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[SolVanderlyn]

Hoo boy. I am loving this my second time through.

Back in the day (and... still) I was a huge fan of FFVII and FFVIII's modern aesthetics. Absolutely loved the dystopian, conglomerate-driven, sci-fi fantasy fusion that VII was, and VIII's much cleaner, slightly futuristic setting was equally appealing. Then IX came along. The setting reverted to knights, bandits, and Victorian-esque nobility. The first thing we see is what is essentially a Shakespearean play. The character design is weird. Zidane is some sort of monkey man, and many of the NPCs are heavily caricatured, super goofy looking versions of animals. Even the humans look off. 11 year old me's first response was indifference at best, distaste at worst. I thought the story was... ok, but I never got past the drastically awkward shift in design.

Fast forward to today. After spending a good amount of time with this game again, I've really come to appreciate its unique setting. Zidane is a nice change of pace from the serious Cloud, or the brooding Squall. The setting is full of charm and oozes atmosphere. The scene in the very beginning when you barge on stage, interrupting the performance, and Garnet goes with the flow and improvises (extremely well) made me instantly fall in love with the characters. The chemistry between all of them is very well done.

The world design is excellent - the decision to go back to traditional high fantasy let Square show off some truly pretty, fantastical environments that are arguably the best among the FF trilogy on PSX. The ice cave, in particular, stands out as a personal favorite. Even walking through the streets of Alexandria as Vivi is impressive, and you only see a small portion of the environment - compared to a similar section in VII, where you explore a small segment of upper Junon, the level of detail present and the quality of the rendered backgrounds is an immense leap in quality. The almost SD-esque designs have a purpose, too, contributing heavily to the game's unique charm. They're almost reminiscent of what you'd see in a Mana game - heavily stylized and cartoony, yet appealing in their own distinct manner. The ability system is fun to fool around with, and it's nice having four party members again. ATEs are a great addition and let you have a more complete view of the world and what the relevant people in it are doing. The game also boasts what might be one of Uematsu's best compositions to date.

Stuff I still have complaints about:

-Slow, slow battle system.
-Trance is kind of a lame mechanic. Limit Breaks were far more streamlined/effective.
-Sometimes the character designs can get a little too weird. Kuja and Brahne come to mind...
-Final Boss is still as left field as ever.
-Amarant could have used more story - he's just kind of "there" for most of the game.
-Blank should have been a permanently recruitable, hidden character. Still annoys me that VII was the last FF to have hidden characters.

Overall, though, really enjoying this game, and I have much more appreciation for the story and visuals this time around, mostly because they aren't colored by the comparative disappointment felt after loving VII and VIII's styles. Appreciating IX for what it is makes it much more enjoyable.

 

[2San]

Can't disagree with anything you say. Blank didn't do anything for me though. Beatrix on the other hand. It's easily the best PSX era Final Fantasy for me (I haven't gotten around to playing tactics).

 

[BumRush]

If SE remastered 9 with a faster battle system and less "sweeping camera filler" the game would be a masterpiece

 

[Kain]

With FFT best FF ever.

 

[Makoto Yuki]

Apology accepted.

 

[Werewolf Jones]

The best tribute/love letter the fans could have asked for. The last good FF game also, IMO.

 

[WhirlwindMonk]

Back in the day (and... still) I was a huge fan of FFVII and FFVIII's modern aesthetics. Absolutely loved the dystopian, conglomerate-driven, sci-fi fantasy fusion that VII was, and VIII's much cleaner, slightly futuristic setting was equally appealing. Then IX came along. The setting reverted to knights, bandits, and Victorian-esque nobility. The first thing we see is a Shakespeare-esque play. The character design is weird. Zidane is some sort of monkey man, and many of the NPCs are all heavily caricatured, super goofy looking versions of animals. Even the humans look off. 11 year old me's first response was indifference at best, distaste at worst. I thought the story was... ok, but I never got past the drastically awkward shift in design.

