The part that sticks with me the most is after Garnet’s mother is killed, and Vivi contemplates how glad he is she’s dead whilst being sad for Garnet. His wrestling with two conflicting emotions. It’s brilliant, and hits so hard because of FF IX’s presentation. I love it
For some reason, I always mistakenly thought that scene was Zidane reflecting. It was only during the last time I played the game three years ago that I finally noticed it was Vivi. And I've played the game dozens upon dozens of times.
The black mages are truly a tragic case in this game. They aren't just a job class, but an artificial species designed for endless war, against their will. It's just sad that even when they did establish the hidden place away from the outside, they are still at the mercy of their limited time to exist. I wonder if it is ever explained how Vivi was this prototype of the black mages.
Such a comfy game. For some reason my favorite part is inside the little train station with Dagger and Steiner. Like I’d like to have lunch there. Idk why that sticks out to me so much, I’m not even like that
I haven't played this game since I was 12 over 20 years ago but when I read your comment I could picture that station. Of the three psx games, it sticks the most with me even though I've never replayed it.
Love your Essay about my absolutely all-time-favorite (and for me still the best Final Fantasy Part). I actually replay it at the moment on my PS5 :-D Hearing you talking about TRANCE around part 1'26" I had a smile on my face. When I played it back then as a child, my usual warmup before a big battle - or when I thought a boss fight would come across - was to battle as much enemies to fill my Trance-Meter (sometimes I let my partymembers hit each other to fill the bars) and when I entered a boss battle one hit activated Trance :-) I really thought of me as a clever boy xD I still can't tell, why THIS game is my absolute all-time favourite - but you concluded all aspects in your video! That was awesome. And I bet, I'm gonna play FF9 a dozen times again, because of the deeply love I feel for it since my childhood 🙂 Even my fantasy-books (sadly only available in German on Amazon) are an inspired mix of Final Fantasy9, Tolkien, Raymond Feist and are beloved for the small callbacks or hints on FF9 by my readers. I loved to hide subtle hints or hommages and if you are confident with German language, I would love to recommend my #aeldionsaga to you. From a FinalFantasy9 lover to another 🙂
I still remember seeing images of FFIX just after playing and finishing FF7 and FF8: childish and goofy looking characters, a knight, a princess and a guy with a tail? Clearly a game for children! I was so upset and disappointed in Square. How could they do that with those two predecessor, clearly aiming at a more mature direction. What would people (i.e. my class mates) say if they found out that I play that game (I was 14 at that time). Eventually I bought it and hell did I love it. The graphics and CGI Scenes were stunning, the music of N. Uematsu it top notch (as always), the characters had so much heart and soul and the story kept you thinking for weeks and month. It is a truly Final Fantasy masterpiece and I cannot decide if I love it more or less then FF7. Thank you for your well made analysis.
I was 16, iirc, and I way preferred 9 over 8. And I was never more hyped for a game to release than I was for 8. Both amazing, but. 9 is a return to what I loved about FF
I can only imagine how much work you have put here. The result is incredible. Keep going. Even if you don't have like 1000 likes and 100k views, the few you have really appreciate your work. I can also see that you enjoy making this content, and I think that is what matters the most.
This is one of the games that I would go to high heaven and hell to see it explode into a full blown franchise like FF VII did, im taking live action tv series, anime, full remake of the game it self, even more spin off titles, the works. Lets just hope the upcoming rumored remake becomes a huge hit and maybe just maybe it could start an iceberg, you never know what the future can bring.
@@arkham666 Jrpgs in these days were just works of art truly and they also dealt with large scale stories that have global developments and implications for the plot. You don't get games with naratives of these size anymore with modern tech, partly because its an insurmountable task to achieve in photo realist graphics. (why else does FF VII need 3 parts) and this game's world is actually even larger and more diverse then FF VII. Personally I am content for a more traditional 3d remake that still has the same design and style.
My favorite part of the game is when Zidane splits off from everyone then fights a battle himself. Just as he is losing, his buddies come back to help him and they kick the monster's butt. Its a great piece of storytelling in gameplay just like the death of Aerith in FF7. After her death, you gave to battel without a white mage and that is a huge loss that makes you feel the loss of her death that much more.
10 yr old me playing Vivi for the first 15 seconds... I would die for him. Seeing Garnet run into Zidanes arms made (and still makes) tears shoot from my eyes.
I just finished FFIX for the third time in 20 years. I watched pretty much every youtube video there is on my previous playthrough, about a year or two ago. I am now 20 minutes into this video and think this might be the best I've seen. I'll know in an hour I guess lol
@@arkham666 I took Tetra Master seriously for the first time on this playthrough. I enjoyed it and planned on finishing my deck, got close, and that was good enough for me. As for Chocobo Hot and Cold, I didn't even know it existed until this playthrough when I learned about Ozma (who absolutely destroyed me the first three times I fought it) Also, I disagree with the random status effects being an issue, as I always feel like I never lose a fight unless I get affected by random status effects, but that's a personal preference I suppose. And Trance... A year or two ago, Trance saved me in a bunch of fights at the last second. On this playthrough, it was pretty much useless. Very strange that you can't save it for at least a fight or two. But yeah, finished the video, I loved it. Cheers!
I remember before using speed running strats always using applying blind on gizmaluke so I could steal the staff for vivi. It was pretty free. You can just use a tent on gizmaluke and keep resetting until it works
I remember playing this game when it was new and I was young. This game has been so impactful on me that the themes still bring me to uncontrollable tears.
Replaying this game has been quite interesting seeing the graphics how they were, and it’s the first time I’ve played the game on a TV. It’s load times do drag(& my PS1 is quite finicky), and the game can be slow but it doesn’t bother me the more I adjusted to it. I actually do like the difficulty, and having status ailments unequipped and having a character say stoned or troubled gives items much purpose. It’s another reason why I like the Synthesis shop in this game. As I’ve just replayed the game, I’ll definitely say that I’ve never felt that Chocobo Hot & Cold overstayed its welcome. Because every time you dig out an item with your chocobo, Choco’s beak can gain EXP. I was actually encouraged in getting 8 items in a round to level up my beak, and since each match lasts for like a minute, it levels up your beak. I tried not using a guide, and was able to find most chocographs with the incentive that eventually I’ll get them. Chocobo Hot & Cold is definitely a divisive game, & it just depends on what you like. Trance I feel is only really useful for bosses when you have High Tide, & it’s pretty awkward. But, I’ll say I feel like they work more than say Desperation Attacks in VI which are so useless when you’ll most likely heal next turn. Besides that, I still really like the gameplay. I actually find all the characters useful in their own right, even if there are characters you prefer more. I tend to have Dagger & Eiko around because I love having two healers that can do good damage, Steiner and Amarant are powerhouses, Vivi and Quina are great, and so on. It definitely makes these characters feel unique, like say the cast in 4. Still my favorite cast in any FF. I love the story, world, the themes and the characters. I love the ATEs that explore the characters, and give them time to shine. I still teared up at the Terra segment, Not Alone and the ending. Zidane remains my favorite protagonist with his lovable personality and his relationships with Dagger and the cast. I still look at this game when I think of Final Fantasy at its best, and I will cherish this game for comforting me & changing me into the person that I am. It may not be perfect, and it won’t be for everyone, but man is it phenomenal. Still my favorite, and will forever hold a place in my heart.
I God damn LOVE Final Fantasy IX. Its by far the best one to me. I played this game on my playstation 1 for the entirety of my 8 years old to my late 18s. I only had the japanese version of the game and it took me nearly a decade to actually beat it. I would always get stuck at some part of the game. Its the best gamr ever.
I would absolutely LOVE to see you do an in-depth retrospective on Skies of Arcadia (the original Dreamcast version, the improved Gamecube version, or both). It's easily my favorite video RPG of all time.
