Final Fantasy IX will always be my most favorite game in the entire series. I was 11yo when the game released and was dealing with the after affects of my parents divorce. It came out at the perfect time for me personally. FFIX was like a window into majestic, beautiful, living and breathing world. Got me through some hard times. I could say the same for several other game in series which is why Final Fantasy will always hold a very special place in my heart 😢
I can relate to this. I got it for Christmas and my dad wasn't there for the first time. My world at the time was bullshit, so this game was almost therapeutic.
@@nattobaby I think 6 is only beloved by hipsters and nostalgia people. Don't get me wrong, I love FF6, but I think it has serious pacing issues. That's probably in part due to it being an SNES game and the hardware limitations too. I think many just also love it cause it was their first. My first was FF4 (2 at the time). But I think the ranking would be more FFT > FF9 > FF7/6 (I think they are equally great) > FF4 > etc. That being said, while I think FF9 is better, it is not without faults (I think disc 3 coulda been better if it dealt a bit more with Dagger's story/issues and ruling and some other things instead of what it did)
Heartily agree, Zidane and Garnets relationship is one of the few believable and in some ways, even relationships I've ever seen portrayed in a JRPG, as you see both of their struggles with their lives and thoughts on it. Not just the protagonists, they treated all the female characters well and it depresses me that they've never recaptured that feeling of 'women are people and think, do wrong, and right and feel things' in any other subsequant games.
@@amronfaro9728 I like Quina. They are just simple which also offers a unique point of view on the story. And I also like to collect her blue magic, she is a really good party member if you know how to use her right
9 is up there with 4 for me. I think 4 (or FF2 for us Western audiences) was the first game I remember playing that had an actual, involved story. The original FF or even the OG Dragon Warrior/Quest games on the NES (I-IV) didn't feel as personal as the story of Cecil, Kain, Rosa, and Rydia did. It was something that wasn't equaled until the masterpiece that was Chrono Trigger came out a year or two later.
@@Maria_Erias Mine as well. I have my PS2 set up separate from my other game systems because of that game alone. I also have fun with Madden and the NCAA series, but FF9 is easily my favorite. I have dozens of saves, games from a variety of points. I love doing the Hunt first time in Lindblum. I love the sidequests. I love the chocobos. I love the Mognet. And I love Stiltzken. The game offers such great variety and opportunity that there is something for everyone.
My dad got this for me n my bro when we was young we never heard o'r played anything like it hanes everything about the game at first when we learned it became a house hold staple even helped my other bro with big words love yhis game
@@d.sack2727 Final Fantasy X has a soft spot in my heart. I don't think it's necessarily the best Final Fantasy, that's down to personal preference/opinion, but it's my favourite overall. I loved the sphere grid in particular.
I was introduced to FF with 7, which I thought was amazing. I skipped 8 because I didn't like the look or gameplay at the time, but 9 captivated me as soon as it released back in 2000 (in America). To this day, I still complete the game annually. Now, having been married for 8 years, my wife likes to watch me play the game. She recently painted me a really cool 4 panel piece of Zidane throwing off his cloak and Garnet realizing who he is during the ending. I'm just going on; this game means a ton to me. Zidane's "live for the moment" philosophy, Vivi's struggle to understand and accept death, Freya's torment at learning she had been forgotten by the person she loved that became determination to get to know him again. Eiko's loneliness and being forced to grow up too soon, Garnet struggling with her identity having been a part of two distinct worlds, as well as grappling with her surrogate mother being someone she loves even while performing monstrous deeds of war. Flippin amazing game.
@@Telyurna I personally didn't like his arc. "Moody loner learns the power of friendship", to me, lacked the depth and nuance of the other stories. He was like JP from Grandma's Boy
@@jamesyu5212 Seeing as this is a text only form of communication wherein irony cannot possibly be conveyed due to the lack of accompanying body language and tone to suggest irony, it is literally impossible that he was being ironic.
@@victoriousf.i.g.3311 what, you need an eye roll emoji to appreciate whether a person is being ironic? The absence of visual /auditory/language queues does not signify he was being direct or being ironic. To suggest that you can read another person’s thoughts and claim impossibility of a scenario that is quite possible is abhorrently smug and elitist of you. Which, I can totally understand as seeing you just wrote an essay about character development in a 20 year old video game made for teens. Everyone with a pulse knows Amarant and Quina are filler characters without a semblance of depth in character development. Grow up.
FFIX is hands down my favorite FF game, there’s always been something about it that just keeps me coming back and still playing it to this day. I don’t think they’ll ever be able to re create the experience we got from being able to play VII, VIII and then IX. Really wish they’d go back to creating them like that. Ahhh the nostalgia
FF9 is still my favorite after all these years. I own 3 copies of it. Black label and Greatest Hits versions on ps1 and the steam port. I did notice the music storytelling as a kid due to the music of the game being one of my fav things about it, and I was studying music while learning trumpet at the time. I still remember bringing tracks in to show the band teacher and the smile on his face when I pointed out some of the storytelling elements. Great video!
