Final Fantasy IX....What am I missing?

[Xiroh86]

So, I watched the Top 5 Final Fantasy Games thing that was posted the other day, and I felt the list was pretty close to my Top 5, but this isn't really about my Top 5, its about the reaction to the list, and that the almost fanatical anger over Final Fantasy IX was not included, more specifically as No. 1, and my question to the hardcore fans is this:

What did I miss when I played through FF9?

I've played through the game 3 or 4 times and I'll admit that it is a good game, but I feel like everyone else got something from the game that I didn't pick up on. I would love to know what the fans see in FF9, so maybe I can look at it from a different perspective next time I play through it.

If it isn't clear, I mean no disrespect to the fans of Final Fantasy IX, so I would appreciate it if anyone who participates in this discussion does so in a respectful manner.

 

[Zeckt]

For it's time the game oozed quality and was full of personality that was unseen in games back in those days. The character's were memorable and well developed (VIVI!!), the music is legendary for the series and the action fast paced and the fmv's were actually worth watching.

Personally I have no idea how these guys could of liked ff8 more with its terrible draw system and how the monsters level you and how all the character's were suddenly from the same orphanage which supposedly explained everything in the story all of a sudden. And how could they even bring up the summons as a GOOD point in the game? oh god, the summons. 40% of your gametime is watching the same summon OVER AND OVER again. Shiva! Shiva! Shiva! Shiva! SHIVA!!!!!!!!!

 

[Maxtro]

I think most people who love FF IX are gaga for Vivi.

To me the game was good, but wasn't worth a second playthrough.

 

[Cabisco]

Vivi and I think it does the summons/gfs/aeons really well as essentially super weapons unlike many of the other games. Though VIII is certainly my favorite I think IX had a really well realised world.

Thats my guess anyway. FF8 is still the best in every possible way

 

[Da_Schwartz]

Nine was a good FF game. What made it great was the timing. Following up the best (arguably) title ever in seven, then 8. FF8 was either loved or hated. If you were like me and hated it..9 couldn't of been a more welcome change at the right time. Back to basics back to clunky knights and dark mages, fantasy world, enthralling story, epic score. It was a bottom of the 9th homerun sorta game.

 

[Morthello]

Very likable cast of characters with character development that was handled in a lighthearted and endearing way; yet was able to tackle dark themes. For the majority of the game the main character is a hopeless optimist; always has a positive outlook and is very helpful to all those around him. Very rarely felt sorry for himself or moped about and when he does its actually jarring. This was a breath of fresh air if you looked at the protagonists from recent games. He's also a huge skirt chaser, which i think is kinda rare in jrpgs.

Black mages, white mages, knights, thieves, dragoons etc. All the things you think of when it comes to classic final fantasy, along with the the medieval setting. They brought all these things back after they'd been going for the more modern steam/cyber-punk route in recent games and it was nice go back to thier roots and to see the "fantasy" in final fantasy again. The still drawn backgrounds are beautifully rendered.

The soundtrack imo is Uematsu's best work. The sheer number of songs in it as well as the quality is amazing.

The active time events were not only a way to view humorous skits but served as a way to enrich the overall world building and immersion of the world.

The combat system's only big flaw in the trance system, but the game is fairly easy to play through as a whole regardless.

The game really grew on me personally. First time i played it when i was about 13, i enjoyed it but didnt love it. I pop it in when im around 21 and im like "wow what a lovely game this was and i hadn't even noticed". Now i play it at least once a year without fail. Easily my favorite jrpg let alone final fantasy.

 

[Luca72]

IX didn't really do anything new for the series, but it felt like it polished the elements of the past games really well. I personally see it as an interesting parallel to VIII, since I think VIII is a good indicator for what's generally wrong with the series, while IX is a good indicator of the strong points of the series.

It was epic and emotional, but it didn't use melodrama as filler the way VIII and X did.

Oh, and it has Vivi. I know it's cliche to like Vivi at this point, but how can you not?

 

[scorptatious]

I've played the game about two years ago for the first time.

There was just something about the game that really clicked with me.

I loved the whimsical and care free atmosphere the intro of the game had.

The characters were all lovable and well developed, (especially Vivi, good god I love Vivi) the music was top notch, the story was well put together (minus possibly the last boss, that part I'll admit, was a bit confusing) and I loved the way the battle system worked.

I hear some people say the way you learn abilities is kinda dumb, but I disagree, I think it's a pretty cool way of getting players to think about whether it's worth wearing an inferior piece of equipment so you can get a certain abilities.

And the ending. My god the ending. I won't spoil anything to those who haven't played the game, but to me, it hit all the right notes and ended spectacularly.

So yeah, Final Fantasy IX is probably my most favorite JRPG, and I really should get around to playing it again.

