Final Fantasy IX Community Playthrough

[Cthulhu]

I knew it because it was 11 PM, . 10 his time, I think.

 

[Sprites]

(anyone who got 100 nobles and 10,000 gil is the super-devil)

That would be me

Yop let's face it, as nice of an arse as you have, it well and truly got kicked by the little Mageling XD

 

[Cthulhu]

no, u. He can't reach that high

 

[Lex]

I have terrible timing it seems, I'll be sure to speak out in future.

I tried adding Lex yesterday, I'm new to Skype so I'm not even sure if I did it right. I added my dad but it didn't work on his either so I'm pretty sure I'm doing something wrong or Skype hates me already.

I did manage to play last night but didn't get far (just got control of Zidane, Steiner and Vivi) before dad became agitated. Will catch up as soon as possible. Just have to say that the game's graphics on my TV look terrible (FMVs especially). After fiddling with the settings I managed a slight improvement but it's still painful on the eyes.

I didn't get a request from you

To add me - on Skype, click "Contacts", "Add a Contact...", then type "alexander.mckeever" into the box that says "Skype Name".

That should do it. Alternatively, gie me your Skype username and I'll add you.

 

[Sprites]

Well I completed my chapter so here's my summary

The opening

I like the opening, I find it quite mysterious, it certainly leaves you wondering what’s going on though I must admit , my favourite FF opening is FFVIII’s.

The minigames

I managed 21 skips and I can’t believe I did this but I completely forgot to start the mognet side quest agghhhh, I like that side quest too. First time on the sparring game, I impressed 73 nobles so decided to do it again and then this happened

And I got 10,000 gil to boot

Battle System
The controls of FFIX are fine, I do like that you have the opportunity to have a second player for the battles, I tried that once with my brother. The battle system itself, it can be quite slow, I always put the battle speed up to fullest but I do like the AP and ability system. It’s such a contrast to VIII and VII which had much more complex menu’s and customisation for your characters stats, IX is refreshing in that it’s more retro and goes back to the job class system as opposed to a free for all command list and it’s nice to have a welcome addition of 4 character as opposed to three.

Story so far
I like it so far because although there’s a kidnapping, it’s so lighthearted, it’s not right into the action packed battles of the previous games, it’s much more fun and you’re not yet sure what the whole purpose is in the storyline so far. Character wise I love the contrasting personalities , Vivi is adorable and really does make you want to mother him. Steiner is hilarious, I love his outrage at everything and his over dramatics. Zidane is just cool and a nice change, his flirting and chat up lines are cringey but enjoyable none the less. Garnet I won’t say much yet because you don’t interact much with her but she’s a girl who you can tell knows her own mind. She’s actually my favourite FF female character, in fact I think I remember arguing with someone about why she was such a wonderful character. Tanatalus as guest characters are a lovely bunch, in fact as far as guest characters go I almost wish Blank in particular was given more screen time, he's very likeable.

Just on a final note I love the sheer amount of allusions to previous FFs that can be found in this game, just wondering if that's something to touch upon in each chapter too. My most notable ones include: Moogles playing a more active role again, Vivi recognisable immediately as a black mage, Garnet wearing the White Mage job class robe, and ATE with Rufus' Welcome ceremony playing.

 

[Tennyo]

Hey guys, sorry I dropped out of the call suddenly yesterday. My laptop died and I had to take it to a repair shop.

 

[Ite]

I've never done a community Let's Play before, but I assume that there are no real rules on length and format of reports, so I'll list my major thoughts on this playthrough, which will probably be tl;dr anyway, but spoiler free. Since this is the intro post, it'll be about 1000% longer than any subsequent one. Dividing it into sections for moderate justice.

Seeing as Final Fantasy IX is a love letter to its predecessors, I won't be able to help myself, when talking about it, to reference previous (and later) titles. It's hard to look at a Final Fantasy game objectively, especially one this good, without sighing with a post-hoc disappointment that no title since has even approached its calibre (sorry FFX fans).

Spoiler: The Intro Sequence aka Putting the Final in Final Fantasy

The now-mandatory "Intro FMV" had an interesting evolution in the PS1 era. When VII introduced it, it served more as an atmosphere and setting expositor for Midgar. VIII's heavy-handed overture was a confusing experimental short film that gave us only one bit of information about the story's beginning -- two guys give each other matching scars. As it happens, the time-travel and memory elements of VIII recontextualize its intro if looked at in the right light, but it is only fully appreciated the second time around. Final Fantasy IX's introductory FMV, however, is wholly appreciable on a first viewing. A princess is haunted by a recurring dream of a storm-torn raft (called the H.M.S. Foreshadower) and, upon waking, plays with doves and stares longingly out the window, as princesses are wont to do. We then meet our hero, a betailed fellow on a ship. The lack of Nomura is potent and welcome. The art direction of this game has gotten more flack than any of the failings of later titles, of which there are plenty and all more deserved. These characters have clothing that looks deliberately put on. Their outfits match with the NPCs of their gameworld. In IX's world, fashion is a signifier of class, wealth, and worth. Zidane's cravat is an indicator that he is not a commoner, but the way it hangs loosely around travel clothes suggests subtly that it's all an act.

Then the Intro FMV stops and I am thrust into gameplay. Unlike VII, which gave me my first taste of FMV before throwing me into action. And unlike VIII, which gave me my fill, IX almost disappoints. My immediate reaction upon playing a "light-the-candle" quest was "What? Was that FMV leading anywhere?" But of course I stumble around in the dark, reading extraneous details about the Prima Vista and finding potions (My first playthrough, I hated those ! and ? bubbles. They seemed belittling. I've grown to love them.) Anyway, I start the tutorial battle with a dragon-man, and my party consists of a pig-man, a monkey-man, and two hu-mans, one with the lower jaw of an orc from Warcraft and the other with a bandana around his eyes. A party, I am chuffed to discover, of all thieves. Anyway, Baku the cat-man is only masquerading as a dragon-man (on his own ship, and somehow his crew didn't notice) and the meeting starts and melts my mind.

What a perfect way to say goodbye to the old-school games. Taking your basic video-game fantasy plot and reversing it. This time, the mission isn't to kill the kidnappers, it's to kidnap. This time, I don't slog for thirty hours and get myself a ship, this time, I start with one, and a gorgeous one at that. To accent this revelation, a second FMV begins, revealing that it is, in fact, an AIR-ship. This reminds me more of the intro to FFVI than any of the PS1 games. A brief, prologuey intro, some dialogue and mission parameters, and then a scenic approach to the mission that -- of course -- won't go directly as planned for our band of knaves. Also, the only other time in FF history where credits are unskippable. The introduction is a three-way-marriage of the Nintendo, SNES and PS1 era games. In many ways, it actually feels like the Final one. The title-music from FFI explodes gloriously over the capital city of Alexandria as the title appears, and Hironobu Sakaguchi's name takes its rightful place, front and centre, on the seal of a great game.