I've got a good one about musical themes; the song "Daughter of Madain Sari", is played during the brief time you take control of Eiko in Alexandria on Disk 3. It's Eiko's theme, but it has a Melodies of Life (Garnet's theme) motif woven into it; so if you take this and look at the title, "daughter" of Madain Sari, refers to not just Eiko, but Garnet as well. It's one of my favourite tracks in the game not just because of how lovely it is, but how clever it is in terms of composition and concept.
With that said, given the context it's utilized in, I think the use of the leitmotif in this instance has more to do with love than Garnet. Melodies of Life, similar to Suteki de Ne, doubles as both the heroine's theme and a love theme in the score, and "Daughter of Madain Sari" played when Eiko was up to her shenanigans trying to woo Zidane. This ultimately doesn't take away from it, since it's still a clear example of Uematsu's thematic development of certain ideas that complements the storytelling in one way or another.
Aside from FF14, FFIX is my favorite of the last 20 years. I grew up with the originals, and once emulators were a thing in the late 90s, I got to experience the ones that the Western audience didn't (FF2 and 3 on the NES, FF5 on the SNES). I loved those older ones, love the high fantasy/ever-so-slight steampunkiness of them.
The nostalgia hits hard for me in Memoria. The countless Spring weekends during my very first play-through back in 2001 I spent trying to defeat Hades. I still get goosebumps listening to the soundtrack lol
9 was the second ff game i ever played and was so good. 8 and 9 were why i went back and played almost all of the older games. Also, Uematsu is a music god and i definitely recognize similarities between soundtracks and i love it.
FFIX is to me still the best Final Fantasy. I love almost every title but IX is the best. I never played 1-6 before but I think it was such a good decision to go back to the roots.
I love the theory that Vivi is the real main character in the game. The events of FF9 is his narration, which is his parting gift to the world. Yeah, I know you can’t take Zidaine out of the party. But, that’s because Zidaine is the main character in Vivi’s Story. Vivi is also the first character you encounter, and get to name. It may not be as deep as “Squall is dead” or all of the games are connected. But it’s fun, and Vivi is awesome.
Darryl and company, you all gave the incredible production staff of FFIX their will deserved accolades for their work after this game. On behalf of all of us, thank you to all who received time on this video to discuss their future work, named or unnamed!
For years, I've been on a constant debate with myself on which Final Fantasy game I love the most, VII or IX. VII no doubt have my all time favorite videogame character, Cloud Strife, Crisis Core was a great expansive story to VII's lore and I absolutely enjoyed the remake. But ultimately, I have to give it to IX. The story, characters, music and the overall emotional impact of the story just won me over. VII is still amazing but I'll have to give it to IX the slight edge for how much impact it has to me growing up.
While FF7 is my personal favorite, I've always considered FF9 to be the best, and a perfect representation of what "Final Fantasy" should be. Great video!
This is the best list format video I have seen in a while. Each fact was fleshed out and looked at in a wider context in a way that made them feel important and not just chosen to fill a spot. And I say this as a massive FFIX fan ❤️
While not quite my favorite, 9 is certainly really good! I loved the mechanic of wearing equipment and gaining sp to permanently learn perks and abilities from that equipment. It gives a greater value to grinding beyond just leveling up and getting stronger.
I love playing Final Fantasy IX for PlayStation 1 (2000). It's my favorite PlayStation 1 game. It has 8 characters like Zidane Tribal, Vivi Ornitier, Steiner, Dagger, Freya Crescent, Quina Quen, Eiko Carol and Amarant Coral.
final fantasy 9 is my favorite, its also the fist RPG I owned and completed. I got FF7 later, and it was my second favorite, and incidentally was the first FF game I witnessed at a youth club. these games made my head explode as a kid... they were just so all consuming for me...
That subtle difference in Kuja’s theme is something I only noticed years later when buying the soundtrack. Somewhat related, I was a bit salty when I bought the soundtrack (original 4 disc one) as one of my fav themes was Kuja’s Desert Palace theme (referred to as “Millennium Edition”) but that is only included on the Plus version of the soundtrack. I think I developed an addiction for that particular variation of Kuja’s theme due to how long I ended up stuck in Kuja’s Palace on disc 3 as a kid lol. The piano with the drums on that theme is something I never get tired of. Fantastic video. You guys are awesome!
Not to mention how much Kuja's motif pops up throughout the various scored-to-picture/FMV cues on the Plus album. His theme is a fairly prominent idea, not too dissimilar from earlier on when Sephiroth's motif would also pop up in a handful of cues beyond "Those Chosen by the Planet" (including his two boss themes).
FFIX is by far my favourite game in the series. I knew that there was a physical version of the Tetra Master game - I have found it for a very high price on eBay! I also knew about the Hawaii studio as that's why there is the useless Aloha equipment in the game.