A really excellent take on FFIX, it shows how much work you put in it. The part about Vivi is really well done and touching. I'll be following your content with great interest :)
I legit just did the same thingnwith this game about a month ago. Ive played ff games for almost 30 years (yes 7 was my first one it was actually my brother's but i was the first to beat it) and ive already beat rebirth and the original 7 again so i was thinking "damn i wonder how great 9 still is" and here i am now almost done with the game and dammit if i havent got teary eyed at parts with just a flood of nostalgia. So glad to know others are still as fascinated by this beautiful story as i am
This was a really enjoyable watch! Thank you for enduring hot and cold for us. Gotta love those pre-rendered backgrounds. My favorite part is when you geek out about them cause I get it. I'm super stoked for the ffx video!
I gush over just any game with pre rendered backgrounds lol. It's something I wish would come back. I'm almost finished writing ffx so hopefully it won't take too much longer to finish.
Great video, this is my favorite game of all time, because all of the reasons you said and even more. Funnily enough, chocobo hot and cold is one of my favorite activities of this game, it makes me enjoy exploring the world in hope of finding new, cool stuff, I can see the timed minigame can get repetitive and boring, but I actually like it, also, you can use fast forward to make it faster while the timer stays with the normal speed, it's a little broken, but fun in a good way. Another thing, about what you said about bosses and abilities to counter them, I find it very entertaining to go and encounter a boss, for it to destroy you, and think about your strategy: "hmm, this boss uses a lot of confuse attacks, next time I'll try equipping clear headed", to the point where you can beat pretty much every boss at minimum level if you know how to deal with them, that's not something you can do in every RPG, and I like it a lot, the strategy aspect about your equipment and abilities, I love that even early game equipment can be useful later because of passive resistances, hidden skills, elemental absorption, bonus damage, and so on. I love this game so much, that going back to places you've been before, and see how they have changed through the game is just amuzing to me, and find stuff you wouldn't find otherwise (like the coffee in Dali). I just adore this game. I agree with combat being slow, but my younger , 9 y/o self, from 20 years ago, wasn't annoyed with it, we were used to games having a similar pace at this age. But I hope when it gets a remake, they speed it up a bit, it wouldn't harm. All in all, I can see your points about the positives and negatives, and while I disagree for the most part with the latter (mostly because im biased), they are just stains on an otherwise timeless masterpiece that everyone should give it a try at some point.
Absolutely fantastical video man. I never got into the games hut I reallt appreciate what they dis for games and the live many such as yourself share for them. FF10 I think with the underwater soccer game I played with my uncle PS2 haha. Thanks for including me as well.
Fantastic video! Was a blast to watch! My friends and I would take turns doing rounds of chocobo hot and cold on eachothers saves after school so that mini game holds extreme nostalgia for me and I never got tired of it and will spend an ungodly amount of time even in recent playthroughs doing it.... Maybe thats why I've never been able to get the excalibur 2
Haha oh I guess everything really is better with friends. For me I think it's an age and free time thing. I really don't remember hating it as a kid but as an adult getting a couple of hours to play on weeknights, it's annoying as hell. I felt the same playing blitzball on ffx too. Glad you enjoyed the video.
Wow when your video got recommended to me I thought “another video on FF9 wonder if this dude will have anything interesting to add” and I’ll be damned this is awesome.
Great video! You explained the elements driving the story really nicely… for death to drive a story, that means hidden within life is there… perhaps time is really too precious to try and be eternal, instead of enjoying the moment and one day look back at the memories… melodies of life…
@@Zenziic Now is the only time we have. Why would you waste it on anger or fear or something as unchangeable as death when you've got love friendship and boobies?
Stumbled upon your retrospective's on Final Fantasy, a lot of effort must go into these videos, i would look forward to a retrospective about ff8, in any case, subscribed of course :D
Great video! This game is certainly my favorite of the franchise and seeing an in-depth and entertaining look at it is always appreciated. I do think that you had a missed opportunity to bring up the prima strategy guide controversy. Thankfully time has been kind to FFIX and we got the remaster.
I had no idea about that controversy lol. I just googled it. Sheit that's some nasty shit. I guess the beginnings of the square we know now we're there all along.
Рік тому+4
Epic, in-depth work man, I'll share it where I can. While not my favorite from the "big 3" (FF7-8-9) I can't deny I had a blast playing it and some of the music from its soundtrack is the best this series ever had - Rose of May and Amaranths Theme for example...
FF IX is billed as a return to form for the series but it is secretly a meta modern spin on the early franchise. It's a brillaint return to the origins in a time that was all about deconstruction a la The Matrix red pill. Lifting the veil of society. Each character in FF IX leave behind their old tropes and find surprising growth in the process.
Speaking of Vivi an Auron i agree those two a definitely easily close too 1st place in terms of favorite FF character. One is a wildly Accomplish warrior and old man who's been dead this whole time, while another is just a boy who finds out his time is limited despite just being born not to long ago, and would accomplish so much in his limited time on this world. Both can be argued are the real Narrators of there perspective stories in more ways then Tidus or Zidane.
idk, chocobo hot and cold is one of the big things that i enjoy, especially finding a chocograph. When i was younger, whenever i have a chocograph, i would hit up a friend and we would both look for it together. That Ocean chocograph... man phew great memories!
Awesome video! Thanks! Couldn't help but notice you calling the Iifa Tree the "Lifa" Tree. A lot of people think that the I (i) on Iifa is a lower case L (l), but it is actually a capital case i (l)!
Sir I am most offended by this. We shall meet at dawn before Buckingham Palace to duel. You may choose blades, pistols or fisticuffs but be prepared for a thrashing good sir, a great thrashing! Also glad you enjoyed the video.
@arkham666 hahaha, why? Did you actually say Iifa and not Lifa? I could swear I heard Lifa 😂 In any case, I'm taking the Excalipur 2 for our duel (even though I like the Ultima Weapon more 😢)! See you then! 😂
13:35 The core of RPGs is generally more about it's combat and character progression system. Games of most genres can have stories or world's to explore but only RPGs have their core gameplay built around leveling and equipment. There are lots of RPGs out there that don't have much in the way of story but are still pretty great games. The guy who directed Final Fantasy IX, Hiroyuki Ito, actually put out a dungeon crawler RPG with pretty much no story whatsoever but was still pretty enjoyable game with ATB based combat.
From how you describe it I’d call ff9 a what if on ff7, what if it was traditional fantasy, what if it kept the back and forth of dark and light hearted of disc one, what if instead of direct party deaths you have the slow contemplative one that Vivi is condemned too, it’s awesome
Dagger losing the ability to cast was punishing, but it does force you to use other characters while she 'recovers'. Thematic? Yes. Enjoyable for how random the failures are? Hell no! 😅
@@drakinkoren I'm torn between it being a bold move worthy of respect. They placed narrative over player convenience but also RAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWGGGGHHHHH FML!
Sir Fratleys cause of memory loss was revealed through context he had traveled so far like other heroes had reached memoria but the effects of memoria erased his memories
Third favorite Final Fantasy game! I've never actually beaten it, but I've gotten to the final disk. Vivi is my absolute FAVORITE Final Fantasy character BAR NONE!
@@arkham666 Auron is my favorite from X, but Vivi's development just resonates with me. His reaction to finding out why he was created just broke my heart. I just wanted to comfort him! I feel like Vivi is the little brother I never had and Zidane is kinda how I wished I was as a teenager.
