Title: Final Fantasy 9   Developer: Square   Type: Strategy RPG
Click here to find out WHATS NEW
HomeFinal Fantasy 9 - Staff Review - Reader Review - Wallpaper - Cheats - Members
. . .
 
Final Fantasy 9
"Here we have it… Squares swan song Role Playing opus to the Playstation One gaming console. Final Fantasy IX offers up a return to the series origin and brings gamers a true RPG set in a fantasy world where ogres, magicians and sorcerers rule supreme. Get ready for a magical mystery tour of extreme proportions."
. . .
  Image Loading...
.
 
. . .
 
. . .


PSone REVIEW:
 
Here we have it…Squares swan song Role Playing opus to the Playstation One gaming console. Set in a mystical, magical environment, Square has done a 180 and went back to the Final Fantasy roots. In a departure from the science fiction setting of the previous two Final Fantasies, Final Fantasy IX offers up a return to the series origin and brings gamers a true RPG set in a fantasy world where ogres, magicians and sorcerers rule supreme. Get ready for a magical mystery tour of extreme proportions…it\\'s finally time to play FFIX.

It\\'s hard to describe the anticipation that I had for FFIX. On one hand, I loved the fantasy settings from the earlier FF games that appeared on the Nintendo systems. On the other hand, I also enjoyed the direction that Square had taken the series…that being a Sci/Fi, high tech world where technology and wizardry combined perfectly to introduce gamers to a whole new angle in the series.

Well after taking a reasonable chunk of my life and devoting it to FFIX I can honestly walk away and say phew…all of my trepidation has been for naut… what an experience. Without a doubt this game has been the most fun that I have ever had playing a FF game or any other RPG for that matter. The game does indeed contain some dark moments but the overall theme is uplifting and lighthearted.

We finally get a lead character in Zildane that is neither twisted, has mental problems or a super ego. He is instead a rather straightforward, happy go lucky felon…I mean fellow, that is generally in the right place at the wrong times.

The story starts off in typical Square fashion with an incredible opening CG sequence and then gets right into the immersive storyline. The plot is on the surface is a simple one…good vs. evil. There is a Queen that has begun developing some highly advanced magical weapons (wait until you see what they are) and is using them against neighboring kingdoms. We are formally introduced to a Queen Brahne who rules over the land of Alexandria and her daughter - Princess Garnet. We learn very quickly that the rag tag team the Zidane hangs with has been commissioned to kidnap the Princess and plans to this during a special performance that is set for the Queen. Other early characters of note are Steiner, a by the book bodyguard for the Princess and shy mage who goes by the name Vivi. Even Sid makes a return appearance in a form that you would hardly expect to see. There are many other characters that will be introduced through the game and pretty deep into the story you can finally start assembling specific teams, but this is your true core and the story really brings these characters to life. More importantly, it does what every good RPG should do…it makes you care for these people and really concerned for their well-being.

Of course the plot begins to quickly thicken and each of the main characters start to become carefully crafted and integrated into the story and imprinted on you mind. The story of course also contains some twists and turns that you would never have imagined…all presented with that wonderful Square flare for weaving tales.


Now, no recent Final Fantasy game would be complete without mini-games and FF IX certainly has its fair share. Right off the bat, when Zidane and crew attempt to kidnap the Princess at the play, we get thrown into a little swordplay contest for the Queen. Depending on how well you do, you can receive a certain amount of money. There is another card game in FF IX that is played out completely different from the one featured in FF VIII. While it is amusing, it is also somewhat more complex than the previous card game. It also does not play as important of a part as did the one from the other FF. It is fun to play though and there is a great deal of strategy involved if you want to consistently win.

Other games that I have found include a sort of reverse take on the Running of the Bulls theme. Here, instead of running from a bull, Zidane and several other compete in a contest to see who can defeat the most creatures that have been let loose throughout the Kingdom. It\\'s fun to play as your character frantically runs throw the city streets trying to take out as many critters as possible. There is also a frog catching contest, a Chocobo game and many other little challenges that you will be tasked with along the way. There are certainly enough mini-games to keep you busy that is for sure.