I absolutely love the soundtrack in 9, sometimes when I have trouble sleeping I play the soundtrack but then I start reliving my Final Fantasy 9 adventures in my head.
Still have the Tetra Master physical card game lying around. I'll always remember how hyped I was when I saw the add in the german Digimon magazin and how I pestered my dad in ordering it for me. Never knew it was only produced in Germany.
To this day, FFIX is not only my favorite FF game, but my favorite game of all time, everything about it just resonates so strongly with me, specially Vivi. If the rumored remake comes out to be true, i'm sure i'll cry uncontrollably out of happiness, this game is my childhood and more.
Ff9 was my first ps1 game at 2002, and my favorite one. While playing ff5 ported version couple years later, listening to the sand ost, kuja theme was the first thing that came to my mind, it really thrilled me back than.
Despite being underrated and overlooked, FFIX is one of the best in the series and my personal favorite after VII, VIII and X. Love the emotional storytelling, beautiful music, well-balanced gameplay system and, of course, the charming lovable characters.
I don’t know about underrated. Most places rate it third behind 6 and 7. I think it was a better game than those but their innovation can’t be overlooked and that type of innovation wasn’t found in 9 which is why it’s generally rated 3rd in the series.
@@thehermitwizard Absolutely. And when you factor in the different parts of the game, gameplay, graphics, FMVs, and story it holds up much better than the other PS1 Final Fantasy games after 20 years.
That opening rant is exactly my feelings on the franchise. I loved the 8 and 16-bit games, hated 7 and 8 (and also 10), but legitimately loved 9 because of how it felt more like the older games, despite having the graphic style of the newer ones.
Although I played FF7 first, FF9 was the game that caught my attention and convinced me to begin my journey into Final Fantasy and JRPGs in general two years ago.
Regarding point #2 about Uematsu's music storytelling, look no further than Seymour's Theme in FFX slowly devolving from elegant instrumentals to full electronic by the end.
Currently replaing this gem. I like how in the beginning it feels like a jolly dark adventure flick, slowly turning into a war with a supernatural overlord. Also: Vivi
Having something like FFIX on your resume would certainly help keep it out of the bin pile... Probably gave them quite a nice edge over other job applicants.
So cool to watch this a year later, cus last week the Memoria Project complete demo was shown, and i cried. And not just that, the ffix remake was just comfirmed to have an official anouncement in a few months from now
Final Fantasy IX doesn’t just have the greatest cast of characters in the Final Fantasy series. It has the greatest cast of characters in video game history.
This is the first FF I ever played (that was in 2020) and it quickly became one of my top favorite games of all time. By the end of it, I was in tears. It felt like I had been on a long journey with a group of close friends. Since then, I’ve bought FF7(og), FF8, 10-2, 12 and 15. I love all of these games in their own right, 10 being my next favorite. But something about 9 has been untouched since it’s creation. Sure, the battle system is _painfully_ slow, but MAN does it exceed in every other category. I don’t have nostalgia haze when it comes to this game, it’s just simply a magnificent game with charming characters and a great story. I could write an entire love letter to this game. Even though I essentially just did. Whoops.
Thank you for that intro, you are doing great service to one of the best games made in history! FFIX❤️🔥 Remake SOON ... hopefully 🙃 Great content, keep it up, thank you!
I played FF9 once upon release and was never able to get into it again. I loved it and still have fond memories of it. However despite it having my favorite mini game in the FF series (Chocobo Hot and Cold) I've never been able to find the interest to play through it again, likely due to the ridiculously high random encounter rate. By contrast, I've played 6, 7, 8 and Tactics 5-10 times each. I've heard the ports on modern consoles have an option for turning down or turning off the random encounter rate in 9, but still haven't explored this.
Still one or my favourite games of all time. I wish they’d make a new game with this visual style instead of hyper realism. I’m due a run through it again at some point this year 😀
So, the problem that I have with these videos is that while it’s true the audience probably doesn’t know these things, you can almost be assured that it’s because they didn’t want to know. Nothing in these videos feels fascinating or exciting. It feels more like we’re being given useless knowledge, rather than interesting trivia.
Though I had the original FF for Gameboy when I was a child, I never really got into it. I was introduced to the franchise with FFVII, but FFIX had become my favorite in the series before FFXII released, which is my all time favorite to this day, though it is very closely tied with FFIX. I have FFIX on my phone through Google Play, but am still actively trying to find a good enough emulator to run FFXII at a decent framerate. P.S. FFIX, FFXII, and FF Tactics are what makes me want to play the old 8-bit titles though, there are lots of references to the older games in the former two, and Tactics has that 8-bit charm that sells the ant to go back and experience them.
i had the physical card game (wasn't a tcg or so you just got a whole box of cards, counters and D10s) but had to sell it when i got into a financial problem. The game was fine though :) the math was similar to the videogame where you compared the stats on the cards, crossed referenced them on a reference board and threw a 2D10 and i think roll UNDER the value to win.
