YaManSmevz Posted September 7, 2021 Share Posted September 7, 2021 5 hours ago, The_Kopite said: You're not the only one! lol Feel like we are gonna start doing the classic Sonic impatient foot tap soon lol jokes Addressing this first. Comments like this are why I love this community?? 8 hours ago, KindaSabbath said: Appreciate that dude! That vibe of kicking back and talking shit with the boys, is exactly why I've started posting more regularly. Honestly bro, you had me at that Cuphead review - trippin' balls and slaying through the game. I knew from that moment forward, when you speak, I'm listening. Haha I remember feeling like "I'm gonna look like a total dumb ass for talking about this" but ending up including it because, yes, the acid was very much a part of my Cuphead journey! Such a relief that a lot of y'all got a kick out of that! I very much appreciate it man, the feeling is quite mutual. Dude, anytime any if us are feelin down in the dumps we should just get on here and read this part of the thread. I'm lovin all the mutual respect, admiration, and encouragement!! 5 hours ago, rjkclarke said: I just get far too hung up on what I didn't say. I never expect people to go back and read whatever amendments I've made. I just do it for my own peace of mind. I thought about doing that with my Vampyr review - which I think you might have read recently. I was in a little bit of a negative haze after my last playthrough of that game despite really really wanting to like it - and I do like it, I just think from a mechanical perspective it's atrocious I did read that, and as I recall I enjoyed it! It reminded me of the crashes when I platted that last year, I must've blocked those out! I liked it too, but I also wanted to like it a lot more. I get the thing about the negative haze. That's how I felt about my Erica review, I think since at the time of playing I was a mute in the forums and didn't have anybody to talk to about how it quickly became such an annoying chore to complete, when I finally sat down to write about it, all this fucking bile just spewed out of me! I don't feel the need to change it, but I definitely do feel the need to remember to address the bad stuff with a bit more tact next time! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post rjkclarke Posted September 7, 2021 Author Popular Post Share Posted September 7, 2021 (edited) The Shiniest of Shiny new Platinums Platinum #327 Final Fantasy IX (PS4) Heroes of Gaia Collect all trophies. A Few Trophy Stats Platinum Earned - 6 September 2021 - 10:23:40 PM Time taken to Platinum - 2 months, 4 days, 3 hours Platinum Rarity - 7.23% Trophy Number - # 15,768 This review has essentially been twenty years in the making – fingers crossed it won’t actually take twenty years to read. A game is a sum of all of its parts though, so I’ll do my utmost to cover as much of it as I can. Twenty years you ask? Unfortunately, yes – I never deliberately avoided this game either, it just sort of passed me by. I always have wanted to play it, but here in the UK getting hold of a PS1 copy of Final Fantasy IX, certainly where I live at least was always a big problem – at least one for a reasonable price that is. Now that I have played it, I can absolutely understand why it was rare, and why people wouldn’t want to let this absolute treasure out of their sight. It isn’t like I couldn’t have played it until recently either, I’ve owned the digital version on the PS3 since at least 2014 I think, and I’ve had this PS4 version since the day it came out – in fact it’s been installed on my console for that entire time, but it’s taken me until 2021 to actually start it – and now here we are. Somehow I managed to remain pretty much spoiler free for twenty years, so you won’t find any spoilers here. I’ll talk about certain characters and their relationship to one another and things like that – but I’d hate to spoil this game for anyone who has also managed to remain spoiler free all this time. I know I’m not the only one who managed that. I don’t feel like I really need to elaborate on what Final Fantasy IX is - that part seems a little obvious. It does feel slightly different to almost every other Final Fantasy game though. I suppose that’s a holdover from the fact this game is treated as a retrospective look at the series by the developers. In that regard, Final Fantasy IX has an almost nostalgic and celebratory feel to it, in much the same way that the anniversary titles in the Tales of’ series often do. I said this same thing when I was writing about Final Fantasy VIII – but they really don’t make them like this anymore. I can’t understate that enough. I don’t think games necessarily should still be like this now either, but modern video games could learn a lot of important lessons from Final Fantasy IX, which hopefully I’ll be able to elaborate further on as I go into greater depth as we go. Of the many, many departments that Final Fantasy IX absolutely excels in. Probably the area it shines the most is the story and the characters. Whilst I’m not specifically going to mention the story, that’s just to keep people from spoilers. It cannot be understated how good the story is in this game. If you haven’t played it before and you eventually do, I’m sure you’ll understand why. In a series that is filled to the brim with articulate and fascinating stories, in my opinion Final Fantasy IX sits absolutely close to the top of the tree. I used to be firmly in the camp of Final Fantasy VIII (yes I did mean to put VIII – that’s not a typo) is the best PS1 era Final Fantasy game. Now that I’ve played Final Fantasy IX, there’s no question in my mind – it is without a doubt this. Another element of Final Fantasy IX, that can’t be ignored – is the incredible amount of life the developers brought to the characters without even the use of voiced dialogue. It’s truly marvellous how much they manage to do with so little. One of the best examples of this is through Vivi – the black mage character. If you’re making a barebones analysis of his character from a distance he’s good hearted, naive and a little timid. These aren’t easy qualities to imbibe without the use of voiced dialogue – yet, in the case of Final Fantasy IX it’s done in such an organic and believable way that you can’t help but be impressed by it. It’s the very small attentions to detail that really make Vivi as a character stand out – and by small, I mean small. Vivi has very slight inflections in his dialogue boxes which really add deeper dimensions to his character, an occasional “b-but” instead of a “but” or just a long sequences of pauses, where you’re made aware he wants to say something, yet doesn’t, they all go a long way. This isn’t exclusive to Vivi, subtle animations, inflections in dialogue and movement amongst the other characters really elevate them without relying on voice acting. All these tiny attention to details, end up adding a wide variety of depth to the characters as a whole. For me, it really is the small things like that, that make all the difference, there are even subtle changes in Vivi’s animation and the sound design applied to his movement that help differentiate him from other characters. I just can’t help but be impressed by how much effort was injected into this. You didn’t think I was just going to mention Vivi did you? I haven’t forgotten the others; I just think Vivi is one of the best realised characters, in almost every department – due to this it seemed pertinent to focus on him first. Final Fantasy IX’s protagonist Zidane has now become one of my personal favourite protagonists across the entire series, even looking at him from a purely objective point of view, and taking my opinion out of the equation entirely - I still think he’d rank incredibly highly amongst an already stellar roster of protagonists. For me, the thing that sets him apart from other protagonists in the series is that his character is very much set in stone from the outset. Due to this, the other characters are allowed their own time and focus, to overcome their own personal struggles, whilst Zidane supports them – which when you think about it, is almost the inverse of how much of the character interplay in the Final Fantasy games tend to be. It’s usually the members of the party that end up being the support network for the main characters, whereas in this games case, they all depend on him to an incredibly strong degree – which the story does explore as it progresses. Part of the reason that I enjoyed Zidane so much as a character, I think – was due to how much he reminded me of Han Solo. Not to look at of course (I don’t recall Han Solo ever having a tail), but they both inhabit so many characteristics that make them viable and interesting hero characters. Both are headstrong, and rebellious – yet when push comes to shove, they both, know to do the right thing at exactly the right time. There are a few moments that especially reminded me of Han Solo – there’s a scene in The Force Awakens when Rey states “I’ve never seen anything this green before” and it’s the pitying look of sadness etched across his face that reminds me of a few moments Zidane has with Vivi later on.Whilst you don’t see any complex facial animation from Zidane, the way he looks down and the absent minded way they use pauses in the dialogue are so effective in reinforcing the point that he desperately wants to say something, but he can’t quite bring himself to. I thought that internal conflict was really interesting. Zidane also had a very distinct edge to him too, a suave charismatic edge, that naturally screams cool – way more than the Warrior Within version of the Prince of Persia could ever dream of. That edge is something other RPG protagonists tend not to have. I think you could also draw the comparison between Han and Leia to the relationship between Zidane and Dagger. Although – that is more of a general comparison. As I think the Zidane and Dagger relationship is much more Shakespearian in nature. In a game like this, that contains a whole raft of memorable moments, many of which venture into both the melancholic and joyous territories. It’s always pleasant to have at least one comic relief character. In this games case, it comes in the form of Quina the Blue Mage – which is a character a friend of mine expected me to find really annoying, yet I found them to be one of the personal highlights of the experience, I laughed out loud on multiple occasions at some of Quina’s dialogue. You could make the argument at times that Steiner falls into the trap of being a bit of a buffoon of a character, but as you play the game it becomes clearer and clearer that Steiner has self confidence issues and a certain pomposity for some very specific reasons. I’ll leave that untouched though for those who haven’t experienced the game. It was a bold decision to have several anthropomorphic characters in Final Fantasy IX – there are at least two just purely amongst the party members in Freya and Amarant, but many of the supporting characters and antagonists themselves fall into this category. I thought this was a brilliant decision as it made these elements of the game feel that much more organic, when you see them all over the place instead of just one or two characters in a tokenistic fashion, as some games can sometimes fall into the trap of doing. However, I have got to be objective here, and I can’t really ignore the fact that due to how the developers have chosen to tell this games story, it often times means that certain characters get much less prominence than others, due to not taking part in the action for long periods of time due to story developments. To be honest, changing anything about the way the story is told would be a real shame, so less character development for a few individuals sort of becomes a necessary trade off ultimately. I think it’s a sacrifice that was necessary, because I don’t think I’d personally like to see anything changed about the way Square Enix decided to tell this story. It does mean as a result that characters like Amarant, Quina, Freya, Eiko and Steiner get much less development than others, but they are still – with the exception of Amarant very well fleshed out individuals. Amarant isn’t though, he’s the only character that really feels a little superfluous, and he doesn’t add a whole lot. I often wonder what Amarant is too, I’m assuming – like with many of the characters being human and animal hybrids, that he’s an Echidna – Human hybrid. At least he’s not one of the Hippo characters in this game; I found their cold dead eyes fairly unsettling on occasion. I couldn’t look directly at them. Anyway, it’s surprising really when you consider Amarant appears on the box art, it ends up being one of those situations where he’s much more interesting to look at than he is as a functional part of proceedings. I know I’m not the only one that does this, giving voices to unvoiced characters – this bit is purely for a bit of fun to add some light heartedness to this write up. Due to there not being any voice acting, I ended up characterising all of the characters with voices of my own. I suppose I’ll let you into a little surreal corner of my mind, and talk about the voices I gave to some of the characters. These were often me doing them out loud as well by the way. So in the case of Quina I gave them the voice of Bizzarro from the 1990’s animated Superman cartoon, it just seemed to fit the inquisitive but often silly antics that they get up to. To Amarant, I gave the voice of Brad Garrett – not just any version of Brad Garrett either, specifically his voice of Robert from Everybody Loves Raymond, which seemed to best fit his dour negative attitude that he seemed to always have. Kuja – one of the characters who is very integral to the story, I gave the voice of Kelsey Grammar, or at least my best impression of it. Within Final Fantasy IX there exists a lot of theatricality, so I felt like a strong voice like Grammar’s really fit Kuja’s character. On theatricality - I often thought as I played through this that film director Akira Kurosawa might have very much appreciated Final Fantasy IX, which might seem a strange thing to say. Yet, Kurosawa was incredibly fond of Shakespeare, which is incredibly evident across the majority of his filmic output, unfortunately as he died in 1998 he would never have had the chance to experience it, even if he’d wanted to, he would have been 90 at the time of the games release – and whilst I like to think I’d still be open to playing video games at 90, who knows if he would have done. There are many Shakespearian tropes, found all over Final Fantasy IX; I didn’t expect this at all going into this game. Funnily enough though, it ends up being one of the games strongest features, as it expertly weaves elements of both Shakespearian comedies and tragedies into its plot – misdirection and misinterpretation end up being one of the constant sources of humour in this game. Even when viewing the visuals and the art style of Final Fantasy IX in the context of 2021 – it still looks astonishingly good. Final Fantasy IX also in a deliberate decision by the developers decided to return to a medieval style setting, which at the time must have been a bit of a departure for those that had gotten used to the artistic aesthetic found within Final Fantasy VI-VIII. I don’t think the remaster itself is particularly impressive; I mean I haven’t obviously played the original so I don’t quite feel qualified to say that. I appreciate that I can play this version, so I certainly can’t complain about that part. Yet, from people who have experienced the original, I’ve heard that they only really bothered to remaster the characters themselves. You can tell too, because you quite often have very crisp looking party members and NPC’s looking almost painted onto a fairly pixelated back drop, I understand that Final Fantasy VIII Remastered was released much later, but that game did a much more effective job of making all of the visual elements seem much more uniform than they do here. That’s the limit of my negativity towards the visual element of Final Fantasy IX. It’s not something you can really ignore though, especially in the pursuit of objectivity. What really DOES stand out though, is the excellent direction from Hiroyuki Ito. This game perfectly epitomises why silent cinema, has always worked and to some extent will always work – it might sound clichéd, but the term “a picture is worth a thousand words” absolutely applies to this game (I bet you’re sitting there thinking “why couldn’t he have just posted four pictures then, instead of making us read all this”). Because of this Final Fantasy IX remains a tremendous shining example of how effectively you can tell stories with just images. A huge amount of the images found within cutscenes and key story moments, are outrageously memorable. I suspect if I’d played this in 2000 I’d still be thinking about them now, on and off. The use of framing, colour and cinematography, are of a standard that honestly wouldn’t look out of place amongst some of the finest examples in film. Its singular shots like that, that often stay with you the most. The Binary Sunset from the original Star Wars has remained so memorable to me for years and years, for this very reason. Imagine my surprise when I saw some stunning cinematography in a twenty year old game. I found it impressive in Final Fantasy VIII, but that’s impressive on a different level, one that pushed the limits of the technology at the time, which end up being memorable for a different reason. Whereas, the visceral and often disturbing images found in Final Fantasy IX is the kind you wouldn’t quickly forget in a hurry. I believe, when I wrote about Final Fantasy VIII fairly recently – that I thought that game was Nobuo Uematsu’s best work from the PS1 era. I’m taking that opinion back now, and I’m going to just kick it through a plate glass window. I still love that soundtrack, don’t get me wrong – but this musical score is on a whole different level as far as the quality goes. There is something, just so majestic about the musical score in this game, that whatever hyperbole I might try and come up with probably wouldn’t do it justice. It simply just excels on a multitude of levels. When the game wants you to feel something, whether that is sadness or joy – you’ll absolutely feel it. There’s a lot of subtlety to it in fact, there are a few very clever manipulations of musical scores you’ve previously heard that have just been slightly twisted and tweaked to really – well, enhance the off kilter atmosphere that those areas display. It’s particularly effective in the upside down castle dungeon. Aspects of it feel much more grandiose than those found in previous titles. I was pleasantly surprised when doing a little research for this write up, to see that this was actually Uematsu’s favourite score that he composed for Final Fantasy. He certainly sent the PS1 era Final Fantasy games out on a high, that’s for sure. Melodies of Life, has now become one of those tracks that I immediately associate with a specific game – in much the same way I can’t really think about Final Fantasy X without hearing that haunting morose trickle of To Zanarkand. This might seem unusual to some people. Well, more unusual than someone writing so in depth about a game that is nearly twenty one years old. Is that going into this game I knew for sure that I was going to love the gameplay, or at the very least elements of it. Having long been a fan of Lost Odyssey. A game which shares the same system of attaining skills that Final Fantasy IX does. I’d always really enjoyed that aspect of gameplay, one that really rewards exploration and experimenting with the games equipment system to learn the requisite skills that can give you the perfect edge in combat against your foes. Whilst Final Fantasy IX’s interpretation of that system, has slightly less depth to it, it’s still very impressive when you remember that this game came out in 2000. I can’t go into too much depth, because if you’ve played a turn based RPG before, you’ll absolutely know what to expect here. Mini games have always been a part of Final Fantasy – yet I still don’t think I’ve come across a Final Fantasy game that has quite as many as IX does. It’s commendable really, how many there actually are, many of which are fairly missable and you wouldn’t naturally find unless you specifically went out of your way for them, as they have a very short window of opportunity between story events. This is unfortunately also one of the areas the game does suffer a little bit in. The inclusion of another card game in this title might not have been the best idea in hindsight. As much as Tetra Master is a perfectly sound and sometimes enjoyable card game, it just doesn’t quite hit the highs that its predecessor Triple Triad from Final Fantasy VIII did. It would be like if in the hypothetical “The Witcher 4” – they decided to just ditch Gwent altogether and go with something completely new, which would be fine, if that thing was better, instead of making you want to retread old ground with Gwent. Unfortunately in much the same way, Tetra Master makes you long to be playing Triple Triad. Final Fantasy IX did a very good job of making each individual party member feel unique, it means that you can essentially decide to find a favourite team and adapt your strategy accordingly, or you can explore everything the characters have to offer, and choose the best options accordingly. There really is, that much depth to the mechanics of each character in that regard – all of them are viable, even Amarant, because I used him quite a lot doing the speedrun for Excalibur II. In this regard the game offers the player so much more choice than I expected. Despite the fact Quistis is one of my favourite characters from Final Fantasy VIII she’s actually quite useless as a functional blue mage, because her skills are dependent on her limit break. I was so pleasantly surprised to find that Quina is actually a useful Blue Mage (it’s always been one of my favourite classes), as the only prerequisite for using the skills is losing a little bit of MP. One new addition to the gameplay is the Active Time Event system, which is something I find genuinely baffling that it wasn’t ever brought back for future Final Fantasy instalments. For anyone that is familiar with the Tales of’ series it essentially is the Final Fantasy equivalent of the skit system from Tales of titles. It’s such a welcome addition in this game, and it’s one that ends up adding an incredibly rich layer to an already superb story. They serve as a way to focus on very small events that are running concurrently, and focus sometimes upon the party, but other times upon smaller characters and NPC’s that you become very familiar with. I thought their inclusion added such a rich vibrancy to the world. They made it seem much more lived in and bedded down, than perhaps other titles do. I feel like sometimes travelling through a World in a Final Fantasy title feels like a rushed holiday, where you only really stop somewhere for a short amount of time, without taking much in. Not always, but sometimes. So the inclusion of these ATE’s really adds a lot of believability to some of the locations you visit as a result. So – We need to talk about Kevin, I mean trophies, yes that’s what I meant. I need to talk about those. Honestly, I suspect this games trophy list is one of those things that are the blocker for people actually starting this game. No, it wasn’t what stopped me playing it either, I’m still genuinely unsure what that was. In the pursuit of Final Fantasy IX’s gorgeous platinum trophy – and it is gorgeous, it looks so much better than the other brown coloured ones you pick up along the way; in essence though, you’ll need two playthroughs to get the platinum. One get everything playthrough, and a separate one to get a specific weapon that’s tied to a speedrun in under twelve hours. Now, I’ve definitely over simplified that, you will need to follow a guide, don’t worry though there are plenty out there that are pretty much devoid of spoilers and will only tell you the basic information - like get an item from here or be mindful of this event that is coming up. It’ll really help though, because this game is absolutely littered with missables, at almost every corner. If I was going to give anyone advice, before you do anything else – make sure you get the jump rope trophy done as soon as possible. It’s annoying (which is honestly an understatement), it might take a long time depending on your skill level, or in my case my stubbornness not to use the PS4 remote play script. That feeling I got upon finally reaching 1000 was such an adrenaline rush. I’ve also posted some tips here if anyone was thinking of playing this but had gotten stuck on that section, that thread is filled with amazing advice, I ended up using a mixture of several things to get me through it. Still, you’ll thank me later, because your enduring memory of this wonderful game won’t be constant failure at a ridiculous mini game, if you do it first. That jump rope trophy isn’t the worst thing in Final Fantasy IX though, oh no. That horrendous distinction goes to the 10,000 kills trophy Bloodlust. A trophy so egregious that I genuinely found myself, on a few occasions at least - questioning why I was even bothering. The trophy list itself might not be very good, but the game absolutely is. I don’t think I could have made it any more obvious that I think this game is absolutely worth anyone’s time. Fan of the series or not, it’s just an incredibly well crafted game, timeless even. Whilst the game isn’t perfect, and let us be perfectly honest for a minute, what actually is? Some of the greatest films and video games ever made contain some form of problem or another. That’s just the nature of life. For something that is over twenty years old – this game is truly something special – and I think it has officially become my second favourite Final Fantasy title. Final Fantasy X is going to take a lot of beating. If playing Final Fantasy VIII recently made me fall in love with the series once again – then Final Fantasy IX has reminded me why, I’ll pretty much always love this series, no matter what unusual direction that it takes ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So...... Here we are then at the end... It's sad really because it was such a wonderful journey to get to here. It's nice to have at least one platinum popped on both of my parents birthdays (not the same day). It's a happy accident that they are two of my favourite games too - so it'll be nice to look back on in that regard. I can play it again in the future though. But what a wonderful experience it was to play - and it was made all the more enjoyable by being able to share it with each and every one of you that have been reading along. It's been an honour. I hope that your eyes don't bleed too much from all that reading. I'd like to say thanks to @DrBloodmoney - because his scientific rankings thread and my subsequent very thorough discussions with @The_Kopite as a result, have really reignited my love for Final Fantasy - which to say I'd fallen out of love with it would be an understatement. Thank you both so much for that.. Thanks to my friend Loki who I know will read this, I should have listened to you the last ten years you've been telling me to play it..... Maybe one day I'll play The Last of Us eh? Whilst I seem to be thanking everyone I might as well make this one giant blue tag brigade.... I truly am thankful to all of you for all of the encouragement and support over the last few months. It's been awesome! To @YaManSmevz @DrunkenEngineer, @KindaSabbath , @Arcesius , @realm722, @Grotz99 @Shroobaand lastly, but definitely not least, a big thank you to @AK-1138 - I bet you didn't expect me to tag you right? Honestly, I think if you hadn't been so positive and encouraging the first few months I started posting on the forums I don't think I ever would have gotten to this point. So for that I'm so very thankful. If I've left anyone out let me know and I'll find a way to rectify that... I hope that doesn't sound too sycophantic or anything - I'm genuinely so thankful to have been able to share the experience with all of you. Yes, it's just a platinum trophy, I've done harder ones, but this ones going to remain very special for a long time I think, for a multitude of reasons. Whilst we're here - go check out the first post in this thread to see an awesome banner that @DrBloodmoney made (look at you twice in blue haha) - Thanks again by the way man.... I absolutely love it.. Well everyone it's been a pleasure. If the next long game ends up being this awesome. Then really that can only be a good thing. Edited February 2, 2022 by rjkclarke 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted September 7, 2021 Share Posted September 7, 2021 (edited) One hell of a write up mate! Highlights the dangers of following these threads - now you’ve got me wanting to play this too, despite having finished it back on the PSone, and having… I don’t know… a bajillion new games in my current backlog ? We’ve been back and forth a bunch on some of your points - particularly on the still imagery and silent film stuff which I still agree is at it’s strongest here - so I’ll just say - an amazing review throughout! Edited September 7, 2021 by DrBloodmoney 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted September 8, 2021 Share Posted September 8, 2021 You lived up to the hype, my friend! Spectacular review. I saw the trophy popped for you on my PS4 and sent a congratulations, but apparently you can't curse on trophy comments cuz they asterisked me! It's been a joy watching you work towards finishing this guy off. I hope you know I would not have finally taken the plunge in starting this game myself without our conversations and seeing how much fun you were having tackling this gargantuan game, and I'm simultaneously excited and terrified, but you inspired me tremendously. So thanks for that! Also... Kelsey Grammer as Kuja is fucking brilliant? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Briste Posted September 8, 2021 Share Posted September 8, 2021 Congrats! I'm always very happy to read when someone has an amazing experience with the old Final Fantasy games! This one is third or fourth on my all time list, but I think you did an excellent job recapping it. 7 hours ago, rjkclarke said: If I was going to give anyone advice, before you do anything else – make sure you get the jump rope trophy done as soon as possible. I couldn't agree with this more. It's truly a benefit that you can get this so early in the game. If you wait, you risk souring your whole experience because of this trophy...plus you'll have it hanging over your head the whole time. By getting it done first/early, you can take a break from the game for a bit and when you come back to it, you just have the amazing experience waiting for you. It took me a solid week of doing this 2-3 hours a day before I got it. Congrats again! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destructor-8 Posted September 8, 2021 Share Posted September 8, 2021 10 hours ago, rjkclarke said: This review has essentially been twenty years in the making – fingers crossed it won’t actually take twenty years to read. A game is a sum of all of its parts though, so I’ll do my utmost to cover as much of it as I can. Twenty years you ask? Unfortunately, yes – I never deliberately avoided this game either, it just sort of passed me by. I always have wanted to play it, but here in the UK getting hold of a PS1 copy of Final Fantasy IX, certainly where I live at least was always a big problem – at least one for a reasonable price that is. Now that I have played it, I can absolutely understand why it was rare, and why people wouldn’t want to let this absolute treasure out of their sight. It isn’t like I couldn’t have played it until recently either, I’ve owned the digital version on the PS3 since at least 2014 I think, and I’ve had this PS4 version since the day it came out – in fact it’s been installed on my console for that entire time, but it’s taken me until 2021 to actually start it – and now here we are. Somehow I managed to remain pretty much spoiler free for twenty years, so you won’t find any spoilers here. I’ll talk about certain characters and their relationship to one another and things like that – but I’d hate to spoil this game for anyone who has also managed to remain spoiler free all this time. I know I’m not the only one who managed that. Wow incredible! I can tell this game means a lot to you. I don't usually play the Final Fantasy games however I always used to watch these games being played back when these came out. It's never been a favourite genre to play but as a series this was quite personal as this was a big part of my household. This is one of those games that will always be one of the greatest & for Final Fantasy this was within the greatest period of this particular series. I still remember many things about this game especially the soundtrack & whilst a lot of the games have good ones. This still has one of the greatest soundtracks ever made without a doubt. I'm trying to get a little bit more involved with these threads & I know this one is pretty active but since you did such a detailed review on this game, I'd thought I post here. Good luck with future games, can't wait to see what's next! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post KindaSabbath Posted September 8, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted September 8, 2021 Wow, OK, where do I start here? First of all that was absolutely worth the wait! That is exactly what I'm talking about when I say; this kind of writing is where you'e at your most passionate, and it shines through the entirety of that exceptionally well written review! ? We spoke over the last few days about how the written word is hard to relay emotion. Well, it's a gift that you clearly have my friend, because the takeaway for me after reading your write up - is how much this game means to you. Also very interesting to read the way in which the game delivers on this front too, with no voice - just words and clever use of cinematics/images. I've never played a Final Fantasy game nor a game in its genre. I've expressed to Baker in his thread that is something I aim to change at some point in the future. I would be interested to see what you feel would be a good entry point into this genre. This is why I was so eagerly awaiting the review - because the way you talk about games gives incredible insight into what the games are actually like to play. As much as I may not be in the know about the Final Fantasy games, God damn, I can appreciate that writing though! I wish I could do more than just drop a like and write this. I'll leave you with the ultimate show of respect: When I saw that the review was up, as soon as I had time - I fired up that kettle and got myself nice and comfy! 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kopite Posted September 8, 2021 Share Posted September 8, 2021 23 hours ago, rjkclarke said: Well I dunno - they might listen to the feedback from fans a little more if every fan was Moneybags from Spyro the Dragon... Then it might happen... They seem to like money more than anything else these days. Which - yes, as a business I understand, but I don't have to like it, if I think it hinders them creatively, which I do. Indeed. Every Square Enix show now that they do seems to have more and more games for mobile phones, which of course is a massive market nowadays. Liking the Moneybags Spyro reference there, only platinumed the first one, need to get around to playing the other 2. 23 hours ago, rjkclarke said: Well it's coming today - for real this time. I didn't actually get the platinum till late-ish last night and it was my Dads birthday so it felt right to spend a bit of time with him, instead of editing a review a little bit so I could post it. We must covert everyone to zeeeee ways of Final Fantasy IX!!! I can see it's there! Definitely gonna read it as soon as I reasonably can do but yes definitely, the conversion must commence!!! lol Happy birthday to your Dad too. 18 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: 23 hours ago, The_Kopite said: You're not the only one! lol Feel like we are gonna start doing the classic Sonic impatient foot tap soon lol jokes Addressing this first. Comments like this are why I love this community?? Haha! Cheers! ? 1 hour ago, KindaSabbath said: I've never played a Final Fantasy game nor a game in its genre. I've expressed to Baker in his thread that is something I aim to change at some point in the future. I would be interested to see what you feel would be a good entry point into this genre. This is why I was so eagerly awaiting the review - because the way you talk about games gives incredible insight into what the games are actually like to play. I'll second the last sentence there. Very skilled writer and very expressive. I'm sure whatever Final Fantasy you decide to pick, @rjkclarke will be able to guide you and ensure it's the best choice for you. The key in getting into any franchise probably but certainly Final Fantasy is finding the most appropriate one for you and your interests, not what others would choose because they are generally accepted to be the best ones in the series. I managed to get my wife into FF with FFXIII, and that is not an entry that is generally that highly regarded (You won't see it in many top 10 best lists), but I knew the battle system, story, world etc would work well for her and so it's important to remember. More so if you haven't played a JRPG at all. I'm happy to add any extra information for any of the games if needed. ? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grotz99 Posted September 8, 2021 Share Posted September 8, 2021 (edited) 22 hours ago, rjkclarke said: I'm so glad to see that someone else got converted to the FFIX fan club. It is still my favorite Final Fantasy (possibly JRPG...) game to this day. What an amazing spoiler free write up as well. From someone who's played it numerous times on PS1, I actually understood the type of references you were elaborating without actually going into story details in the game. There are games that I go into knowing that I won't get 100% of the trophies on due usually to time constraints (I have a huge backlog of stuff I need to play), but I still really want to play through and get what I can of the trophies. This would be one of those games, it is so worth having a few unearned trophies to experience this masterpiece. BTW, I think you undersold Steiner a bit, Vivi is obviously the best character, but the way Steiner changes/grows throughout the game is great. I will agree that Amarant is like the Vincent of FFIX, no idea why he's there other than to add more character variety. Only difference is, he didn't get his own spinoff game later. 21 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: Highlights the dangers of following these threads - now you’ve got me wanting to play this too, despite having finished it back on the PSone, and having… I don’t know… a bajillion new games in my current backlog Story of my life right here...at least I'll be playing one of your top ranked games next month for Halloween finally. ? Edited September 8, 2021 by Grotz99 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Arcesius Posted September 8, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted September 8, 2021 @rjkclarke I will put it like this: What an incredibly detailed and in-depth review that was! You know, similar to @DrBloodmoney's review of The Witness (and maybe some games in the latest patch... Doc, didn't have the time to check it out yet, sorry!), the passion, the emotions in general are... palpable. But in addition to my comparison... You are reviewing my favorite JRPG. Listen, I was reading this on my way to my drums lesson. In public transport. And... yeah, I'm not ashamed to admit that I had tears in my eyes reading through the first paragraphs. Yes, I'm a grown ass 33 year old man that gets wet eyes reading about videogames. But it's not just a videogame. To me at least it's not, since it's a game that came out at a time where my entire life changed drastically (I moved to Switzerland at age 12, leaving friends and family behind), and so reading such an emotional and positive review brings back my own emotions I guess And reading the review, I also felt somewhat heartbroken, and jealous. "Arc, I think you are using 'heartbroken' wro.." HEAR ME OUT! It is hearbreaking that there is one less person now that will be able to experience FF IX again for the first time. It is hearbreaking to remember that I will never be able to experience FF IX with fresh eyes (I have played through it many, MANY times...). And I'm jealous that you got to play this game at your age. It is only now that you were able to take so much from this game on so many different levels beyond "take this you motherfucking imp!". The nuances in the story, all the things you noticed about the "written speech" (which is incredible, I agree), the returning musical themes... Things like that is why I enjoy playing games like these at my age, probably more than I did when I was younger. Noticing recurring musical themes in Hollow Knight, for example, gotta be one of my fondest gaming memories in recent years. And I am also jealous because you got to share your experience with so many like-minded people interested in the same things as you are. The discussions and the exchange you had in this thread is invaluable, especially when the game in question gives so much to talk about. Last but not least... You know, I like to watch drum playthroughs, but sometimes seeing yet another performance by some uber-talented drummer makes me wanna stop playing the drums myself. You, my friend, have just evoked the same feeling in me with regards to reviewing games ? And that is meant as a compliment. A huge one, honestly. Good job on the review, happy that you enjoyed this game so much! P.S. @KindaSabbath I'd say that FFX is a good entry point. Not too dated visuals, amazing story and music, cool gameplay and fun side activities Not sure if everyone else would agree, but that would be my recommendation! 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post rjkclarke Posted September 8, 2021 Author Popular Post Share Posted September 8, 2021 (edited) Oh Wow!! What an absolutely overwhelming response. Thank you all so much. I did not expect any of this... That's honestly made me a little emotional. I'm so glad that you all seemed to enjoy it so much. I've been out all day so I haven't had a chance to see or respond to a lot of these. So let's amend that now!! This is going to be loooooooong - but what's new right? ? On 07/09/2021 at 8:22 PM, DrBloodmoney said: One hell of a write up mate! Highlights the dangers of following these threads - now you’ve got me wanting to play this too, despite having finished it back on the PSone, and having… I don’t know… a bajillion new games in my current backlog We’ve been back and forth a bunch on some of your points - particularly on the still imagery and silent film stuff which I still agree is at it’s strongest here - so I’ll just say - an amazing review throughout! Thank you so much man - that was something I worried about a little bit, was the fact we'd all discussed the game fairly extensively up to this point already. So I was very worried the actual review part would just seem really boring to those that have been here the whole way through. It'd just be re-treading things we'd already talked about. That is the problem with these threads, but it's also the best thing about them - you, yourself have made me want to revisit and talk about so many games, or just straight up try out plenty of new ones. Some I can't revisit for a while because I know if I go write a review about it, I'd accidentally sound like I was just doing a cliff notes version of your own write ups probably. Long may it continue though, it's been an absolute pleasure to chat video games, film, television, writing and everything in between with you - Someone ought to have a DrBloodmoney positivity signal (that just shows MOIST with those lips), that gets beamed into the sky whenever people get bogged down in completely negative nonsense about this or that, so you can come and drop some positivity bombs on them. On 08/09/2021 at 2:19 AM, YaManSmevz said: You lived up to the hype, my friend! Spectacular review. I saw the trophy popped for you on my PS4 and sent a congratulations, but apparently you can't curse on trophy comments cuz they asterisked me! It's been a joy watching you work towards finishing this guy off. I hope you know I would not have finally taken the plunge in starting this game myself without our conversations and seeing how much fun you were having tackling this gargantuan game, and I'm simultaneously excited and terrified, but you inspired me tremendously. So thanks for that! Also... Kelsey Grammer as Kuja is fucking brilliant Thanks man!! I read that comment and I very much enjoyed it. I guess I didn't have to guess too hard. What exactly it was that Sony decided to asterisk!! How dare they do that to you!! I'm so happy to hear, that you've started the game as a result... It's been an absolute blast cracking wise with you the last month or so. That's been a constant highlight! That's really awesome... You know where to come when you need to vent about certain things, because I couldn't lie and say that 10,000 kills trophy is fun. I saw getting to write this review as a result as a hell of a good driving force to get me through that. I'm really looking forward to reading your progress and thoughts on it once you've nailed this bad boy. I was more thinking of Frasier than Sideshow Bob - but when Kuja goes into trance mode his hair goes all red and spiky as well. So maybe it was more fitting than I thought. On 08/09/2021 at 3:17 AM, Briste said: Congrats! I'm always very happy to read when someone has an amazing experience with the old Final Fantasy games! This one is third or fourth on my all time list, but I think you did an excellent job recapping it. Thank you!! Glad to hear it - I'm hoping they release some of the other older ones with Trophy support at some point. I'd love to delve into those too, some of them I've not played either - so fingers crossed that happens. On 08/09/2021 at 3:17 AM, Briste said: I couldn't agree with this more. It's truly a benefit that you can get this so early in the game. If you wait, you risk souring your whole experience because of this trophy...plus you'll have it hanging over your head the whole time. By getting it done first/early, you can take a break from the game for a bit and when you come back to it, you just have the amazing experience waiting for you. It took me a solid week of doing this 2-3 hours a day before I got it. Yep - that's exactly how I saw it. I got the Jump Rope done, played a different game and then came back completely fresh and raring to go, and it all felt like a distant memory by the end. I just didn't want skipping ropes to be the thing I remembered about the game.. That's the thing, grindy or really tiresome trophies in JRPG's can really end up souring the experience if you let them. I did Bloodlust before I'd finished the story too, just to give myself a reward at the end of it, with getting to experience the final dungeon and the story wrapping itself up nicely. That's pretty good going getting it done in a week. I think I got it done in two possibly. I remember getting incredibly frustrated one of the nights and just putting the game down for days. In fact I probably posted about it in here, the night I was almost at 1000 - I think I got to like 637 or something before my neighbour came back on his motorbike and completely threw my concentration off and made me screw up. I laughed, because I mean you had to, but why then? Haha. On 08/09/2021 at 6:47 AM, Destructor-8 said: Wow incredible! I can tell this game means a lot to you. I don't usually play the Final Fantasy games however I always used to watch these games being played back when these came out. It's never been a favourite genre to play but as a series this was quite personal as this was a big part of my household. This is one of those games that will always be one of the greatest & for Final Fantasy this was within the greatest period of this particular series. I still remember many things about this game especially the soundtrack & whilst a lot of the games have good ones. This still has one of the greatest soundtracks ever made without a doubt. I'm trying to get a little bit more involved with these threads & I know this one is pretty active but since you did such a detailed review on this game, I'd thought I post here. Good luck with future games, can't wait to see what's next! Thank you so much for stopping by to read it. It's not exactly like it takes a short amount of time to read.. The fact you did means a lot. It's almost caught me by surprise how much this game ended up meaning to me by the end. It's a happy surprise though so it's all fine. Without sounding too much like a broken record, it's been made all the more special by being able to share it with everyone. The bit I put in bold - honestly, thank you so much for stopping by. It's always nice to interact with more people. I'll always try and respond to everyone if I can - so don't feel like you can't pop in and say hello, or something similar. I'm honestly surprised by how active this thread has become. I was perfectly accepting of the fact starting out - that I'd just be posting reviews about old and new games every now and then (which I'd still be doing, and I am still doing. I just thought if people wanted to read them it's a bonus - which it absolutely still is, I just expected it to be a more lonesome experience, but I'm really glad it hasn't been. Especially when I review games with flying concrete dogs in them ?). So I'm glad, that these days it's almost got the atmosphere of a load friends just hanging out and talking about what they're passionate about - with some reviews and other things peppered in. At least that's how I see it. It's been such a blast. 