulug Mountain, remixed music and themes from previous games, names of locations, items and things referencing previous FF games. The name Garland makes a return... Even some of the bosses like the fiends are old classic 2D style FF bosses remade in 3D for FF9. Its like a fanboy's dream come true.
Fun cast of characters, really diverse and lots of unique back stories.
I enjoyed how I thought I knew how the story would go but at a certain point when you find out about Garland, Genomes and all that stuff it really gets good and took me by surprise.
The game also brought back job classes and unlike FF7 and FF8 where everyone could basically do the same stuff FF9 has each character act uniquely in battle.
The music is really good, I'd say much better than most of FF8's music although FF7 still beats it.
Music never got old or repetitive. The battle and boss themes in this game are so good.
FF9 has a lot of fun exploration, dungeons feel like real dungeons again, each unique and fun to explore. They each have a unique theme and I really loved it.
I loved the dungeons and boss fights in this game.
The story was fun and never felt boring to me.
Kuja was a good villain because he wasn't just one of those villains that was just evil for the sake of being evil he actually had motives and at the end of the game he seems to have a change of heart.
Game also brought back a crazy amount of hidden secrets and stuff.
Did you guy's find all the secret locations and stores and stuff?
The game also has lots of items and things hidden everywhere so I would find myself constantly walking around until I found a "!" appear and then press X and claim a cool hidden item.
Overall its just a fun game and I replay FF9 as much as I do FF7 and FF5.
I'm sure you guys on the podcast now understand why so many fans were talking about loving FF9 now and I hope you guys do too.
9.5/10 is my rating.
Here is my ranking similar to the one you guys are doing for the currently played games
(Starting with most favorite)
FF7
FF5
FF9
FF6
FF3
FF1
FF4
FF8
FF2
|
|
|
|
Post by Battman on Feb 5, 2015 19:40:39 GMT -7
Limit break system sucked. Took too long to build the gauge and then you would trance against weak enemies.
|
|
|
|
Post by crimsoncommand on Feb 5, 2015 20:16:14 GMT -7
I liked IX. I played it the first time using the two player function which was interesting for a FF game. I think the story was a big improvement over FFVIII even though VIII holds a special place in my heart.
The areas were interesting and engaging and I really enjoyed the score...even if it wasn't that memorable. I think the characters were fleshed out decently, but I really wish we learned more about Beatrix. She is probably my favorite female character besides Princess Ashe.
The only thing that kind of bugs me is that Necron is never mentioned until you fight him. He seemed unnecessary. I felt nothing but annoyance when he did that attack that makes everyone pretty much a vegetable.
I didn't enjoy the Trance system, I thought it wasn't as effective as VII or VIII. I thought there was an interesting and diverse set of abilities for each player that I enjoyed experimenting with. The Excalibur II took a ridiculous amount of effort and luck to get personally. I liked the chocobo side quests and treasure hunting, I connected to it better than VII. They have one superboss, Ozma, that is a pretty big challenge. Having to learn abilities via equipment wasn't a big deal to me honestly
Overall, I think it was a great game, but the characters besides Vivi seemed forgettable and there were issues with how taxing the grind was.
|
|
|
|
Post by Shinryu on Feb 6, 2015 4:55:26 GMT -7
Beatrix is badass. Trance system was cool because for me it would usually occur during boss fights and getting to double cast Flare with Vivi or holy with Dagger was awesome.
|
|
|
|
Post by oxbellows on Feb 10, 2015 12:44:01 GMT -7
Limit break system sucked. Took too long to build the gauge and then you would trance against weak enemies. That was pretty annoying. In FFVII/FFX you could save your limit breaks for tough fights and in FFVIII you couple abuse the hell out of them by staying at low health. Though I suppose FFIX's system did make it a bit more challenging by forcing you not to rely on limit breaks. Has anyone else beat Ozma? I honestly think he's one of the top 3 hardest super-bosses in the whole series because he is so random and no matter how well prepared you are you can still get decimated if you have bad luck. |
|
|
|
Post by chocobochica on May 26, 2015 11:27:36 GMT -7
Making my way through the podcast review episodes....was on the FF IX review, and hosts mentioned a profound disdain for the chocobo mini game, and mognet as well. IX has definitely become one of my favorites out of the series- but man, I've gotta say, I loved chocobo hot and cold! I might be slightly biased due to a chocobo obsession...but I'd dig around in those forests and caves for hours. I think it's a tie for my favorite chocobo mini game, the other being chocobo racing.
Also, Shinryu- while I obviously have super loves for Vivi, I don't think I can view him as the main character for FF IX. If he was, he'd probably be getting some of the hate that other main characters get. (Cloud, Lightning, Squall...) and we can't have that. Vivi ftw. I agree with you about Yuna being the main character of X though!
|
|
