When Final Fantasy VII as well as
Final Fantasy VIII were released, they garnered a massive amount of
attention. Of course, this merely pales in comparison to what happens in Japan,
as it is not ILLEGAL to release a Final Fantasy game during the
week, as people cut school and work to get it. Think of the city of Green Bay
when the Packers play, and multiply that, and you'll start to get the idea of
the kind of hoopla that surrounds an FF release in Japan.
While in America, although we lack mass hysteria, there was quite a large amount
of attention earned. FFVII re-established the FF series, and
became a revolutionary RPG game that is essential gaming and one of the first
Playstation Greatest Hits titles. It was followed up by FFVIII,
that was pushed on the public as the "next great thing" with all kinds of new
features. However, the game flopped in comparison to its predecessor. When
FFIX was released, there wasn't the attention given to it that the
past installments earned. Some feared another flop. And to makes things even
harder, FFX was probably a year away on the Playstation 2, and
Square was heavily hyping its PlayOnline service. The only thing that FFIX
had going for it was that its price was lowered to $40. Square also decided to
return to their roots with FFIX, abandoning the futuristic
approach of 7 and 8. Sales weren't as high as the past games, and that was truly
a shame...
Story
When the game begins, you are Zidane, a travelling thief who is a member of the
Tantalus, a theater group that also works as thieves. Their assignment is to
capture Princess Garnet during a rendition of their famous play "I Want to Be
Your Canary". However, it turns out that the princess wants to be captured, as
she fears for her safety after her mother, Queen Brahme, has been acting very
strangely. It is during this time that we are introduced to Vivi, a bumbling
black mage who somehow got a fake ticket and isn't allowed in, as well as
Steiner (though I named him Boppo for some reason), the head of the Knights of
Pluto who has sworn to protect the princess under any circumstances. After
Zidane kidnaps Garnet, he is chased onto the Tantalus's ship by Steiner, and
somehow Vivi gets on there as well, I really wish I could remember. Queen Brahme
attacks the ship, all hell breaks loose, and soon their airship crashes out in
the woods.
We soon learn that Queen Brahme has developed a hunger for power, and is
destroying cities all over the place. She is trying to conquer the world, and
has become a whole new person. Now Zidane has to help Garnet find her mother,
and get her to stop her madness, while Steiner has no choice but to come along
for the ride, as he has to protect the princess "at all costs."
Soon thereafter, we meet Kuja, a mysterious man who is brainwashing Queen Brahme.
He is creating massive weapons of destruction to assist her, and is rapidly
destroying several places.
I'm going to stop there, but the basic idea of the game is like that of any
other RPG - save the world. But with all the plot twists that arise, and with
the game's characters, the story really comes alive and takes you on an amazing
ride.
Characters
Final Fantasy IX has eight main characters, all of which are
unique in their own way. While playing the game, I enjoyed each character, save
for one..Many of the characters have their own individual goals, basically one
of self-awareness (couldn't think of a better word), in which most of them are
searching for something.
Zidane - The main character of the game, who for some reason has a tail
(you'll find out why). Unlike past protagonists in the series, Zidane is VERY
gregarious, and really loves women. However, Zidane really has no idea where he
came from, and constantly yearns for his home.
Garnet/Dagger - Princess of Alexandria, Zidane immediately falls for her
(although he won't admit it). She's somewhat unsure of herself, and also
attempts to become average, enlisting the help of Zidane. Some of the game's
best moments occur during her attempts. Garnet wants to find out who she really
is, and wants to become her own person. Later in the game, she tries to change
her name to Dagger as an alias, but I just named her Garnet again. ("Hey
Garnet!" "I told you not to call me that anymore! I'm Garnet now!") She is also
a summoner.
Vivi - Fans rejoiced when the black mage returned, although Vivi is
slightly different. Insecure and clumsy, Vivi has no idea of the power he has,
until Zidane convinces him of what he can do. He too has no idea about his
existence, and wants to know where he came from and why he exists.
Steiner - Those who have played FFVII will probably be able
to draw similarities to Barrett. Steiner is one of those guys who is easily
angered, but at the same time not the sharpest knife in the drawer. I found him
to be hilarious. For some reason, I named him Boppo, which made it even funnier.
Being a knight, he is an excellent swordsman, and probably the strongest in the
party.
Freya - The dragoon returns as well, in the form of Freya. She is
searching for her old lover, who has been missing for several years. She's an
old friend of Zidane, so she comes along to help him in his mission.
Quina - People either find Quina to be great, or extremely annoying. I
myself enjoyed Quina quite a lot. S/he is a Gourmand, and they really don't know
all that much about him/her. Throughout the game, Quina is called s/he for some
reason. All Quina wants is food, and searches the world for new things to eat.
S/he has the ability to eat enemies, learning their abilities (bringing back
blue magic as well). I thought that Quina was very funny, especially how s/he
faces near annihilation and just walks away as if nothing happened.
Amarant - Amarant is the man. He's one of my favorite characters of all
time. Combine Shadow from FFVI and Kain from FFIV
and you have Amarant. He's the enigmatic, mysterious wanderer, who is both a
thief and ninja. He only joins the party after losing a battle to Zidane, but
soon gains a new opinion on people in general, thanks to Zidane.