The battle system is once again refined and changed from previous FF excursions. We still get to Summon creatures but thankfully after the initial summon of each specific monster, the long drawn out summon sequence is shortened significantly. We no longer have to sit through 5 or 10 minutes summon sequences…good deal. The somewhat confusing Materia/Junction system has also been scrapped and replaced with a simple, yet very deep, Abilities system. Each of characters can learn different skills depending on the items that they discover and equip. While this may seem simple (and it is), it provides gamers with a wealth of customization options to use and execute. Overall, combined with Squares active battle system, this is the most balanced, flexible and well-executed battle system that I have ever come across in an RPG.

There is really not a lot more that I can say about the story here without giving stuff away (and I won\\'t do that). With a lot of humorous overtones, witty dialogues and surprise shifts in gameplay, the overall theme of this game can be knocked down to one word…FUN. That\\'s right, from beginning to end this Final Fantasy title is just downright fun to play. I really cannot recall experiencing any frustration whatsoever with game, instead I was totally absorbed into the moment and just wished it could go on forever…

There is normally one thing that I have come to expect from Square with their RPG titles…each new one released just looks successively better. With Chrono Cross I really figured that the graphics were about as good as they where going to get on the PS1 and like usual, I am once again proven wrong. Final Fantasy IX ups the ante yet again and looks absolutely stellar.

The characters are back to the super deformed variety (kinda big-headed), but instead of Sprites they are polygon based. Animation is wonderful and the characters are so detailed they almost seem to fit into the gorgeous pre-rendered background…almost. Everyone is nicely colored and presented as well and the range of characters is staggering.

The pre-rendered backgrounds are some of the best yet seen on the PS1 to date with a large variety of animations occurring to make them fit more into place. Paths are more easily identified now and there is quite a bit of interactivity that can occur between the backgrounds and the characters. The multiple camera angles used also go a long way in creating the overall illusion of a living, breathing environment.

Even the over world map is nicely detailed and can be rotated and zoomed in or out. Landmarks are easily identifiable and the scenery is quite lush. Of course there is also draw-in (world map only) but that is something that will not ever be eliminated on the PS1 in a game of this type.

I must also mention the CG cut scenes used throughout this game…they are incredible. With each FF game Square has gotten better and better at integrating these scenes with the gameplay. With FFIX the CG\\'s are virtually seamlessly integrated into the game and flawlessly switch from actual gameplay to cut scene without any discernable load times or breaks in the action. The best news though is that the scenes truly progress the storyline and enable the characters to express emotions that you would not be able to pick up on the normal polygon characters. Overall, the graphical splendor that is achieved here is mind-boggling considering the platform that it is all being executed on.

Finally we get to the sound effects and musical score. In short, they are fabulous…easily the best of the PS1 Final Fantasies and challenging FFVI for the overall gold.

The score is totally in sync with the gameplay, changing tempo and rhythm perfectly to fit in with the specific area of the game that you are in. Everything just flows so effortlessly that you become entrenched with the title and not annoyed by out-of-place, redundant music.

The sound effects are, as to be expected, also quite brilliant. All of the familiar sounds are intact like the cooing of the Chocobo, the magnificent clash of swordplay and the mind-blowing (and ear splitting) sounds of the summon spells. There is nothing here that will disappoint you.

FEATURES:
 
· FMV movies now merge into the main game seamlessly to give an almost cinematic experience to the gameplay.

· Includes Active Time events in which other characters search for answers.

· Plenty of mini-games, including the popular card battle games

· Chocobo is of big help, as usual - Mogu also plays a big role.

OPTIONS:
 
• 4 Disk(s)
• CD Media
• 1 Block required on Memory card per save (min)
• Up to 1 Players (without Multi-tap)
• Uses Dual Shock Pad Buttons
• Uses Dual Shock Pad Analog Sticks
• Uses Dual Shock Pad Vibration facility

. .
Review SUMMARY and SCORE
Tom Rooney  "Final Fantasy IX may currently be the best RPG ever created for a gaming console. It contains a deeply involving yet humorous storyline that weaves its magical spell over the unsuspecting gamer in a way that I have never had the pleasure of encountering before.

I personally found the experience to be extremely enjoyable and rewarding. If there was ever one RPG that you should definitely have in your collection this is the one."
Graphics  20/20
Playability  50/50
Sound  10/10
Lastability  19/20
99%
This game either pushes the boundaries of it's genre further than ever before on this system, or creates a completely new gaming experience. Either way, it should not be missed and is an essential purchase in our opinion.
. .

REVIEW SCORE GUIDE:

OUR PLEDGE:

We promise that we have fully played 'Final Fantasy 9' before writing this review. The scores given above are our honest opinion and were not influenced in any way by the manufacturer or distributor of the game.

