Final Fantasy IX

"Not a perfect 10, but the best game in my collection"

Square-Enix has been making the masterpiece ‘Final Fantasy' since before it's original release date in Japan, 1987. Ever since then, Square has decided to enthral us time after time with over 15 different versions of the never ending story. This review is of the ninth, and in my opinion, BEST Final Fantasy of all of them. Possibly even one of my favourite games to date, and this is in 2006, where the likes of Metal Gear Solid, Kingdom Hearts and Grand Theft Auto taking all of the credit. They have gotten a strong, worldwide loyal group of fans, and rightly so, considering how this is EASILY one of the best games to ever be released.

Now, I am a big fan of the series, and despite being at a young age (well, lets just say I wasn't even born when the original came out in 1987) I can boast that I've been playing Final Fantasy for almost 9 years. It was by chance that I picked this game up, it was the first Final Fantasy I have ever played, and I have never regretted doing so.

If you are reading this review right now, chances are you are on the verge of buying it. You may be able to find it cheap now, as it is dated, however, I would even pay the full price if I had any idea how good it was. But now let's head on to the actual reviewing:

Graphics – 9

This is quite a hard thing to judge the game on. Most people have seemed to give it a 10/10, judging the game for it's time. However, aside from the FMV's (which are basically on par/better than current PS2/XBOX/GC graphics for games), the graphics are definitely a whole lot more pixellated than our PS2 games. But it's nothing that you could really object to, I mean, the graphics, are even pretty good, it's just a minor flaw. However, for it's time and the power of the Playstation, the game is graphically superb, as are the majority of the series (Seen the shots for Final Fantasy XII anybody?) and they are definitely not off-putting, I doubt even the majority of the people who judge games by their graphics could even complain. However, I do not believe that the graphics are 10/10, as this would mean that the graphics are perfect, with no graphical flaws. I couldn't even give that to an Xbox 360. Every game will have graphical flaws, so I feel that 9, is one of the highest grades I could ever give, but for a Playstation game, is still pretty amazing!

Sound – 7

The sound, even for it's time, is quite average. Whilst people rave on some of the music, which I would have to agree, be a little bit of a nice melody, however I find that they can seem to be quite repetitive. Like, Garnet's Song (I think that's the name), once you hear it, it's nice, but you seem to hear it about 4 or 5 different points in the game. The towns music can also be quite repetitive and get annoying after a while, more so in Lindblum, which is probably the place you spend most. The battle music suits the game, in a way, I guess, so that is OK, but I am not a fan of the world map music at all. I think that it doesn't even suit the tempo of the game, and I hate it so much. But I guess people can have their varied views, and mine is possibly not one that you would appreciate. However, if you are an avid gamer, you would probably be a fan of the music, as I think most avid gamers are.

Story - 10

This is where the game really shines. Like all Final Fantasies (except maybe the original one), the game oozes great storylines. This is where Square really need to keep, because if they're looking to be the number one game maker, great stories is a valuable asset, and I'd keep all the staff that they have already.

From the back of the case: 'Queen Brahne of Alexandria has begun using highly-advanced magical weapons to terrorise neighbouring kingdoms. Her daughter, Princess Garnet, runs away from the castle and befriends a group of good-hearted bandits lead by a skilled thief, Zidane, who intends to end the evil queen's desire to dominate the world. Soon after embarking on their quest, they discover that the queen's threats merely cover a far more sinister plot. For the sake of mankind, Zidane and his friends must put an end to the Queen's reign before she and the evil forces that accompany her can carry out the deadly plan'.

When reading it again, I was thinking how it didn't sound as good as it is, but the game really should get it's dues. The game left me on the tips of my toes at points, on the edge of my seat (bed?) and it's a game that at times I wanted to put it down, and go to sleep, but I couldn't sleep, because I was thinking of how good the story was. I think I even went from 9 am one morning, to 11 pm non-stop playing it (but obviously I had breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the occasional toilet break). It's a game I'd recommend to anybody, and I would even play if the characters was just a pixel each. As long as Vivi was blue, because blue's a great colour.