It's funny that you say this, because I was the exact opposite. VII and VIII's futuristic technomagic always felt bland to me, despite enjoying both games. Meanwhile, I loved the lighthearted fantasy with the many varied character designs and fantastical locations in IX. I mean, different strokes and all that, I just find it interesting when two people have the exact opposite initial reaction to the same things.

Glad you're enjoying it now, it's always been my favorite.

 

[Robin64]

My favourite of the PS three (though I love them all a lot), but the damn slow battle system is an utter chore. What's worse is I had play a 50Hz version so it was even slower.

Criminally, Square released the 50Hz one on EU PSN again, so even playing on Vita you get the borders at the top and bottom and the 20% slower game. Horrible.

 

[WhoaIsThatMars]

My personal favorite cast in any JRPG although Blank is pretty forgettable to me. Other than that, such a fun story to play through.

Edit: I MEANT AMARANT!!!

 

[Werewolf Jones]

My personal favorite cast in any JRPG although Blank is pretty forgettable to me.

But he's in one of the best FMVs in the game!

 

[WhoaIsThatMars]

But he's in one of the best FMVs in the game!

Omg I feel horrible. I totally meant Amarant. Blank is my boy!

 

[Bomber Bob]

IX is fucking awesome.

All the gaf hate it's just silly

 

[Dunkley]

I'm still hoping for a late PC port looking at Square's Steam frontier so FFIX can be experienced (or modded to be) without the slow battles.

Even if it was just enhanced emulation ala Jet Set Radio HD.

 

[Tabris]

FF9 is the worst mainline FF. Yes, worse than FF13.

Boring dashing rogue chases and saves princess plot (except for twist). Absolutely horrible character designs. Barely decent music. Clashing graphics (3d models vs pre-rendered backgrounds is even more jarring than in FF7 and FF8, it could have used some serious anti-aliasing as the "jaggies" were insane). Simple and slow battle system. Equipment skill system was subpar compared to the more complex materia or junction system before it. Hell, Esper system even before that. Cliched ending.

The only thing I enjoyed about the game was the plot twist near the end

Spoiler

with the 2 worlds. Which was interesting all for an hour or two, then back to boring.

Oh, and Vivi was kind of awesome.

 

[aravuus]

Sooner or later everyone will realize FF IX has always been the best FF

Seriously though, love it to death. Not even sure why, when I take an objective look at the series as a whole, it has some of the most boring gameplay systems of FFVI-XII.

There's just something about IX. It's just really fucking good.

 

[Philippo]

Man i miss this game so much.
I would give everything to live in one of those cities.

And i miss all the dialects they put in the Italian version.

 

[GenericUser]

Battle system kills the game for me, its a shame. Why is there no HD remaster. I thought square likes money??

 

[AgeEighty]

I'm interested to know people's opinions about what makes the FFIX battle system "slow". Is it because we're back to four characters to manage instead of three?

I thought battles in IX were less of a slog than in VIII, largely because the game can skip summon animations you've already seen.

Anyway, OP, IX has been one of my favorite games of all time since launch, and I'm glad you've come around. The swashbuckling Zidane was such a breath of fresh air after the one-two emo punch of Cloud and Squall. And for once, the game features a satisfying ending that's not in any way obscure or ambiguous, and is actually—*gasp*—HAPPY.

 

[Tabris]

I assume you people like ROTJ over Empire Strikes Back? If not, what's with the happiness requirement?

 

[WhirlwindMonk]

I'm interested to know people's opinions about what makes the FFIX battle system "slow". Is it because we're back to four characters to manage instead of three?

For me, it's the pre battle pan, it just wastes so much time. Others think the ATB speed is too slow, which I can understand, but it doesn't really bother me as much. I love having four characters, though. Not sure why, but I really prefer it to only having three.

 

[AgeEighty]

I assume you people like ROTJ over Empire Strikes Back? If not, what's with the happiness requirement?

I never said anything about a requirement, but I could easily flip that back on you: What's better about an ambiguous ending that doesn't really tie up the characters' story?

 

[AgeEighty]

For me, it's the pre battle pan, it just wastes so much time. Others think the ATB speed is too slow, which I can understand, but it doesn't really bother me as much. I love having four characters, though. Not sure why, but I really prefer it to only having three.