20 hours ago, KindaSabbath said: Wow, OK, where do I start here? First of all that was absolutely worth the wait! That is exactly what I'm talking about when I say; this kind of writing is where you'e at your most passionate, and it shines through the entirety of that exceptionally well written review! We spoke over the last few days about how the written word is hard to relay emotion. Well, it's a gift that you clearly have my friend, because the takeaway for me after reading your write up - is how much this game means to you. Also very interesting to read the way in which the game delivers on this front too, with no voice - just words and clever use of cinematics/images. I've never played a Final Fantasy game nor a game in its genre. I've expressed to Baker in his thread that is something I aim to change at some point in the future. I would be interested to see what you feel would be a good entry point into this genre. This is why I was so eagerly awaiting the review - because the way you talk about games gives incredible insight into what the games are actually like to play. As much as I may not be in the know about the Final Fantasy games, God damn, I can appreciate that writing though! I wish I could do more than just drop a like and write this. I'll leave you with the ultimate show of respect: When I saw that the review was up, as soon as I had time - I fired up that kettle and got myself nice and comfy! The words thank you - just don't really do this comment any sort of justice. That comment meant a lot!! If my passion for this game shone through, then I'm so glad to hear that. If the way I write gives you a little insight into the way a game has made me feel, that's so awesome to hear. That's exactly what I wanted. I always want people to see what I see when I'm in review mode when I play a game, whether that's good or bad(looking at you WWE 2K Battlegrounds you steaming pile of rancid e coli infected Elephant's dung)........ Yet, also terrified at the same time for when I have to review a game like the original NieR for a classic review - that game kind of broke me, not in a bad way it just emotionally wrecked me, because it's just got such a huge raft of complex emotion pouring out of that whole experience, I'm not sure how I'm really going to tackle that one - without writing it was sad I cried, the end. On the subject of you trying a JRPG - that's a tough one. I'll think about it some more, and I'll try and put some ideas together... Final Fantasy X is a great shout as has been pointed out. That's my favourite one so of course I'd say that. But - and here's an interesting alternative, you're a Father right? I'm sure I read in your thread that you were. So I might suggest checking out Ni No Kuni - Wrath of the White Witch remastered... Although I'm not a parent myself, not yet at least, (maybe some day); that game, I think - would be absolutely filled with some incredibly poignant and joyous moments, that would probably resonate with a parent even more than it might someone else. It's art style is absolutely astounding, it's not absolutely steeped in anime visuals like some JRPG's can be, in case that'd be a turn off. It's very filmic, as it was co produced by Studio Ghibli, so their own brand of rich vibrant and memorable imagery is an absolute joy to behold. Also it's got quite a charming little Pokemon-esque system where you catch creatures to form your party members, which leads to loads and loads of variety. I also think if your children happen to be around whilst you were playing it, they might get really interested by the gorgeous aesthetic, and end up being interested themselves, might make it a bit of a family experience too, as the main character is a very small child - so they might identify with him on that level. Don't be put off by that either - it works surprisingly well. The only problem is, the platinum itself can become a bit of a chore, it's a bit grindy to say the least, but the core game itself, without taking trophies into the equation, is absolutely excellent. You're doing such a fantastic job of conveying passion and emotion yourself by the way - look how much interest your passion for the Trials series has managed to garner. I'm sure by the time you're finished the game and have written a stellar review of your experiences - that you'll have people that never would have even considered playing that game, deciding to take the plunge as a result. So don't think I don't have my kettle at the ready too!! 19 hours ago, The_Kopite said: Indeed. Every Square Enix show now that they do seems to have more and more games for mobile phones, which of course is a massive market nowadays. Liking the Moneybags Spyro reference there, only platinumed the first one, need to get around to playing the other 2. Yes - mobile games..... I mean, I'd totally buy it if it was a Final Fantasy VII version of Snake..... You know you could totally do that too, I don't want to give them ideas or anything - but you literally replace the snake with the Midgar Zolom. Release = Cash Please play the other Spyro's... They are excellent. You'll have a blast I think. You might hear " trouble with the trolley, eh?" when you play the second one.... But it's a small sacrifice to make. 19 hours ago, The_Kopite said: I can see it's there! Definitely gonna read it as soon as I reasonably can do but yes definitely, the conversion must commence!!! lol Happy birthday to your Dad too. Thanks!! I'll pass on the message! I hope you like it man, I really do. Fingers crossed. You weren't wrong about the game being excellent that's for sure. I'm still a little sad that my time with it is over for now. I haven't been able to bring myself to play Beholder 2 yet for that reason haha. 19 hours ago, The_Kopite said: I'll second the last sentence there. Very skilled writer and very expressive. I'm sure whatever Final Fantasy you decide to pick, @rjkclarke will be able to guide you and ensure it's the best choice for you. The key in getting into any franchise probably but certainly Final Fantasy is finding the most appropriate one for you and your interests, not what others would choose because they are generally accepted to be the best ones in the series. I managed to get my wife into FF with FFXIII, and that is not an entry that is generally that highly regarded (You won't see it in many top 10 best lists), but I knew the battle system, story, world etc would work well for her and so it's important to remember. More so if you haven't played a JRPG at all. I'm happy to add any extra information for any of the games if needed. Thank you so much dude!! Try not to kill me too much with kindness. However much I might appreciate it. Thanks for the vote of confidence - I'll have a real hard think about it and see what I can come up with, but anyone else that has any suggestions for Sabbath.... I'd say throw them out there and see if he's interested. It doesn't have to be Final Fantasy - I almost want to recommend the Yakuza series, because those are about as close to being a JRPG without being one - even though the newest one ACTUALLY is. I'd never recommend someone start with Star Ocean though - that's just like kicking someone straight in the dick when they go in for a handshake - why would I do that. I like Star Ocean as well, I just think if I played it as my first JRPG I'd hate the genre. 15 hours ago, Grotz99 said: 'm so glad to see that someone else got converted to the FFIX fan club. It is still my favorite Final Fantasy (possibly JRPG...) game to this day. What an amazing spoiler free write up as well. From someone who's played it numerous times on PS1, I actually understood the type of references you were elaborating without actually going into story details in the game. There are games that I go into knowing that I won't get 100% of the trophies on due usually to time constraints (I have a huge backlog of stuff I need to play), but I still really want to play through and get what I can of the trophies. This would be one of those games, it is so worth having a few unearned trophies to experience this masterpiece. BTW, I think you undersold Steiner a bit, Vivi is obviously the best character, but the way Steiner changes/grows throughout the game is great. I will agree that Amarant is like the Vincent of FFIX, no idea why he's there other than to add more character variety. Only difference is, he didn't get his own spinoff game later. I sure did get converted - big time!!! That's nice to hear actually, that the spoiler free aspect of it came off well. That was such a double edged sword for me, I was so tempted to break my own rules and mention spoilers, but I didn't want to spoil it for anyone that has yet to play it. You want me to add you to the thank you part of the review by the way? I feel like you should probably be there. I completely agree by the way, I DID undersell Steiner, and a few of the other characters too, it was a case of worrying I was dedicating too much to characters, and avoiding spoilers. He's a great character, I just really worried that, talking about person growth I'd accidentally reveal something, it was hard enough skating around that with VIvi. Thanks for pointing it out too, because he deserves plenty of love as a character too. The bit in bold - you hit that nail on the head so hard, it fell through the centre of the earth and whizzed past the monkeys that live inside the core of the earth and control us all with levers (you never know it could be happening ?) . I was actually going to dedicate a section to the end of that review about why you should play this game, even if you don't get all the trophies. If anybodies 100% account was going to die to anything - this game would be a worthy adversary, as you quite rightly say this game is a masterpiece. Could you imagine an Amarant game? I'd subtitle it Final Fantasy IX: Complaining, From Here to Eternity.... Get the song rights to Iron Maiden's here to Eternity and have the theme be "Amarant aint a bad guy..... Amarant'll....... bore you from here to eternity"..... Something like that!! 13 hours ago, Arcesius said: @rjkclarke I will put it like this: What an incredibly detailed and in-depth review that was! You know, similar to @DrBloodmoney's review of The Witness (and maybe some games in the latest patch... Doc, didn't have the time to check it out yet, sorry!), the passion, the emotions in general are... palpable. But in addition to my comparison... You are reviewing my favorite JRPG. Listen, I was reading this on my way to my drums lesson. In public transport. And... yeah, I'm not ashamed to admit that I had tears in my eyes reading through the first paragraphs. Yes, I'm a grown ass 33 year old man that gets wet eyes reading about videogames. But it's not just a videogame. To me at least it's not, since it's a game that came out at a time where my entire life changed drastically (I moved to Switzerland at age 12, leaving friends and family behind), and so reading such an emotional and positive review brings back my own emotions I guess And reading the review, I also felt somewhat heartbroken, and jealous. "Arc, I think you are using 'heartbroken' wro.." HEAR ME OUT! It is hearbreaking that there is one less person now that will be able to experience FF IX again for the first time. It is hearbreaking to remember that I will never be able to experience FF IX with fresh eyes (I have played through it many, MANY times...). And I'm jealous that you got to play this game at your age. It is only now that you were able to take so much from this game on so many different levels beyond "take this you motherfucking imp!". The nuances in the story, all the things you noticed about the "written speech" (which is incredible, I agree), the returning musical themes... Things like that is why I enjoy playing games like these at my age, probably more than I did when I was younger. Noticing recurring musical themes in Hollow Knight, for example, gotta be one of my fondest gaming memories in recent years. And I am also jealous because you got to share your experience with so many like-minded people interested in the same things as you are. The discussions and the exchange you had in this thread is invaluable, especially when the game in question gives so much to talk about. Last but not least... You know, I like to watch drum playthroughs, but sometimes seeing yet another performance by some uber-talented drummer makes me wanna stop playing the drums myself. You, my friend, have just evoked the same feeling in me with regards to reviewing games And that is meant as a compliment. A huge one, honestly. Good job on the review, happy that you enjoyed this game so much! P.S. @KindaSabbath I'd say that FFX is a good entry point. Not too dated visuals, amazing story and music, cool gameplay and fun side activities Not sure if everyone else would agree, but that would be my recommendation! Oh wow Arc!! Again - thank you just doesn't quite seem enough for this one.... Where to start with this one. That's important what you said there "But it's not just a videogame. To me at least it's not" it doesn't have to just be anything - some pieces of media or works of art can completely transcend their own medium for some people. The film Ikiru is not just a film to me, it's a life lesson - that's got so many positive messages to take away from it like the notion that everything you do, however small or insignificant you might think something is, it'll have more of an effect than you might ever think, on someone, or something. We all play our part. There's elements of that film that have stayed with me for years and years and I think about so often. So I think I know where you're coming from saying that, to you it's not just a game... It's very special that this game has had that effect on you. With everything that happened around the time of playing it, it's almost intrinsically a part of you now. Hope that doesn't sound too, I don't know - preachy I suppose, because that's not what I mean by it. Wear that feeling as a badge of honour. I think I got emotional, at you telling me you got emotional. I never, EVER... Expected to read anything like that as a result of me reviewing a game. Thanks for sharing that too - that means so much. I think we all have video games, songs, books, films - sometimes all of the above, that really resonate with us in a specific way, and remind us of very specific moments and feelings that just instantly transport us back to that place like the flick of a switch. I'm very certain in the future of this thread, there'll be a few times when a game does that same thing to me. I'm almost glad that I played it at the age I have too - because I almost certainly would have interpreted it very differently had I been younger. I still think I would have been very fond of it - but I don't think I'd quite have fallen in love with it in the way that I have. I'd soured on the Final Fantasy series so much after XV. This is probably going to sound very weird and ludicrous given the context - but It reminds me of that feeling you get, when you see an ex, or an unrequited love, that you haven't seen in a very long time - one that you have absolutely no animosity toward and something about them just floors you for a second and reminds you " YESSS - that's why I loved you." - In a sense, Final Fantasy IX gave me that same feeling. Although, this time without the almost panic attack I had when I last saw someone I hoped would one day become Mrs rjkclarke. Thanks again for the outrageously overwhelming positivity everyone - I don't think I deserve even half as much of the praise that you've heaped on me, but it means a whole lot, it really does. More than ever I'm looking forward