SUMMARY OF FINAL RATING (%)

00 - 59 This makes your console seem like an older machine. It utilises little or none of the PSone power.

60 - 69 This game is little more than average and we advise renting or play-testing before considering a purchase.

70 - 79 This is a good solid title that should still appeal to those who like this type of game.

80 - 89 This is a fantastic game that we think you will enjoy playing for quite some time.

90 - 100 This game either pushes the boundaries of it's genre further than ever before on this system, or creates a completely new gaming experience. Either way, it should not be missed and is an essential purchase in our opinion.

IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ:

It is very important that you are aware that the criteria we use to obtain review scores on the PS2 is very different to that used for games on the original Playstation (PSone). The Processing and Graphical power of the two consoles are vastly different and as our reviews are graded against what we estimate is the achievable potential of each system, it does not mean in any way that a game scoring 80 percent on PS2 is worse than a Playstation (PSone) equivalent which scores 95.

A more detailed breakdown of this guide can be read here.


READERS REVIEWS:

..
PSone Review SUMMARY and SCORE
Katrianna Karaberas  "Well, I've Played Through The Game Once, I Thought It Was Great. Then I Played Through It Again To See If I Missed Anything And Was Once Again Amazeed, And Dumfounded By Everything. I Love The Tone They Took Into Zidane's Personality, The Honest Everyday Thief Who Falls In Love With A Princess Who Is Actually The Daughter Of A Summoner From Eiko's Home Town Of Madian Sari. Amazing, And The Plot Twists Were Superb. I Also Loved Kuja's Initicial Attitude, It Was That Hardly Ever Seen "the World Goes On W/out Me? I Can't Let That Happen! The World Needs Me!" Attitude. Kinda Reminds Me Of A Friend Of Mine In A Way.... Square Did Great On This Game, And Though I Can't Compare It To X, I Have To Say This Has To Be One Of The Best Games Of All Time. I Especially Love The Chocobo Hot And Cold Sideequest. It Brings A Whole New Meaning To Chocobo Lovers All Over The World!
Now, I Have To Go A Little Out Of The Way Of Final Fantasy Story Line, But I Found That After Playing Ix All The Way Through, That It Sort Of Goes Along With Lunar 2; Eternal Blue. I've Never Played Lunar, But I Loved Lunar 2. I Found, That Aside From All The Treasure Hunter Points Of The Hero, Hiro, He's Kinda Like Zidane. Also, Lucia Has A Mixture Of Freya, Eiko, And Garnet! Yet, I Won't Go Into The Lunar 2 Storyline, Cause No Matter What I Say About It, I Still Love Ix!
The Storyline, The Graphics, The Npcs, The Pcs, They're All Wonderful! Everything About The Game Inspires Me To Play The Others. I Originally Started With Ix, And When I Was Halfway Done With Ix The First Time, My Cousin And I Switched Games For A While. So He Played Ix And I Played Viii, Both Were Fantastic. I Haven't Finished Viii Yet, And I Already Have V And Vi! One Of My Friends Is Going To Let Me Borrow His Vii, So I Can't Wait. It's Always Been My Dream To Play All Of The Final Fantasy Games!there Are Many Other Things I Could Say, But I Won't For You Can Get The Overall Point Of This. This Game Is The Best Ever!"
Graphics  20/20
Playability  50/50
Sound  10/10
Lastability  20/20
100%
..

..
PSone Review SUMMARY and SCORE
  "Ok, I Know This May Seem Like The Same Old Review Like All The Others (they Thought That This Game Was Brilliant And Would Expect To Play It For As Long As They Own A Ps2, And This Is The Best Game Of Its Type They Have Played) But Seriously, I've Put Lotsa Thought Into This.

First Off, I Guess I Could Say That Since Before This, Ffvi Was My Favourite Game, I Guess Ffix Is Already One Step Ahead Of The Others. I Loved Having Four Characters In My Party, (as It Meant I Never Had To Leave Out Any Of My Fav. Characters) And The Different Types Of Character Was Definitely A Good Idea. It Meant That There Was Actually A Point To Having Different Characters! You Needed To Have White Mages And Black Mages And Knights And Stuff, Otherwise Your Party Wouldn't Work! I Mean, What's The Point Of Having Different Characters In Ff Viii When All You Have To Do Is Junction 100 Ultima's To Their Strength? Anyone Can Become A Magic User, Or A Physical Attacker, As Long As You Had The Right Magic!