Spoiler: The Vivi Sequence and Thoughts on Feminism in Alexandria

Sudequests! Mognet! Cards! Towns! You have no idea how happy I was to have the opportunity to start looking for some asshole's lost cat. Tom and Mittens, you have made my life. There are so many sidequests, minigames, and interesting NPC plotlines to follow that I never remember them all. I don't know if I've ever found Tom's cat. I saw the damn thing on a rooftop right after I talked to the kid. Anyway, I hope Ilia gets her dress, and that I didn't screw her over by robbing her grandmother blind (grandma's savings was 9 gil? I found 27 on the bar floor). I got to 16 jumps on the jump-rope, which is the most I've ever gotten. Fuck that game, but I love it because it's THERE. Not only is there so much to interact with (thank you, ! and ?) but there's so much to explore! Compare looking at the statue of Madelene with reading the log in FFXIII. Not only does Madelene's statue provide us with socio-political history, not only does it's existence imply a cultural reverence for war figures, foreshadowing the events of the story, but I CAN LOOK AT IT. Ahem. Anyhow, the nobility and the working class both seem to be made up of convergently-evolved bipedal animals. I've noticed a trend in that nobles tend to be bird-men and bird-women (except for Treno nobles, which seem to be entirely hu-man) and that ground-based animals seem to be commoners (example, Hippaul and his father Dante, the asshole sign-maker). I feel like I should attribute this to the existence of mist, and the cultural advantages of living in elevated climes. That aside, there don't seem to be any race-issues in the world of FFIX, but class issues and gender issues play heavily in the political climate.

Alexandria's army is made up of all females, and even its main entrance is Madelene's square, honouring a female war hero. There is no king, nor prince. The male knights are a joke, deservedly, and the men you interact with all seem to be big whiners. Ryan needs more money for a sword. Dante got distracted by a child falling over and he makes it the child's fault. Some red-mage asshole can't get a room from the fish-man at the Inn. The fish-man at the Inn, instead of being happy about his good business, whines that he can't accommodate more people. Tom's cat ran away. Some boatman can't sneak into the castle. Ilia's grandfather wanders home, makes a snide comment about his wife's good work ethic, and wanders back out into the street. Even the bartender can't be happy about his good business without immediately saying "But it's the last time we'll be busy for a while." Men are a joke in Alexandria, they're extraneous. Meanwhile, the hippo lady at the inn is very busy. The noble women buy and sell flowers. Ilia's grandmother makes her a dress every year. The blacksmith's wife has worked and earned a ticket to the play. Maggie, the girl working at the bar, only has one line of dialogue: "I have to get back to work." Back to work? You didn't ever stop, you're just passing me! Women are the backbone of Alexandria, and they *know* it.

There are three men in Alexandria who aren't utter douches, and they're all from out of town. One is Vivi, who upon finding out that his grandfather's only bequest was a fake, happily changes his life goal upon learning what cards are, so it's off to find Alleyway Jack. He then immediately gets distracted and becomes a slave to rat-kid. Vivi isn't particularly strong-willed (we are made to think) but by the moons, at least he isn't whining or apologizing for anything. He's already far surpassed Tidus, Vaan, and Snow in terms of compelling protagonist, and he's only going to be the main character for another ten minutes.

The other two non-douche-males are Puck and Alleyway Jack, respectively. Puck is a dick-supremo, and Alleyway Jack robs you unless you turn around and talk to him, in which case he happily talks about cards and takes a kid to a bar. They're not admirable characters, but non-douches nonetheless. After talking with Alleyway Jack, I played cards with everyone I could.

Interesting to note: the men in Alexandria are very good at cards. The women not so much. Is the game trying to tell us that playing games is unproductive? META.

Spoiler: The Zidane Sequence and Plot Hole 1

Back to Tantalus, who get so into the bogus 'play' that you'd think they actually *were* a theatre troupe (hint hint). Unlike most of the lovable band-of-rogues that Final Fantasy constantly offers us (the Timber Owls? NORA? Fuck off) I actually quite like every member of Tantalus. Yes, even the leather-fetishist hippo-brothers, Benero, Genero, and Zenero. The only member who grates on me in the slightest is Ruby, because her role in FFIX is, one-hundred-percent of the time, to get in my way. Nevermind that her first line of dialogue is "Whut in tarnation?" which evokes Yosemite Sam meeting a drunk Dolly Parton. Ruby is the unfortunate lovechild of that drunken, sloppy, half-cartoon sideways-rodeo, and when her name appears over a piece of dialogue, my ears thank the game that no voice actress was hired to accent that image with sound.

Where was I? Oh yes, the duel! Out of 100 nobles, 80 were impressed. Queen Brahne was not impressed. Zidane and Blank sneak into the castle, and Blank starts whining like the Alexandrian he's dressed up as (method actors...psh). You meet Garnet (white mage cloak! It only appears every fourth Final Fantasy game!) who Zidane immediately lets get away. I've always had a bit of a problem with this sequence, because its clear that Zidane suspects that it is Garnet under the cloak, but moves out of her way in any case, to check out her ass. Dude, I get it, you're a lovable cad. But you can check out her lovingly-programmed butt on the way to Lindblum. Ditch the oglops and the sleeping poison. Just grab her. The only way I can see this being logical is that he wanted her not to scream and attract attention, but then why check out her butt like a creep and then chase her around the castle yard after she bolts away? We may never know.

Spoiler: The Steiner Sequence and Storytelling Squees

Oh how the mighty have fallen. The proverbial knight from Nintendo games of yore has become a mockery of himself. He's not showing up with an orb and a prophesy, he's already there, rusting in his armour, failing at his job. Beatrix is such a good foil for Steiner that it's impossible not to immediately like him. He's the underdog here. The 'find the Pluto Knights' sidequest isn't just entertaining (P.S. hey Quina!) but it also endears Steiner to me. And that needs to happen, or else his bromance with Zidane just isn't going to work. Writing-wise, it's SUPER-tricky to pull something like this off. Which is why most buddy-cop films suck, but we go anyway on the off chance that it's good. I tell you right now, leave Blue Rush Shanghai Surge 4 alone. FFIX has this covered.

Anyway, my point is, for a while, I'm playing the villain. Not like in FFIV, where you, the player, unwittingly bring a bomb to a town. Not like in FFVI, where you kill some mooks in a town before you know what the story is. Not like in FFVII, where you relive your past with a morally repugnant corporation. In FFIX, you the player are forced to make a choice and side with Steiner or Zidane. No matter your choice, you're going to flip back and forth between these two for the next few hours, as they actively oppose each other. And in strolls major theme one: moral subjectivity. Or to put it another way, Self-actualization through the defense of a moral code. True to golden-age-FF-style, the gameplay accents this by creating an interactive environment so that it engages a different part of your brain from reading, watching, or speaking academically. As Steiner and Zidane chase after their respective targets, the player is forced to confront their own moral ambiguity. The introduction (and endearment) of Steiner also undermines a 'rule' of modern storytelling: introduce your main character first (or have their name in the title). At this point, I should have no idea what Zidane's motivations are for kidnapping Garnet, besides general rastabouting. Were it not for the cover art (and the fact that I've played this before) I have no reason to believe that he is a main character. Steiner is the only person I've controlled yet who isn't actively breaking a law or committing interational subterfuge. But Steiner's antiquated language and general buffoonery make him an unlikely candidate for replacement.

