unluckyjw's Full Review: Final Fantasy IX for PlayStation 1
I’ve never been more excited for a Final Fantasy game than FF9. Why? Well, it’s simple. Squaresoft’s pledge to return to the Final Fantasy roots. Everytime I see that little Black Mage running around, my heart skips a beat. (Doesn’t he kind of look like a jawa from the famed Star Wars movies?)
Let’s stop for a second. Let’s reflect back to the old days. Final Fantasy, on the Nintendo Entertainment System. How good was that game? I could play right now, and play all the ways through to the end, and not be bored. FF2 (on the SNES) was even better, and in my opinion, the best of all of the series released in the United States. An absolutely fabulous storyline, and in-depth characters. It sill brings a tear to my eye to see Palom and Porom stop the closing walls… Then came FF3. What happened? Flying castles? Players using chainsaws and drills? FF7 and FF8, on the Playstation, moved even farther away from the “fantasy” roots, with mass transit buses and trains, rocketships, the only thing that kept my interest were the side quests and card games.
But oh, the pledge. The pledge to return to castles and moats, Chocobos and Airships, Swords and Axes… I congratulate Square to drop the silly nonsense of hovercrafts and gunblades, and embrace what really made this series great… why would I want to play a game with present-day and future objects littered throughout… I would rather play an RPG where Kings and Queens rule the land, and you need to slay that evil wizard or dark evil to win the day. That is the pledge of Squaresoft and that is what FF9 will bring to the dying Playstation.
So what to expect? As a diehard fan and believer in the Final Fantasy series, I expected and demanded the return to the roots, and that is what I got. Knowing now that I will purchase this game, there are some other things we will see, basically a mixture of all of these games to date.
Full Motion Video and Summoned monster videos will return, in full form. What I disliked about this is the fact that if you summon a monster, it took forever to watch. Well, according to Square, you see the FMV in its entirety the first time you call the monster, then only randomly after that. That was a big plus in my book.
Return of Side Quests and Card games: You will see a Card game once again, and Square promises it will be easier to grasp than the last one. Mini games and side quests will abound also.
Job classes – This was another biggie for me. Those fans of Final Fantasy Tactics, (rumored to be the first Square game on the new PSX2) can back me up by saying that the Job class in the game made it extremely fun. No doubt those of you who have played Anthology also know what I am talking about…
Promised character improvements. Characters are supposedly more cartoon-like, but supposedly have in-depth backgrounds and are rich in color. Plus, many references to past characters are also supposedly imbedded into the game.
Well, this is all I have. I am looking forward to this game releasing, and I only wish it were on PSX2 instead. But we will all have to live with it I guess. I dream of a Final Fantasy world that is online, where players can coexist and join their own parties, but that may be far down the line as well. (It is rumored that everquest will be the first online console RPG, it is supposedly in production) Have fun playing this new game, and be sure to check out my “live” review after I have the title. Happy Gaming!
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