Next, Although The Materia System Is Still My Favourite, Abilities Aren't Far Behind. But I Guess It's Almost The Same As Having G/f Abilities So Nothing Really Changes There. My Only Problem Was Having To Stick To An Old Weapon, Just So I Could Learn Its Skill(s), Even Though I Had A Stronger Weapon Already.
Now, Let's Talk Storyline. Is It Me, Or Did This Game Not Exactly Have The Greatest One? I Mean, It Was Damn Better Than Ffv Iii's ("hello, I'm The Superhero Who's Going To Save The World. My Favourtie Phrase Is '.....'. But That's Only My Favourite Becuz I'm Too Much Of A Slurry To Talk Normally! I'm About To Save The World... But First, I'm Gonna Fall Victim To My Hormones And Go Shag Hinges Behind The Bike Shed! [rinoa Is Hinges Since Her Dress Has A Hinge When She Runs In The Field Screens]) Ok, So I Don't Like Ff Viii Too Much. But Honestly, It Was Just Sucky! I Mean, It Took As Much Exp To Grow From Level 1 To 2, As It Did From 99 To 100! Oh Yeah, I Had A Point Didn't I... That's Right, The Storyline! Um... Where Was I? Oh Yeah, That's It, Ff Viii's Sucked! The Only Twist Was That They Were All From The Same Orphanage. Well Whoopdi-doo! I Paid 100 Bucks To Find Out That?! Ff Ix Was Better As There Was Actually A Few Twists That Made Me Go "wow! Really? Well That's Kinda Cool. Lotsa Things Make Sense Now..." You Know What I Mean?
Ok, So I've Done Characters, Parties, Abilities, Storyline, ... What Else? Oh Yeah, Weapons And Trances. Right, Well There Are More Than Four Weapons For Each Character So That's A Start!!!!! Gawd Damn, Can You Believe The Stupid Junk Shop Thing? And That's What The Weapons Were, Junk!! Except For The Limit Break For Squall, The Upgrade In Weapons Didn't Do All That Much. Speaking Of Limit Breaks... Traces Are A Tad Better In Ix, Although I'll Admit, Not By All That Much. They Work Much Like Ff Vii's, Except For They're Turn Based (meaning You Can Use Them Multiple Times) And You Lose Them After The Fight, Which I Might Add, Is Annoying When The Fight Finishes Before You Even Get To Use It. But At Least You Can't Just Cast A Spell And Use Them Every Turn, Unlike Another Very Stupid Final Fantasy Game I Know.

... Right, I'm Sick Of Typing. I Think I've Said Enough. I Know This Has Basically Turned Into An Anti-ff Viii Article, But There Was A Point To It All. I Was Merely Comparing It To Ix. So I Conclude With This: If You Like Ff Vi Or Vii Than You Should Definately Like This! If You Like Ff Viii... Shame On You!!!! ~_^"
Graphics  20/20
Playability  48/50
Sound  10/10
Lastability  20/20
98%
..

..
PSone Review SUMMARY and SCORE
George Jones  "Yes! I Really Can't Say Enough About This Game. This Definitley Had To Be The First Rpg For The Playstation That Has Actually Kept My Attention.
Well, What I Am Trying To Say Is That This Game Has The Best Of Both Worlds...literally! Who Would Have Ever Guessed That They Would Come Up With An Rpg With Different Characters, Coming From Different Walks Of Life, And Different Perspectives And Objectives? Better Yet, Through Their Beliefs They Still Became Quite Close.
Don't Cry While Playing This Game. There Are Definitley A Couple Of 'touchy' Moments In This Game. This Is Exactly What Drew Me In To This Game.

Not Only That But The Fact That There Was Really No Given 'leader' In This Game Made Everyones Pov Seem Just As Important As The Next Persons.
Okay, My Overall Reflection On This Game Is That Of One That You Won't Know It All The First Time Around. This One Is Addicting As Well As It Is Captivating. If I Had To Rate This Game On A Scale From 1 To 10, This Would Be A Perfect 10 Simply Because This Game Has No True Boring Moments. I Mean, No One Really Has To Bring Up Ff8 And How Many Boring Moments There Were In That Rpg, Now Do We? My Thoughts Exactly.
So Just Sit Back, Relax And Enjoy The Game
It Very Well May Be The Very Best Rpg You May Ever Play For A Very Long Time. It Also Is Definitley The Best One That They Will Ever Come Out With For The Ps1.