At one point i had made a blog where i explored the theme of final fantasy 9. And at first I didn't click on to existentialism that is predominant in this game.. but in fact the theme around memories. This game explores memories being so important and powerful. Kuja snaps realising no one will remember him. Zidanes memories help stop him from losing his will. Vivi states his memories will join the world. But i think some more important memory themes are in summons, terra and crystals. Terrans didnt want to die but recorded their history in memories and want the memories along with soul to return them back. Eidolons are formed by prayers of the summoners and using the power of yhe gaian crystal creates the form of the summon. These summons are remembered by the drawings on the wall. Eventually if forgotten a summon will lose its form and shape. Ozma is almost indicative of this as the seal is likened to a summoning seal. But ozma is just a swirling mass of colours. Without form. Memories are the most important aspect in this game. Crystals absorb the souls of those who have died and feed off of the memory of the souls, and this empowers the crystal to rebirth the soul as a new person.which is why terra starts to die. With the ability to live forever the crystal is starved. Kuja uses the memory found in the crystal to create the 5 bosses you face before him. The chaos guardians and deathgaze. And of course the biggest part is Memoria, a realm that is only explored due to the danger presented to the crystal. But to reach the crystal world, you have to journey through the memories of the planet itself. You witness the life of the planet in reverse, the merging of terra and gaia, to the birth of the planet to the place where nothing existed before it. To me ff9 theme of memories is just as important as the existentialism we explore. But they go hand in hand, memories can be fleeting, but they define us, as we lose our memories, we lose our sense of self. And this is seen with those who suffer from Alzheimer's and dementia. As a child i never understood this. But as i got older, this game started to make more and more sense and impact on my life and mental health. I will always love this game, my first introduction to final fantasy, and my favourite all time game
1:23:00 Just bank extra gil and items. Unfortunately its a bit of a grind in the beginning to bank a good amount of necessities, but its literally just a gil issue, not necessarily a skill issue. The skill happens to come with earning the necessary money for great equipment.
@@michaelwoods-smith Second favorite? Thems fighting words where I come from. Jokes aside always nice to meet another fan. I definitely want to see the tone move back towards it's roots. I know I'm in a minority for not caring about game of thrones but even if I did I don't see why it needs to be final fantasy.
@@arkham666 I'm a little biased because my first FF was 10 and I fell in love with that one. Then I played 7 then a little of 8 then 9. I played X2, tried 13 (didn't get half way) and haven't played any of them since. I loved when they switched back and forth between styles. I wish they would get back to being a fantasy like 9, I agree with your statement. Great video btw. Love the passion you have for it like I did when playing it. I don't normally play games more than once. I've played IX 2-3 times and still have the physical copy
the most nostalgic game for me, and it was not even near my first gaming experiences. i remember asking for FF7 for birthday, and i got 9 and was disappointed, not knowing it. but then i started playing it...
Props on the video really well done glad i got to experience your love for the game. My favorite is probably ff10 but i dont think its by much. I love ff 5,6,7,8,9,10, zodiac age, and ff online. I strongly recommend any one of them or all of them. Superb games and i hope square doesnt go full action rpg for ff. Im lookin forward to the remake of ff9. Hope you got your excalibur 2 on your playthrough 😂 i have only done it once and used the speed up option they give you in the remaster so not as big of an accomplishment.
The parties being split up in different ways at different times kept the formula fresh throughout- getting stuck on gilamazuke is a skill issue because i was able to do it in 1999 when i was six.
I think you should play the 7 remakes but that’s solely because the depth of character is so much better, we actually get to be shown not told so many things
RE: The complaint about enemies and bosses using status effects to RUIN your party... I'm 100% sure this was another thing to push the strategy guide that came out around the same time. See also: Excalibur 2
I still remember how confused I was watching the beginning of the game when it came out. Someone at a local boys and girls club was playing this on one of the playstation consoles in the game room. I had no idea what was going on. I still remember how shocked I was when Black got petrified along with Evil Forest.
WW2, September 11th, people playing 4:3 games in 16:9, people asking for an easy mode in Dark Souls, and people deactivating random encounters in a Final Fantasy game... Humanity will never be the same.
I do it. I've beaten the snes and ps ff games so many times that yeah sometimes I do want to take the easy way out. Sometimes I go for the self made hard run. Depends on the mood. The options are nice.
Nah, turn off them random encounters. Random Encounters are a scourge. I played the original final fantasy years ago. Every 5-10 steps something would jump out at me. It wasn’t even a challenge to beat it, but it was so enraging because I needed to walk in a straight line 300 feet away. And I’d end up overleveled as fuck…just from walking. The air ship was the greatest thing ever when I got it because it basically turned off the random encounters *for* me
I remember just sitting through dagger's mental breakdown instead of switching to aiko bc change is scary :c legend of dragoon's difficulty scaling was nice... I'd usually run low on healing and realize it's time to attack or die :')
Amazing insight into the FF series and I myself LOVEEE FFIX, there's rumors of remakes right now and boy, I will pray to the gaming gods that this comes true so FFIX gets a remake!
Jeez… triple comment, but it also occurs to me that Vivi is the initial POV character because he’s young, and your the stranger in the strange land, so using him for it makes sense just character wise, things get explained to him because he needs to learn
If you are playing a remaster of ff9 that has a fast forward function, you can cheese chocobo hot and cold real easy, as the timer for the mini game doesn't go any faster with fast forward turned on. So you can zip around real fast to find the items, this is how I learned that if you dig up 8 items the moogle ends the game and gives you a bunch of bonus points based on time remaining
Oh, I just wanted more people to know that there is an easier way for them to get the rewards from the minigame, wasn't defending how tedious it can get
Terra's vampiric planet plan is actually deeper and more imaginative than you'd think. 9's soul stream works a little different than 7's, in that, when creatures die, not only does their soul return to the planet, so do their memories. Which is why one of Vivi's final lines is 'my memories will become one with the sky'. These memories become the planets memories and go on to influence the development of that planets lifeforms. When Terra tried to absorb Gaia, the terrans were panicking. There were no newborn planets they could find, so they settled on a young planet instead. This didn't work, as Gaia already had a functioning life cycle and rejected Terra. Garland's current plan, at the start of the game, is simple. The Lifa tree is blocking Gaian souls from reaching the planets crystal, hence the mist, and instead replacing those souls with terran souls. IIRC, there's a line of dialogue in game that even states that more and more terran fauna are appearing on Gaia as this process continues.
Amazing video it really makes you appreciate all the effort Sakaguchi & co. put into the game. Sadly I couldn't really enjoy the game because its terrible combat, 50% of the game time was fighting and I just hated it.
SLR => Sauver La Reine => (French for) Save The Queen My pseudo for the past 24 years has been a reference to Beatrix's sword. I really loved her character, I haven't played the game since release but from memory: She's driven, loyal, righteous, and stubborn. It will take some convincing to made her give up her assignment but she will eventually, only for a good cause. And of course, she has a great sword =)
My favorite final fantasy will always be X-2 because X was so dark, depressing, and death filled that by the time we learn what Seymour did to his mother, I couldn't even be horrified at it, I was just numb to all of it by then. X-2 remembered that you have to have joy for sorrow to really hit. If all you've ever known is pain and destruction, there's no concept of how horrendous it actually is. And yes, that does sometimes mean having a hot tub splash fight with your friends to truly feel the impact of the 1,000 words concert, fight me. IX, however, has earned its place as my favorite main number in the series. Kuja is how to do the showy, overdramatic nihilist villain correctly, Sephiroth just comes off as a whiny little $&#% and I'm pretty sure even he knows it. When Garnet grabs Zidane's knife and runs off in the cutscene to go cut her hair, I legit jumped to my feet and said, "Garnet, I swear to God if you kill yourself, I will revive you just to murder you myself!!" Over twenty years later, I still remember that moment, the passion this game made me feel. I can count on one hand the number of games that I've played in my life that have brought me to tears. The highs were never higher, the lows were never lower, and Zidane has more than earned his place as the only humanoid male figure on my shelf of strong and inspiring female heros like Wonder Woman, Ariel, Lord Maxwell, X-2 Yuna, Harley Quinn, Tiny Tina, Sailor Mercury, Xena, Princess Zelda (BOTW), and yes, Tifa Lockhart. There's just something special about a woman who can punch with the force of a nuclear explosion that chooses to open an orphanage.