this video was so inspiring for me at this very moment, I'm a 3d character artist for games and I am right now modeling Garnet in the style of modern square enix, I'm using Strelitzia from KH4 as a style guide, hope I can show you when it's done :)
I'm not a big fan of FF7,8 or 10 as I used to as a kid but FF9 has aged the best, still enjoying the adventure everytime I replay it also it was my first experience with seeing the more 2D era of final fantasy like the call backs to black mage class n many more. It took me a while to like the 2D FF games since they didn't get released till 2001 in a era heavily favouring 3D games. Thx to FF9 n even mystic quest (no joke) I started to really love FF1,3,4,5,6. (sorry FF2)
Wild how much the culture of gaming and game development has changed. The time and commitment given to past titles truly showed. Days of play with real depth of story. Now, everything is done the cheapest and shipped out before ever being fully completed or tested. All under the guise of being a live-service title, using the consumer as testers/investors. Ultimately leaning on the online multiplayer function to keep the game fresh. Games nowadays are often hollow.
Bonus fact: the reason there is Hawaiian outfits in ffix is because of the development team being in Hawaii. If you’ve played the chocobo mini game you’d have found these outfits and you’d be confused as to why they provided no stats… well that’s why. It’s just an Easter egg!
I love Final Fantasy from the very first up to IX After that it went downhill and wasn't a fan of the following games (never played yhe mmo's so I don't include them). But I do like XV and was happy that after all these years I had a FF that I could really get in to.
I would love to see FFIX remade in the traditional final fantasy style of game but just on modern hardware with amazing graphics and updated gameplay. I still love the traditional turn based JRPG's.
If I remember correctly, the trilogy of remakes (ff7, 8, &9) were canceled due to the disappointing box office of the Spirits Within movie. SE had put a lot of capital into the CG technology to make the movie. Then upon release it bombed in the states. Then was being reported as such a financial failure, at the time, for SE that it was looked at as a death nail for the company. So all future projects were cancelled or at least shelved, with the exception of ff10 which was the tent pole title going forward and all hopes were put on it to pull SE out of the red and back into the black.
Final Fantasy IX will always be my most favorite game in the entire series. I was 11yo when the game released and was dealing with the after affects of my parents divorce. It came out at the perfect time for me personally. FFIX was like a window into majestic, beautiful, living and breathing world. Got me through some hard times. I could say the same for several other game in series which is why Final Fantasy will always hold a very special place in my heart 😢
I can relate to this. I got it for Christmas and my dad wasn't there for the first time. My world at the time was bullshit, so this game was almost therapeutic.
What about ten?
Still my favorite game in the series after all these years!
One of my top 3 favorite FF games for sure
Same
Same for me. Favorite ever 👏🏻
Same. Along with 8 & 12.
I have to agree wholeheartedly. FF9 came out in such a tender time in my life that it became a huge part of my life.
Final Fantasy IX will always be a beautiful gem of the series.
7 was better. But just barely 7 and 9 i could play over and over again
@@zachz1018 nah 6 is better than 7 but 9 is better than both
@@nattobaby lol im playing 6 for the 5th time right now
@@nattobaby I think 6 is only beloved by hipsters and nostalgia people. Don't get me wrong, I love FF6, but I think it has serious pacing issues. That's probably in part due to it being an SNES game and the hardware limitations too.
I think many just also love it cause it was their first. My first was FF4 (2 at the time). But I think the ranking would be more
FFT > FF9 > FF7/6 (I think they are equally great) > FF4 > etc.
That being said, while I think FF9 is better, it is not without faults (I think disc 3 coulda been better if it dealt a bit more with Dagger's story/issues and ruling and some other things instead of what it did)
9 probably had the best character depth and growth in the series. The way character arcs weaved into the overall story was an absolute masterpiece.
And the world design too. It feels so alive.
We can all agree that FF9 has an extremely character-driven story.
Heartily agree, Zidane and Garnets relationship is one of the few believable and in some ways, even relationships I've ever seen portrayed in a JRPG, as you see both of their struggles with their lives and thoughts on it. Not just the protagonists, they treated all the female characters well and it depresses me that they've never recaptured that feeling of 'women are people and think, do wrong, and right and feel things' in any other subsequant games.
And then there's quina. And amarant.
@@amronfaro9728 I like Quina. They are just simple which also offers a unique point of view on the story. And I also like to collect her blue magic, she is a really good party member if you know how to use her right
FF9 is still by far my fave game in the series. The characters are so we'll written 😅 I will still replay at least once per year it's that good.
9 is up there with 4 for me. I think 4 (or FF2 for us Western audiences) was the first game I remember playing that had an actual, involved story. The original FF or even the OG Dragon Warrior/Quest games on the NES (I-IV) didn't feel as personal as the story of Cecil, Kain, Rosa, and Rydia did. It was something that wasn't equaled until the masterpiece that was Chrono Trigger came out a year or two later.