I get that, but I never thought that camera pan was much different than in VII or VIII.

 

[Earthpainting]

I'm interested to know people's opinions about what makes the FFIX battle system "slow". Is it because we're back to four characters to manage instead of three?

I thought battles in IX were less of a slog than in VIII, largely because the game can skip summon animations you've already seen.

They are slow in the sense that battles take quite some time to "load". The time between the start of your encounter and the time you gain control again is quite long. It's not too bad early on, but the further you get into the game, the more it feels like wasted time. The ATB bar fills quite slowly, even on the fastest setting. Four characters are nice, but it does exasperate the time spent in the most trivial of battles. I love FF9, but its battle speed could definitely be snappier. If they ever do a port or remake, I wish they'd let you skip the camera panning and rotations at the start of battles at the very least.

 

[Tabris]

I never said anything about a requirement, but I could easily flip that back on you: What's better about an ambiguous ending that doesn't really tie up the characters' story?

Everything. It stimulates you intellectually than just emotionally.

Please don't watch any of the following movies (as an example):

Inception
2001: A Space Odyssey
American Psycho
The Road
Blade Runner

 

[roknin]

Can't disagree with anything you say. Blank didn't do anything for me though. Beatrix on the other hand. It's easily the best PSX era Final Fantasy for me (I haven't gotten around to playing tactics).

Spoiler

Beatrix not being playable longterm

still makes me sad to this day.

Spoiler

She was so effing bad ass.

Err, anyways...

My favorite FF after VI, loved every minute of it. Glad you were able to enjoy it on the second go, OP.

 

[thefro]

If SE remastered 9 with a faster battle system and less "sweeping camera filler" the game would be a masterpiece

I don't think you can completely overlook the fact that as great as the characters and individual scenarios are, the overall plot is pretty much a trainwreck.

I still really enjoyed playing it for the first time about a year ago.

 

[Cedric]

Best Final Fantasy.

You're right about weird characters though, to this day I'm still not sure what Freya and Amarant are supposed to look like. Especially the latter, I remember thinking he was a rooster when I was younger.

 

[mtodavk]

This game is tied with 7 for my all time favorite Final Fantasy. The world was so much fun to explore, and it was so beautiful. I was excited when I saw the return to the high fantasy setting as well.

It's only now that I've tried to go back and replay it that I realize that the battle system is way too slow, but the sidequests, minigames and exploration are by far the best on the PSX....well, maybe except for Gold Saucer.

 

[IonicSnake]

Best FF game ever made imo, glad you like it.

 

[Flying Toaster]

Final Fantasy IX is the best FF ever made.

I will be burned for saying that. But honestly it captures everything that made square great at one point... the charm, the feel, the sound design and game design, all of it is ace.

 

[AgeEighty]

Everything. It stimulates you intellectually than just emotionally.

Please don't watch any of the following movies (as an example):

Inception
2001: A Space Odyssey
American Psycho
The Road
Blade Runner

If you believe those films are intellectually stimulating just because they don't have happy, conclusive endings, I think you missed the point in each case. Plus, you seem to be suggesting that because there are good stories that lack a strong, unambiguous ending, that means happy and conclusive endings are a sign of narrative weakness. That's a logical fallacy and is flat wrong.

EDIT: Also, there really isn't much that's "intellectually stimulating" about VII or VIII. They tell reasonably good stories (much less so in the latter case), as game stories go, but they're not narrative masterpieces by any stretch.

 

[Ezalc]

I feel like I'm the only person who likes Amarant. I always found his design interesting and his role in a party to be pretty great, even if I never used the throw mechanic. I can see why some don't like him since he was by far the least developed party member, so I wish they had done something that would have beefed up his story more.

Also, Zidane is such an amazing change of pace after two incredibly stilted and boring protagonists. God forbid we have somebody actually be optimistic as the main character. Unfortunately they tried to replicate this with Tidus and completely failed at it, the same goes for his awful "romance" with Yuna compared with Zidane and Sarah's.

I would love to see an hd remake or something, I didn't feel like the battle system was all that slow but if that would fix it and get people to stop complaining about that then I'd be all for it.