Eiko - I HATED Eiko...Also a summoner, she's a little girl with a really
big mouth who constantly tries to hit on Zidane. The only thing I really liked
about her was that she had a pet moogle.
Kuja - Well, Kuja's the bad guy. His style of dress is somewhat, unusual,
but he is a true definition of evil. By using mist, he has created an army of
black mages bred only for destruction. He has also learned to summon massive
beasts to create mass destruction. Clothing aside, he's easily one of the best
bad guys in the series.
Graphics
The graphics of the game really push the limits of the Playstaion 1. The FMV
scenes are some of the most amazing things that I have ever seen, and can be
found at almost any FF fansite. The in-game graphics at the same time are
excellent as well, with great detail given to environments full of color and
beauty. The only downside (though minor) is that the world map appears a little
sketchy, but only exists to get you between places. I also noticed that there's
a slight bit of flicker on the characters, but with those two things aside,
these graphics are some of the best that I've ever seen. But most importantly,
the game flows smoothly, with no slowdown that I can remember. Battles run
perfectly, with no slowdown to note. Each character has their own pace as well,
all of which are smoothly done, creating a completely fluid environment.
Sound
Being an RPG, sound doesn't carry much of an importance. Like any other, you
have your slashing, smashing, and so on. Oh yeah, you also have the "kupo" of a
Moogle and the "kweh" of a Chocobo. What I thought was a nice touch is that you
actually hear Zidane walking.
Music
Final Fantasy is known for its music, and this installment has
some of the best music the series has seen. The battle theme is similar to past
ones, starting with the same introduction featured in almost every game. But
they made it more epic-sounding, and I'd imagine would sound great in surround
sound. Piano songs like "The Mystery Sword" as well as Kuja's theme are
excellent, and "The Dark Messenger" is something that I listen to quite often as
well.
Control
Control is a non-issue as well, as all you have to do is guide Zidane through
lush 3D environments. He responds perfectly, so fear not, you won't have any
trouble. I would recommend that you be familiar with the Playstation controller
however, as there is a sword fight in the beginning of the game, in which you
have to hit certain buttons. The better you pull it off, the better of an item
you will get. Basically you press X to do everything, and circle runs. Square
calls Moogles (only in the world map), and triangle brings up the menus. And
when you get something new (like a chocobo or an airship), they tell you have to
navigate.
So what if I need help?
Well that's the beauty of this game. You can jump right into the game, without
reading a single page of the instruction manual. They have installed an in-game
help mode, which you can activate by pressing select. With that, you will have a
moogle who explains EVERYTHING to you.
What are some of the features?
There are many. There are several mini-games for you to play, which include the
following:
Tetra Master - The card game from FFVIII is back, only it
has been enhanced. Confusing at first, it becomes very addicting once you
finally learn the basic rules of it.
Chocobo Hot/Cold - Using Choco, your chocobo, you search around for
buried objects. When he spots one, you dig as fast as you can. The more you
find, the more points you earn that can be exchanged for items. You can also
find chocographs, which are pictures of areas that have buried treasures.
Frog Catching - This can be done at any marsh (there is one on every
island) as long as Quina is in your party. S/he likes to hunt frogs, most likely
to eat. The more you catch, the more items you get.
One of the best things in this game is that each and every Final Fantasy
game is tied into it. How so? Well, you'll visit King Ed Plains, as well as a
place called Terra. Zidane will see a big sword, prompting him to say "Someone
with spikey hair used to have something like this". He'll even say "Neither
cloud, nor squall shall stop us". You'll fly the Invincible, and confront
Garland. There are moogles, chocobos, airships, and of course, Cid. Black mages,
blue magic, summoning, dragoons, and so on are all in the game. Square decided
to take a nostalgic approach with this game. The only past element that I
COUDLN'T find were Biggs and Wedge.
A new feature in the game is that each weapon and piece of armor carries
abilities. You can equip almost every part of your body, as well as a
miscellaneous thing (which really comes in handy with Garnet). These abilities
can be used while the weapon is equipped, but are lost if they are changed.
However, when fighting battles, you earn AP, and once you get enough, you
permanently earn that ability. Garnet learns nearly all of her summons this way,
through equipping jewels. I really didn't catch onto this whole thing at first,
but once I did, it really helped me along.
Really, this game is as good as pie. Possibly better. Pie never looked this
good, and I'm sure it doesn't sound this good. Pie does beat it out when it
comes to taste, as I really don't enjoy plastic very much. There are so many
humorous moments in the game, but at the same time, many emotional moments as
well. Throughout my journey, I connected with the characters, as they truly came
alive for me. Few games were as engrossing as this, as it really captivated me
with its fantastic story and entertaining twists. You can't have over 40 hours
of pure enjoyment with pie...(Unless you have some kind of fetish) Final
Fantasy IX is a fantastic game that belongs in the library of any gamer,
and is a journey that all should take.
 
FINAL FANTASY IX - PREOWNED
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Final
Fantasy IX
