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A Unique Experience...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: January 03, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Unlike most people, I am new to the world of Final Fantasy. The minute I picked up this game, I was completely swept through a world of magic, emotions, and mystery.

Graphics: I was quite impressed with the graphics, needless to say. Even the monsters were fully detailed and colorful. I must say, everything, from Garnet/Dagger's raven black hair to Vivi's little golden eyes surpassed my expectations.

Sound: At first, I thought the music was going to annoy me after playing the game for hours, but each place had their own special theme, and the Chocobo music I found amusing. Square really pumped some sound in this game!

Control: The control is just a little short from perfect. It's easy to get lost on the world map, and I think the random battles happen a little too often, but, it's not a big problem.

Characters: Okay, this is a biggie, so bear with me. When I play an RPG, what I look for is the characters. Square deserves an A+ on this one. Each character has their own personality from flirtatious Zidane to ill-tempered Eiko. And each of those personalities change as the game progresses. (Who didn't feel sorry for Vivi while playing through this game?) I was impressed by the amount of drama squeezed into this games. For a minute, I thought that it was impossibe to put that much emotion in a game, no matter HOW many discs it spans over!

Overall, Final Fantasy is a classic for any RPG gamer.

Wheee! Me like.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: September 13, 2004
Author: Amazon User

For those who like FF8, FF10 and the ones after it, this isn't for you. Sorry, but there's none of that fanservice and what-not, and the story's not lovey-dovey enough. Well, except for maybe in the end, it gets a bit sappy. Also, if you can't stand the fact that the characters look too kiddish, then this is also not for you.

I have yet to try FF6 and the ones prior to it, but so far, FF7 and FF9 are the ones on the top of my fav list. These two really gave at it for a plot, not to mention a diverse array of characters with personalities that keep you interested. FF8 was bland. Something about a sorceress from the future who tries to take over the world and enough romance in there to suffocate you. Bluntly put, it was lame. I was beyond disappointed. And FFX-2 made me cry. They didn't even try to hide the fact that it was a game for male fanservice.

FF9, on the other hand, blew me away. Even with the lack of challenge in the game. The only reason people claim this is for kids is because the physical appearance of the characters have basically been chibified. Other than that, they're much more interesting than those in FF8. You can tell a difference in their personalities. Some of them will annoy you, and some will amuse you, and some you will love to death. That, I think, is a good enough of an accomplishment.

The fun is rated a 4 because seriously, it's not all that complicated. XD The plot and characters are wonderful, but the fighting's a piece of cake. Unless you try really hard to not train. Then maybe it might be a bit more difficult. If you're looking for something that will require strategy and loads of hard work for the characters, this might also not be the game for you. But if you're looking for a great story line, just a bit of fun, I would suggest for you to buy this. Especially if you were as disappointed in FF8 and FFX-2 as I was.

9 may be the best game in all the series.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: November 17, 2004
Author: Amazon User

When I played this game 9, I was very moved. I have never felt such emotion. As the below reviewer say, if you are Final Fantasy 8,10,11etc, it may be a little dificult that you feel such emotion and are moved. Because the CG etc of 10,11 are superior to this 9. But I think that there are more great points more than such CG in the game.

For instance, the story is so. 8 was a little adult and difficult story. On the other hands, in the 9 game that was the easy story that can be felt by children even or adults that dislike complex story, but that is not a just easy story, that is, warm atomosphere was surrownded around the story. Everybody can write difficult and complicate stories, but what include such plus points like the warm feeling in such limited easy story is in fact very difficult things I think.

At the same time, the main character is very pretty and calm. The graphic was not the best in the series, but for such calmness the game got to be a best game. May be that will be because I was a old game fan since FF1 about 20 years ago. The 9 characters is like FF1 very much, thefore when I played the 9 I was very happy, I felt the nostalgy. This will be what you can not feel if you are not a old FF fan.

And what I want to say especially is the 9 game systems, that is, very brief game systems. The 7 and 8 and so on were very complex system, I had many times until I got to understand the game systems. In the game, I can enter this story and system without the difficulty.

The 9 is very simple on a side, but can not finish in the simple thing only. You can feel many things, nostargy, calm and so on. Off course music is so.

Thank you for reading my poor English.

I love this game - Best Final Fantasy so far...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: November 30, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I have a PS2 and this is the game that gets the most play right now. Until they make some really good RPGs for the PS2 I will be more than happy playing the Squaresoft RPGs made for the Playstation.

About the game, what more can be said above the other glowing reviews that have been put online. Anyone who does not like this game should not be playing any RPGs and is probably mad that they could not get a PS2.

