Many people say Final Fantasy IX is the worst in the series but i say its one of the best!!!

User Rating: 9.5 | Final Fantasy IX PS
Final Fantasy IX is one of the best in the series almost rivals that of Final Fantasy VII and X so let me tell you this before you even read the rest of the review. Final Fantasy IX is a most buy to any RPG fan.

First off lets talk about the characters and the story. You play as Zidane the hero of this story. He is one of the best main characters of Final Fantasy. I mean he has a tail and thats cool. Then you have Vivi he is a black mage and hes looking for the reason why he exists he also is scared of a lot of things but once you get to know him he is one of the bravest of all the characters. And then theres Princess Garnet a young princess who doesn't want to be one. Then theres Steiner hes wonders what is the reason hes gives everything for his kingdom. Then Freya shes looking for her lost love will she ever find it? Then Eiko who is a 8 year old but act like shes all grown up. Then this brings me to my first flaw the 2 other characters that are in the game seem liked they were just thrown in the game. Quina is the comic relief character. I know every game needs one of these characters but Quina is such a stupid character its just isn't funny and then theres Amarant his character is so boring has no personality whats so ever. Well thats all the characters

The next thing i will talk about is the story. Once again the story is simply great. There will be twists and turns in the story that you just wont see coming. I actually think the story in Final Fantasy IX is the best story out of all the Final Fantasy games. You start the story playing Zidane who must kidnap Princess Garnet for a reason you do not learn till later in the game. Also what you don't know that this event will begin the intriguing and amazing plot of Final Fantasy IX that will defiantly keep you playing to the very end. There is also a new thing that expands the story and also makes you learn things about the characters that you wouldn't have known before. It is called the ATE(Active Time Event) You basically got to hit select when its says to and brings up a list of events that are happening with other characters. This brings a whole new element to the story. Overall the story and characters is great.

Next is the gameplay. Final Fantasy IX is basically a mix of all the other Final Fantasy games gameplay but upgraded and make it seem like its brand new. The battle system is turn based of course. Its basically like any other turn based RPG but theres a new trance system. When you take hits your trance meter will go up and when it reaches full your character will enter trance. This trance basically doubles all your stats and each character has there own unique type of trance. Like Vivi can use 2 magic attacks in only 1 turn and Zidane can use super powerful skills. This new trance system can turn the tide of the battle to your favor. The difficulty of this game is just right not to hard and not to easy its just right.

Other parts of the gameplay includes the new AP(ability points) system. When you gain a level your Ability points will go up. You can use these points on skills you gain. Now your asking how do i get skills. Well you get skills from your equipment. Yup you heard me right you get the skills from the equipment you use. You must equip the equipment and then there will be a bar under it. This is the skill you must learn. To fill the bar you will basically level it up kind of. At the end of battles you will get AP which will eventually fill the bar. When the bar fills the skill will be learned and then you move onto the next skill. Now back to equipping these skills. Then you can use your AP points to equip the skills. You only have a little bit which will require a little bit of strategy to figure out what your character will do in the battles. The system is very fun.

Final Fantasy is also famous for its super addicting mini-games and let me tell you Final Fantasy delivers with the best mini-games yet. you know the card game in the last Final Fantasy well it returns and it is new and improved. Its called Tetra Master and it works basically like FF8's card game except it will require a little more strategy. It is highly addicting and you will be playing for many hours. Then the other super great mini-game is called Chocobo Hot and Cold. You can use your chocobo to dig for items and stuff. Its kind of hard to explain but it might be even more fun then Tetra Master. Overall the gameplay is great

The graphics in Final Fantasy IX are great and are top of the line for the PS1. I mean the movie graphics rival that of early to mid PS2 games Square simply worked there butts off to make this game beautiful. Overall the graphics are good.

The sound is also amazing. Every tune you expect from Final Fantasy from its catchy victory music to the famous marching band song from FFVII they are all in here. Plus a few new tunes too. You will find yourself humming along to some of these tunes. Also all the sound effects are great. Overall the sound is simply amazing.

The value is top notch. The main storyline itself will take over 40 hours and then all the side quests and stuff make take well over 100 hours. You will find yourself playing FFIX for hours and hours to come without ever stopping its just that fun. Overall the value is amazing even for a RPG

Overall FFIX is such a great game. A definite buy for any RPG fan, Final Fantasy fan, or just any person who wants to try out the RPG genre. Even through there are a few flaws that are hardly noticeable you should pick up this game for a great storyline, gameplay, sound, graphics, and of course value. I give Final Fantasy IX a 9.5 out of 10. Now do yourself a favor and buy this game please.