An excellent addition to the legendary franchise.

User Rating: 10 | Final Fantasy IX PS
Final Fantasy IX is meant to be a nostolgia-filled game that will have you remembering the earlier games in the ever-growing franchise; and while it features many reminders of the past, it also contains a few original and inventive ideas that will set it apart from the rest. The plot starts out simply, but turns into something much, much greater and will have you interested throughout your adventure. You play as Zidane Tribal, a thief and member of the Tantalus crime gang. The story begins with you and your posse trying to kidnap the princess of Alexandria. From there, the plot is full of conspiracies, death, betrayal, and the rest of the elements that are essential of FFs. The graphics in the game are another new benchmark for the PlayStation. The environments are rich with detail, and the character models are fluid and colorful. The CG cinemas will amaze once more, as they are truly a sight to behold. The audio in the game is also superb. Another great soundtrack composed by FF veteran, Nobuo Uematsu, will have your ears delighted. There is no voice-work, still, and I still have no problem with that. The sound effects are recycled from FF8, but they do an adequate job. The gameplay harks back to the 16-bit days. Characters earn experience and level up like any other RPG. Abilities are learned by equipping different weapons. Once you have that weapon equipped and gain enough Ability Points (AP), you will learn that ability. Classes are also in full effect, so you'll have summoners, white mages, black mages, monks, thiefs, knights, dragoons, etc. in your party. The new innovations to gameplay are being able to have four characters in battle instead of the usual three, and the way techniques are equipped. Each time your characters gain a level, the amount of crystals they contain rises. These crystals can be used to equip techniques. It's a fairly simple premise, so experienced players and new ones won't complain. The main quest is roughly 60+ hours, and side-quests will take you another 20+ hours. In fact, I think FF9 has the most side-quests of any other FF! Also, mastering your characters will take another couple of hours; and there are two endings to unlock, so you're looking at a quest about 100+ hours! Overall, this is an excellent game that won't disappoint FF fans, and will be a welcome addition to any gamer's library.