The in-game graphics and the cinemas (rendered movies) are most excellent. I really was drawn into the characters (especially Vivi) and love the way you start to feel you are watching a movie that you are in control of. The powerups make sense and they make sure to work the instructions (how-to) as part of the game so you DO NOT have to even pick up the manual to know how to play.

If you have never played an RPG (whats wrong with you) or love a good story, fun characters and epic battles then pick this up. You will love Final Fantasy IX.

Feels more like Final Fantasy

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: December 05, 2000
Author: Amazon User

It is unfortunate that this excellent game has been overshadowed by the release of PS2. Whether you're new to the FF series or a faithful follower, there is something for you in FFIX. SquareSoft has returned to the feel of the older Final Fantasy games, a change from FFVIII, which felt a whole lot more like Parasite Eve than Final Fantasy. More cartoonish than cinematic.

What has changed is the level of sophistication. Imagine FFVII if it were made today, with smoother action and (believe it or not) even more story. With more mages and bizarre characters galore, there is more Fantasy than we saw in FFVIII.

One complaint I have is the slow pace. Of course the story is what keeps you interested, and the CG clips continue to amaze and awe, but there just seems to be too many moments where you're stuck squinting at the word balloons as the characters go on for scene after scene of plot development. The first disc is too much waiting, not enough fighting, but perhaps that is understandable for those who need to develop character strengths and familiarize themselves with the FF world, and it progresses from there anyway. At four CDs long, they give you more than enough time for action.

The other complaint is the lack of instructions in the booklet. SquareSoft has gotten smart and linked information to a "cheat" webpage where you can find equipment information, a walk-through, a bestiary, instructions on how to develop abilities...and none of that is available at your fingertips. Maybe I'm lazy, but I like to check the booklet often to make sure I know that the status indicator is telling me my character has been slowed vs. being slowly petrified. Also, the temptation to just read the cheats on the website may prove too much for some people who really only wanted to see what type of monster they were just fighting. Of course you can go the whole game without receiving more instruction than those that appear regularly throughout the beginning of the game.

All-in-all, I would highly recommend this game for anyone who enjoys a good RPG that has a story, has action, and is simply a thrill to watch.

Fun game, user friendly, but with a slight problem or two

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: December 05, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I have played all of the versions of the Final Fantasies that came out in the United States. My favorite part of Final Fantasy has always been uniqueness of characters. Final Fantasy 2 for the Super Nintendo was one of my favorites in that respect because each character had a unique quality that made you enjoy that character, and sometimes you were saddened that the character left and never came back to be controlled. This is what I like about Final Fantasy 9 in that Zidane, Dagger, Vivi, Quina, etc. all have that uniqueness about them that makes you want to mix and match your parties to see what works the best. This was a huge inherent flaw of Final Fantasy 8 in my opinion. I found myself doing the same action for every single character. I remember one battle in which every character used magic again and again. I also hated the drawing of magic. Final Fantasy 9 also has the best character development among the Final Fantasies. You really get to know each and every one of the eight characters, and I felt I knew more about Beatrix in FF9 than I did about Squall in FF8. This is the depth that FF9 brings to you. My objection to FF9 is that the chocobo development took too long for my taste. Another thing was that the first time I played it, the storyline compelled me to finish events quickly to move along in the game, and I didn't find the chocobo sidequest till disk 4. They also never make any mention of it during the game, so unless you're willing to look hours on end or if you want to cheat and use a strategy guide, you will not find many of the sidequests that I believe made the game just that much better. Fortunately for me I have no life so I looked all over until I found most of the sidequests. Overall, I highly recommend this game to any fan of RPG's. Especially if you're a newcomer to the Final Fantasy series, I think FF9 is the best one to get started on due to the user friendly ability and magic use, and the wonderful story.

The best game i have ever played

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: December 08, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I'm new to the final fantasy series although I have played 7 and 8. In my opinion this has been the only one worth playing. I played 7 a LONG time ago and didn't really enjoy it maybe because i couldn't really understand what is going on because I was like 10 or 11. Anyways this game has a great FMV opening it starts you out with about 6 FMV's in the first hour of the game and plenty more to come. So far I'm in the hunting challenge at lindblum grand castle and already i've been blown away by cinematic scenes and fun random battles (which isn't as annoying as 8 which had a ton. It has just enough so your not taking 2 steps then fighting)the story right now is starting to unfold, and i keep wanting to play more and more. A definite buy if you are an RPG fan or even if your new to them cause its not super hard like some.