10 for me
@@Maria_Erias Mine as well. I have my PS2 set up separate from my other game systems because of that game alone. I also have fun with Madden and the NCAA series, but FF9 is easily my favorite. I have dozens of saves, games from a variety of points. I love doing the Hunt first time in Lindblum. I love the sidequests. I love the chocobos. I love the Mognet. And I love Stiltzken. The game offers such great variety and opportunity that there is something for everyone.
My dad got this for me n my bro when we was young we never heard o'r played anything like it hanes everything about the game at first when we learned it became a house hold staple even helped my other bro with big words love yhis game
@@d.sack2727 Final Fantasy X has a soft spot in my heart. I don't think it's necessarily the best Final Fantasy, that's down to personal preference/opinion, but it's my favourite overall. I loved the sphere grid in particular.
I was introduced to FF with 7, which I thought was amazing. I skipped 8 because I didn't like the look or gameplay at the time, but 9 captivated me as soon as it released back in 2000 (in America). To this day, I still complete the game annually. Now, having been married for 8 years, my wife likes to watch me play the game. She recently painted me a really cool 4 panel piece of Zidane throwing off his cloak and Garnet realizing who he is during the ending.
I'm just going on; this game means a ton to me. Zidane's "live for the moment" philosophy, Vivi's struggle to understand and accept death, Freya's torment at learning she had been forgotten by the person she loved that became determination to get to know him again. Eiko's loneliness and being forced to grow up too soon, Garnet struggling with her identity having been a part of two distinct worlds, as well as grappling with her surrogate mother being someone she loves even while performing monstrous deeds of war.
Flippin amazing game.
U forgot the best character's arc, Amaranth 👌
@@Telyurna I personally didn't like his arc. "Moody loner learns the power of friendship", to me, lacked the depth and nuance of the other stories. He was like JP from Grandma's Boy
@@victoriousf.i.g.3311 he was being ironic.
@@jamesyu5212 Seeing as this is a text only form of communication wherein irony cannot possibly be conveyed due to the lack of accompanying body language and tone to suggest irony, it is literally impossible that he was being ironic.
@@victoriousf.i.g.3311 what, you need an eye roll emoji to appreciate whether a person is being ironic?
The absence of visual /auditory/language queues does not signify he was being direct or being ironic. To suggest that you can read another person’s thoughts and claim impossibility of a scenario that is quite possible is abhorrently smug and elitist of you. Which, I can totally understand as seeing you just wrote an essay about character development in a 20 year old video game made for teens.
Everyone with a pulse knows Amarant and Quina are filler characters without a semblance of depth in character development.
Grow up.
FFIX is hands down my favorite FF game, there’s always been something about it that just keeps me coming back and still playing it to this day. I don’t think they’ll ever be able to re create the experience we got from being able to play VII, VIII and then IX. Really wish they’d go back to creating them like that. Ahhh the nostalgia
Lost odyssey another gem. 🤘🏼 have that one still too.
FF9 is still my favorite after all these years. I own 3 copies of it. Black label and Greatest Hits versions on ps1 and the steam port. I did notice the music storytelling as a kid due to the music of the game being one of my fav things about it, and I was studying music while learning trumpet at the time. I still remember bringing tracks in to show the band teacher and the smile on his face when I pointed out some of the storytelling elements.
Great video!
ff9's battle theme plays during a battle. It changes to the victory fanfare if you win.
I've got a good one about musical themes; the song "Daughter of Madain Sari", is played during the brief time you take control of Eiko in Alexandria on Disk 3. It's Eiko's theme, but it has a Melodies of Life (Garnet's theme) motif woven into it; so if you take this and look at the title, "daughter" of Madain Sari, refers to not just Eiko, but Garnet as well. It's one of my favourite tracks in the game not just because of how lovely it is, but how clever it is in terms of composition and concept.
With that said, given the context it's utilized in, I think the use of the leitmotif in this instance has more to do with love than Garnet. Melodies of Life, similar to Suteki de Ne, doubles as both the heroine's theme and a love theme in the score, and "Daughter of Madain Sari" played when Eiko was up to her shenanigans trying to woo Zidane.
This ultimately doesn't take away from it, since it's still a clear example of Uematsu's thematic development of certain ideas that complements the storytelling in one way or another.
FF9 has the best unique character with individual fantasy origin that enrich the entire world altogether as a whole.
Vivi was most lovable
I definitely noticed the Kuja music difference. I could definitely feel his rage in the final battle.
I have you are not alone from zidanes existential crisis scene on my UA-cam playlist. It's one of my favourite pieces from a game ever.
Aside from FF14, FFIX is my favorite of the last 20 years. I grew up with the originals, and once emulators were a thing in the late 90s, I got to experience the ones that the Western audience didn't (FF2 and 3 on the NES, FF5 on the SNES). I loved those older ones, love the high fantasy/ever-so-slight steampunkiness of them.
06:04 -- I used to fight Kuja every day just to hear this song. Sometimes multiple times a day. Funny looking back on those days.