@arkham666 I'm going to warn you right now, everything you've been told is true. The Charlie's Angels fight poses, the pretty pretty dress up class system, even the hot tub splash fight, it's all in there. But much like IX's bright and colorful world hides so much darkness and depravity, X-2 goes just as hard, if not harder, on the themes of societal corruption and decay found in X. And Yuna does have the "well... now what?" searching for purpose. She had been told her whole life that she was basically just food for Sin, that beyond 18 years of age and her pilgrimage, was nothing. Now that she actually has a "rest of your life" she has no idea what she should do. Everything she had ever wanted, had ever been is now gone forever, and everywhere she turns are people falling all over themselves to praise her. Everyone treats her as some Messiah-like savior, and she has no idea what to do about any of it. Much like IX, if you can laugh and enjoy the sillier moments, the deeper, darker moments are all the more impactful. There are many, many reasons why the 1,000 words cutscene is still routinely searched for and watched, even in modern day 2024.
Wonderful work, man! This is my favorite FF. Curiously, I also played it on a borrowed PS1 as I had a N64 at the time. I was a crazy month in the early 2000s!
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. I haven't been a console gamer for a long time but I couldn't imagine lending a PS5 to someone so they could play one game these days. How times have changed.
I feel like that comment about princesses was aimed at a certain video essayist who back in the early 2010s who I will not name because even speaking their name is bound to prompt a shitstorm of insults and unproductive arguments.
@@arkham666 The line about princesses existing to be prizes to be won. About starting with the conclusion and working backwards. Of course, I could be reading too deep into it. Just sounded like something I've heard before.
Final Fantasy 9 truly encompassed a fantasy game. 7 was great, but it was too realistic looking and comparative to the real world versus 9, which looked straight out of a fantasy novel. Hense Final FANTASY! It's in the name.
i was between 9-11 dont rlly know anymore- i played FFIX and had no clue what im doing as a little kid as our house burned my brother ran to me and said " the house is bruning" i replied: wait i will save quick 💀
what a lot of the younger generation dont get about FF9 is those of us like myself, whom grew up playing the American releases of FF1, 4, 6, 7, 8, and then 9 in order of their release got a huge love letter to all these great games wrapped up in so much nostalgia that as a young adult, i felt like that kid again that grew up with these classics... FF6, 9 and Tactics will always be some of my favorite games ever as a 40+ year gamer with FF9 representing everything that made those early FF games so epic for me growing up...
18:55 Tolkien was trying to give the united kingdom back its own mythology, which had been lost to time. He wasn't trying to codify what elves, dwarves, etc, were!
@@XX-sp3tt yeah I know. I don't have any issues with that. It's not Tolkien that's the problem it's everyone else using his work as the basis for their own fantasy elves and dwarves.
I never could get into the Persona games because they seem to be set in one place. FFIX feels like you're on an adventure, always going to new locales etc. Every place feels so different too.
1:22:00 I would take unskippable random battles over the unskippable fixed encounters in Chained Echoes. Chained Echoes made me wish the game had random battles so much because Chained Echoes decided to have no levels or exp, so fighting trash enemies offer pretty much no real reward which makes combat feel kind of pointless and it doesn't help that the trash enemies are often harder than the bosses in the game. With random battles I can run away from the fights and continue on my way but in Chained Echoes I can't runaway because if I do, well the enemies are still sitting there waiting for me to defeat them and all progress in the game is completely stopped until I do. I don't hate Chained Echoes but they really screwed up combat. I kid you not when I saw that random battles would have greatly improved the experience over the system they went with. Fixed encounters can be great if implemented in a way that adds strategy to the game, such as in Breath of Fire V: Dragon Quarter. Unfortunately, Chained Echoes has literally the worst implementation of fixed encounters I've even seen in an RPG and I'll take random encounters over that garbage any day.
Love final Fantasy 9. I love almost everything about it other then the slow battle intros, and the villeins are kinda weak. Other then that. I love everything else. The music in my top 3 for FF series. The art and graphics still looks great, I guess the open world kinda ugly but the rest is good. I love the characters and there's some great side characters. I like the combat just wish it was a little faster. Love the equipment system. I love the steam medieval fantasy setting. FF9 probably in my top three for FF series. I would hate to make a list because I don't know where I put my favorite in ranking. In some ways. The game is simple in its story telling but it feels more real, its charming, funny, warming. Its a comfort game that makes me smile in pure enjoyment. Anyways. Great video on a favorite game.
The part that sticks with me the most is after Garnet’s mother is killed, and Vivi contemplates how glad he is she’s dead whilst being sad for Garnet. His wrestling with two conflicting emotions. It’s brilliant, and hits so hard because of FF IX’s presentation. I love it
For some reason, I always mistakenly thought that scene was Zidane reflecting. It was only during the last time I played the game three years ago that I finally noticed it was Vivi. And I've played the game dozens upon dozens of times.
The black mages are truly a tragic case in this game. They aren't just a job class, but an artificial species designed for endless war, against their will. It's just sad that even when they did establish the hidden place away from the outside, they are still at the mercy of their limited time to exist. I wonder if it is ever explained how Vivi was this prototype of the black mages.
Yes!! Why can’t we have this as a tv series???
Words cannot express how much I love this game and how happy I am to see others who feel the same way
Such a comfy game. For some reason my favorite part is inside the little train station with Dagger and Steiner. Like I’d like to have lunch there. Idk why that sticks out to me so much, I’m not even like that
I'll join for some South Gate Bundt Cake!
Bro crying to Steiner is an L
That part is absolutely fantastic lol always sticks in my head
I haven't played this game since I was 12 over 20 years ago but when I read your comment I could picture that station. Of the three psx games, it sticks the most with me even though I've never replayed it.
Love your Essay about my absolutely all-time-favorite (and for me still the best Final Fantasy Part). I actually replay it at the moment on my PS5 :-D Hearing you talking about TRANCE around part 1'26" I had a smile on my face. When I played it back then as a child, my usual warmup before a big battle - or when I thought a boss fight would come across - was to battle as much enemies to fill my Trance-Meter (sometimes I let my partymembers hit each other to fill the bars) and when I entered a boss battle one hit activated Trance :-) I really thought of me as a clever boy xD
I still can't tell, why THIS game is my absolute all-time favourite - but you concluded all aspects in your video! That was awesome. And I bet, I'm gonna play FF9 a dozen times again, because of the deeply love I feel for it since my childhood 🙂
Even my fantasy-books (sadly only available in German on Amazon) are an inspired mix of Final Fantasy9, Tolkien, Raymond Feist and are beloved for the small callbacks or hints on FF9 by my readers. I loved to hide subtle hints or hommages and if you are confident with German language, I would love to recommend my #aeldionsaga to you. From a FinalFantasy9 lover to another 🙂
I still remember seeing images of FFIX just after playing and finishing FF7 and FF8: childish and goofy looking characters, a knight, a princess and a guy with a tail? Clearly a game for children!
I was so upset and disappointed in Square. How could they do that with those two predecessor, clearly aiming at a more mature direction. What would people (i.e. my class mates) say if they found out that I play that game (I was 14 at that time).
Eventually I bought it and hell did I love it. The graphics and CGI Scenes were stunning, the music of N. Uematsu it top notch (as always), the characters had so much heart and soul and the story kept you thinking for weeks and month. It is a truly Final Fantasy masterpiece and I cannot decide if I love it more or less then FF7.
Thank you for your well made analysis.
I was 16, iirc, and I way preferred 9 over 8.
And I was never more hyped for a game to release than I was for 8. Both amazing, but. 9 is a return to what I loved about FF
This is exactly why I never played FF9. It looked childish to me. However looking back now 20 years later. Maybe it was cool after all.