to whatever is ahead from here on out. Edited September 9, 2021 by rjkclarke 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrooba Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 (edited) Incredible read on Final Fantasy IX, @rjkclarke! When you started talking about the importance of visuals and cinematography in the game, it reminded me of the feats developers had to pull off for old games; nowadays, games are abundant with day 1 patches or updates along the way, but with games on the PS1, PS2, and even PS3, you'd have one shot at making a game, what's sold was it. When you also factor in the fact that developers would find ways to use the limited technology to their advantage, the PS1 was definitely a time for art to blossom, and for ingenuity to shine. FFIX in this regard seems to be one of those games that break the mold; especially in referencing Star Wars' Binary Sunset. That shot is almost something out of a painting. If that's what you thought when playing FFIX, then it's got to be a truly beautiful game. Vivi is probably one of the best designed characters in the series I'd argue. Usually an obscured face would evoke mystery, yet in the case of Vivi it just exudes a friendly vibe. ? It's a weird juxtaposition how something that seems mysterious on the surface is really frank and to the point deep inside, and I feel as though this definitely correlates with Vivi's sense of character throughout the game. Excellent write up, and I look forward to your future reviews and updates! Edited September 9, 2021 by Shrooba 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kopite Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 On 9/7/2021 at 7:47 PM, rjkclarke said: Platinum #327 Final Fantasy IX (PS4) Firstly, that was quite a review. As others have said you are a very detailed and thorough writer, and you give a great insight into games, which I fully appreciate like many others. I’m just going to put all my thoughts and comments about your review in one long ramble of text and we will see how it turns out lol Have to say again it’s pretty remarkable that you were able to avoid pretty much all spoilers on the game for 20 years. Massive achievement in itself lol They certainly don’t do games like Final Fantasy IX any more, for better or worse. Certainly we have discussed at lengths how much I personally prefer the classic battle systems of I-X rather than the more action oriented focus that Square Enix now has with the franchise. (FFXV screams to mind…) I think all 3 of the PS1 era Final Fantasy’s have their own strengths and weaknesses (of which there are more strengths for all 3) and those 3 as a block of games hold up to any others pretty magnificently. I totally understand personally why FFIX would be your favourite of those 3 titles, and it is my 2nd favourite of those 3. I completely agree on what they were able to do with FFIX’s story and character development. I think it shows that this was the point where Squaresoft (at the time) were using all the lessons and experience they had garnered from all the previous games to really show that they were the best at the text dialogue format. I certainly don’t think that Final Fantasy games suffered with the introduction of voice acting, but there is a sort of warmth and intimacy that you can get as a player from playing an FF game without the voices, where you can almost become closer to the characters and create a more personal connection. Having to look for those mannerisms that they had to emphasise more and using the body language ad almost body language of the world as such to highlight things that sometimes you lose in voiced games. (hopefully that made some sense lol) Vivi is a fantastic character, certainly one of the best of the whole franchise. That is an interesting analysis regarding Zidane. I hadn’t thought about that personally myself, but the more I think about it you are correct. For the other classic FF’s, the main character for most is a leader and what the others look up to for strength and direction (like Zidane) but unlike Zidane the other characters personal troubles/flaws or problems are known pretty much from the start. Cecil, Terra, Cloud, Squall, Tidus all would fall into that category. I think the way they handled Zidanes development during the game was certainly a sidestep to that preconceived and established notion of how the main character was going to be and that dynamic. Hard to say much more without spoilers. The comparison between Zidane and Han Solo is one I had never thought of before, but they are both rogue like in a way, almost anti heros or at least they don’t fit the typical hero mould that society has established. (BTW, if George Lucas was still in control of the Star Wars franchise, who knows if he would have given Hans Solo a tail haha). We had discussed your great appreciation for Quina before. Certainly not a character that I personally got on board with, for some reason they didn’t quite click with me but they were still funny lol Can’t agree more about Amarant though. Who doesn’t wish they were still playing video games at age 90? If there was ever a Final Fantasy game that should be made into a Shakespearean theatre production, it would be FFIX. Square Enix would probably do one for FFVII though lol Certainly when I first witnessed the first news about FFIX back in the day, it was very jarring almost really the change in art style, music and character looks to be honest. Speaking as someone whose first Final Fantasy was VII (FF’s 1,2,4,5 and 6 never came out until the PS1 themselves in the UK, with 3 being released on the DS - I didn’t play any of them until much later) it seemed to me like a bold change of direction and a chance for me to experience what Final Fantasy was ‘supposed’ to be as such. Man that opening music and video clip when first loading up the game was magical though. Really set the tone. The art style of IX is unique and is one that really adds to the world it wanted to create and the tone and theme of the game. Vivid and long lasting memorable imagery is a given in most FF games, but FFIX is certainly one of the best at it. I think X does a great job of it as well. Melodies of Life is such a magical theme. Really emotional and wonderful in both Japanese and English, like Suteki da Ne is for FFX. It’s the power of those songs that they can create emotion and resonate and you don’t even understand the lyrics. FFIX is a wonderful soundtrack and one example of it I have linked at the end of this massive slab of text lol Nobuo Uematsu is a genius. (On a side note, you mentioned Lost Odyssey and it reminded me that I watched Resonant Arc’s review of it, and wow that would have been quite an experience to play through. Was really interesting hearing this thoughts on the game. Pity that the ending of the story didn’t seem to match up with the rest of the game and how it was structured. That’s going off his review, which I respect. Obviously I haven’t played it, so if you feel differently about it, let me know why. Would be interesting to hear! Oh and as soon as he went into more detail with the battle system and how they attain skills, I was like “That’s very FFIX” lol) Can’t agree more about Tetra Master. A shame that it pales in comparison to Triple Triad. FFIX did have an almost ridiculous amount of minigames. I was always unsure if that was one of it’s strengths or weaknesses. Ah the trials and tribble-ations (Couldn’t resist a Star Trek pun there) of the Jump Rope trophy. Man what were they thinking? Bloodlust doesn’t sound much better either sadly. Suppose you can listen to Uematsu’s greatest songs whilst grinding out those kills though eh? Fantastic review and I’ll bet you’ll get more people interesting in having a look at this game as well. Kudos! Looking forward to more long discussions about Final Fantasy and other interests ? Finally, I have to leave you with this from one of the most powerful scenes in the whole game – the orchestral version of You’re Not Alone. My god this song and this version of it are simply moving. Can’t say much more than that. Magnifico! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grotz99 Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 15 hours ago, rjkclarke said: I sure did get converted - big time!!! That's nice to hear actually, that the spoiler free aspect of it came off well. That was such a double edged sword for me, I was so tempted to break my own rules and mention spoilers, but I didn't want to spoil it for anyone that has yet to play it. You want me to add you to the thank you part of the review by the way? I feel like you should probably be there. I completely agree by the way, I DID undersell Steiner, and a few of the other characters too, it was a case of worrying I was dedicating too much to characters, and avoiding spoilers. He's a great character, I just really worried that, talking about person growth I'd accidentally reveal something, it was hard enough skating around that with VIvi. Thanks for pointing it out too, because he deserves plenty of love as a character too. The bit in bold - you hit that nail on the head so hard, it fell through the centre of the earth and whizzed past the monkeys that live inside the core of the earth and control us all with levers (you never know it could be happening ) . I was actually going to dedicate a section to the end of that review about why you should play this game, even if you don't get all the trophies. If anybodies 100% account was going to die to anything - this game would be a worthy adversary, as you quite rightly say this game is a masterpiece. Could you imagine an Amarant game? I'd subtitle it Final Fantasy IX: Complaining, From Here to Eternity.... Get the song rights to Iron Maiden's here to Eternity and have the theme be "Amarant aint a bad guy..... Amarant'll....... bore you from here to eternity"..... Something like that!! You don't have to add me or anything, I was just excited to see someone play it for the first time. It's now the same for people that play the Yakuza series (hopefully starting with 0) for the first time. I still have half way to go to finish it, but I was hooked from the first game and it's nice to see when others get that first bit of crack. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kopite Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 15 hours ago, rjkclarke said: Yes - mobile games..... I mean, I'd totally buy it if it was a Final Fantasy VII version of Snake..... You know you could totally do that too, I don't want to give them ideas or anything - but you literally replace the snake with the Midgar Zolom. Release = Cash Please play the other Spyro's... They are excellent. You'll have a blast I think. You might hear " trouble with the trolley, eh?" when you play the second one.... But it's a small sacrifice to make. Of course this post loads up after I've put the mega post lol o well ooooo FFVII version of Snake you say? Sold lol I will get around to the other Spyro's definitely. Enjoyed the 1st one quite a lot. Hoping it won't be like Sly where I enjoyed the 1st one the most out of those. Trouble with the trolley, eh? Sounds intriguing lol 15 hours ago, rjkclarke said: Thanks!! I'll pass on the message! I hope you like it man, I really do. Fingers crossed. You weren't wrong about the game being excellent that's for sure. I'm still a little sad that my time with it is over for now. I haven't been able to bring myself to play Beholder 2 yet for that reason haha. If you couldn't tell from the above wall of text, yes I definitely enjoyed your review lol It is one of those games (experiences) that stays with you for a while, and other games can seem a bit less engaging as a result. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 19 hours ago, rjkclarke said: I was more thinking of Frasier than Sideshow Bob - but when Kuja goes into trance mode his hair goes all red and spiky as well. So maybe it was more fitting than I thought. Now when Kuja pops up in the story I'm constantly going to be expecting an "Oh REALLY, Niles!!" 3 hours ago, The_Kopite said: Certainly when I first witnessed the first news about FFIX back in the day, it was very jarring almost really the change in art style, music and character looks to be honest. Speaking as someone whose first Final Fantasy was VII (FF’s 1,2,4,5 and 6 never came out until the PS1 themselves in the UK, with 3 being released on the DS - I didn’t play any of them until much later) it seemed to me like a bold change of direction and a chance for me to experience what Final Fantasy was ‘supposed’ to be as such. Man that opening music and video clip when first loading up the game was magical though. Really set the tone. The art style of IX is unique and is one that really adds to the world it wanted to create and the tone and theme of the game. VII was my first too?? In the states we got Final Fantasy Anthology with V and VI on the PS1 about a year before IX came out (whew that's a lot of numbers), so we got prepped for lack of a better word. Likely to help alleviate the confusion of why we went from 3-7 so abruptly! But I too remember being somewhat puzzled initially that they would go back in that direction. Won me over pretty quickly though? After all, SNES FF × PS FF is a hard formula to fuck up! (Now with all the caps, what's wrong with me today?) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kopite Posted September 9, 2021 Share Posted September 9, 2021 12 minutes ago, YaManSmevz said: VII was my first too? In the states we got Final Fantasy Anthology with V and VI on the PS1 about a year before IX came out (whew that's a lot of numbers), so we got prepped for lack of a better word. Likely to help alleviate the confusion of why we went from 3-7 so abruptly! But I too remember being somewhat puzzled initially that they would go back in that direction. Won me over pretty quickly though After all, SNES FF × PS FF is a hard formula to fuck up! Yeah indeed, at least America got 3 of the first 6 FF's lol the UK got nil, nada, zilch lol It's just "Here's this new exciting game - Final Fantasy VII" "Hang on, 7??!! What the hell happened to the first 6?!" lol Absolutely agree though - SNES FF x PS FF is a hard formula to fuck up! Wish they'd do the new ones in that way tbh. Do a classic series spin off or something like that. Man I miss those days.... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KindaSabbath Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 On 09/09/2021 at 0:09 AM, rjkclarke said: The words thank you - just don't really do this comment any sort of justice. That comment meant a lot!!! It makes me happy to see how much praise you received and all of the positive comments after you put in so much effort writing up such a stellar review. On 09/09/2021 at 0:09 AM, rjkclarke said: On the subject of you trying a JRPG - that's a tough one. I'll think about it some more, and I'll try and put some ideas together... Final Fantasy X is a great shout as has been pointed out. That's my favourite one so of course I'd say that. But - and here's an interesting alternative, you're a Father right? I'm sure I read in your thread that you were. So I might suggest checking out Ni No Kuni - Wrath of the White Witch remastered... Although I'm not a parent myself, not yet at least, (maybe some day); that game, I think - would be absolutely filled with some incredibly poignant and joyous moments, that would probably resonate with a parent even more than it might someone else. It's art style is absolutely astounding, it's not absolutely steeped in anime visuals like some JRPG's can be, in case that'd be a turn off. It's very filmic, as it was co produced by Studio Ghibli, so their own brand of rich vibrant and memorable imagery is an absolute joy to behold. Also it's got quite a charming little Pokemon-esque system where you catch creatures to form your party members, which leads to loads and loads of variety. I also think if your children happen to be around whilst you were playing it, they might get really interested by the gorgeous aesthetic, and end up being interested themselves, might make it a bit of a family experience too, as the main character is a very small child - so they might identify with him on that level. Don't be put off by that either - it works surprisingly well. The only problem is, the platinum itself can become a bit of a chore, it's a bit grindy to say the least, but the core game itself, without taking trophies into the equation, is absolutely excellent. You're doing such a fantastic job of conveying passion and emotion yourself by the way - look how much interest your passion for the Trials series has managed to garner. I'm sure by the time you're finished the game and have written a stellar review of your experiences - that you'll have people that never would have even considered playing that game, deciding to take the plunge as a result. So don't think I don't have my kettle at the ready too!! Hey man, I really do appreciate that you will put some thought into recommending me the right JRPG to start with. The genre (as far as I'm aware) is notorious for having looooong games, so it would suck for me to jump into one that I end up not liking and be faced with a daunting 100hr+ completion. I trust your judgement though and you know what you're talking about! Speaking of judgement, I didn't think of a Yakuza game until you mentioned it. They have always looked interesting to me. Could be a good shout? I will definitely look into Ni No Kuni, that sounds great. I reckon some of my younger children would enjoy watching me play something of that nature. They love Pokemon, so that particular aspect could be awesome. I don't think its possible to have been playing video games for all these years and not having heard about Final Fantasy, alot. I've just never known where to jump in if I wanted to play, there's so many of them. Thank you for the compliment at the end. I'm honestly blown away by how much interest me playing Trials has garnered. I'm not really sure why, either. If it is indeed my passion for the series, then I can only hope it does encourage a few more people to pick them up and experience how fantastic these games are! I will do my best to put together a decent write up once I've wrapped up Fusion. The bar is set high from you boys, but honestly - that just inspires me to try harder and put more effort and thought into what I write. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted September 10, 2021 Author Share Posted September 10, 2021 (edited) On 09/09/2021 at 7:24 AM, Shrooba said: Incredible read on Final Fantasy IX, @rjkclarke! When you started talking about the importance of visuals and cinematography in the game, it reminded me of the feats developers had to pull off for old games; nowadays, games are abundant with day 1 patches or updates along the way, but with games on the PS1, PS2, and even PS3, you'd have one shot at making a game, what's sold was it. When you also factor in the fact that developers would find ways to use the limited technology to their advantage, the PS1 was definitely a time for art to blossom, and for ingenuity to shine. FFIX in this regard seems to be one of those games that break the mold; especially in referencing Star Wars' Binary Sunset. That shot is almost something out of a painting. If that's what you thought when playing FFIX, then it's got to be a truly beautiful game. Vivi is probably one of the best designed characters in the series I'd argue. Usually an obscured face would evoke mystery, yet in the case of Vivi it just exudes a friendly vibe. It's a weird juxtaposition how something that seems mysterious on the surface is really frank and to the point deep inside, and I feel as though this definitely correlates with Vivi's sense of character throughout the game. Excellent write up, and I look forward to your future reviews and updates! Thanks!! Much appreciated... I do agree with that sentiment too, that the limited development cycles and not being able to patch the game day one probably did light a fire under developers backsides a lot more than it does now. They know they have that luxury now, so they probably rely on it much more than perhaps they might have before. I do think sometimes fans put unfair pressure on studios to give them exactly what they want now - look what happened with Cyberpunk, I've not played it myself. I'll play it if it actually works at some point in the future - but unfortunately it looks like CDPR have undone a lot of the amazing good will that they garnered from The Witcher 3 - although I left that a while before I went back and really finished everything in that too, as even that game was a little broken at release... It's not not, but it doesn't stop it leaving a bit of a sour first impression. Sorry I've taken a while to get to all of these replies by the way. Sometimes to be effective, all you really need is a well composed image - which Final Fantasy IX does an astounding job od doing. That's an incredibly good point about VIvi too. I think the fact his design is slightly more tangibly human than the other Black Mages go a long way. His hat is crooked and weather-beaten, instead of pointy, his clothes are slightly different and look more lived in too. All that goes a long way to make him seem friendlier, as you rightly said it's a juxtaposition that absolutely works, faceless characters are often the more sinister ones. On 09/09/2021 at 3:53 PM, The_Kopite said: Firstly, that was quite a review. As others have said you are a very detailed and thorough writer, and you give a great insight into games, which I fully appreciate like many others. I’m just going to put all my thoughts and comments about your review in one long ramble of text and we will see how it turns out lol Thanks!! I'm very glad to hear that. that bit in bold seems to work well enough for me haha ? - I'll reply in sections, because that's a lot to put in one quote post. I appreciate the really in depth reply though. It was an amazing read. On 09/09/2021 at 3:53 PM, The_Kopite said: Have to say again it’s pretty remarkable that you were able to avoid pretty much all spoilers on the game for 20 years. Massive achievement in itself lol They certainly don’t do games like Final Fantasy IX any more, for better or worse. Certainly we have discussed at lengths how much I personally prefer the classic battle systems of I-X rather than the more action oriented focus that Square Enix now has with the franchise. (FFXV screams to mind…) I think all 3 of the PS1 era Final Fantasy’s have their own strengths and weaknesses (of which there are more strengths for all 3) and those 3 as a block of games hold up to any others pretty magnificently. I totally understand personally why FFIX would be your favourite of those 3 titles, and it is my 2nd favourite of those 3. I don't know how I've managed that either - it's not exactly like this is an obscure title, that people don't absolutely adore either, so you'd think I would have got spoiled on something, but nope - pretty much everything was completely new to me. Apart from the bit leading up to the Evil Forest which is the only part of the game I'd actually played up until recently. There are plenty of games still being released that prove that turn based battle systems can still work, but I think these days Square Enix want universal appeal. I can understand that from the point that they're a business, but I don't think the more action oriented stuff works in quite the same way. It sounds like they struck a pretty decent balance in FF7REmake though, so that sounds like pretty decent progress at least. All 3 PS1 era titles absolutely have their strengths and weaknesses. I'm very fond of all three of them - although I've very much got the unpopular opinion of liking VII the least of those three. What does work in VII's favour is how you end up noticing on multiple playthroughs. I do like it a hell of a lot too, it's just very small margins of preference for me, among these three titles. So it isn't like I think VII is lesser or anything as a result. On 09/09/2021 at 3:53 PM, The_Kopite said: I completely agree on what they were able to do with FFIX’s story and character development. I think it shows that this was the point where Squaresoft (at the time) were using all the lessons and experience they had garnered from all the previous games to really show that they were the best at the text dialogue format. I certainly don’t think that Final Fantasy games suffered with the introduction of voice acting, but there is a sort of warmth and intimacy that you can get as a player from playing an FF game without the voices, where you can almost become closer to the characters and create a more personal connection. Having to look for those mannerisms that they had to emphasise more and using the body language ad almost body language of the world as such to highlight things that sometimes you lose in voiced games. (hopefully that made some sense lol) It's a real testament to their writing skill at this point isn't it - especially when you factor in I was playing it fresh in 2021 and had a much more positive experience with it as a story than I've had with modern titles with an incredibly lavish budget, top notch voice acting and better graphics. What you said, makes perfect sense - them using no voiced dialogue in a sense does allow you more focus. I don't think the series suffers, with the introduction of voice overs either - in fact it's the thing that just about edges out Final Fantasy X for me. It could just be bias trickling in though - as that game really blew my mind when I was younger, I couldn't get my head around how much of a leap it was from VIII which would have been the last one I'd played. On 09/09/2021 at 3:53 PM, The_Kopite said: That is an interesting analysis regarding Zidane. I hadn’t thought about that personally myself, but the more I think about it you are correct. For the other classic FF’s, the main character for most is a leader and what the others look up to for strength and direction (like Zidane) but unlike Zidane the other characters personal troubles/flaws or problems are known pretty much from the start. Cecil, Terra, Cloud, Squall, Tidus all would fall into that category. I think the way they handled Zidanes development during the game was certainly a sidestep to that preconceived and established notion of how the main character was going to be and that dynamic. Hard to say much more without spoilers. I found that one a really tough one to skate around as far as spoilers go - he does have a revelatory experience like main characters often do, but it's so spoilerific I couldn't really mention it in any detail - let's just call it an existential crisis and leave it there. His character structure just seemed like something to talk about, because he does seem so different to other protagonists in the series I think. He's very unique in that regard. It was that difference that made me really fond of his character - some of the other protagonists, Cloud in particular take a lot longer to reach their definitive EUREKA moment as characters. Squall is a bit like that too - but the way they wrote FFVIII is much more metatextual about it, especially the way everyone has to tell him that he's all of these things that he thinks he isn't - "we know, but they don't know - Dramatic Irony mate!!" as my old screenwriting lecturer used to tell us. On an unrelated note - I'm pencilling in a review for November 28 this year to dedicate to my old lecturer, I found out he died when I was playing Tales of Zestiria a few years ago and now I can't think of that game without thinking of him, so I think it'd be nice to talk about him a bit before that review - he was an incredible mind indeed. It should give people a bit more of an idea on why I sometimes slip into vague metaphors accidentally, because those were that guys bread and butter and they were always so funny. So my inferior ones are a by-product of that. On 09/09/2021 at 3:53 PM, The_Kopite said: Vivi is a fantastic character, certainly one of the best of the whole franchise. Quote The comparison between Zidane and Han Solo is one I had never thought of before, but they are both rogue like in a way, almost anti heros or at least they don’t fit the typical hero mould that society has established. (BTW, if George Lucas was still in control of the Star Wars franchise, who knows if he would have given Hans Solo a tail haha). We had discussed your great appreciation for Quina before. Certainly not a character that I personally got on board with, for some reason they didn’t quite click with me but they were still funny lol Can’t agree more about Amarant though. Vivi might be my favourite Final Fantasy character now - he's very close to the top if he isn't actually my favourite. I just felt such an overwhelming amount of empathy for him as a character. I know you bring up Lost Odyssey later on, and we'll get there, but Kaim from Lost Odyssey elicited a similar reaction from me. Their specific stories just kind of resonate in a very unique way where you can't help but want them to be happier. That's a naff description of course, but I'm skating around spoilers again. I'd have loved to have broken my rule and mentioned spoilers, but I would have gone twice as long just talking about Vivi and other characters. ? I think Zidane and Han, have that similar rogue-ish likeability. Where they appear like they couldn't care less on the surface, but really they'd die for you in a heartbeat. I mean, that is probably a case of me overthinking and reading too much into the games characters but, that's how I saw it. That Quina thing is really unusual - because Quina gets possibly even less character development than Amarant - in fact I'd say they almost certainly do. I'd never argue they were a particularly deep or nuanced character that's for sure. Although one moment when you are in Bran- Bul completely caught me off guard, and I found quite sad, which was the simplistic way in which Quina tries to make Zidane feel better, in the only way that they can, by saying how much Zidane's presence has enriched their life, that was really nice. I think I have trophies to thank for how much I liked Quina personally, if there wasn't a requirement to see all the games ATE's then I never would have seen half of the hilarious things that they get up to. Those really made me laugh. On 09/09/2021 at 3:53 PM, The_Kopite said: Who doesn’t wish they were still playing video games at age 90? If there was ever a Final Fantasy game that should be made into a Shakespearean theatre production, it would be FFIX. Square Enix would probably do one for FFVII though lol Certainly when I first witnessed the first news about FFIX back in the day, it was very jarring almost really the change in art style, music and character looks to be honest. Speaking as someone whose first Final Fantasy was VII (FF’s 1,2,4,5 and 6 never came out until the PS1 themselves in the UK, with 3 being released on the DS - I didn’t play any of them until much later) it seemed to me like a bold change of direction and a chance for me to experience what Final Fantasy was ‘supposed’ to be as such. Man that opening music and video clip when first loading up the game was magical though. Really set the tone. The art style of IX is unique and is one that really adds to the world it wanted to create and the tone and theme of the game. I think I'd just be content with being alive still at 90 - if I still have the dexterity to play video games all the better. I bet @KindaSabbath - Will still be pumping out video's for Trials when he's 92 - wowing us all with his immense progress in Trials - Zimmerframe Fusion of the Blood Dragon!! I agree - you could make a hell of a theatre production out of FFIX, great shout man!! There's so much scope to make that amazing too, you've already got an amazing soundtrack you can play as part of the show. The costumes would look amazing in the flesh, and the anthropomorphic characters would look great on a stage - kind of like how the lions look in the Lion King stage show if you've ever seen any clips of that. Fascinating point you made there about the jarring changes (I agree with pretty much all of what you said there), and about your personal trepidation going into Final Fantasy IX - I actually have experienced something like that recently with Yakuza, although from everything I've been lead to believe, much like Final Fantasy IX Yakuza 7 turned out to be great - the transition into a turn based fully fledged JRPG has actually worked wonders - and they are keeping the series roots alive through the Judgment series too, so people could always go back to the familiar play style with those if they wished to. On 09/09/2021 at 3:53 PM, The_Kopite said: Vivid and long lasting memorable imagery is a given in most FF games, but FFIX is certainly one of the best at it. I think X does a great job of it as well. Melodies of Life is such a magical theme. Really emotional and wonderful in both Japanese and