The nostalgia hits hard for me in Memoria. The countless Spring weekends during my very first play-through back in 2001 I spent trying to defeat Hades. I still get goosebumps listening to the soundtrack lol
9 was the second ff game i ever played and was so good. 8 and 9 were why i went back and played almost all of the older games. Also, Uematsu is a music god and i definitely recognize similarities between soundtracks and i love it.
FFIX is to me still the best Final Fantasy. I love almost every title but IX is the best. I never played 1-6 before but I think it was such a good decision to go back to the roots.
I love the theory that Vivi is the real main character in the game. The events of FF9 is his narration, which is his parting gift to the world. Yeah, I know you can’t take Zidaine out of the party. But, that’s because Zidaine is the main character in Vivi’s Story. Vivi is also the first character you encounter, and get to name.
It may not be as deep as “Squall is dead” or all of the games are connected. But it’s fun, and Vivi is awesome.
"vivi is the first character you encounter and name" not true, you start the game as zidane and name him shortly after
And Dagger is the first character you actually see if the first cutscene where she is at sea with her real mama
This game will always be my favorite 😍
The beginning is GREAT 👍
The middle is AWESOME 👌
And the end is just PERFECT ❤
And so is everything in-between
Darryl and company, you all gave the incredible production staff of FFIX their will deserved accolades for their work after this game. On behalf of all of us, thank you to all who received time on this video to discuss their future work, named or unnamed!
For years, I've been on a constant debate with myself on which Final Fantasy game I love the most, VII or IX. VII no doubt have my all time favorite videogame character, Cloud Strife, Crisis Core was a great expansive story to VII's lore and I absolutely enjoyed the remake.
But ultimately, I have to give it to IX. The story, characters, music and the overall emotional impact of the story just won me over. VII is still amazing but I'll have to give it to IX the slight edge for how much impact it has to me growing up.
FF9 characters are just as popular as FF7.
While FF7 is my personal favorite, I've always considered FF9 to be the best, and a perfect representation of what "Final Fantasy" should be. Great video!
I feel the exact same way.
More evidence that this is still the best Final Fantasy game ever made.
This is the best list format video I have seen in a while. Each fact was fleshed out and looked at in a wider context in a way that made them feel important and not just chosen to fill a spot. And I say this as a massive FFIX fan ❤️
I have obtained every card on Tetra Master, but the Master Rank? No, I don't think I have enough will power to get it on this life
While not quite my favorite, 9 is certainly really good! I loved the mechanic of wearing equipment and gaining sp to permanently learn perks and abilities from that equipment. It gives a greater value to grinding beyond just leveling up and getting stronger.
I love playing Final Fantasy IX for PlayStation 1 (2000). It's my favorite PlayStation 1 game. It has 8 characters like Zidane Tribal, Vivi Ornitier, Steiner, Dagger, Freya Crescent, Quina Quen, Eiko Carol and Amarant Coral.
final fantasy 9 is my favorite, its also the fist RPG I owned and completed. I got FF7 later, and it was my second favorite, and incidentally was the first FF game I witnessed at a youth club. these games made my head explode as a kid... they were just so all consuming for me...
That subtle difference in Kuja’s theme is something I only noticed years later when buying the soundtrack.
Somewhat related, I was a bit salty when I bought the soundtrack (original 4 disc one) as one of my fav themes was Kuja’s Desert Palace theme (referred to as “Millennium Edition”) but that is only included on the Plus version of the soundtrack. I think I developed an addiction for that particular variation of Kuja’s theme due to how long I ended up stuck in Kuja’s Palace on disc 3 as a kid lol. The piano with the drums on that theme is something I never get tired of.
Fantastic video. You guys are awesome!
Not to mention how much Kuja's motif pops up throughout the various scored-to-picture/FMV cues on the Plus album. His theme is a fairly prominent idea, not too dissimilar from earlier on when Sephiroth's motif would also pop up in a handful of cues beyond "Those Chosen by the Planet" (including his two boss themes).
FFIX is by far my favourite game in the series.
I knew that there was a physical version of the Tetra Master game - I have found it for a very high price on eBay!
I also knew about the Hawaii studio as that's why there is the useless Aloha equipment in the game.
I absolutely love the soundtrack in 9, sometimes when I have trouble sleeping I play the soundtrack but then I start reliving my Final Fantasy 9 adventures in my head.
Still have the Tetra Master physical card game lying around. I'll always remember how hyped I was when I saw the add in the german Digimon magazin and how I pestered my dad in ordering it for me. Never knew it was only produced in Germany.
To this day, FFIX is not only my favorite FF game, but my favorite game of all time, everything about it just resonates so strongly with me, specially Vivi. If the rumored remake comes out to be true, i'm sure i'll cry uncontrollably out of happiness, this game is my childhood and more.
I liked #6 most. It’s always fun to see new talent come together.