@@scottsvt9104 I can only encourage you to give it a try
I prefer 7 and 9, 8 was about some university students love drama bullshit. I played it once.
@@WheeledHamster I was absolutely pumped for 8. Then I played it and was less excited. 😂
9 will always be the best.
I can only imagine how much work you have put here. The result is incredible. Keep going. Even if you don't have like 1000 likes and 100k views, the few you have really appreciate your work. I can also see that you enjoy making this content, and I think that is what matters the most.
Thanks I'm really passionate about the things I make and I have a great time making them so none of it is ever a waste.
This is one of the games that I would go to high heaven and hell to see it explode into a full blown franchise like FF VII did, im taking live action tv series, anime, full remake of the game it self, even more spin off titles, the works. Lets just hope the upcoming rumored remake becomes a huge hit and maybe just maybe it could start an iceberg, you never know what the future can bring.
@@Artimes. Well I certainly wouldn't complain about that lol.
@@arkham666 Jrpgs in these days were just works of art truly and they also dealt with large scale stories that have global developments and implications for the plot. You don't get games with naratives of these size anymore with modern tech, partly because its an insurmountable task to achieve in photo realist graphics. (why else does FF VII need 3 parts) and this game's world is actually even larger and more diverse then FF VII. Personally I am content for a more traditional 3d remake that still has the same design and style.
My favorite part of the game is when Zidane splits off from everyone then fights a battle himself. Just as he is losing, his buddies come back to help him and they kick the monster's butt. Its a great piece of storytelling in gameplay just like the death of Aerith in FF7. After her death, you gave to battel without a white mage and that is a huge loss that makes you feel the loss of her death that much more.
10 yr old me playing Vivi for the first 15 seconds... I would die for him. Seeing Garnet run into Zidanes arms made (and still makes) tears shoot from my eyes.
Same here friend.
Really well-done video! Thanks for your effort and thoughtfulness!
I just finished FFIX for the third time in 20 years. I watched pretty much every youtube video there is on my previous playthrough, about a year or two ago. I am now 20 minutes into this video and think this might be the best I've seen. I'll know in an hour I guess lol
That's a hell of a compliment thank you.
@@arkham666 I took Tetra Master seriously for the first time on this playthrough. I enjoyed it and planned on finishing my deck, got close, and that was good enough for me. As for Chocobo Hot and Cold, I didn't even know it existed until this playthrough when I learned about Ozma (who absolutely destroyed me the first three times I fought it) Also, I disagree with the random status effects being an issue, as I always feel like I never lose a fight unless I get affected by random status effects, but that's a personal preference I suppose. And Trance... A year or two ago, Trance saved me in a bunch of fights at the last second. On this playthrough, it was pretty much useless. Very strange that you can't save it for at least a fight or two. But yeah, finished the video, I loved it. Cheers!
I remember before using speed running strats always using applying blind on gizmaluke so I could steal the staff for vivi. It was pretty free. You can just use a tent on gizmaluke and keep resetting until it works
I remember playing this game when it was new and I was young. This game has been so impactful on me that the themes still bring me to uncontrollable tears.
@@Shirazzikkdh same here friend. Same here.
What a beautiful analysis of my favourite game of all time ❤️ So thoughtfully and lovingly crafted, I really enjoyed this video!
Thank you it was wonderful to revisit it for myself too. Glad you enjoyed it.
Replaying this game has been quite interesting seeing the graphics how they were, and it’s the first time I’ve played the game on a TV. It’s load times do drag(& my PS1 is quite finicky), and the game can be slow but it doesn’t bother me the more I adjusted to it. I actually do like the difficulty, and having status ailments unequipped and having a character say stoned or troubled gives items much purpose. It’s another reason why I like the Synthesis shop in this game.
As I’ve just replayed the game, I’ll definitely say that I’ve never felt that Chocobo Hot & Cold overstayed its welcome. Because every time you dig out an item with your chocobo, Choco’s beak can gain EXP. I was actually encouraged in getting 8 items in a round to level up my beak, and since each match lasts for like a minute, it levels up your beak. I tried not using a guide, and was able to find most chocographs with the incentive that eventually I’ll get them. Chocobo Hot & Cold is definitely a divisive game, & it just depends on what you like.
Trance I feel is only really useful for bosses when you have High Tide, & it’s pretty awkward. But, I’ll say I feel like they work more than say Desperation Attacks in VI which are so useless when you’ll most likely heal next turn.
Besides that, I still really like the gameplay. I actually find all the characters useful in their own right, even if there are characters you prefer more. I tend to have Dagger & Eiko around because I love having two healers that can do good damage, Steiner and Amarant are powerhouses, Vivi and Quina are great, and so on. It definitely makes these characters feel unique, like say the cast in 4.
Still my favorite cast in any FF. I love the story, world, the themes and the characters. I love the ATEs that explore the characters, and give them time to shine. I still teared up at the Terra segment, Not Alone and the ending. Zidane remains my favorite protagonist with his lovable personality and his relationships with Dagger and the cast. I still look at this game when I think of Final Fantasy at its best, and I will cherish this game for comforting me & changing me into the person that I am. It may not be perfect, and it won’t be for everyone, but man is it phenomenal. Still my favorite, and will forever hold a place in my heart.
I God damn LOVE Final Fantasy IX. Its by far the best one to me. I played this game on my playstation 1 for the entirety of my 8 years old to my late 18s. I only had the japanese version of the game and it took me nearly a decade to actually beat it. I would always get stuck at some part of the game.
Its the best gamr ever.
I would absolutely LOVE to see you do an in-depth retrospective on Skies of Arcadia (the original Dreamcast version, the improved Gamecube version, or both). It's easily my favorite video RPG of all time.
Final Fantasy IX is the literal embodiment of Fantasy.
Great video! I just discovered the Moguri Mod for the Steam Version of FFIX and i will replay it. It looks beautiful.
A really excellent take on FFIX, it shows how much work you put in it.
The part about Vivi is really well done and touching.
I'll be following your content with great interest :)
Thank you. I'm really glad you enjoyed it.
I legit just did the same thingnwith this game about a month ago. Ive played ff games for almost 30 years (yes 7 was my first one it was actually my brother's but i was the first to beat it) and ive already beat rebirth and the original 7 again so i was thinking "damn i wonder how great 9 still is" and here i am now almost done with the game and dammit if i havent got teary eyed at parts with just a flood of nostalgia. So glad to know others are still as fascinated by this beautiful story as i am
@@Jayluvlee87 one reason I keep doing this is hearing about all the experiences other people have with the games.
This was a really enjoyable watch!
Thank you for enduring hot and cold for us.
Gotta love those pre-rendered backgrounds. My favorite part is when you geek out about them cause I get it.
I'm super stoked for the ffx video!
I gush over just any game with pre rendered backgrounds lol. It's something I wish would come back.
I'm almost finished writing ffx so hopefully it won't take too much longer to finish.
My first ps3 broke before I could get beyond the Trance Tutorial, thank you for letting me experience the rest of the game with this video
what a good Retrospective video you made here, it was relax but also insightfull and imersive
looking forward to watch your other videos!
Great video, this is my favorite game of all time, because all of the reasons you said and even more. Funnily enough, chocobo hot and cold is one of my favorite activities of this game, it makes me enjoy exploring the world in hope of finding new, cool stuff, I can see the timed minigame can get repetitive and boring, but I actually like it, also, you can use fast forward to make it faster while the timer stays with the normal speed, it's a little broken, but fun in a good way.
Another thing, about what you said about bosses and abilities to counter them, I find it very entertaining to go and encounter a boss, for it to destroy you, and think about your strategy: "hmm, this boss uses a lot of confuse attacks, next time I'll try equipping clear headed", to the point where you can beat pretty much every boss at minimum level if you know how to deal with them, that's not something you can do in every RPG, and I like it a lot, the strategy aspect about your equipment and abilities, I love that even early game equipment can be useful later because of passive resistances, hidden skills, elemental absorption, bonus damage, and so on.