Love Potion Number 9

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: November 14, 2003
Author: Amazon User

One of the things that have made the Final Fantasy series one of gaming's longest running hits is that each new game tells a unique story, with new characters and plot machinations. While certain factors of RPG playing on Gaia remain constant, Squaresoft has managed to create infinite variations on the theme of overcoming enormous odds in order to save the world.

In terms of what a PS One role-playing game can be, Final Fantasy 9 lies close to the limit. Extensive use of graphic cut scenes, detailed characters and backgrounds, complicated points of view -- all of that is here, and more. As such, it represents a watershed moment in the game developer's art, even though it was promptly overmatched by what could be done on a PS2. Oddly enough, PS2 games are not all that much better, and the PS2 itself is already struggling with it's own limitations.

Despite all of these positive factors, my gut reaction to FF9 is that it is a lesser game than FF7 or 8. Some of this has to do with the adoption of a weaker and less complex plot. Understand that I don't mean this is a bad plot, just that it is lighter in weight, and thus less compelling, than its immediate predecessors. There are also some tedious elements in game play that drag out battles. This makes leveling up a bit of a pain. Of course, the bosses are less of a challenge here, so levelling up is not as important as it has been.

I believe that the one thing that tempered my initial reaction to the game was the cartoonish nature of the characters. There is an element of silliness in the design of characters like Vivi and Quina that kept me at arm's length for longer than usual before the game builds finally them into more solid characters. Eventually one gets past that reaction, but I had to make an initial effort towards suspension of disbelief that I haven't had to make in any other game in the series.

Taken by itself this could very easily be mistaken for a 5-star game. But in the context of its fellows and my expectations it fell just a bit short. This is still an eminently satisfactory game that stands above many of its competitors. If you liked FF7 and 8 you are going to like FF9 as well. No doubt about that.

Completing the series on PS 1...........great job!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 10
Date: December 19, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I have been a Final Fantasy Fan ever since I played the first installment of this series on the Game Boy. I have played just about every single RPG that has ever come out. (excluding PS2, X-Box, and Nintendo Cube RPG's) I have waited to write a review on this game for a specific reason. I will not take Final Fantasy Games for granted. I have read some reviews on-line, and then I bought the game. I did this for some specific reasons, because you will here people giving reviews on both sides of the spectrum. I have heard people give this game a negative 30 on a scale from 1-10. And at the same time, I have witnessed people just blown away by this game. Giving this game time to develope itself in the hearts of its buyer is the key to it's greatness.

The day that I purchased FFIX, I noticed that Square gave it all they had. If people are going to say that this game sucks, they are putting down the best RPG company in the world today. Square purposly made this game the way it is. I love it!!! The main character is a thief, who has the mission to kidnapp a princess in order to ransom her off. But in the process the princess wants to be kidnapped, and decides to leave with them. During the game though, you will notice that there is not one main character. For a good portion of the game, I felt that Zidane (the thief) was the main character, but then about five minutes later Vivi (the young balck mage)was. This proccess went on constantly. There is one problem with the game that can be overlooked. Constantly you are asked to see what is happening at the same time you are doing your missions. You will be waling around town, and then a message will pop up saying for you to press the select button for the real time effect. You then will be shown a scene that is happening at that time. So, with all of this going on, the first CD of this game seems to take forever. Not only that, but just about every five minutes you will have a cinematic scene. This is good and bad at the same time. They are wonderful scenes, and put together very well, but at the same time you are not able to play the actual game. But overall, it is worth the trouble, because your mind is put into a trance. Your sucked into the story, and you don't want to leave.

Real Quick......ranking order of my favorite FF RPG's.

1. FF3(FF6)
2. FF2
3. FF7
4. FF9
5. FF5
6. FF8

How SquareSoft Does It I will Never Understand

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 8
Date: December 22, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I remember the days when I would sit at home all day playing Final Fantasy VII, wether it was maxing out my characters stats or getting deep into the storyline it was one of my favorite games that I happened to play more than once. Then it happened.......Final Fantasy VIII tromps onto the market and greatly dissapoints many Final Fantasy fans with its futuristic plot, and its overly complicated plot. Getting back to Final Fantasy IX, wether you have played a Final Fantasy game or you haven't this game is a sure shot at fun. SquareSoft makes a great recovery from Finaly Fantasy XIII with the fantasy side of the game that we all love versus the futuristic. This game has great cinemas, and only people that know magic can use it! (finally makes sense....) I am going to go out on a limb here and say that this may even better than Final Fantasy VII! Check this title out. Good luck shopping/browsing!

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