Spoiler: The Escape and Plot Hole 2

And onto the ship runs Vivi, a character I've heard argued as the actual main character of the FFIX. I may well agree, but Vivi doesn't quite have the agency that other protagonists had, such as Cecil, Bartz, and Yuna (protip: every story with Yuna in it is her story). Seeing as how Garnet has sided with Zidane, it's a sure bet that he's our main hero (a thief class! mindblow). Also, even though the game came out in 2000, he's probably the last of the 90s "Video game characters with 'tude." Sonic, Bubsy, Crash, Spyro... It was a dying breed. But the way Zidane moons Queen Brahne as the ship takes off made me chuckle. I never noticed that before.

The bomb fight is upsetting, not only because the battle sprite of the bomb is super lame compared to the FMV, but also because I knew how it was going to endeand was just waiting around for the thing to get big enough for Steiner to notice it. Also, Brahne's actions in sending the bomb were counter-intuitive to her overall goals (no spoilers), it makes no sense that she would smile at blowing up her daughter.

Spoiler: The Evil Forest and Baku Analysis

I both love and hate this dungeon. On the one hand, it's *THE HALLWAY* that we all complained about in FFXIII, but somehow it seems more lovingly crafted, because each screen is a unique picture, angle, and I'm never running straight for very long. Yeah, the dungeon is a single A to B path, but it's winding and fun. Also, I love me some infinite recovery spring rooms. I'd spend way more time overlevelling here were it not for the plants that blind you.

The story also screeches to a halt here, and teleports back and forth between locations that I have to run back and forth from, like the area with the cage-plant. It feels like things repeat themselves here. The plant battle, the doling out of various potions, another fight with Baku on the ship.

What I like is how interesting the scenes with Tantalus are upon another playthrough (slight backstory spoilers follow). Baku crying over Zidane leaving (and covering it up with a sneeze) shows just how polarizing Zidane's decision is. Baku is the Fagan archetype, an abusive adopter of orphans who teaches them to peddle for him. While Fagan's motives are to save his own life from Sykes, Baku's seem to be more emotional. He wants a family. He wants a home. Baku can't do anything on his own, he's not particularly skilled in battle, and despite his connections with Cid he can't raise his social status beyond a bum (and an actor to boot!). Pretty sure Cid keeps him down to have an eye on the underbelly of Lindblum.

Zidane's decision, meanwhile, to leave the only family he ever had, is hugely important. The first playthrough, I was tricked by Zidane's "She's pretty and she's in trouble" reason to think that this either wasn't as huge deal as it was, or that this game didn't take itself so seriously. But Zidane's obvious covering-up of his feelings is so much more apparent. And guess what, Cloud? Still deep even though he's light-hearted. The story stakes for me were so high so that I actually decided not to go after Garnet. Of course, then I saw a scene I'd never seen before, of Zidane at the Captain's wheel thinking about himself and his life, and how changed he was upon meeting Garnet. Holy fuck this story is good.

Everything else went basically according to memory, although I also saw Zidane's purposeful-slowing down to draw away the evil roses recontextualized by that extra scene. And good old Blank. I never really understood why the forest petrified itself, I always figured there would be an explanation later in the game, but it never is. Maybe there's an entire different quest to save the world happening at the same time, and the petrification of Evil Forest is the climactic end to their story. Any fanfic writers want to take up the challenge?

Spoiler: The Camping Trip and Gunita's Basin

One of my favourite scenes in the game. Every time Steiner warns me about the mist, I actually get frightened and want to get the fuck up to a plateau ASAP. I can't shake the feeling that the game has a hidden mechanic in which the more time you spend in the mist, the more it will start to create aberrations in your mind and body. I know that's not true, but I freak out nonetheless. And I don't even live in that world! Imagine Steiner, someone who probably has never been in the mist, finding himself trapped down there, with the Princess to boot. Stakes are super high for him. I find myself sympathizing with him the most, but liking Zidane the most, which is exactly the dynamic one needs for a buddy-cop film.

I love going to South Gate, I'm sad I never went there on my first playthrough, I wonder what it would have been like going there not knowing the answer to the mystery (although your hunches are probably right).

Who is Gunita? Why do they have a Basin named after them? I am one of only a few people who cares, so I don't think it should be included in an in-menu encyclopaedia. But one can wonder at it nonetheless, and I like it. FFIX's world is so damn immersive.

Stoked for the next chapter. Will probably run around Gunita's Basin and overlevel my characters, since I now have a white mage and ample tents.

 

[Lex]

That was a beast of a post and a phenomenal read Ite, thanks for sharing. I can't sleep so at the moment I'm

Spoiler: listening to this

(Warning, spoilers in the video. You can listen, but don't watch if you haven't played the game!)

and writing up my chapter.

Final Fantasy IX has one of the best opening sequences of any Final Fantasy game to date in my opinion. The style and polish is a feast for the eyes, and while all isn't clear at first, it's amazing what it manages to depict in hindsight.

Gameplay and cinematics are very well hybridised and immediately engage the player. The gameplay in IX is definitely my favourite of the PlayStation era. I didn't really discover how fluid it was until very recently - over the summer, after the Final Fantasy VII playthrough I hit VIII and then IX. VII is at times unbelievably awkward, but it's forgiven due to being the first FF title on the PS. The introduction of analogue control in VIII is welcome, but also awkward at times - the characters never really felt animated with movement.

IX shines in this respect. It's just so fluid. The introduction of the (?) and (!) speech bubbles is a little bit jarring at first, but it becomes natural through gameplay. The synergy between player control and movement really does help the player feel like they're a part of it. Not only that, the character animations and style, while probably the most outlandish of the entire series, just make the world feel more alive. It's all really engaging.

The introduction to the story can be intimidating to a new player. You're thrown from one character to another, unsure of origins, motives, what part they have to play etc. It's designed that way, and it's done incredibly well - especially when it comes to developing those characters.

I'm going to do a "normal" playthrough - which for me means semi-completionist. I managed to skip 24 times and impressed 94 nobles - Queen Brahne was quite impressed (after 10 attempts I think, the last of which was accidental. The game did not like me.) I started Mognet and spoke to everyone I could. I even won a game of Tetra Master! I'll do my best to collect the cards, but I can't be bothered actually playing the game. I'm a much bigger fan of Triple Triad

As far as levelling goes, my focus isn't on getting the characters levelled as much as it is about learning all the abilities - levelling tends to happen naturally as a part of that. While I'm well aware that equipment is what confers a stat increase at each level up, I'd rather play naturally and factor this in later when I want to grind.

I managed to steal most noteworthy items from Baku (Mage Masher), Steiner (Silk Shirt) and Prison Cage (Broadsword), but I missed out on the Iron Helm from the tentacle plant monster boss. There was some laughter on Skype with regard to an in-game line about one of the tentacles.