I love this game so much, that going back to places you've been before, and see how they have changed through the game is just amuzing to me, and find stuff you wouldn't find otherwise (like the coffee in Dali). I just adore this game.
I agree with combat being slow, but my younger , 9 y/o self, from 20 years ago, wasn't annoyed with it, we were used to games having a similar pace at this age. But I hope when it gets a remake, they speed it up a bit, it wouldn't harm.
All in all, I can see your points about the positives and negatives, and while I disagree for the most part with the latter (mostly because im biased), they are just stains on an otherwise timeless masterpiece that everyone should give it a try at some point.
that title intro gave me goosebumps. so effective, good job
Absolutely fantastical video man. I never got into the games hut I reallt appreciate what they dis for games and the live many such as yourself share for them. FF10 I think with the underwater soccer game I played with my uncle PS2 haha. Thanks for including me as well.
Fantastic video! Was a blast to watch!
My friends and I would take turns doing rounds of chocobo hot and cold on eachothers saves after school so that mini game holds extreme nostalgia for me and I never got tired of it and will spend an ungodly amount of time even in recent playthroughs doing it.... Maybe thats why I've never been able to get the excalibur 2
Haha oh I guess everything really is better with friends. For me I think it's an age and free time thing. I really don't remember hating it as a kid but as an adult getting a couple of hours to play on weeknights, it's annoying as hell. I felt the same playing blitzball on ffx too. Glad you enjoyed the video.
Wow when your video got recommended to me I thought “another video on FF9 wonder if this dude will have anything interesting to add” and I’ll be damned this is awesome.
@@RaphaelRemington6969 Gaum gud!
Great video! You explained the elements driving the story really nicely… for death to drive a story, that means hidden within life is there… perhaps time is really too precious to try and be eternal, instead of enjoying the moment and one day look back at the memories… melodies of life…
@@Zenziic Now is the only time we have. Why would you waste it on anger or fear or something as unchangeable as death when you've got love friendship and boobies?
Stumbled upon your retrospective's on Final Fantasy, a lot of effort must go into these videos, i would look forward to a retrospective about ff8, in any case, subscribed of course :D
I'd love to revisit 8. Just need to get time for it.
Liked just for the intro!
Dude... WHAT A INTRO!
Great video! This game is certainly my favorite of the franchise and seeing an in-depth and entertaining look at it is always appreciated.
I do think that you had a missed opportunity to bring up the prima strategy guide controversy. Thankfully time has been kind to FFIX and we got the remaster.
I had no idea about that controversy lol. I just googled it. Sheit that's some nasty shit. I guess the beginnings of the square we know now we're there all along.
Epic, in-depth work man, I'll share it where I can. While not my favorite from the "big 3" (FF7-8-9) I can't deny I had a blast playing it and some of the music from its soundtrack is the best this series ever had - Rose of May and Amaranths Theme for example...
Thanks I'm really glad you liked it. Kuja's theme always gives me chills and I love Beatrix's too.
FF IX is billed as a return to form for the series but it is secretly a meta modern spin on the early franchise. It's a brillaint return to the origins in a time that was all about deconstruction a la The Matrix red pill. Lifting the veil of society. Each character in FF IX leave behind their old tropes and find surprising growth in the process.
Speaking of Vivi an Auron i agree those two a definitely easily close too 1st place in terms of favorite FF character. One is a wildly Accomplish warrior and old man who's been dead this whole time, while another is just a boy who finds out his time is limited despite just being born not to long ago, and would accomplish so much in his limited time on this world. Both can be argued are the real Narrators of there perspective stories in more ways then Tidus or Zidane.
idk, chocobo hot and cold is one of the big things that i enjoy, especially finding a chocograph. When i was younger, whenever i have a chocograph, i would hit up a friend and we would both look for it together. That Ocean chocograph... man phew great memories!
Awesome video! Thanks!
Couldn't help but notice you calling the Iifa Tree the "Lifa" Tree. A lot of people think that the I (i) on Iifa is a lower case L (l), but it is actually a capital case i (l)!
Sir I am most offended by this. We shall meet at dawn before Buckingham Palace to duel. You may choose blades, pistols or fisticuffs but be prepared for a thrashing good sir, a great thrashing!
Also glad you enjoyed the video.
@arkham666 hahaha, why? Did you actually say Iifa and not Lifa? I could swear I heard Lifa 😂
In any case, I'm taking the Excalipur 2 for our duel (even though I like the Ultima Weapon more 😢)! See you then! 😂
@@eduardodacosta4670 no no I eeffd up I'm just in a funny mood today. You're all good boss.
@@arkham666but the duel is still happening, right? 😅
@@eduardodacosta4670 but of course I've already packed my rapiers and muskets.
13:35 The core of RPGs is generally more about it's combat and character progression system. Games of most genres can have stories or world's to explore but only RPGs have their core gameplay built around leveling and equipment. There are lots of RPGs out there that don't have much in the way of story but are still pretty great games. The guy who directed Final Fantasy IX, Hiroyuki Ito, actually put out a dungeon crawler RPG with pretty much no story whatsoever but was still pretty enjoyable game with ATB based combat.
From how you describe it I’d call ff9 a what if on ff7, what if it was traditional fantasy, what if it kept the back and forth of dark and light hearted of disc one, what if instead of direct party deaths you have the slow contemplative one that Vivi is condemned too, it’s awesome
Great adventure through my second favourite of the series. ( FF6 will forever remain.) Keep up the great work!
Thank you. Really glad you enjoyed it. I've yet to finish 6 but it's long been on my to do list.
I'm playing it again for like the 5th time and i fall in love with it more every time
I'm currently playing it again with the moguri mod and it's amazing.
great video, thx for the work man
@@alphiu you're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it.
Phantasy star actually has a pretty amazing world and music.
Great video thank you!
Dagger losing the ability to cast was punishing, but it does force you to use other characters while she 'recovers'.
Thematic? Yes. Enjoyable for how random the failures are? Hell no! 😅
@@drakinkoren I'm torn between it being a bold move worthy of respect. They placed narrative over player convenience but also RAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWGGGGHHHHH FML!
@arkham666 exactly 😭
The rant about the gameplay was and battles was so relatable
All of the ps1 and 2 ffs fall into that flawed masterpiece category.
Sir Fratleys cause of memory loss was revealed through context he had traveled so far like other heroes had reached memoria but the effects of memoria erased his memories
enjoyed watching this. ff9 is one of my top 3 best video game
great video! FF9 is still my personal fav in the series
arkham666, Your videos always make me happy, so I subscribed!
I'm glad I can put some smiles on faces.
Third favorite Final Fantasy game! I've never actually beaten it, but I've gotten to the final disk. Vivi is my absolute FAVORITE Final Fantasy character BAR NONE!
He is the series giga Chad. I think I still prefer Auron but it's an incredibly close fight.
@@arkham666 Auron is my favorite from X, but Vivi's development just resonates with me. His reaction to finding out why he was created just broke my heart. I just wanted to comfort him! I feel like Vivi is the little brother I never had and Zidane is kinda how I wished I was as a teenager.
Great video
At one point i had made a blog where i explored the theme of final fantasy 9.
And at first I didn't click on to existentialism that is predominant in this game.. but in fact the theme around memories.
This game explores memories being so important and powerful. Kuja snaps realising no one will remember him.
Zidanes memories help stop him from losing his will.
Vivi states his memories will join the world.
But i think some more important memory themes are in summons, terra and crystals.
Terrans didnt want to die but recorded their history in memories and want the memories along with soul to return them back.