P.s. Check Out The Quotes Of Vivi, Zidane, Stiener, And The Really Fat Frog Looking Guy After The Intro Screen."
Graphics  20/20
Playability  48/50
Sound  10/10
Lastability  20/20
98%
..

..
PSone Review SUMMARY and SCORE
Johnathon Law  "I Found Ffix To Be A Perfect Example Of How An Rpg Should Be Done. They Did Everything Exactly Right. They Had Excellent Character Development. They Had A Stunning Orhcestral Ovation (nobou Umetsuo- Spelling?- Did A Heck Of A Job Again.) The Graphics Are Now In The Style Of Chrono Cross.
In My Opinion, They Have Never Looked Better. The Characters All Move Very Fluidly. Also The Fmv Scenes Are Some That Even Hollywood Couldn't Touch. The Villages And Cities In The Game Add An Incredible Enviroment To Play In (espicially Lindblum And Alexandria.) The Only Complaint About The Graphics Is All The Mist On The Continents, But That Kinda Adds To The Storyline.
The Gameplay Is Fantastic As Well. The Item/ability System Was Fantastic, Easy To Use, And Well Thought Out. Most Unlike Ff Viii's Junction System (yecch.) I Also Love The Four Characters Back In Your Party. This Adds New Strategies To The Game As Far As That Area Of Gameplay Goes. The Enemies In The Game Are Also More Like Ff V's And Ff Vi's Enemies Than Vii Or Viii (although There Are Several Returning Enemies.) The Guardian Forces (now Known As Eidolons) Are Back In A Big Way. They Play A Humongous Part In The Story. I Also Like How The Characters All Have Their Own Abilities, Strengths And Weaknesses, (no More Of That Junction Crap.) The Mini-games Such As Chocobo's Forest Are Really Time Consuming And Take A Lot Of Involvement. Well, That's Enough Spoiling The Game For People Who Haven't Played It Yet."
Graphics  18/20
Playability  50/50
Sound  10/10
Lastability  20/20
98%
..

..
PSone Review SUMMARY and SCORE
Chris Brickwedde  "Well Were Up To The Ninth One Now And The Only Thing I Have To Say Is, This Series Is Dieing Slowly. When Sqauresoft Released The Ninth One As Being A "look Back" I Knew That it Was On Its Way To Digging Its Grave.but What Is There To Say About The Game Itself:

The Series Is Revolved A Around A Character Named Zidane. Being A Theif And Belonging To A Guild Of Thieves Run By A Man Named Baku, They Are Given A Job By The Regent Cid To Kidnap Princess Garnet Of Alexandia. They Depart On A Theater Ship To Preform A Play As A Distraction For The Queen Of Alexandria, Zidane Sneeks In During The Preformance To Take The Princess To Find Out That She Wants To Be Kidnapped... That Is Only The Begging Of This Lovely Story.

The Game Offers Hours Of Gameplay And Side Quests. A Vast World With Many Challenges To Overcome. The Battle System Has Taken The Best Of The Newer Games And Provided It With The Best Of The Old To Give It The Feel That No Other Game Could Possible Duplicate.then There Is The Stunning Visuals That We Have All Come To Know Sqauresoft For.

Why Do I Consider This A Tragedy, Because Sadly There Will Never Be Another Great Epic Release From Squaresoft. This And Xeno Gears Will Be The Last Great Games From The Great Empire Known As Square Soft. Perhaps They Should Throw In The Towel And Become A Cg Developer For Movies, And Stop Making Games, Because Lets Face It, Final Fantasy X Will Feature Nothing More Than Great Graphics, But Where Will The Gameplay Be, Back In The Past With All The Other Titles That Square Has Long Since Put To Rest..."
Graphics  20/20
Playability  48/50
Sound  9/10
Lastability  20/20
97%
..

..
PSone Review SUMMARY and SCORE
Scott Mather (kuma)  "Now For Something Completely Different....

If You Really Liked Playing 7 And Were Amazed At The Advances Of Gameplay In 8 Then I Think Youre Gonna Be Dissapointed When You Play This Because Although The Game Is Beautifully Designed With Amazing Graphics, Sound And Gameplay And The Fact That It Comes With Endless Hours Of Gameplay With Many Sidequests The Game Seriously Lacks On Its Storyline There Arent Really Any Good Twists And Its The Same Old Lets Help The Princess In Need When We Dont Have To Wheras The Other Games Seriously Stressed To Involve The Main Characters Tightly In The Storyline In 7 Cloud Needed To Settle Things With Sephiroth And Unock His True Past.