Ff9 was my first ps1 game at 2002, and my favorite one. While playing ff5 ported version couple years later, listening to the sand ost, kuja theme was the first thing that came to my mind, it really thrilled me back than.
Thank you for this. Final Fantasy IX is my favorite of the PS1 generation. It was simple but engaging. I loved Vivi, Zidane, and Garnet. :)
2:07 Collector's lvl glitch
4:13 Soundtrack
7:27 Dark crystal design
9:21 FFIX remake
11:55 Square collaborations
14:25 Western development
17:14 Hiroyuki Ito's code name
Despite being underrated and overlooked, FFIX is one of the best in the series and my personal favorite after VII, VIII and X. Love the emotional storytelling, beautiful music, well-balanced gameplay system and, of course, the charming lovable characters.
I don’t know about underrated. Most places rate it third behind 6 and 7. I think it was a better game than those but their innovation can’t be overlooked and that type of innovation wasn’t found in 9 which is why it’s generally rated 3rd in the series.
@@swilliams21231 Agreed, FF9 is a fantastic game that seemingly only gets brought up when taking about how "underrated" it is.
@@thehermitwizard Absolutely. And when you factor in the different parts of the game, gameplay, graphics, FMVs, and story it holds up much better than the other PS1 Final Fantasy games after 20 years.
@@swilliams21231 because it was underrated. Everyone compared it to ff7 and ff10 the two big ff titles during that time.
My favorite game too! It brings back memories.
I bought it every time a version comes out.
That opening rant is exactly my feelings on the franchise. I loved the 8 and 16-bit games, hated 7 and 8 (and also 10), but legitimately loved 9 because of how it felt more like the older games, despite having the graphic style of the newer ones.
I didn't expect to see Dark Crystal referenced, that's so interesting. I loved both it and FF9 growing up, so it makes sense.
Although I played FF7 first, FF9 was the game that caught my attention and convinced me to begin my journey into Final Fantasy and JRPGs in general two years ago.
Regarding point #2 about Uematsu's music storytelling, look no further than Seymour's Theme in FFX slowly devolving from elegant instrumentals to full electronic by the end.
Currently replaing this gem. I like how in the beginning it feels like a jolly dark adventure flick, slowly turning into a war with a supernatural overlord.
Also: Vivi
Cool facts! Final Fantasy IX is my first and favourite FF to date. A remake announcement would make me incredibly happy.
Having something like FFIX on your resume would certainly help keep it out of the bin pile... Probably gave them quite a nice edge over other job applicants.
Just started a new play through yesterday, timing couldn't be better thanks!
This game is in my heart. First I hated then I became my favorite game of the series.
I grinded tetra master HARD when I was a kid, I got my collections to like 6 cards short of having every card with arrows on every point
FF9 still the best final fantasy in PS1 era.
I beat this game a couple days ago and already miss it.
others FF, I just clear it once, or maybe not at all
but IX, I clear it probably more than 4 times
it's just simply beautiful
I love ff1 and ff4 more but I love this game. The call backs to the games before hyped me up even more.
So cool to watch this a year later, cus last week the Memoria Project complete demo was shown, and i cried. And not just that, the ffix remake was just comfirmed to have an official anouncement in a few months from now
FFIX!!! FFVII still comes a very close second. FFIX just has a more special place in my heart.....the memories of life.
Final Fantasy IX doesn’t just have the greatest cast of characters in the Final Fantasy series. It has the greatest cast of characters in video game history.
To me, this was great vid also, FF9 is my favourite and FF7 is the best.
Stumbled upon this channel and was hoping to see this one eventually. Glad I didn’t have to wait too long ☺️☺️☺️
This is the first FF I ever played
(that was in 2020)
and it quickly became one of my top favorite games of all time.
By the end of it, I was in tears.
It felt like I had been on a long journey with a group of close friends.
Since then, I’ve bought FF7(og), FF8, 10-2, 12 and 15.
I love all of these games in their own right, 10 being my next favorite.
But something about 9 has been untouched since it’s creation.
Sure, the battle system is _painfully_ slow, but MAN does it exceed in every other category.
I don’t have nostalgia haze when it comes to this game, it’s just simply a magnificent game with charming characters and a great story.
I could write an entire love letter to this game.
Even though I essentially just did.
Whoops.
Love the game I used to just play so I could hear the song “melodies of life” at the end of the game. (Pre-UA-cam) lol
Thank you for that intro, you are doing great service to one of the best games made in history! FFIX❤️🔥 Remake SOON ... hopefully 🙃 Great content, keep it up, thank you!
I played FF9 once upon release and was never able to get into it again. I loved it and still have fond memories of it. However despite it having my favorite mini game in the FF series (Chocobo Hot and Cold) I've never been able to find the interest to play through it again, likely due to the ridiculously high random encounter rate. By contrast, I've played 6, 7, 8 and Tactics 5-10 times each. I've heard the ports on modern consoles have an option for turning down or turning off the random encounter rate in 9, but still haven't explored this.