Eidolons are formed by prayers of the summoners and using the power of yhe gaian crystal creates the form of the summon. These summons are remembered by the drawings on the wall. Eventually if forgotten a summon will lose its form and shape.
Ozma is almost indicative of this as the seal is likened to a summoning seal. But ozma is just a swirling mass of colours. Without form.
Memories are the most important aspect in this game. Crystals absorb the souls of those who have died and feed off of the memory of the souls, and this empowers the crystal to rebirth the soul as a new person.which is why terra starts to die. With the ability to live forever the crystal is starved.
Kuja uses the memory found in the crystal to create the 5 bosses you face before him. The chaos guardians and deathgaze.
And of course the biggest part is Memoria, a realm that is only explored due to the danger presented to the crystal. But to reach the crystal world, you have to journey through the memories of the planet itself. You witness the life of the planet in reverse, the merging of terra and gaia, to the birth of the planet to the place where nothing existed before it.
To me ff9 theme of memories is just as important as the existentialism we explore. But they go hand in hand, memories can be fleeting, but they define us, as we lose our memories, we lose our sense of self. And this is seen with those who suffer from Alzheimer's and dementia. As a child i never understood this. But as i got older, this game started to make more and more sense and impact on my life and mental health.
I will always love this game, my first introduction to final fantasy, and my favourite all time game
That's a lot to think about. Thanks for sharing
Zidane is a 16 year old who fuses two daggers together to create a swallow. My friend, that is exactly a moody teenager with an improbable weapon.
1:23:00 Just bank extra gil and items. Unfortunately its a bit of a grind in the beginning to bank a good amount of necessities, but its literally just a gil issue, not necessarily a skill issue. The skill happens to come with earning the necessary money for great equipment.
Gizamaluke's Grotto has those level 40 Dragons just chillin at the top of that vine, the real skill issue is fighting minibosses that early on.
My 2nd favorite FF game and probably in my top 20 favorite games. It's an incredible game
Also I wish FF would go back this route
@@michaelwoods-smith Second favorite? Thems fighting words where I come from. Jokes aside always nice to meet another fan. I definitely want to see the tone move back towards it's roots. I know I'm in a minority for not caring about game of thrones but even if I did I don't see why it needs to be final fantasy.
@@arkham666 I'm a little biased because my first FF was 10 and I fell in love with that one. Then I played 7 then a little of 8 then 9. I played X2, tried 13 (didn't get half way) and haven't played any of them since. I loved when they switched back and forth between styles. I wish they would get back to being a fantasy like 9, I agree with your statement. Great video btw. Love the passion you have for it like I did when playing it. I don't normally play games more than once. I've played IX 2-3 times and still have the physical copy
Lore of Final Fantasy IX Retrospective. A World Of Pure Imagination. Momentum 100
the most nostalgic game for me, and it was not even near my first gaming experiences. i remember asking for FF7 for birthday, and i got 9 and was disappointed, not knowing it. but then i started playing it...
A great man once said "we don't make mistakes, we just have happy accidents."
Props on the video really well done glad i got to experience your love for the game. My favorite is probably ff10 but i dont think its by much. I love ff 5,6,7,8,9,10, zodiac age, and ff online. I strongly recommend any one of them or all of them. Superb games and i hope square doesnt go full action rpg for ff. Im lookin forward to the remake of ff9. Hope you got your excalibur 2 on your playthrough 😂 i have only done it once and used the speed up option they give you in the remaster so not as big of an accomplishment.
The parties being split up in different ways at different times kept the formula fresh throughout- getting stuck on gilamazuke is a skill issue because i was able to do it in 1999 when i was six.
Weird flex but okay.
I think you should play the 7 remakes but that’s solely because the depth of character is so much better, we actually get to be shown not told so many things
I've been told good things by people I trust on the subject. I'll get to it eventually. Thanks for the input.
RE: The complaint about enemies and bosses using status effects to RUIN your party...
I'm 100% sure this was another thing to push the strategy guide that came out around the same time. See also: Excalibur 2
@@jessie-buns839 I only found out about that drama after finishing the video. It passed me by back in the day but now I know I wouldn't be surprised.
Fantastic stuff
Man, now you got me wanting a character study on Irvine.
He is really interesting isn't he. Nothing like what you expect at all. Kinda like cloud but on a smaller scale.
Shout out for light crusader! That game was awesome
I always liked the chocobo side quests.
Just in time for my lunch break
Those bugs I had Versalife install in your place are working wonders. I'll be sure to thank Bob Page personally when I see him.
I still remember how confused I was watching the beginning of the game when it came out. Someone at a local boys and girls club was playing this on one of the playstation consoles in the game room. I had no idea what was going on. I still remember how shocked I was when Black got petrified along with Evil Forest.
Yeah that was a shocker. I immediately promised myself that I'd try to find a way to save him if it wasn't in the main game.
WW2, September 11th, people playing 4:3 games in 16:9, people asking for an easy mode in Dark Souls, and people deactivating random encounters in a Final Fantasy game... Humanity will never be the same.
We are all doomed lol.
People choosing the easy way is the worst way any one can choose to live their life
I do it. I've beaten the snes and ps ff games so many times that yeah sometimes I do want to take the easy way out. Sometimes I go for the self made hard run. Depends on the mood. The options are nice.
I do that to see how low of a level I can be for safer sephiroth, Tifa with powersoul broken AF
Nah, turn off them random encounters. Random Encounters are a scourge. I played the original final fantasy years ago. Every 5-10 steps something would jump out at me. It wasn’t even a challenge to beat it, but it was so enraging because I needed to walk in a straight line 300 feet away. And I’d end up overleveled as fuck…just from walking. The air ship was the greatest thing ever when I got it because it basically turned off the random encounters *for* me
Damn Zidane is so refreshing compared to previous FF protags, personally Zidane was what held the game together for me.
He is ever a ray of sunshine.
I remember just sitting through dagger's mental breakdown instead of switching to aiko bc change is scary :c
legend of dragoon's difficulty scaling was nice... I'd usually run low on healing and realize it's time to attack or die :')
Amazing insight into the FF series and I myself LOVEEE FFIX, there's rumors of remakes right now and boy, I will pray to the gaming gods that this comes true so FFIX gets a remake!
Jeez… triple comment, but it also occurs to me that Vivi is the initial POV character because he’s young, and your the stranger in the strange land, so using him for it makes sense just character wise, things get explained to him because he needs to learn
😂 Leggggittttt ! Awesome to see Red Dwarf in a vid 😋
A person of culture.
@@arkham666 Red Dwarf & The Mighty Boosh are my fav. Too bad Noel went to the baking show 🤣
Chocobo hot and cold in the versions with fast forward is actually easy and fun. Not so if you just do them as intended.
If you are playing a remaster of ff9 that has a fast forward function, you can cheese chocobo hot and cold real easy, as the timer for the mini game doesn't go any faster with fast forward turned on.
So you can zip around real fast to find the items, this is how I learned that if you dig up 8 items the moogle ends the game and gives you a bunch of bonus points based on time remaining
True and it's great we can do that now but that doesn't make the original design a colossal ball ache to deal with.
Oh, I just wanted more people to know that there is an easier way for them to get the rewards from the minigame, wasn't defending how tedious it can get
@@Eric-md3mp all good friend. Thanks for commenting.
Terra's vampiric planet plan is actually deeper and more imaginative than you'd think. 9's soul stream works a little different than 7's, in that, when creatures die, not only does their soul return to the planet, so do their memories. Which is why one of Vivi's final lines is 'my memories will become one with the sky'. These memories become the planets memories and go on to influence the development of that planets lifeforms.
When Terra tried to absorb Gaia, the terrans were panicking. There were no newborn planets they could find, so they settled on a young planet instead. This didn't work, as Gaia already had a functioning life cycle and rejected Terra. Garland's current plan, at the start of the game, is simple. The Lifa tree is blocking Gaian souls from reaching the planets crystal, hence the mist, and instead replacing those souls with terran souls.