Also, I wasn't really that angry over the game not making it into that Top 5 thing, I can understand why some people might not view this game as their favorite.

 

[Xiroh86]

For it's time the game oozed quality and was full of personality that was unseen in games back in those days. The character's were memorable and well developed (VIVI!!), the music is legendary for the series and the action fast paced and the fmv's were actually worth watching.

Personally I have no idea how these guys could of liked ff8 more with its terrible draw system and how the monsters level you and how all the character's were suddenly from the same orphanage which supposedly explained everything in the story all of a sudden. And how could they even bring up the summons as a GOOD point in the game? oh god, the summons. 40% of your gametime is watching the same summon OVER AND OVER again. Shiva! Shiva! Shiva! Shiva! SHIVA!!!!!!!!!

Very likable cast of characters with character development that was handled in a lighthearted and endearing way; yet was able to tackle dark themes. For the majority of the game the main character is a hopeless optimist; always has a positive outlook and is very helpful to all those around him. Very rarely felt sorry for himself or moped about and when he does its actually jarring. This was a breath of fresh air if you looked at the protagonists from recent games. He's also a huge skirt chaser, which i think is kinda rare in jrpgs.

Black mages, white mages, knights, thieves, dragoons etc. All the things you think of when it comes to classic final fantasy, along with the the medieval setting. They brought all these things back after they'd been going for the more modern steam/cyber-punk route in recent games and it was nice go back to thier roots and to see the "fantasy" in final fantasy again. The still drawn backgrounds are beautifully rendered.

The soundtrack imo is Uematsu's best work. The sheer number of songs in it as well as the quality is amazing.

The active time events were not only a way to view humorous skits but served as a way to enrich the overall world building and immersion of the world.

The combat system's only big flaw in the trance system, but the game is fairly easy to play through as a whole regardless.

The game really grew on me personally. First time i played it when i was about 13, i enjoyed it but didnt love it. I pop it in when im around 21 and im like "wow what a lovely game this was and i hadn't even noticed". Now i play it at least once a year without fail. Easily my favorite jrpg let alone final fantasy.

Zecht and Morthello, you both have brought up good point, and they are things that I will pay closer attention to next time.

Zecht, I personally am a huge fan of FF8, and I would love to have a discussion sometime with you in regards to the similarities and differences between 8 and 9.

Morthello; I think I was around 13 when I first played FF9, and at first I thought it was awesome, but somewhere during my first playthrough it started falling apart. I still enjoy the game when I play it now, but I end up dreading starting up the game.

Nine was a good FF game. What made it great was the timing. Following up the best (arguably) title ever in seven, then 8. FF8 was either loved or hated. If you were like me and hated it..9 couldn't of been a more welcome change at the right time. Back to basics back to clunky knights and dark mages, fantasy world, enthralling story, epic score. It was a bottom of the 9th homerun sorta game.

This may actually explain why I haven't been able to get into FF9, seeing as my first Final Fantasy (like many others) was 7, and, for me, FF8 sits in my number one spot. So, having loved FF8, and used to the more modern/futuristic setting of 7 and 8, that may have hindered my enjoyment. I never really thought of it like that. thanks.

 

[Marik2]

Just got this game and started playing it for 2 hours.

Really like the charm it has with being whimsical. Loved the play and the characters that I play.

But not sure if I will live the card game, seems tacked on

 

[Xiroh86]

To be quite honest - it's one of my least favourite FF games so I think the top 5 got it right. Except that if they were going to include games outside the main series FF:Tactics should have been number 1. Beyond that, the list was okay.

FFIX:
- Very slow battles compared to the others.

- Stealing from bosses for 30+ minutes is not fun.

- Terrible back-asswards ability learning system means that I'm usually equipped with items 2 - 3 levels lower than the best I have available. I hope they never put abilities on equipment ever again.

- Characters design were passable. I found that other FF games had much better character designs. I seriously mistook both the main character and villain for women when I saw them - and I play a lot of JRPGs so this usually does not happen to me.

- The last boss is a giant space flea from nowhere that really had nothing to do with anything until the very end - which is why I couldn't bring myself to care.

It's not a bad game - just not as good as the other games in the series. Others may tell you different, but having been an FF fan since the original on the NES, FFIX was a step backward for the series. Of course, they were going for nostalgia as it was to be "the last of its kind". In my opinion - they did not succeed. The older games were far better.

This sums up a lot of how I felt when I play FF9, the only other thing is the difficulty. If I'm able to never grind, only have on character reach level 47, and still demolish the final boss(es) in a JRPG, it shows a balance issue.

 

[Ryotknife]

It was more light hearted than the others and its characters were charming and upbeat. The story was pretty good, but suffered from a pacing problem in my opinion where the final two disks were very "meh"

Still, you are not alone in the "what am i missing from (insert FF game)" although in my case its FF6. Other than Kefka I did not find anything enjoyable about the game.