Still one or my favourite games of all time. I wish they’d make a new game with this visual style instead of hyper realism. I’m due a run through it again at some point this year 😀
Could you make a top 7 hardest dungeons? It would be amazing
Does pitious ruins count?
So, the problem that I have with these videos is that while it’s true the audience probably doesn’t know these things, you can almost be assured that it’s because they didn’t want to know.
Nothing in these videos feels fascinating or exciting. It feels more like we’re being given useless knowledge, rather than interesting trivia.
i reaaally really hope they remake this absolute masterpiece
Though I had the original FF for Gameboy when I was a child, I never really got into it. I was introduced to the franchise with FFVII, but FFIX had become my favorite in the series before FFXII released, which is my all time favorite to this day, though it is very closely tied with FFIX. I have FFIX on my phone through Google Play, but am still actively trying to find a good enough emulator to run FFXII at a decent framerate.
P.S. FFIX, FFXII, and FF Tactics are what makes me want to play the old 8-bit titles though, there are lots of references to the older games in the former two, and Tactics has that 8-bit charm that sells the ant to go back and experience them.
i had the physical card game (wasn't a tcg or so you just got a whole box of cards, counters and D10s) but had to sell it when i got into a financial problem. The game was fine though :) the math was similar to the videogame where you compared the stats on the cards, crossed referenced them on a reference board and threw a 2D10 and i think roll UNDER the value to win.
Great video. Thanks for your time in this video!
Interesting analysis video! Thanks for uploading!
These sorts of videos are so amazing :O
The dark crystal connection was cool
this video was so inspiring for me at this very moment, I'm a 3d character artist for games and I am right now modeling Garnet in the style of modern square enix, I'm using Strelitzia from KH4 as a style guide, hope I can show you when it's done :)
I'm not a big fan of FF7,8 or 10 as I used to as a kid but FF9 has aged the best, still enjoying the adventure everytime I replay it also it was my first experience with seeing the more 2D era of final fantasy like the call backs to black mage class n many more. It took me a while to like the 2D FF games since they didn't get released till 2001 in a era heavily favouring 3D games. Thx to FF9 n even mystic quest (no joke) I started to really love FF1,3,4,5,6. (sorry FF2)
I just beat FF7, FF8, cannot wait to play this game soon
Wild how much the culture of gaming and game development has changed. The time and commitment given to past titles truly showed. Days of play with real depth of story.
Now, everything is done the cheapest and shipped out before ever being fully completed or tested. All under the guise of being a live-service title, using the consumer as testers/investors. Ultimately leaning on the online multiplayer function to keep the game fresh. Games nowadays are often hollow.
9 is my all time favorite final fantasy game ever
great research as always guys!
Bonus fact: the reason there is Hawaiian outfits in ffix is because of the development team being in Hawaii. If you’ve played the chocobo mini game you’d have found these outfits and you’d be confused as to why they provided no stats… well that’s why. It’s just an Easter egg!
Man i just completed Ff9 today lol (i defeated Ozma and all are at level 99, i beated the final boss around 1 week ago)
Congrats Ozma is tough
I loved the chocobo treasure hunt
Love Final Fantasy IX Forever My Beloved Game
Love to Draw Garnet til Alexandros So Much Forever ^o^
Love all Final Fantasy Series ^o^
I still can’t get the jump rope trophy
Can't even watch these because the nostalgia hurts. Hurts to play ff too but it's my life so
I love Final Fantasy from the very first up to IX
After that it went downhill and wasn't a fan of the following games (never played yhe mmo's so I don't include them).
But I do like XV and was happy that after all these years I had a FF that I could really get in to.
Oh you knew I was going to love the hell outta this!!
I would love to see FFIX remade in the traditional final fantasy style of game but just on modern hardware with amazing graphics and updated gameplay. I still love the traditional turn based JRPG's.
Final fantasy IX wasn’t the first collaboration with Skywalker Sound. Grandia for the Saturn and ps1 did it first in 1997.
commenting because I know it helps and the video was really good. didn't know any of them.
The best FF by far. Love it
Finally. My favorite FF game ❤️❤️❤️
I've got the FFIX theme for my ps4 and i love it!
Loved final fantasy IX. Still hum the music
Miss opportunity to put 9 Facts about FF9 lol but that just me
If I remember correctly, the trilogy of remakes (ff7, 8, &9) were canceled due to the disappointing box office of the Spirits Within movie. SE had put a lot of capital into the CG technology to make the movie. Then upon release it bombed in the states. Then was being reported as such a financial failure, at the time, for SE that it was looked at as a death nail for the company. So all future projects were cancelled or at least shelved, with the exception of ff10 which was the tent pole title going forward and all hopes were put on it to pull SE out of the red and back into the black.
Love how your source is 'dansg08'💜
Best in the series. Great cast, themes and villain.
I feel like you hit me with way more than 7 facts...
Kinda hope you guys do one of these videos for ffxv
and now i just have to listen ff9 soundtrack again