IIRC, there's a line of dialogue in game that even states that more and more terran fauna are appearing on Gaia as this process continues.
Yes I remember all this from playing the game too.
31:00 Garnet Was Not A Baby At The Time She Was 5 Yrs Old It’s Said Multiple Times In The Game
Amazing video it really makes you appreciate all the effort Sakaguchi & co. put into the game. Sadly I couldn't really enjoy the game because its terrible combat, 50% of the game time was fighting and I just hated it.
SLR => Sauver La Reine => (French for) Save The Queen
My pseudo for the past 24 years has been a reference to Beatrix's sword. I really loved her character, I haven't played the game since release but from memory:
She's driven, loyal, righteous, and stubborn. It will take some convincing to made her give up her assignment but she will eventually, only for a good cause. And of course, she has a great sword =)
I'm especially fond oh her music too. She has a great character arc.
FF9 a happy childhood :) I wish I could buy a house somewhere in villgae on Dali and retire there :)
My favorite final fantasy will always be X-2 because X was so dark, depressing, and death filled that by the time we learn what Seymour did to his mother, I couldn't even be horrified at it, I was just numb to all of it by then. X-2 remembered that you have to have joy for sorrow to really hit. If all you've ever known is pain and destruction, there's no concept of how horrendous it actually is. And yes, that does sometimes mean having a hot tub splash fight with your friends to truly feel the impact of the 1,000 words concert, fight me.
IX, however, has earned its place as my favorite main number in the series. Kuja is how to do the showy, overdramatic nihilist villain correctly, Sephiroth just comes off as a whiny little $&#% and I'm pretty sure even he knows it.
When Garnet grabs Zidane's knife and runs off in the cutscene to go cut her hair, I legit jumped to my feet and said, "Garnet, I swear to God if you kill yourself, I will revive you just to murder you myself!!"
Over twenty years later, I still remember that moment, the passion this game made me feel. I can count on one hand the number of games that I've played in my life that have brought me to tears.
The highs were never higher, the lows were never lower, and Zidane has more than earned his place as the only humanoid male figure on my shelf of strong and inspiring female heros like Wonder Woman, Ariel, Lord Maxwell, X-2 Yuna, Harley Quinn, Tiny Tina, Sailor Mercury, Xena, Princess Zelda (BOTW), and yes, Tifa Lockhart.
There's just something special about a woman who can punch with the force of a nuclear explosion that chooses to open an orphanage.
@@trinketsphinx3212 thank you for sharing. I'll be getting around to X-2 in 2025 I think.
@arkham666 I'm going to warn you right now, everything you've been told is true. The Charlie's Angels fight poses, the pretty pretty dress up class system, even the hot tub splash fight, it's all in there. But much like IX's bright and colorful world hides so much darkness and depravity, X-2 goes just as hard, if not harder, on the themes of societal corruption and decay found in X. And Yuna does have the "well... now what?" searching for purpose. She had been told her whole life that she was basically just food for Sin, that beyond 18 years of age and her pilgrimage, was nothing. Now that she actually has a "rest of your life" she has no idea what she should do. Everything she had ever wanted, had ever been is now gone forever, and everywhere she turns are people falling all over themselves to praise her. Everyone treats her as some Messiah-like savior, and she has no idea what to do about any of it. Much like IX, if you can laugh and enjoy the sillier moments, the deeper, darker moments are all the more impactful.
There are many, many reasons why the 1,000 words cutscene is still routinely searched for and watched, even in modern day 2024.
Double comment but Vivi and final fantasy tactics advance have the classic b mage as my favorite FF class ever
6:37 Many a fairy tale ended rather grimly.
note how many elements of Hollow Knight were "burrowed" from this game...
Never played hollow knight. I like the art style though.
Wonderful work, man! This is my favorite FF. Curiously, I also played it on a borrowed PS1 as I had a N64 at the time.
I was a crazy month in the early 2000s!
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. I haven't been a console gamer for a long time but I couldn't imagine lending a PS5 to someone so they could play one game these days. How times have changed.
I feel like that comment about princesses was aimed at a certain video essayist who back in the early 2010s who I will not name because even speaking their name is bound to prompt a shitstorm of insults and unproductive arguments.
I don't recall taking a stab at anyone in particular in this script. Which line specifically are you referring to?
@@arkham666 The line about princesses existing to be prizes to be won. About starting with the conclusion and working backwards.
Of course, I could be reading too deep into it. Just sounded like something I've heard before.
@@stevenguitink5947 Haha I know exactly who you're thinking about now.
Final Fantasy 9 truly encompassed a fantasy game. 7 was great, but it was too realistic looking and comparative to the real world versus 9, which looked straight out of a fantasy novel. Hense Final FANTASY! It's in the name.
Amazing.
i was between 9-11 dont rlly know anymore- i played FFIX and had no clue what im doing
as a little kid as our house burned my brother ran to me and said " the house is bruning"
i replied: wait i will save quick
💀
what a lot of the younger generation dont get about FF9 is those of us like myself, whom grew up playing the American releases of FF1, 4, 6, 7, 8, and then 9 in order of their release got a huge love letter to all these great games wrapped up in so much nostalgia that as a young adult, i felt like that kid again that grew up with these classics... FF6, 9 and Tactics will always be some of my favorite games ever as a 40+ year gamer with FF9 representing everything that made those early FF games so epic for me growing up...
Play this with the Free MOGURI Mod! It makes the game look AMAZING!!! Im playing it again on handheld Rog Ally X and the game looks like a modern one.
18:55 Tolkien was trying to give the united kingdom back its own mythology, which had been lost to time. He wasn't trying to codify what elves, dwarves, etc, were!
@@XX-sp3tt yeah I know. I don't have any issues with that. It's not Tolkien that's the problem it's everyone else using his work as the basis for their own fantasy elves and dwarves.
I never could get into the Persona games because they seem to be set in one place. FFIX feels like you're on an adventure, always going to new locales etc. Every place feels so different too.
I want to play skies of Arcadia so fugin bad!!
1:22:00 I would take unskippable random battles over the unskippable fixed encounters in Chained Echoes. Chained Echoes made me wish the game had random battles so much because Chained Echoes decided to have no levels or exp, so fighting trash enemies offer pretty much no real reward which makes combat feel kind of pointless and it doesn't help that the trash enemies are often harder than the bosses in the game.
With random battles I can run away from the fights and continue on my way but in Chained Echoes I can't runaway because if I do, well the enemies are still sitting there waiting for me to defeat them and all progress in the game is completely stopped until I do.
I don't hate Chained Echoes but they really screwed up combat. I kid you not when I saw that random battles would have greatly improved the experience over the system they went with.
Fixed encounters can be great if implemented in a way that adds strategy to the game, such as in Breath of Fire V: Dragon Quarter. Unfortunately, Chained Echoes has literally the worst implementation of fixed encounters I've even seen in an RPG and I'll take random encounters over that garbage any day.
Love final Fantasy 9. I love almost everything about it other then the slow battle intros, and the villeins are kinda weak. Other then that. I love everything else. The music in my top 3 for FF series. The art and graphics still looks great, I guess the open world kinda ugly but the rest is good. I love the characters and there's some great side characters. I like the combat just wish it was a little faster. Love the equipment system. I love the steam medieval fantasy setting. FF9 probably in my top three for FF series. I would hate to make a list because I don't know where I put my favorite in ranking. In some ways. The game is simple in its story telling but it feels more real, its charming, funny, warming. Its a comfort game that makes me smile in pure enjoyment.
Anyways. Great video on a favorite game.
The best FF full stop.
@@Mattonores christ I wasted 90 minutes of everyone's lives when I could just have said that lol.