I really liked the ability system in this game instead of the overly complicated crap that was junctioning in VIII. I feel like this game is all about charm and ease of play. The characters are all weird and quirky, the world is full of atmosphere, the gameplay is simple but tried and true, and it's just a pleasure to go on an adventure with this cast. The last disc is a bit underwhelming but this remains my favorite final fantasy. I still hope one day we'll get to see Zidane's world again in some form. And as for hidden party member, I too agree that I would have liked Beatrix over Blank but I liked the change of pace of having something of an honorable villain.

Oh and the fact that IX got no new playable character in Dissidia 012 was a travesty.

 

[squall211]

IX really is a fun trip down memory lane, especially if you grew up during the NES/SNES days of Final Fantasy. I really hope SE comes out with an updated version with a faster battle system. I would replay it in a heartbeat.

I still have a "master" save from '00 that has Beatrix in my party. I must have used a gameshark or something to get her in there, but I don't remember doing it.

 

[Pinko Marx]

The more i consider it the more IX might be my top FF.

 

[Vinci]

The best tribute/love letter the fans could have asked for. The last good FF game also, IMO.

Agreed. I haven't enjoyed a FF game as much since, but XII was still an interesting romp.

 

[Zukuu]

I was kinda bummed out when it was released too, since I expected something along the lines of FF7 and 8, and was stuck by the 'childish' art style, with a pure Fantasy setting and colors everywhere. The story also did nothing for me really... I remember finishing the game with a vastly underleveled party with Garnet casting berserk on everyone and 4 or 5 shoting the endboss. Gave the game another spin a few years ago and could appreciate it much more and actually loved it. The pacing of the battlesystem was never an issue for me.

 

[ElodieTicotoune]

I LOVED that game, but unfortunetly never finished it. the ending was to hard for me lol. I really loved the look of the game and loved the Vivi Character.


Final Fantasy 12 was the WORST, thats when i stopped playing FF's. Actually when i think about it, i stopped at FF 10-2, that was the most retarded thing ever. Then!!! there was ff11.... tried it for a bit and ... nope to much time required to do anything, then came FF12. THAT is where i saw that Square was not the same and never got excited for ANY ff's from there on.

FF15 ive got my eye on but then again...

Oh yeah and 8 SUCKED balls big time.

 

[LakeEarth]

Played the game for the first time earlier this year. It was a lot of fun, but I was unable to find time to finish it. Was really good though, I hope to come back to it soon.

 

[stay gold]

FFIX is amazing, except for the final boss appearing out of nowhere.

Of the PS1 FFs, I prefer VIII, but I could probably put IX above VII.

 

[Cert.in.Death]

TC, you are forgiven. And luckily S-E won't ever touch it again and subsequently ruin it - albeit I wouldn't mind if they ported it to Steam.

 

[Lothar]

FF9 is the worst mainline FF. Yes, worse than FF13.

Boring dashing rogue chases and saves princess plot (except for twist). Absolutely horrible character designs. Barely decent music. Clashing graphics (3d models vs pre-rendered backgrounds is even more jarring than in FF7 and FF8, it could have used some serious anti-aliasing as the "jaggies" were insane). Simple and slow battle system. Equipment skill system was subpar compared to the more complex materia or junction system before it. Hell, Esper system even before that. Cliched ending.

The only thing I enjoyed about the game was the plot twist near the end

Spoiler

with the 2 worlds. Which was interesting all for an hour or two, then back to boring.

Oh, and Vivi was kind of awesome.

This is my thoughts as well. At least FF13 didn't have a slow battle system and had good music. There's nothing I really liked about FF9. People are talking about Zidane being a breath of fresh air. Zidane was incredibly bland and forgettable. Tidus was the breath of fresh air.

 

[Fireblend]

The last FF I fell in love with, and falling in love is exactly what I did. Amazing, amazing game.

 

[discoalucard]

Back when I first played it I thought it was the weakest of the 16-bit and 32-bit games. It was the holiday season when a lot of great RPGs were released (Grandia II, Skies of Arcadia, Lunar 2) and I enjoyed it the least of those, even though they were all pretty good.