I love the Evil Forest music. It's on my "sleep" playlist along with greats such as "Silence Before the Storm" from FFX. I didn't really do any "on-purpose" levelling here, I mainly fought a few battles to get my bearings again. The end of the Evil Forest sequence is fantastic, I just love how the story takes a turn during that whole area.

In Gunitas Basin, I went to the Gate and bought some potions. I also fought battles until all the current abilities were learned - I left minus strike on Steiner's broadsword, since I'm going to have to fight more than enough battles on my way to his next more powerful sword anyway.

It was fun, as expected. I'm now impatiently waiting until next weekend when we can get on with Chapter 2 - I'll post the chapter target for that at some point later before the weekend is upon is

Remember to post your chapter reviews for this one when you've reached the target!

 

[Arianna]

I'm going to redo what I played yesterday. I missed some things and - yeah, I don't like missing things. I will need to get back to this thread and read up on others' impressions, and then type up my own.

When on Friday is the next chat?

 

[Strangelove]

That was a beast of a post and a phenomenal read Ite, thanks for sharing. I can't sleep so at the moment I'm

Spoiler: listening to this

(Warning, spoilers in the video. You can listen, but don't watch if you haven't played the game!)

and writing up my chapter.

official theme song of this playthrough

I forgot to do a proper write-up for my part:

After hearing people talk about how slow the gameplay can feel, I set the battle speed to max and put it on active. I might switch it to the wait setting if I find it too much, but I'm doing alright now. I just wish the ATB filled up faster, even on max it's still rather slow (whether that will change as I level up I don't know). I do like the ability system though, and characters having set jobs again. It's just Trance's unreliable nature that lets it down. I like the concept of Trance, but it's annoying that it can trigger at the end of a battle and you don't even get to use it and then you're back to square one. If say you got to keep what you had remaining of the Trance gauge after battle (or even half) it wouldn't be so bad.

I was trying to listen to the Skype call while playing, but I found that that way I couldn't really take in the music so I think I won't try to play through the next chapter while in the call at the same time (also I'll be away from home next weekend anyway).

I think all the characters so far have been likeable (that are meant to be), but I think I feel most invested in Vivi right now.

 

[Lex]

It's probably not going to be Friday Arianna - I mentioned that a few times during the call. I think you might have been confused because I mentioned Friday as the day the period for the new chapter begins - the target time for completing this chapter is this Friday, whereas the target time for Chapter 2 will be the following Friday

More than likely it'll be Saturday again - same time, that's assuming Friday and Sunday aren't better days for the majority. As mentioned before Friday probably isn't a good day for most North Americans due to it being a workday. I would actually prefer Fridays but AFAIK I'm free this Saturday again. When people are posting their chapter updates it'd be helpful if you could all indicate which day suits you most for the next Skype session .

 

[Arianna]

It's probably not going to be Friday Arianna - I mentioned that a few times during the call. I think you might have been confused because I mentioned Friday as the day the period for the new chapter begins - the target time for completing this chapter is this Friday, whereas the target time for Chapter 2 will be the following Friday

Sorry. Really. I'm very sorry. I thought you were saying it was going to be Friday. Next Saturday is okay for me - depending. I may have a party to go to. Not sure. Sunday is good. Friday is okay, but I have school earlier in the day. Whatever is decided, I'll try to be there.

 

[Flintlock]

Spoiler: Super long post

I've never done a community Let's Play before, but I assume that there are no real rules on length and format of reports, so I'll list my major thoughts on this playthrough, which will probably be tl;dr anyway, but spoiler free. Since this is the intro post, it'll be about 1000% longer than any subsequent one. Dividing it into sections for moderate justice.

Seeing as Final Fantasy IX is a love letter to its predecessors, I won't be able to help myself, when talking about it, to reference previous (and later) titles. It's hard to look at a Final Fantasy game objectively, especially one this good, without sighing with a post-hoc disappointment that no title since has even approached its calibre (sorry FFX fans).

Spoiler: The Intro Sequence aka Putting the Final in Final Fantasy

The now-mandatory "Intro FMV" had an interesting evolution in the PS1 era. When VII introduced it, it served more as an atmosphere and setting expositor for Midgar. VIII's heavy-handed overture was a confusing experimental short film that gave us only one bit of information about the story's beginning -- two guys give each other matching scars. As it happens, the time-travel and memory elements of VIII recontextualize its intro if looked at in the right light, but it is only fully appreciated the second time around. Final Fantasy IX's introductory FMV, however, is wholly appreciable on a first viewing. A princess is haunted by a recurring dream of a storm-torn raft (called the H.M.S. Foreshadower) and, upon waking, plays with doves and stares longingly out the window, as princesses are wont to do. We then meet our hero, a betailed fellow on a ship. The lack of Nomura is potent and welcome. The art direction of this game has gotten more flack than any of the failings of later titles, of which there are plenty and all more deserved. These characters have clothing that looks deliberately put on. Their outfits match with the NPCs of their gameworld. In IX's world, fashion is a signifier of class, wealth, and worth. Zidane's cravat is an indicator that he is not a commoner, but the way it hangs loosely around travel clothes suggests subtly that it's all an act.

Then the Intro FMV stops and I am thrust into gameplay. Unlike VII, which gave me my first taste of FMV before throwing me into action. And unlike VIII, which gave me my fill, IX almost disappoints. My immediate reaction upon playing a "light-the-candle" quest was "What? Was that FMV leading anywhere?" But of course I stumble around in the dark, reading extraneous details about the Prima Vista and finding potions (My first playthrough, I hated those ! and ? bubbles. They seemed belittling. I've grown to love them.) Anyway, I start the tutorial battle with a dragon-man, and my party consists of a pig-man, a monkey-man, and two hu-mans, one with the lower jaw of an orc from Warcraft and the other with a bandana around his eyes. A party, I am chuffed to discover, of all thieves. Anyway, Baku the cat-man is only masquerading as a dragon-man (on his own ship, and somehow his crew didn't notice) and the meeting starts and melts my mind.

What a perfect way to say goodbye to the old-school games. Taking your basic video-game fantasy plot and reversing it. This time, the mission isn't to kill the kidnappers, it's to kidnap. This time, I don't slog for thirty hours and get myself a ship, this time, I start with one, and a gorgeous one at that. To accent this revelation, a second FMV begins, revealing that it is, in fact, an AIR-ship. This reminds me more of the intro to FFVI than any of the PS1 games. A brief, prologuey intro, some dialogue and mission parameters, and then a scenic approach to the mission that -- of course -- won't go directly as planned for our band of knaves. Also, the only other time in FF history where credits are unskippable. The introduction is a three-way-marriage of the Nintendo, SNES and PS1 era games. In many ways, it actually feels like the Final one. The title-music from FFI explodes gloriously over the capital city of Alexandria as the title appears, and Hironobu Sakaguchi's name takes its rightful place, front and centre, on the seal of a great game.