 

[dragongit]

The thing I dug about FF9 was the fact that it was in essence a fantasy game with a medieval setting, as opposed to pseudo steam/techno punk elements. It was also a call back to past games where the classes are almost flat out defined as the characters. They all had a memorable personality, and story arcs that developed. I can agree that the final boss may be it's biggest flaw, but I think the rest of the game is amazing. It oozes charm and style, especially for it's time for an entry in the FF series.

 

[sXeth]

Well, it benefits from its location as a breather after the extremes of angst found in the prior two.

Other then that, I'd say its greatest virtue lies in its simplicity. It cut the larger character roster down to a lean 6, and (other then Quina, to some admitted extent), none of them was a huge one note or gimmick. The plot wasn't massively complex, but served its purpose well, and the characters all got their individual progressive arcs in.

Also, a key part of its narrative, was that it established the characters before the action started in full. You get to see You get glimpses of them all having good times and such, to develop attachment, before the narrative drops the proverbial "bombs" on them, that send them into their legitimate angsts, which they recover from stronger. 6 (to an extent), 7, 8, and 13 all notably drop you in medias res, with the characters backstory and presumed "happy times" done in flashbacks disconnecting the experience and making your first impression that the characters are all grim and morose by nature. Not so much people you develop an attachment too.

 

[scorptatious]

Just got this game and started playing it for 2 hours.

Really like the charm it has with being whimsical. Loved the play and the characters that I play.

But not sure if I will live the card game, seems tacked on

Yeah, the card game doesn't have much use in the game. You don't get any major rewards for getting all the cards or winning a certain amount of games.

Really, all it is is a distraction. Nothing more.

There is a segment in the game in which you have to do a few card games, but so long as you save in between matches, you shouldn't have very much trouble with them.

 

[piinyouri]

Only thing about 9 that I disliked was the card system.
What a load of obfuscated crap that was.

 

[Xiroh86]

Well, it benefits from its location as a breather after the extremes of angst found in the prior two.

Other then that, I'd say its greatest virtue lies in its simplicity. It cut the larger character roster down to a lean 6, and (other then Quina, to some admitted extent), none of them was a huge one note or gimmick. The plot wasn't massively complex, but served its purpose well, and the characters all got their individual progressive arcs in.

Also, a key part of its narrative, was that it established the characters before the action started in full. You get to see You get glimpses of them all having good times and such, to develop attachment, before the narrative drops the proverbial "bombs" on them, that send them into their legitimate angsts, which they recover from stronger. 6 (to an extent), 7, 8, and 13 all notably drop you in medias res, with the characters backstory and presumed "happy times" done in flashbacks disconnecting the experience and making your first impression that the characters are all grim and morose by nature. Not so much people you develop an attachment too.

See, maybe it had to do with my view of myself back then, but I grew a much bigger attachment to the characters of 7, and 8, than those of 9 (no opinion of the characters from 6 yet, just started my first playthrough.) With 9, I found myself not caring at all for 5 of the 6 PC's, the exception being Vivi, but for fuck sakes the only way you couldn't feel for Vivi, is if you're dead. Most of the other characters felt like pure archetypes for their general classes.

 

[Xiroh86]

Okay little bit of a history lesson.

FF8 in terms of the release and it's popularity was actually very low. It didn't capture the fantasy as what fans of the franchise especially when it followed in the shows of FF7. People didn't like the draw system as going through the game without magic unless you spent the time for it wasn't very engaging. It was only until people got a more retrospective look that people realized that the narrative of the game was actually pretty good as well as the characters. But the cost of entry by having to watch video after video was also something that brought it down.

FF9 was basically pleasing the fans of the franchise both in terms of the characters but also the mechanics. A fantasy game where your entire cast is all humans in FF8 really did make for a very mundane world even if you did have machines and architecture that takes true imagination. FF9 gave us a more chibi world that allowed for more artistic expression and mechanics that people would be familiar if they played FF7 or even FF6. FF9 did alright but like FF8 it wasn't something people really hailed as godly either for the fans. It was the safety play but once again just didn't compare to FF7 as you had an entire audience that never played video games before be captivated with video games being cool by playing games like FF7.

Honestly both are good games but many people forget just how average they were considered when they were released on the market.

Also you never take top 5 or 10 lists seriously. They are trash content. Not to mention that the host actually made quite a few mistakes with his facts.

I can see how it was meant to please the fans, and I can see why 8 upset the core fans (even though then and now 8 is my persona favorite). You made great points.

As for the Top 5 thing. I wasn't upset, and I really don't care if others were, it was more of a trigger to make me ask others what they loved in FF9 and with that maybe get some insight as to why I may not like it. And, when mixed with my love of FF8, I usually end up on the GTFO list. LOL