From what I remember, the world design is excellent but the character design is awful. The dialogue is fantastic, much better than FF7 or 8, but a lot of the classic references were lost in localization and the overall plot is kinda dull. Battle system is slow, character customization system is boring.

I put it on my Vita recently to try to play it again, and just got past the whole intro, which is clever and cute but way too drawn out.

 

[Rad-]

It was all right. Around mid tier as FFs go.

Pros:
- Charming setting and plot
- Old school vibe
- Some music pieces were nice

Cons:
- Horrible character designs
- Pretty annoying cast except for few (like Vivi)
- Super slow combat
- Customization system was too simple
- Dumb end boss

 

[squall211]

This is my thoughts as well. At least FF13 didn't have a slow battle system and had good music. There's nothing I really liked about FF9. People are talking about Zidane being a breath of fresh air. Zidane was incredibly bland and forgettable. Tidus was the breath of fresh air.

Well, Zidane really was a breath of fresh air when compared to the reluctant/brooding hero types we got in 7 and 8.

 

[AgeEighty]

Oh, and the soundtrack is Nobuo Uematsu's best. Not just in my opinion, but in Uematsu's as well.

I bought it on CD years ago and still listen to it occasionally.

 

[The Adder]

Everything. It stimulates you intellectually than just emotionally.

Please don't watch any of the following movies (as an example):

Inception
2001: A Space Odyssey
American Psycho
The Road
Blade Runner

When it's well done and produced by a master of cinema or literature, sure.

When it's only there because Nomura ran out of time or couldn't figure out how to end the game, bullshit.

Whether an ending is conclusive or ambiguous, happy or sad, is irrelevant to quality. Anyone who says otherwise is being a pretentious snob who wants you to admire them because they're just so darn sophisticated.

What matters is how the ending plays in the context of capping off the themes and concepts of the work as a whole.

Inception, for example, wasn't ambiguous. Whether or not the top fell DOES NOT MATTER. We were shown that the top was still spinning to indicate that Cobb wasn't going to fall into the same trap his wife did. That he had his children back and whether or not it was a dream didn't matter. It is ironic as hell that you would complain about happy endings and then tout Inception, because that ending was saccharine sweet.

Final Fantasy VII's ending was shit. It had shit all to do with any of the themes or concepts expressed in the work as a whole.

FFIX is all about finding joy and making the best out of the circumstances you're handed. Every last main character, save for Quina, is tragic to one degree or another and the entire plot revolves around them pushing through that to find the person or thing that makes them happy or fulfilled. And the ending reflects that.

 

[AgeEighty]

When it's well done and produced by a master of cinema or literature, sure.

When it's only there because Nomura ran out of time or couldn't figure out how to end the game, bullshit.

Whether an ending is conclusive or ambiguous, happy or sad, is irrelevant to quality. Anyone who says otherwise is being a pretentious snob who wants you to admire them because they're just so darn sophisticated.

What matters is how the ending plays in the context of capping off the themes and concepts of the work as a whole.

Inception, for example, wasn't ambiguous. Whether or not the top fell DOES NOT MATTER. We were shown that the top was still spinning to indicate that Cobb wasn't going to fall into the same trap his wife did. That he had his children back and whether or not it was a dream didn't matter. It is ironic as hell that you would complain about happy endings and then tout Inception, because that ending was saccharine sweet.

Final Fantasy VII's ending was shit. It had shit all to do with any of the themes or concepts expressed in the work as a whole.

FFIX is all about finding joy and making the best out of the circumstances you're handed. Every last main character, save for Quina, is tragic to one degree or another and the entire plot revolves around them pushing through that to find the person or thing that makes them happy or fulfilled. And the ending reflects that.

Bingo. You said it better than I did.

 

[SerTapTap]

Should have been an option to kill of Amarant and replace him with Beatrix, otherwise yeah, amazing game other than the slow-ass battle system. I'll even ignore the WTF final boss.

 

[Don't Laugh]

FFIX has the best writing of any game I've ever played. It's brilliant.