In Eight The Strongest And Most Intelligent Soldier Battles To Save His Home And Becomes Embroiled In A Plot To End The World Where He Has To Lead A Party To Defeat The Evil Sorceress And Get The Girl. Wheras Theres No Good Reason Why Zidane Is In 9, Not Until The End Of Disc Three Anyway.

The Game Although Having Hours Of Available Gameplay Isnt Addictive With Previous Titles You Could Become Extremely Addicted To The Plot And Stay Up Playing It For Hours!!! These Aspects Of The Game Are A Dissapointment But Its Worth Playing, Well At Least Until 10 Comes Out!"
Graphics  20/20
Playability  20/50
Sound  9/10
Lastability  15/20
64%
..

..
PSone Review SUMMARY and SCORE
Ryu  "What People Think Of As A Lasting Effect On This Game, And What Rumors Have Spread About How This Game Was Just Magnificient, Weren't All Totally Wrong. But In My Opinion, We Threw It's Actual Enjoyment Way Off Track.
Due To Countless Hours Of Searching For A Damn Treasure Chest On The World Map, To Looking For Dozens Of Pointless Cards, To Fill In The Game's Secrets And Cheats, I've Never Been More Restless And Tired All My Life. But That Said, It Only Goes For The Game's Secrets And Modes. Who Wants To Look For The Character's Ultimate Weapon When He Does 9,999 Damage At Lv. 99 Anyway?
I Mean, Ofcourse, The Game's Graphics Magically Maneuvered Out Of Ff7's Odd Shape Men, And You Could Actually See The Faces Of These Renowned Cares, Compared To Ff8. Eventually, You Were Driven Into An Odd Story, Including A Fat Ass Queen Whose Driven Into Chaos By Some Girlish Role Model Named Kuja. Certainly No Sephiroth Or Dauragon (from The Bouncer). He Wasn't Even A Tough Boss. 55,000 Hp?! Kuja Was An Embarassement To End Of Game Bosses. And Necron?! Square, Obviously Pushed To The Limit By Their Years Of Success With Ff7, Ff8 And Tons Of Other Rpg's, Were Looking A Way To Surprise Their Guests This Time. Sorry Folks, Verdicts In. Most Of The Game Revolves Around Trying To Get Stronger To Take On Tough Bosses. After Beatrix's First Fight, Everything Is Just Plain Stupid.
The Game Outwits And Outplays A Lot Of Different Aspects In Different Rpg's. And Sure, Even At Some Points I Was Driven To The End Of My Seat With Complete Bewilderment, Who Wouldn't? Its An Ff Game, The Atmosphere Makes Us That Way. But I Can't Help Bear The Question, Why The Sudden Change Of Heart To Our Story Filled Die Hard Fans?
I Guess Square's Got Some Thinking To Do.
Never The Less, This Game Deserves The High Percentage. I Mean, It's An Ff Game, Right?"
Graphics  11/20
Playability  43/50
Sound  9/10
Lastability  15/20
78%
..

..
PSone Review SUMMARY and SCORE
Marie Alexander  "May I Ask A Simple Question? Where The Heck Did Necron Come From? You Learn About Him In What-the Last Forty Minutes Of The Game? And The Crystal, Thrown Into The End Of The Story Just To Prove To Us That This Was "a Step Back" Into The Early Games. In My Humble Opinion, Final Fantasy Six(three) And Final Fantasy Seven Will Always Be On Top, Though I Have Recently Bought Final Fantasy Four, Which I Am Told Is An Excellent Game. Oh Well...one Third Of The Genre Is The Best...better Than 1 Ninth. I Am Not Including Tactics Or Final Fantasy Ten, Only Because The Latter Hasn't Really Come Out Yet(still Haven't Learned Japanese Yet) And Because I Never Played Tactics.

I Would Have Liked More Detail Into People's Lives, We Get An Inkling Of A Non-main Character's Life (i.e. Freya) And That Is It. We Get Next To Nothing For Quina(perhaps A Blessing In Disguise), And Amarant...i Am Assuming He Is A Bite Off Of Our Beloved Ninja And Vincent (final Fantasy Six, And Final Fantasy Seven Respectivly), Yet He Truly Lacks Development.