Spoiler: The Vivi Sequence and Thoughts on Feminism in Alexandria

Sudequests! Mognet! Cards! Towns! You have no idea how happy I was to have the opportunity to start looking for some asshole's lost cat. Tom and Mittens, you have made my life. There are so many sidequests, minigames, and interesting NPC plotlines to follow that I never remember them all. I don't know if I've ever found Tom's cat. I saw the damn thing on a rooftop right after I talked to the kid. Anyway, I hope Ilia gets her dress, and that I didn't screw her over by robbing her grandmother blind (grandma's savings was 9 gil? I found 27 on the bar floor). I got to 16 jumps on the jump-rope, which is the most I've ever gotten. Fuck that game, but I love it because it's THERE. Not only is there so much to interact with (thank you, ! and ?) but there's so much to explore! Compare looking at the statue of Madelene with reading the log in FFXIII. Not only does Madelene's statue provide us with socio-political history, not only does it's existence imply a cultural reverence for war figures, foreshadowing the events of the story, but I CAN LOOK AT IT. Ahem. Anyhow, the nobility and the working class both seem to be made up of convergently-evolved bipedal animals. I've noticed a trend in that nobles tend to be bird-men and bird-women (except for Treno nobles, which seem to be entirely hu-man) and that ground-based animals seem to be commoners (example, Hippaul and his father Dante, the asshole sign-maker). I feel like I should attribute this to the existence of mist, and the cultural advantages of living in elevated climes. That aside, there don't seem to be any race-issues in the world of FFIX, but class issues and gender issues play heavily in the political climate.

Alexandria's army is made up of all females, and even its main entrance is Madelene's square, honouring a female war hero. There is no king, nor prince. The male knights are a joke, deservedly, and the men you interact with all seem to be big whiners. Ryan needs more money for a sword. Dante got distracted by a child falling over and he makes it the child's fault. Some red-mage asshole can't get a room from the fish-man at the Inn. The fish-man at the Inn, instead of being happy about his good business, whines that he can't accommodate more people. Tom's cat ran away. Some boatman can't sneak into the castle. Ilia's grandfather wanders home, makes a snide comment about his wife's good work ethic, and wanders back out into the street. Even the bartender can't be happy about his good business without immediately saying "But it's the last time we'll be busy for a while." Men are a joke in Alexandria, they're extraneous. Meanwhile, the hippo lady at the inn is very busy. The noble women buy and sell flowers. Ilia's grandmother makes her a dress every year. The blacksmith's wife has worked and earned a ticket to the play. Maggie, the girl working at the bar, only has one line of dialogue: "I have to get back to work." Back to work? You didn't ever stop, you're just passing me! Women are the backbone of Alexandria, and they *know* it.

There are three men in Alexandria who aren't utter douches, and they're all from out of town. One is Vivi, who upon finding out that his grandfather's only bequest was a fake, happily changes his life goal upon learning what cards are, so it's off to find Alleyway Jack. He then immediately gets distracted and becomes a slave to rat-kid. Vivi isn't particularly strong-willed (we are made to think) but by the moons, at least he isn't whining or apologizing for anything. He's already far surpassed Tidus, Vaan, and Snow in terms of compelling protagonist, and he's only going to be the main character for another ten minutes.

The other two non-douche-males are Puck and Alleyway Jack, respectively. Puck is a dick-supremo, and Alleyway Jack robs you unless you turn around and talk to him, in which case he happily talks about cards and takes a kid to a bar. They're not admirable characters, but non-douches nonetheless. After talking with Alleyway Jack, I played cards with everyone I could.

Interesting to note: the men in Alexandria are very good at cards. The women not so much. Is the game trying to tell us that playing games is unproductive? META.

Spoiler: The Zidane Sequence and Plot Hole 1

Back to Tantalus, who get so into the bogus 'play' that you'd think they actually *were* a theatre troupe (hint hint). Unlike most of the lovable band-of-rogues that Final Fantasy constantly offers us (the Timber Owls? NORA? Fuck off) I actually quite like every member of Tantalus. Yes, even the leather-fetishist hippo-brothers, Benero, Genero, and Zenero. The only member who grates on me in the slightest is Ruby, because her role in FFIX is, one-hundred-percent of the time, to get in my way. Nevermind that her first line of dialogue is "Whut in tarnation?" which evokes Yosemite Sam meeting a drunk Dolly Parton. Ruby is the unfortunate lovechild of that drunken, sloppy, half-cartoon sideways-rodeo, and when her name appears over a piece of dialogue, my ears thank the game that no voice actress was hired to accent that image with sound.

Where was I? Oh yes, the duel! Out of 100 nobles, 80 were impressed. Queen Brahne was not impressed. Zidane and Blank sneak into the castle, and Blank starts whining like the Alexandrian he's dressed up as (method actors...psh). You meet Garnet (white mage cloak! It only appears every fourth Final Fantasy game!) who Zidane immediately lets get away. I've always had a bit of a problem with this sequence, because its clear that Zidane suspects that it is Garnet under the cloak, but moves out of her way in any case, to check out her ass. Dude, I get it, you're a lovable cad. But you can check out her lovingly-programmed butt on the way to Lindblum. Ditch the oglops and the sleeping poison. Just grab her. The only way I can see this being logical is that he wanted her not to scream and attract attention, but then why check out her butt like a creep and then chase her around the castle yard after she bolts away? We may never know.

Spoiler: The Steiner Sequence and Storytelling Squees

Oh how the mighty have fallen. The proverbial knight from Nintendo games of yore has become a mockery of himself. He's not showing up with an orb and a prophesy, he's already there, rusting in his armour, failing at his job. Beatrix is such a good foil for Steiner that it's impossible not to immediately like him. He's the underdog here. The 'find the Pluto Knights' sidequest isn't just entertaining (P.S. hey Quina!) but it also endears Steiner to me. And that needs to happen, or else his bromance with Zidane just isn't going to work. Writing-wise, it's SUPER-tricky to pull something like this off. Which is why most buddy-cop films suck, but we go anyway on the off chance that it's good. I tell you right now, leave Blue Rush Shanghai Surge 4 alone. FFIX has this covered.

Anyway, my point is, for a while, I'm playing the villain. Not like in FFIV, where you, the player, unwittingly bring a bomb to a town. Not like in FFVI, where you kill some mooks in a town before you know what the story is. Not like in FFVII, where you relive your past with a morally repugnant corporation. In FFIX, you the player are forced to make a choice and side with Steiner or Zidane. No matter your choice, you're going to flip back and forth between these two for the next few hours, as they actively oppose each other. And in strolls major theme one: moral subjectivity. Or to put it another way, Self-actualization through the defense of a moral code. True to golden-age-FF-style, the gameplay accents this by creating an interactive environment so that it engages a different part of your brain from reading, watching, or speaking academically. As Steiner and Zidane chase after their respective targets, the player is forced to confront their own moral ambiguity. The introduction (and endearment) of Steiner also undermines a 'rule' of modern storytelling: introduce your main character first (or have their name in the title). At this point, I should have no idea what Zidane's motivations are for kidnapping Garnet, besides general rastabouting. Were it not for the cover art (and the fact that I've played this before) I have no reason to believe that he is a main character. Steiner is the only person I've controlled yet who isn't actively breaking a law or committing interational subterfuge. But Steiner's antiquated language and general buffoonery make him an unlikely candidate for replacement.