Length - 10

This could be biased, as many people could have many different views on this. I prefer games that are long (as long as they have a thrilling story, but as you read earlier, this game has a great story), and the longer the better. It could be because I am cheap, and I would be getting more for my money. This game, I think somebody playing it for their first time could get about 80 hours from it. The second time, around about 40. However, after playing it for the third or fourth time, you know possibly EVERY little detail of the game. So it's a long game, you'll definitely get your moneys worth, and I assure you that you won't ever get bored. That's a Foalku promise, and you can rely on that :).

Gameplay - 8

The gameplay is pretty much the same as any other Final Fantasy (or any other turn based RPG for that matter [eg. Golden Sun]) and that is changeable. In the configuration menu, you are able to make it so that the enemies wait for you (just in case it takes you a long time to sort out your attack or magic), or they attack you whenever they can (when they're ATB [if they have one] fills up). It's pretty fair and pretty customisable. To run, you can set it so it's when ever you move, or you hold down a button and move, and they do it for you. Or, if you have it on your Playstation 2 (or have a Playstation controller with an analog stick) just use the analog stick, and it's running automatically, or if you weakly push it upwards, then it will walk upwards anyway. So the gameplay is pretty customisable, but the only reason it hasn't got a higher rating, is because the battling is pretty much the same as all of the other rpgs. However, I think that Final Fantasy was the first RPG that used the battle system, however it wouldn't hurt to have a change now, would it?

Characters - 10

The characters in this game are PERFECT. Zidane, people say, get on their nerves, and he can be a bit obnoxious at times, but it's not enough to bring down the characters down from a PERFECT 10. Vivi's character is certainly the highlight of the game, and could be one of the most fantastic characters that I have seen in any game whatsoever. He starts off like an average young kid. He's scared easy, and downright cute. But the things that he has to endure in the adventure makes him mature a whole lot, and the way he grows up so fast, is certainly a great feature to the game. Like I even said in one of my Final Fantasy IX message board posts, if they made a spin-off game called ‘Vivi', I'd buy it in an instant.

Challenge - 9

I've had this game for about 3 or 4 years, and to this day I've never been able to complete the game. I've managed to get far enough to know pretty much the WHOLE story (I've even managed to get to the last 15 minutes of the game), and unfortunately for me, the ending was ruined, which happens to be a big let down. Not the ending itself, but the fact that it's ruined for me. I don't like playing games, and then leaving them for too long (in my case, leaving the country and having to wait 3 months for them to get shipped over), so I've been forced to start again many times. However, even now, on my 6 th re-do of the game, I still do not manage to get bored. The final bosses are tough, however the bosses in the middle of the game (Ark comes to mind), and some of the dungeons (even though they're not technically dungeons) are quite difficult, they're not too difficult to leave you frustrated and give up, in fact, I think they're at a nice even standard.

Replay Value - 9

Like I said before, this is a game that I have picked up plenty of times, played through about 80 hours worth, put down, and then picked up again. I've NEVER actually completed this game, even though I've had the game ending ruined for me. I can assure you that it's a great game, with an amazing ending, and it's a game which I can play again and again, and my children will play again and again (even if the gaming standard has gone to the point where graphics are damn perfect, I'm gonna tie my kids up and force them to play this game. It's that good!). I rate the replay value so high, that I'm gonna put my word on it that if you play it (and enjoy it, people DO have different tastes) it will be a game that you pick up again, and again.

Rent Or Buy?

Like I said before, everyone has different opinions, and with all games you should rent before you buy, saves wasting you money. However, you'll probably find this game really cheap, and it'll probably be really hard to find at blockbusters or any other renting place, and it won't be too much of a waste of money if you don't like it. Hey, if you don't even like it, and regret it, I wouldn't object if you send it to me. I'd gladly have more copies of this game. I could even have a Final Fantasy IX shrine. I bought this game, based solely on the raving reviews it had, and I'm glad I bought it. It's an amazing game and a great addition to anybody's gaming collection.

Overall Rating - It comes to an even 9/10

Thank you for reading, this was my first ever review and any feedback please send to samlivingston@hotmail.co.uk and it will be greatly appreciated

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 04/24/06