The World, Except For Two Continents And A Few Scattered Islands, Is Sere And Brown/red, One Is Lush Green And The Last Is Frigid Ice(and Even That Has It's Share Of Desert). How Depressing. The Soul Concept Reminds Me Of The Lifestream(though I Assume That It Is Linked To The Crystal And Necron, Which The Former Was Probably In The First Final Fantasy? This I Do Not Have An Answer For) And Kuja...i Am Still Not Sure Why He Wishes To Destroy The World, After The Second Disc Or So I Just Continually Pressed X When There Was Text, I Couldn't Bring Myself To Focus On The Words.

A Redeeming Quality, Vivi Was Like The Tender Little Brother, Unsure Of Himself And His Role In The World, A Sweet Kid. Fmv Wise; Lovely. Music Wise; Fascinating. Plot Wise; Excellent For Insomniacs To Play.

Battle System Wise; Take It Or Leave It. Loading Time; Worse Than It's Predecessors, The Fourth Party Member Weighted It Down. Card Game; Inane, I Preferred Final Fantasy Eight's. Though I Enjoyed The Ending - I Always Do In A Video Game, Especially The Music, Uematsu Has Out Done Himself On The Repeating Final Fantasy Phrase, I Would Only Reccomend This Game To Be Played If You Wish To Play Something That You Wouldn't Have To Think Too Hard On."
Graphics  15/20
Playability  20/50
Sound  8/10
Lastability  11/20
54%
..

..
PSone Review SUMMARY and SCORE
Jevan Moss  "I Have A Theory That A Person's First Final Fantasy Will Be Their Favourite For All Time. Ff7 Is My Favourite, But Final Fantasy 9 Is The Best Final Fantasy Yet!

Graphically, This Game Has Something Of A Mixture. Sometimes They Will Blow You Away, Other Times They Seem A Step Back From Ff8. The Character Models Are More Traditionally Anime (a Good Thing In My Oppinion) But Look Much Better Graphically Than Ff8s. The In Game Animation Is A Lot Smoother, With Characters Movements Far More Fluid Than Ff8s Stilted Actions. The Eidolon Summon Sequences Are Less Impressive This Time Round, Probably Cause Ff8s Were So Beatiful. They Are Also Shorter, Which Is Either A Good Or Bad Thing Depending On Your Patience. As Expected, The Fmv Scenes Are As Masterful As Ever, With Scenes That Will Have Your Jaw On The Floor For Ages (especially The Eidolon Scenes...).ff8s Scenes Were Stagering, But Didn't Have The Same Powerful Effect As Ff9s.

As Usual The Soundtrack Is Superb, Returning With A Mixture Of Fully Orchestrated Beuties And Synthesised Pieces. However, There Are A Few Tunes That Are Somewhat Lacking; The Chocobo Theme Aloha De Chocobo Is Nowhere Near As Good As Ff8s For Example. On The Whole Though, The Soundtrack Is Class.

For Those Of You Freaked Out By Ff8s Junctioning System, Ff9 Is A Breath Of Fresh Air. Abilities Are Learned From Weapons And Items Equiped To A Character With Ability Points Earned In Battle. Command Abilities Are Aquired Permanently, And Support Abilities Are Activated With Support Crystals Which You Get More Of As You Level Up. Characters Now Have More Specific Roles Like In The Orriginal 6. So Characters Have More Individuality In Battles, With Vivi's Black Magic, Dagger's Summons, Or Amarant's Strength. I Prefer This To Ff7 And 8s Interchangable Characters. A Lot Of Useful Stuff Could Be Refined From Ff8s Cards, So People Who Didn't Enjoy The Card Game Lost Out. Ff9s Card Game Has No Importance Whatsoever To To The Rest Of The Game And Can Be Played Merely For Fun. It Is More Complex Than Ff8s But Just As Easy To Pick Up. Put Simply Ff9 Is Everything You'd Expect From A Final Fantasy, Resulting In A Well Rounded Package And An Excellent End To It's Psone Era. You'll Not Put This Down Until Every Secret Is Found And The Game Complete. Trust Me."
Graphics  20/20
Playability  48/50
Sound  9/10
Lastability  20/20
97%
..

..
PSone Review SUMMARY and SCORE
Rachel Hurley  "I Would Have To Say That Final Fantasy 9 Is The Best Of The Series. My Personal Favorite Is 7 But It Is Obvious That 9 Pushed Its Way To The Top.