Spoiler: The Escape and Plot Hole 2

And onto the ship runs Vivi, a character I've heard argued as the actual main character of the FFIX. I may well agree, but Vivi doesn't quite have the agency that other protagonists had, such as Cecil, Bartz, and Yuna (protip: every story with Yuna in it is her story). Seeing as how Garnet has sided with Zidane, it's a sure bet that he's our main hero (a thief class! mindblow). Also, even though the game came out in 2000, he's probably the last of the 90s "Video game characters with 'tude." Sonic, Bubsy, Crash, Spyro... It was a dying breed. But the way Zidane moons Queen Brahne as the ship takes off made me chuckle. I never noticed that before.

The bomb fight is upsetting, not only because the battle sprite of the bomb is super lame compared to the FMV, but also because I knew how it was going to endeand was just waiting around for the thing to get big enough for Steiner to notice it. Also, Brahne's actions in sending the bomb were counter-intuitive to her overall goals (no spoilers), it makes no sense that she would smile at blowing up her daughter.

Spoiler: The Evil Forest and Baku Analysis

I both love and hate this dungeon. On the one hand, it's *THE HALLWAY* that we all complained about in FFXIII, but somehow it seems more lovingly crafted, because each screen is a unique picture, angle, and I'm never running straight for very long. Yeah, the dungeon is a single A to B path, but it's winding and fun. Also, I love me some infinite recovery spring rooms. I'd spend way more time overlevelling here were it not for the plants that blind you.

The story also screeches to a halt here, and teleports back and forth between locations that I have to run back and forth from, like the area with the cage-plant. It feels like things repeat themselves here. The plant battle, the doling out of various potions, another fight with Baku on the ship.

What I like is how interesting the scenes with Tantalus are upon another playthrough (slight backstory spoilers follow). Baku crying over Zidane leaving (and covering it up with a sneeze) shows just how polarizing Zidane's decision is. Baku is the Fagan archetype, an abusive adopter of orphans who teaches them to peddle for him. While Fagan's motives are to save his own life from Sykes, Baku's seem to be more emotional. He wants a family. He wants a home. Baku can't do anything on his own, he's not particularly skilled in battle, and despite his connections with Cid he can't raise his social status beyond a bum (and an actor to boot!). Pretty sure Cid keeps him down to have an eye on the underbelly of Lindblum.

Zidane's decision, meanwhile, to leave the only family he ever had, is hugely important. The first playthrough, I was tricked by Zidane's "She's pretty and she's in trouble" reason to think that this either wasn't as huge deal as it was, or that this game didn't take itself so seriously. But Zidane's obvious covering-up of his feelings is so much more apparent. And guess what, Cloud? Still deep even though he's light-hearted. The story stakes for me were so high so that I actually decided not to go after Garnet. Of course, then I saw a scene I'd never seen before, of Zidane at the Captain's wheel thinking about himself and his life, and how changed he was upon meeting Garnet. Holy fuck this story is good.

Everything else went basically according to memory, although I also saw Zidane's purposeful-slowing down to draw away the evil roses recontextualized by that extra scene. And good old Blank. I never really understood why the forest petrified itself, I always figured there would be an explanation later in the game, but it never is. Maybe there's an entire different quest to save the world happening at the same time, and the petrification of Evil Forest is the climactic end to their story. Any fanfic writers want to take up the challenge?

Spoiler: The Camping Trip and Gunita's Basin

One of my favourite scenes in the game. Every time Steiner warns me about the mist, I actually get frightened and want to get the fuck up to a plateau ASAP. I can't shake the feeling that the game has a hidden mechanic in which the more time you spend in the mist, the more it will start to create aberrations in your mind and body. I know that's not true, but I freak out nonetheless. And I don't even live in that world! Imagine Steiner, someone who probably has never been in the mist, finding himself trapped down there, with the Princess to boot. Stakes are super high for him. I find myself sympathizing with him the most, but liking Zidane the most, which is exactly the dynamic one needs for a buddy-cop film.

I love going to South Gate, I'm sad I never went there on my first playthrough, I wonder what it would have been like going there not knowing the answer to the mystery (although your hunches are probably right).

Who is Gunita? Why do they have a Basin named after them? I am one of only a few people who cares, so I don't think it should be included in an in-menu encyclopaedia. But one can wonder at it nonetheless, and I like it. FFIX's world is so damn immersive.

Stoked for the next chapter. Will probably run around Gunita's Basin and overlevel my characters, since I now have a white mage and ample tents.

That, Mr. Ite, was the single best post I have seen on this forum since I joined over a year ago. I doff my hat to thee, sir.

I know you said that your intro post is going to be longer than the subsequent ones, but I would seriously consider paying you if you if you could keep that up for the whole game.

I agree with 99% of what you wrote. The only thing I really disagree on is that Zidane letting Garnet past is a plot hole. Firstly, it's optional. (Will we ever know what is canon? Perhaps that information is hidden in an Ultimania book somewhere. Meanwhile, the debate between examine-her-facers and let-her-passers rages on. Squaresoft, you've done it again!) I chose to examine her face this time, but even if you do choose to let her past, you don't actually let her past for more than a moment. Secondly, Zidane probably thought he would flirt with her for a moment and then get to the business of kidnapping her; that fits his character, doesn't it? Thirdly, on top of all that, Zidane could have been aware that Blank was waiting for her should she decide to run away - not that he turned out to be much use in the end.

Anyway. I think you've made me look forward to playing the rest of this game even more now. Thank you!

Lex: I think Friday or Sunday would be better for me, as there's a chance I'll be busy on Saturday evening. Regardless, I'll be with Kuroto again, so I might not join in with the voice chat. I'll be on Skype though

 

[AvecAloes]

What did you think of the opening? How would you rate it against other FF openings?

As other have stated, this opening is very good. I like the background it gives you, as Ite detailed, which I didn't really pick up on the first time I played, to be honest. Hey, I was new to RPG's and for some reason stuff like that just didn't stick with me very well Took me a couple of playthroughs of VII (and the joining of this forum) to really understand what was going on there, too, haha. But anyway, speaking of VII, I do think I still like VII's opening better, but I understand why they are different. VII's thrusts you into action with you have little to no knowledge of what the hell is going on, which is appropriate for starting out as Cloud in VII, where everything has already started to go nuts before the game begins, whereas IX's opening eases you into the game and leads you into the action before things get deep and crazy, though you still don't know exactly why you're doing the things you do.

There are a tonne of minigames in IX. Did you try skipping? Did you start Mognet or meet Stilzkin? How did you find the sparring minigame? Did you impress Queen Brahne?

I got to two skips. Woo. I tried and tried, but had to move on in the end, though I hate being bested by things like that. I met Stilzkin, and did very well with the sparring minigame, impressing Queen Brahne on my first go. I did it a few more times after that though, just for fun I met Alleyway Jack, of course, and lost pretty handily, so now I'm only sitting at four cards which of course prevented me from challenging anyone else in Alexandria. I didn't play the card game very often during my first play through, and I think I'd like to do a little more with that this time. Unless I keep losing, of course

What do you think of the controls/exploration compared to other FF titles? What about the battle system?