English, like Suteki da Ne is for FFX. It’s the power of those songs that they can create emotion and resonate and you don’t even understand the lyrics. FFIX is a wonderful soundtrack and one example of it I have linked at the end of this massive slab of text lol Nobuo Uematsu is a genius. (On a side note, you mentioned Lost Odyssey and it reminded me that I watched Resonant Arc’s review of it, and wow that would have been quite an experience to play through. Was really interesting hearing this thoughts on the game. Pity that the ending of the story didn’t seem to match up with the rest of the game and how it was structured. That’s going off his review, which I respect. Obviously I haven’t played it, so if you feel differently about it, let me know why. Would be interesting to hear! Oh and as soon as he went into more detail with the battle system and how they attain skills, I was like “That’s very FFIX” lol) I think the visuals in IX just about edge out X for me now - There's a real artistic flair to some of the stuff you see in IX that is there in other titles for sure, but IX has the sort that you could probably view in a bubble outside of the game itself without any context and probably still discuss with someone at length about what a specific image means - much like you can with a lot of art. Had I played Final Fantasy IX before playing FF XIII-2 - THIS would have been the one that I would have picked to write that essay, about conveying emotion through the use of music. I don't throw the word genius around lightly - but I think I definitely might bust it out for Uematsu that's for sure, I definitely think that's deserved in his case. I loved reading about how much, he enjoyed making IX's soundtrack too, and that love of his craft comes across so well in the final product. I think the ending of Lost Odyssey is a little bit - rushed? Perhaps that's not quite right, but it certainly doesn't give you the pay off that you probably expected from it. I think, the way it sort of wraps itself up doesn't really leave it very much scope for sequels, I mean - you could always create different immortals to build stories around, because that concept is incredibly strong - especially the way you unpack their stories by exploring those wonderful flashback short stories. It just felt a bit I don't know closed off. I adore Lost Odyssey though, and I really did want to see it become a series in it's own right, but now I think it'll just remain one of those what ifs? Of things that could have been. I'll certainly be getting that straight away if that ever gets a PS4 or PS5 remaster. More than anything it has that authentic Final Fantasy feel to the way it tells both the overarching narrative and the way it deals with it's characters. Resonant Arc's not wrong though, from what you said of their review, it does have a few glaring problems that you just can't ignore. On 09/09/2021 at 3:53 PM, The_Kopite said: Can’t agree more about Tetra Master. A shame that it pales in comparison to Triple Triad. FFIX did have an almost ridiculous amount of minigames. I was always unsure if that was one of it’s strengths or weaknesses. Ah the trials and tribble-ations (Couldn’t resist a Star Trek pun there) of the Jump Rope trophy. Man what were they thinking? Bloodlust doesn’t sound much better either sadly. Suppose you can listen to Uematsu’s greatest songs whilst grinding out those kills though eh? Fantastic review and I’ll bet you’ll get more people interesting in having a look at this game as well. Kudos! Looking forward to more long discussions about Final Fantasy and other interests Some of the mini games are so innocuous - you could so easily forget that they were even there. I want to say it's a strength, without trophies I never would have probably thought to talk to the hippo kid so that his Mum makes Vivi do a running mini game with him to stop him being a lardo, I would have just walked on by. Same with the Nero brothers shuffle one - it's probably so easy to miss that one, and you don't really get anything other than gil from it, but the fact it's there is really cool. I had more fun doing the jump rope trophy - it has that satisfying feeling you get when you know you are gradually making progress and getting better and better at something, so the payoff at the end just feels that little bit more satisfying. Bloodlust just bored me senseless - it's not fun in any whatsoever, I just can't sugar coat it - I can only equate it to that famous saying " lay back and think of England " haha ? I'm so glad, that you enjoyed the review. It was a hell of a lot fun to write, if not also incredibly draining. Also frustrating at times too, because I was really struggling how to word things without spoiling some really key moments. Thanks!! I also look forward to many more discussions to come, whatever it's about - should be a blast. On 09/09/2021 at 3:53 PM, The_Kopite said: Finally, I have to leave you with this from one of the most powerful scenes in the whole game – the orchestral version of You’re Not Alone. My god this song and this version of it are simply moving. Can’t say much more than that. Oh yeah - you aren't kidding.... That's really powerful, made my arm hairs stand on end. Thanks for sharing that!! Damn it, that's almost making me want to Ultima FFIX off of it's pedestal in my mind. The music in that video alone, just illustrates how majestic just the musical component alone in this game is. On 09/09/2021 at 3:59 PM, Grotz99 said: You don't have to add me or anything, I was just excited to see someone play it for the first time. It's now the same for people that play the Yakuza series (hopefully starting with 0) for the first time. I still have half way to go to finish it, but I was hooked from the first game and it's nice to see when others get that first bit of crack. I know - but I just thought it was right to say thanks to as many people as possible that have been contributing along the way - because I really do appreciate it, it's made it that much more enjoyable as a result. I'm in the same boat about the Yakuza series, every time someone starts to play it, I can't help but wish for nothing more than for them to fall in love with that series in the same way that I and many others have done. It's great to see that @YaManSmevz seems to be having a great time with it so far. I think it's pretty natural to want people to get the same enjoyment out of something that you, yourself did. On 09/09/2021 at 4:00 PM, The_Kopite said: I will get around to the other Spyro's definitely. Enjoyed the 1st one quite a lot. Hoping it won't be like Sly where I enjoyed the 1st one the most out of those. Trouble with the trolley, eh? Sounds intriguing lol Trouble with the trolley eh? Is something that I, and probably many other people heard quite a few times as a result of one of the Orb challenges in Spyro 2 - it's not really difficult or anything, just a bit frustrating. I think it's become a bit of a meme at this point. You enjoyed Sly 1 the most? It's not often you hear that one. I can absolutely respect that though. It's certainly a more streamlined and pure experience than the other Sly games - I think their attempts to vary the gameplay somewhat hamper the later titles a little bit. Especially the fourth one, that has a little too much of Bentleys hacking in it, which really slows the whole pace of of the game down quite a lot. On 09/09/2021 at 4:00 PM, The_Kopite said: It is one of those games (experiences) that stays with you for a while, and other games can seem a bit less engaging as a result. Yes!! That's unfortunately the case, you're so right, I'm about to start Beholder 2 tonight. I just couldn't face playing any games for a little bit after finishing Final Fantasy IX as you rightly said things can seem a bit less engaging as a result, so I needed to chill out for a bit before, I had the urge to jump back into the mix. On 09/09/2021 at 7:24 PM, YaManSmevz said: Now when Kuja pops up in the story I'm constantly going to be expecting an "Oh REALLY, Niles!!" Haha!! - Every time you see Amarant - you can think of this scene.... Especially when you get to the part when Amarant falls down a hole and needs to be rescued - what an absolute fanny!! On 10/09/2021 at 9:54 AM, KindaSabbath said: It makes me happy to see how much praise you received and all of the positive comments after you put in so much effort writing up such a stellar review Thank you man!! It definitely makes it feel a lot more worthwhile now, spending almost all of last Saturday editing it until I was happy with it, I did feel a bit bad, as I kept saying I'd be posting it soon, and then not actually doing it yet, I had to make sure I was happy with it first. So I'm glad people didn't seem to mind the wait too much. I really do appreciate all the positivity. On 10/09/2021 at 9:54 AM, KindaSabbath said: Hey man, I really do appreciate that you will put some thought into recommending me the right JRPG to start with. The genre (as far as I'm aware) is notorious for having looooong games, so it would suck for me to jump into one that I end up not liking and be faced with a daunting 100hr+ completion. I trust your judgement though and you know what you're talking about! Speaking of judgement, I didn't think of a Yakuza game until you mentioned it. They have always looked interesting to me. Could be a good shout? I'm not claiming to be the resident master of all JRPG knowledge around here or anything - there's plenty of folk about who've definitely played more of them than I have. The ones I've played though I've been incredibly fond of to varying degrees. It's something that deserves a decent amount of thought though, because there's so many factors involved with recommending someone something like a JRPG. I'd feel awful if I ended up being the thing that put you off the entire genre or something, because there's genuinely some great experiences to be had amongst them. I'd say the Yakuza games would be a good shout - I'm sure there might be some that'd read this and frown, because Yakuza isn't defined as a JRPG - but it's so close to being one it might as well be. They work on so many levels too, so it'd definitely be something that you might enjoy - they are long ones though apart from Yakuza 6 which is about 40 hours for the platinum. Some of the earlier titles have got a pretty decent amount of challenge too, so I expect you'd get a kick out of that. They also have so many mini games in them there's usually always something to distract yourself with at various points. I've seen Yakuza 0 go on sale for about £3.99 in the past, so might be worth considering at some point if it's something you get a little bit more interested in. On 10/09/2021 at 9:54 AM, KindaSabbath said: I will definitely look into Ni No Kuni, that sounds great. I reckon some of my younger children would enjoy watching me play something of that nature. They love Pokemon, so that particular aspect could be awesome. I don't think its possible to have been playing video games for all these years and not having heard about Final Fantasy, alot. I've just never known where to jump in if I wanted to play, there's so many of them. If they love Pokemon then I think you'd be safe on that front that they'd enjoy that part of it. Might enhance the part where you have to go and catch a specific amount of different ones for a trophy. It might be fun to have them around for that one, as they might enjoy seeing all the varieties of familiar, and seeing you "catch em all" so to speak. It's got a film on Netflix too that's set in the games universe so if they were interested you could probably watch that together too. It is quite grindy game towards the end, and you'd probably be missing the difficulty factor - but it's a hell of a good game Ni No Kuni, if the grind gets a bit much, you can always jump on your thread or in here and vent about it, I'm sure we'd all try and keep you motivated to get through it. That bit in bold - is an incredibly fair point. It's really daunting to know where to start in a series that large. If you were going to jump into a Final Fantasy game you wouldn't have to worry about knowing the previous games story, for the most part they are all quite self contained - so you can pretty much just jump into any of them and away you go, without having to read a bajillion wiki articles to familiarise yourself with what's going on. Arc suggested Final Fantasy X as a good jumping in point and I think that's certainly a worthy one. I'll think about some more JRPG's though and I'll try and find a good first one for you. On 10/09/2021 at 9:54 AM, KindaSabbath said: Thank you for the compliment at the end. I'm honestly blown away by how much interest me playing Trials has garnered. I'm not really sure why, either. If it is indeed my passion for the series, then I can only hope it does encourage a few more people to pick them up and experience how fantastic these games are! I will do my best to put together a decent write up once I've wrapped up Fusion. The bar is set high from you boys, but honestly - that just inspires me to try harder and put more effort and thought into what I write. You're so very welcome!! On top of how passionate you are about it - I think the way in which you're going about updating your progress is probably a huge factor. The videos help us experience it almost vicariously with you. The fact you give us your progress in such an honest manner goes a long way too. It'd be easy in a game that's incredibly skill based to come across as really - well without sounding too much like Victorian gent "braggadocios," which you absolutely don't. I think the way you go about it is fantastic, I think it'll make people that might have been put off by horror stories they'd heard about the difficulty think about starting it themselves. They'll see how much of a fun time you've been having and think "hey I want some of that myself!!" Now.... I need to go put my fingers in a bucket of ice for a minute or two ? I'd better get back to writing that review of Deus Ex Mankind Divided soon so I can post that at some point in the near future. Edited September 12, 2021 by rjkclarke 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KindaSabbath Posted September 11, 2021 Share Posted September 11, 2021 (edited) 17 hours ago, rjkclarke said: I'm not claiming to the resident master of all JRPG knowledge around here or anything - there's plenty of folk about who've definitely played more of them than I have. The ones I've played though I've been incredibly fond of to varying degrees. It's something that deserves a decent amount of thought though, because there's so many factors involved with recommending someone something like a JRPG. I'd feel awful if I ended up being the thing that put you off the entire genre or something, because there's genuinely some great experiences to be had amongst them. I'd say the Yakuza games would be a good shout - I'm sure there might be some that'd read this and frown, because Yakuza isn't defined as a JRPG - but it's so close to being one it might as well be. They work on so many levels too, so it'd definitely be something that you might enjoy - they are long ones though apart from Yakuza 6 which is about 40 hours for the platinum. Some of the earlier titles have got a pretty decent amount of challenge too, so I expect you'd get a kick out of that. They also have so many mini games in them there's usually always something to distract yourself with at various points. I've seen Yakuza 0 go on sale for about £3.99 in the past, so might be worth considering at some point if it's something you get a little bit more interested in. If they love Pokemon then I think you'd be safe on that front that they'd enjoy that part of it. Might enhance the part where you have to go and catch a specific amount of different ones for a trophy. It might be fun to have them around for that one, as they might enjoy seeing all the varieties of familiar, and seeing you "catch em all" so to speak. It's got a film on Netflix too that's set in the games universe so if they were interested you could probably watch that together too. It is quite grindy game towards the end, and you'd probably be missing the difficulty factor - but it's a hell of a good game Ni No Kuni, if the grind gets a bit much, you can always jump on your thread or in here and vent about it, I'm sure we'd all try and keep you motivated to get through it. That bit in bold - is an incredibly fair point. It's really daunting to know where to start in a series