The Graphics Are Great And The Storyline Is Very Entertaining. Although The Chocobo Hot N Cold Game Seemed To Be Somewhat Boring Most Of The Time....the Items Were Very Helpful And Proved To Be Worth While. The Fmvs Were Oustanding And Left Me Sitting There Wondering How Much Better They Could Possibly Be.

The Battle Mechanics Were Easy To Understand And Master Unlike The Junctioning Mess In Ff8. (which By The Way Was A Complete Waste Of Time To Beat) The Villiages And Towns Were Great Environments To Interact In.

Unlike 8, This Game Really Didn't Possess Any Boring Moments. There Is Always Something To Occupy Time. Not Only Were The Surroundings And Interactions Great, But The Characters Held A Special Place In My Heart. Vivi With Cuteness And Determination, Zidane With His Courage And Outgoing Love For Dagger, Dagger With Her Beauty And Strong Will, Steiner With His Loyalty, Freya With Her Despair Of Lost Love, Eiko With Her Wanting For Acception, Quina With His Different Tastes And Amarant Always Hiding Something That Might Make Him Look Soft. I Definately Recommend This Game."
Graphics  18/20
Playability  50/50
Sound  10/10
Lastability  20/20
98%
..

..
PSone Review SUMMARY and SCORE
Tony Greco  "Square Soft Is A Funny Company. They're Going Through Times Of "i Have No Idea What A Game Is" And Times Of "i Have No Idea What A Story Is." The Funny This Is That They Know Exactly What Good Graphics And Art Is. And Uematsu Knows Exactly What A Good Soundtrack Sounds Like. Combine These Things And U Have Yourself A Serious Of Games With Amazing Graphics That Makes Other Games Seem Obsolete With Amazing Music That Makes Other Games Seem Childish With A Game That Has A Terrible Inaccurate And Confusing Story With Characters That Lose Their Personality Half-way Through The Game With Gameplay That Is So Aweful That It Is A Chore To Get To The End.
Let's Look At Ff8, Ff9, Chrono Cross, Vagrant Story, Legend Of Mana, Saga Frontier 2...they're All The Same. Chrono Cross Is The Perfect Example Of Square's Problem. The Story Didn't Make Any Sense Till The Very End, And It Actually Made Less Sense At The End Because They Had To Introduce So Much Crap That (if Throughly Evaluated) All Meaning And Feeling Went Straight Down The Toilet. It's Obvious That The Producers Didn't Think Thoroughly When Considering The Plots Of These Games. It's A Shame Because The Graphics And Music Are Amazing.
Ff9 Is Another Terrible Game That Could Have Been So Good. The Story Made No Sense And The Characters Were So Lame And Shallow That I Laughed Numerous Times Due To The Dialog.
This Same Problem Existed During The Final Fantasy Movie. Why Didn't The Movie Get Critical Praise? Because The Characters Were Lame And The Story Was Shallow.
That's Why I Liked Ffx A Lot. It Finally Was Moving Up In The Ways Of Storytelling And Character Developement. Sure, It Still Needs Work, But It Wasn't Ridiculus."
Graphics  20/20
Playability  20/50
Sound  10/10
Lastability  7/20
57%
..

..
PSone Review SUMMARY and SCORE
Tres York  "This Is A Great Game. In The Final Fantasy Series, It Is Argueably 2nd To Final Fantasy 7. Final Fantasy 9 And 10 Are Both Really Good, So I Can't Decide Which I Like Better. But Anyway, Back To Ff9. The Story Line Is Actually Good, And Some Of The Characters May Seem A Little Bit Wierd At First, But When You Play With Them For A While, You Get Liking Them More And More. You Have A Cool Main Villain Which You Finally Meet And The End Of The 1st Disc. Until Then, He's Unheard Of And You Will Have Never Met Him. The Story Towards The 3rd And 4th Disc Are Extremely Intrieging. I Have Done A Lot Of Reviews, So I Hope Any Of You That Read This And Buy The Game Are Pleased With It. Final Fantasy 9 Is A Really Great Game!"
Graphics  18/20
Playability  48/50
Sound  9/10
Lastability  20/20
95%
..


If you have owned 'Final Fantasy 9' long enough to have formed a solid opinion on it, then why not send us your own personalized Game Review using this form.

Alternatively, if you would like to read what other gamers who already own this title think of it, click here.