I appreciate the ! and ? bubbles, to be honest. I'm not the best explorer, to be honest, and I kind of like to be led a little, so those definitely help me, haha. I did do some exploring of Alexanrdia as Vivi, though, and saw a lot more than I did during my first play through. Things that didn't really "mean" anything to me take on some meaning after having read Ite's post, too.
The battle system definitely seems slow. I keep reading that people changed the speed, so perhaps I will also do this when I get started on the next chapter.

Are you enjoying the story? What do you think of it so far?

I am enjoying it so far. Again, this is my second time playing through the game, and I'm already picking up on more than I did my first time through, which excites me for the rest of the game, to be honest. IX was my second FF, VII was my first, and I remember thinking then that I liked IX's story better than VII's, and now that I've recently played through VII again, I'd like to see if that still holds true after I have a better understanding of both games.

The Skype chat was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed watching Lex's stream while playing my own game, though sometimes that backfired (I was mugged by Alleyway Jack because I wasn't paying attention to my own game ). I had zero trouble stealing any of the items from Baku or the Plant Brain, so it was admittedly amusing to listen to the moans of the other players as they tried and tried again to steal the items Of course, everyone got to hear my disappointment upon finding myself KOed by a stupid rabbit in the Evil Forest, so I guess we're even

I doubt I'll be able to join in during the Skype chat this weekend, as I'll be in New York getting Micah settled in until Sunday, when I head down to Philly, but I don't think that will be until later in the day. Maybe I'll be able to join the following weekend, though. We shall see!

 

[Captain Jack Harkness]

• What did you think of the opening? How would you rate it against other FF openings?

it's pretty good. when i saw Alexandria's castle i was " coooool, it's look like a Disney castle. wait, the higher tower is a mirror? don't they fear a incident? i airship can crush against that tower... oh, who care, it's final fantasy. there wouldn't be a airship crush if the plot won't need it. i suppose." Oh, and my first reaction when i read about the plan i though "so we're going to kidnap a innocent princess? well at least we're not going to kill innocent people" i'm serius, this is probably the second FF opening where innocent people doesn't die. i tried to play II, and people dies even before you see the menu, IV begins after your main character had killed a lot of innocent people, X basically start with Sin killing everybody in zanankard and VII... you blow up a reactor. III was the only FF i played (or tried to play) which doesn't involve the death of at least 10 innocent people.

• There are a tonne of minigames in IX. Did you try skipping? Did you start Mognet or meet Stilzkin? How did you find the sparring minigame? Did you impress Queen Brahne?

well, the minigames... maybe is better if i don't talk about them ok, it didn't go very well. i tried the rope and i make 1 and my record in the sparring minigame is 11. but i have a reason. this is the first time i play IX and i hadn't so much time for minigames. plus, i didn't knew exactly the buttons

• What do you think of the controls/exploration compared to other FF titles? What about the battle system?

i like the !/? thing, but actually i'm looking for a way for run. the battle sistem looks ok, but i don't like too much the fact that your trance gauge came back to 0 after you finish the battle.

• Are you enjoying the story? What do you think of it so far?

yeah even if i'm not sure yet about what the story is about (except for the relationship between the character). also

Spoiler

BLAAAANK yeah, know he isn't important, but getting pretrified by those forest-type cthulhu junior... he's the tantalus guy you see most at the begging and shortly after he's pietrifried. for me is much worse than jessie/biggs/wedge death in VII because you never use these guys.

other things.. i haven't fight much for now, but maybe i'll do it a bit before start the new chapter.
i'm also courious to find out why everybody says Garnet/Dagger.

 

[Lex]

To everyone who bought FFIX last week for this playthrough, I'm sorry. It's half price from Wednesday in the EU :/

EDIT: But take comfort in the fact that I also got screwed over, because I paid £16.99 for Dissidia 012 last night and it's also been reduced. Lol life is a troll.

 

[ForceStealer]

What did you think of the opening? How would you rate it against other FF openings?

It's good. I remember as a kid I didn't understand what the storm tossed boat had to do with anything. I obviously know what it is now, not sure how much it really adds though, by the time you reach the explanation in your first playthrough, you've likely forgotten about it. But either way, I don't have a problem with it.
I suppose the opening is still technically in media res, I suppose, but it's a less action-packed version than VII and XIII used. It uses a little "breather" with Vivi so that you can get a bit more of a feel for the world before picking back up where the game started.
I know this is getting ahead of myself, but I like the play, I think it's cool how the fights on stage involve "special effects" spells. Since none of them are magic users I guess they truly are special effects, but I also like thinking about mages being able to use spells that simply look flashy but don't do anything. I do wish they did damage. Obviously it would be stage damage, but presumably that's what they're doing with their weapons anyway.

There are a tonne of minigames in IX. Did you try skipping? Did you start Mognet or meet Stilzkin? How did you find the sparring minigame? Did you impress Queen Brahne?

Yeah, I have always sucked at that damn jump roping game. After several tries I got up to seven, but I've never had the patience for it.
I've also never found Tom's cat. And I did start Mognet, I'm not super fond of how easy it is to miss things, but on the whole I like that little sidequest. I like that with their letters it actually adds to the plot and world, rather than simply delivering the letter and being on your way.
I LOVE the sword fight game. My PS1 memory card still has a save file before it just so I could play it. I love Vamo alla Flamenco, and it fits the game so well. That said, I've never impressed a hundred nobles or anything, so I guess I suck anyway. But I got up to 88, impressed the fat lady, and continued on.

What do you think of the controls/exploration compared to other FF titles? What about the battle system?

The controls are...fine. Honestly I never really thought about the controls in a Final Fantasy game. There's generally not a lot to handle. I heard people talking very positively about analog control, and I did try to keep using it. It's strange though, when I'm playing a PS1 game, (and especially 2D games) I tend to subconsciously default to the D-Pad.
I was never really a fan of the randomly stashed items all over the place in games. Chests, or looking through cupboards or something is one thing, as long as there's an in-universe visual clue I'm okay with it. IX's is tolerable because they at least show when you're near something. I refuse to just walk around mashing the button all the time. But, eh.
The battle system is sluggish but it's not unbearable. Turning up the seed can help, but I seem to recall there being a boss...in Gargan Roo was it? Where it's a LOT easier to kill it if you turn the battle speed all the way down.
But really, why is it so slow? VII's and VIII's aren't speedy by any means, why not just move like them? It's funny that "Active Time Battles" have a penchant for moving slower than turn-based. All ATB REALLY does is put a time limit on your move selections, it doesn't really speed up the combat. Unless you're FFX-2.

Are you enjoying the story? What do you think of it so far?