that large. If you were going to jump into a Final Fantasy game you wouldn't have to worry about knowing the previous games story, for the most part they are all quite self contained - so you can pretty much just jump into any of them and away you go, without having to read a bajillion wiki articles to familiarise yourself with what's going on. Arc suggested Final Fantasy X as a good jumping in point and I think that's certainly a worthy one. I'll think about some more JRPG's though and I'll try and find a good first one for you. OK, so I've started doing a little research into some of these games - since as I (fingers crossed) should be wrapping up Fusion soon. Yakuza: These games straight up look dope. JRPG or not. Similar to the Final Fantasy games though, where the hell would you start ? - Not sure if the amount of mini games would be a positive or a negative, since as my kids regularly destroy me at connect 4. Final Fantasy: Outside of the extremely passionate experiences I hear from many regarding these games. The music is a big draw for me here. Almost anything I've watched regarding these games, I always think the music is so freaking good, man. Ni No Kuni: OK, aesthetically these games look straight up gorgeous. I'm leaning toward these at the moment as my first dip of the toes into JRPG waters. I'm going to give this a watch later: To be honest I'm excited to just try out a new genre of video games in general. I'd like a bit of diversity to my profile. I'd like to complete a few games from many different genres. Edited September 11, 2021 by KindaSabbath 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destructor-8 Posted September 11, 2021 Share Posted September 11, 2021 (edited) On 09/09/2021 at 0:09 AM, rjkclarke said: Thank you so much for stopping by to read it. It's not exactly like it takes a short amount of time to read.. The fact you did means a lot. It's almost caught me by surprise how much this game ended up meaning to me by the end. It's a happy surprise though so it's all fine. Without sounding too much like a broken record, it's been made all the more special by being able to share it with everyone. The bit I put in bold - honestly, thank you so much for stopping by. It's always nice to interact with more people. I'll always try and respond to everyone if I can - so don't feel like you can't pop in and say hello, or something similar. I'm honestly surprised by how active this thread has become. I was perfectly accepting of the fact starting out - that I'd just be posting reviews about old and new games every now and then (which I'd still be doing, and I am still doing. I just thought if people wanted to read them it's a bonus - which it absolutely still is, I just expected it to be a more lonesome experience, but I'm really glad it hasn't been. Especially when I review games with flying concrete dogs in them ). So I'm glad, that these days it's almost got the atmosphere of a load friends just hanging out and talking about what they're passionate about - with some reviews and other things peppered in. At least that's how I see it. It's been such a blast. Yeah exactly! This game was one of the first games I knew about as it was a big part of my household & will always be one of the ones that I remember for the right reasons so I'm glad people still enjoy it after all this time. I think it really shows why it's still regarded as one of the best games of all time. Yes I will try to drop by as much as I can as it's always nice to interact with people on this part of the forum so I'm just hoping my one will hopefully be well liked by people as well. I been thinking the past few days about starting one & just don't know how to start but I guess I need to just do it. I'm looking forward to more great reads! Edited September 11, 2021 by Destructor-8 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrunkenEngineer Posted September 11, 2021 Share Posted September 11, 2021 I struggle a bit with reading ADHD (who doesn’t, in this age of smart phones and doom scrolling?). But seeing all the praise here, and knowing how much this game meant to you from conversations, I sat down with a couple cups of coffee on my patio on a nice Saturday morning and read through your entire review. Bravo. I welled up a little, a grown-ass late 30’s man. I know very little about FFIX, but recognized character names as I had plenty of friends back in high school and college that were rabid FF fans, and this instantly brought many good memories flooding back. Fantastic job staying away from spoilers and you’ve made me interested in playing the game, as well. Keep on keepin’ on my dude. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post rjkclarke Posted September 12, 2021 Author Popular Post Share Posted September 12, 2021 (edited) So I totally....... Totally got hooked on Beholder 2 - which is why I'm replying now at silly O'clock in the morning. But that's fine tomorrows Sunday and all that. Fingers crossed I'll have my Deus Ex: Mankind Divided review up tomorrow - which I've decided not to call a classic review - as I got 100% Completion about 2 weeks ago, so it just wouldn't quite feel right to term it that way. 18 hours ago, KindaSabbath said: OK, so I've started doing a little research into some of these games - since as I (fingers crossed) should be wrapping up Fusion soon. That's awesome to hear - I only singled this bit out to say, you've absolutely got Trials Fusion in the bag. You're making insane progress with that. You've got that big fishy on the hook - now you've just gotta reel it in. 18 hours ago, KindaSabbath said: Yakuza: These games straight up look dope. JRPG or not. Similar to the Final Fantasy games though, where the hell would you start ? - Not sure if the amount of mini games would be a positive or a negative, since as my kids regularly destroy me at connect 4. Start with Yakuza 0 that's essentially the beginning anyway. I'm not gonna lie, some of those mini games are an absolute bitch, and can really test your patience... But I'd give any tips that I could - and there's plenty of people around that'd be super pumped to see you playing Yakuza that they'd be doing the same I expect. 18 hours ago, KindaSabbath said: Final Fantasy: Outside of the extremely passionate experiences I hear from many regarding these games. The music is a big draw for me here. Almost anything I've watched regarding these games, I always think the music is so freaking good, man. That's definitely one of the staples, the amazing music. I haven't personally played the Final Fantasy VII remake yet - I'm going to at some point, but I've heard pretty much nothing but good things about that one. You don't need to have played the original to have a good time with it either - because @realm722 I think played it before playing the original, and wrote a stupendously good review of that game that would probably make someone who's never even played a video game before, want to try that one out. I'd link it, but I'd probably have to rummage around in realms thread for a while to find it, as I can't remember exactly where it is. I don't think that would be the worst one to start with from all the positive things I've heard about Final Fantasy VII Remake. You've gotta find whatever appeals to you the most obviously - If music is a strong selling point for you, you couldn't go wrong with FFIX or FFX. 18 hours ago, KindaSabbath said: Ni No Kuni: OK, aesthetically these games look straight up gorgeous. I'm leaning toward these at the moment as my first dip of the toes into JRPG waters. I'm going to give this a watch later: That's definitely not a bad place to start - I haven't seen that video, but I've seen plenty of that dudes content, and he absolutely does spell it out for those that are completionists what to expect - so I don't think he'd sugar coat the grind. I just wouldn't want that grind to put you off any future JRPG's. It's definitely the game I thought you'd probably get the most out of the story - which is usually the selling point of JRPG's for a lot of people. Whatever you go with I hope you end up loving it. 18 hours ago, KindaSabbath said: To be honest I'm excited to just try out a new genre of video games in general. I'd like a bit of diversity to my profile. I'd like to complete a few games from many different genres. I can't help but commend that mindset too. That's a great attitude to have - that variety should help keep things fresh and interesting for you. It certainly has done for me. I find it really fun trying out new genres that you never usually would, sometimes they can really surprise you. I love it when that happens. You can end up really appreciating a genre, that you probably never would have even considered you'd like before. Whatever you end up picking - I'm sure we're all going to get a kick out of watching you progress through it. 15 hours ago, Destructor-8 said: Yeah exactly! This game was one of the first games I knew about as it was a big part of my household & will always be one of the ones that I remember for the right reasons so I'm glad people still enjoy it after all this time. I think it really shows why it's still regarded as one of the best games of all time. Yes I will try to drop by as much as I can as it's always nice to interact with people on this part of the forum so I'm just hoping my one will hopefully be well liked by people as well. I been thinking the past few days about starting one & just don't know how to start but I guess I need to just do it. I'm looking forward to more great reads! I think you're totally on the money there - Final Fantasy IX has maintained it's quality for twenty years, and it almost certainly will for another twenty years too. It deserves to be so highly thought of. I'm sure your thread will be great - don't worry about that. I'm sure it'll be well liked. Everyone is super supportive here, so I'm certain many of us will be popping by to say hello. I know what you mean about thinking for a while before actually starting one - I'd say just take the plunge. Is there anything that's particularly stopping you? Like the theme of your Checklist, or what you want to name it.. I'm sure you'll find something awesome. You can always edit your opening post if you end up not being happy with it. I update mine quite often, even though I'm about 99.9% sure I'm the only one that actually looks at it (I don't particularly expect people to either). Just because I'm looking forward to the day when I can have some of my Platinum Vault spoiler tag panels properly filled out with links to reviews instead of just sparsely scattered like they are now. I mean writing more is the only way to remedy that problem too, so I guess I ought to churn more reviews out Thanks again for the encouragement by the way. 13 hours ago, DrunkenEngineer said: I struggle a bit with reading ADHD (who doesn’t, in this age of smart phones and doom scrolling?). But seeing all the praise here, and knowing how much this game meant to you from conversations, I sat down with a couple cups of coffee on my patio on a nice Saturday morning and read through your entire review. Bravo. I welled up a little, a grown-ass late 30’s man. I know very little about FFIX, but recognized character names as I had plenty of friends back in high school and college that were rabid FF fans, and this instantly brought many good memories flooding back. Fantastic job staying away from spoilers and you’ve made me interested in playing the game, as well. Keep on keepin’ on my dude. Thanks so much man That's about the best compliment you could have given me. I know I don't make it easy for people, by making these quite long - as I've said before, they can't all be that long, and they won't all be that long. This game was very special. I can see why people wouldn't want to read it too, peoples time is a precious commodity. I often think who'd want to read a long as heck, review about a twenty year game, when they could be playing games themselves. So the fact you read it and enjoyed it, really has made it feel worthwhile. It's definitely a game worthy of anyone's time - so if you're interested in it, that's fantastic. The more people that play it the better I think. It's funny we've all been talking about memories in this thread for the last however long it's been (and it's been wonderful too) - so in a way me quoting that line from the song Diamonds and Rust in the opening post months ago has actually become fairly relevant recently - I absolutely love that. So unexpected. Here's to wherever we go next with these - I'm going to test the waters with something at the end of the Deus Ex review - so I'll be interested to see if I get any feedback on that one, but I won't know until I try. Edited September 12, 2021 by rjkclarke 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destructor-8 Posted September 12, 2021 Share Posted September 12, 2021 15 hours ago, rjkclarke said: I think you're totally on the money there - Final Fantasy IX has maintained it's quality for twenty years, and it almost certainly will for another twenty years too. It deserves to be so highly thought of. I'm sure your thread will be great - don't worry about that. I'm sure it'll be well liked. Everyone is super supportive here, so I'm certain many of us will be popping by to say hello. I know what you mean about thinking for a while before actually starting one - I'd say just take the plunge. Is there anything that's particularly stopping you? Like the theme of your Checklist, or what you want to name it.. I'm sure you'll find something awesome. You can always edit your opening post if you end up not being happy with it. I update mine quite often, even though I'm about 99.9% sure I'm the only one that actually looks at it (I don't particularly expect people to either). Just because I'm looking forward to the day when I can have some of my Platinum Vault spoiler tag panels properly filled out with links to reviews instead of just sparsely scattered like they are now. I mean writing more is the only way to remedy that problem too, so I guess I ought to churn more reviews out Thanks again for the encouragement by the way. Yeah there's some games that just maintain that legendary status for good reason & are the ones you'll remember for a long time. Yeah I'm hoping it is. I think the thing is I'm trying to think of a name although I can change that if needed I guess but would be nice to have a name that is relevant to what it's revolved around. I think I'll just start it to then see what happens & I'll reserve some posts in case. I'm sure yours will only get better & I'm sure it's not easy to organise but it's looking good. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted September 12, 2021 Author Share Posted September 12, 2021 1 hour ago, Destructor-8 said: Yeah there's some games that just maintain that legendary status for good reason & are the ones you'll remember for a long time. Yeah I'm hoping it is. I think the thing is I'm trying to think of a name although I can change that if needed I guess but would be nice to have a name that is relevant to what it's revolved around. I think I'll just start it to then see what happens & I'll reserve some posts in case. I'm sure yours will only get better & I'm sure it's not easy to organise but it's looking good. This is true - quality does tend to stand the test of time. Yeah the name is a tough one - I definitely agree with that one. Mine took a while. Even though it was just smashing the names of two of my favourite songs together in the end. One is very specifically about memories too - which I thought seemed pretty relevant if I'm going to end up discussing a lot of my old games and experiences. You can always drop me a message or something if you want to bounce some ideas around. I'm not suggesting my feedback might necessarily be helpful or anything, but if you wanted to, the option is there. You've got some outrageously awesome racing game accomplishments on your profile, so I'd guess you'd lean towards having it slightly related to that maybe. That seems like a decent idea - to start it and go from there. I fully expected to change the name of mine - now I definitely don't think I will. I've grown to quite like it. However pretentious the name might sound ?.... Sounds like you've got a good positive mindset about it though, which is important. As I said previously, I look forward to having a look when you do. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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