Mhmm. I remember the first time I played it I was almost stunned by how different from VII it was. But unlike the popular notion that VII-fans hated FFs that weren't like it, at no point did I discern that FF9 "wasn't final fantasy" or "too weird," I mean what the hell did I know? I had obviously missed at least 7 other games.
And I never had a problem with high fantasy. Like I said before I really liked the play, and how Garnet and Zidane improvised their way in, and even Steiner, despite not realizing it, he's just that dramatic.
When I was a kid, though I saw it and comprehended, I never truly recognized that Alexandria was a matriarchy. Pretty interesting idea, something IX did very well was making each of its regions really distinct. They all truly felt different. VII and X, for instance, had a harder time with that simply because the entire world was under singular rule, more or less. IX managed to squeeze culture out of almost every "nation," while VII and X managed to do that for certain places (Cosmo Canyon, Guadosalam), IX had it everywhere.


Due to the tax season starting today, I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to join in other skype sessions. Sundays are the only days that will be doable at all, but I can't even promise that. But I'll keep up with the playthrough, and join when I can.

 

[Fangu]

Okay I haven't finished the chapter yet (I'm at the Spring in the forest) but I thought I'd type this up anyway.

What did you think of the opening? How would you rate it against other FF openings?

I think it was fine. Nothing extraordinary, just another good FF opening.

There are a tonne of minigames in IX. Did you try skipping? Did you start Mognet or meet Stilzkin? How did you find the sparring minigame? Did you impress Queen Brahne?

I tired the skipping games waaaay too many times, the results being something like
0-1-1-2-1-0-1-0-2-1-1-1-0-1-1-14(YAY!!)-1-1-1-1-0-1-0-1-0 etc. and then I gave up.

Queen Brahne was not very impress and I had 65 or something nobles at the max.

I started Mognet, and met Stilzkin. Lost the card game. I collected all the cards, I think, mostly due to not finding the alleyway, lol.

What do you think of the controls/exploration compared to other FF titles? What about the battle system?

I really like it! It's sorta "back to basics" like FF I and II, but with some new features. The only thing I don't like, which has been mentioned, is how slow the next turn gauge fills up, even if I've set it to max.

Are you enjoying the story? What do you think of it so far?

I am! I can mention a few things:

• Steiner. I love Steiner. The way he walks is absolutely super entertaining. Yeah I'm definitely a Steiner fan. I am loving his Mag Sword atm.
• "THAT is queen Brahne??"
• I accidentally killed Garnet when she was inside that plant enemy thingy. Sorry love.
• I have a feeling I'm really gonna like Ruby.
• I particularly like the enemies in this game.
• I like the music. I like the smoothness of the gameplay.
• I thought I would be annoyed by the Save animation (the Moogle) but it's just cute and I can't hate it.
• Vivi's 'oh no but I'm not very good at anything' attitude could have been annoying, but so far it's just endearing.
• Re: Vivi, it's really nice to start out with a Black Mage instead of a White Mage. There's something about going straight to FIRE ON ALL THE THINGS instead of learning Cure.

Yep, so far I like IX.

 

[Teioh]

What did you think of the opening? How would you rate it against other FF openings?

It was okay, never really paid much attention to it and in that way it is pretty good. It eases you into the game quite nicely.

There are a tonne of minigames in IX. Did you try skipping? Did you start Mognet or meet Stilkzkin? How did you find the sparring minigame? Did you impress Queen Brahne?

I had forgotten how many little things you can do on this game. Attempted the skipping but gave up after failing to get past 10, it’s a new record for me though. Found a few cards but haven’t challenged anyone to a game and started the Mognet letter delivery business. 90/100 nobles were impressed after three attempts (I love listening to Vamo Alla Flamenco, third best music in the game IMO). I wasn’t aware that you could be rewarded with 10,000 gil, fighting the urge to start over.

What do you think of the controls/exploration compared to other FF titles? What about the battle system?

I’m a very impatient person and the battle speed had me bashing confirm as soon as the battle panel popped up. This resulted in a foolish Game Over after using Tidal Wave on Prison Cage and Garnet (lol you’re not the only one to kill Garnet, Fangu). I do enjoy the !/? prompts but I do prefer the item flashes/sparkles from FFVII. IX forces me to explore everything and I usually end up running around in circles several times to make sure I haven’t missed a prompt.

Are you enjoying the story? What do you think of it so far?

Yes, I love many of the characters. I like how you get control of many of them so soon in the game. I’ve only ever played IX once before and at that time I did not realise you could steal more than one item from enemies/bosses. This time I got a few good pieces of equipment and it’s made a big difference. I’m a fan of how you learn new abilities in this game.

My biggest gripe at the moment is that I forgot to stock up on Tents before leaving the Evil Forest and now I’m suffering with low MP. I don’t remember the next area too well but I’m hoping there’s a Moogle shop somewhere near.

 

[Cthulhu]

Oh neat, now I can goan buy FF games legally, . Or at least play them on my PS3. I have FFIX for PS1, but my PS2 is lent out. I could get it back by saturday though, but, cable controller, .

Also it only starts tomorrow, it seems.

 

[Strangelove]

You can play PS1 games on the PS3 though, so you wouldn't need the PS2 (as long as the game's the same region as the console)

 

[Zee]

i used to be really good at the card game and now i suck :C

i lost a fang card :C

 

[Carlie]

Ok I keep procrastinating to do this so here it goes:

What did you think of the opening? How would you rate it against other FF openings?

FFIX was the first FF game that I truly played so I have very fond memories of the opening. I love how the opening does a great job of showing how FFIX is a completely different game than FFVII and FFVIII. Other than that I wouldn't say there's anything extraordinary about it but I very much love it.

There are a tonne of minigames in IX. Did you try skipping? Did you start Mognet or meet Stilzkin? How did you find the sparring minigame? Did you impress Queen Brahne?

Got 21 on the jump rope game (new personal record), Tom's cat can go to hell since it has always eluded me and it used to annoy me to no end. I've always sucked at the cards games and this time I eve lost a fang card , I got 93 nobles impressed in the sword fight and Queen Brahne was quite impressed. On the whole I love all of the mini games, it gives me a reason to explore.

What do you think of the controls/exploration compared to other FF titles? What about the battle system?

The only other FF titles I've played are VII, XII and XIII, don't see VII and IX to be particularly different from each other but that may be because I haven't played FFVII in quite some time. XII has the best controls/exploration and battle system for me and XIII has no exploration and I prefer the controls the controls and battle system of IX over it.

Are you enjoying the story? What do you think of it so far?

IX is not only my favorite FF game it is also my favorite RPG of all time so I absolutely love the story and I'm most definitely enjoying it so far. I love how different Zidane is so different from Cloud and Squall from the start, how incompetent Steiner is, how adorable and endearing Vivi is, I love the twist with Garnet in which she's trying to escape herself when they come to kidnap her and I love her character in general. As Ite mentioned women are the backbone of Alexandria and I absolutely love that. I love how funny the game is from the start and well I love everything about it.

 

[Strangelove]

i used to be really good at the card game and now i suck :C

i lost a fang card :C

my strategy for cards is to save before each game, lose, shout "NO. THAT'S MY CARD" at an irresponsible volume, and load the game again

 

[ForceStealer]

I was never terribly good at Tetra Master, but I frequently played for love that song. It's just such a happy little song with cool instrumentation. (Sweet key change at 1:11, Uematsu-san)

And Rat Bum in Lindblum was my favorite opponent.