I actually completed this back in June but didn't get round to writing a review til now. Sorry for the delay.
I love FF7 and FF8 but having played those two back to back I must say it made a change of scenery to have a FF game with a medieval setting (with a bit of industrial technology thrown in for good measure) like the older FF games had been. That's one of the things I think that keeps this franchise from going stale, constantly changing between medieval and more modern settings. So here's my overview of each aspect of the game:
Graphics: I found the CGI graphics really good for the ps1 era and that opening cut scene really drew me into that world, especially that castle in Alexandria so I knew this was going to be a very different world to the previous two FFs.
The battle graphics were fine but they seemed a slight step down from FF8's. I don't know whether it had anything to do with the decision to have four playable characters in battle at the same time instead of three. Maybe that extra fourth character put just a little bit of strain on the graphics engine. I'm just guessing though so anyone who knows a different cause for this or even disagrees about the graphics can feel free to say so here. Its just a minor issue for me though.
The pre-rendered backgrounds in the gameplay graphics outside of battles were really good, just as detailed as in the two previous games,and the medieval setting meant we got to see typically medieval architecture in cities like Alexandria and others.
Gameplay- I got the hang of FF8's junction system eventually but after that game it was a relief to have a simpler system here. The fact each weapon, armour, accessory etc came with a certain spell or ability gave an extra dimension to the decision making as to which one to equip each character beside the usual differences in stats.
I know not everyone might agree but I also liked the fact only one character or some characters could learn certain spells or abilities as it helps to further distinguish each character's traits which in turn means you really have to think about which character to use in certain battles.
Storyline and characters- The storyline engaged me throughout and from the very beginning. After the more introverted protagonists in the previous two games Zidane was a refreshingly more extroverted lead character, Garnett slowly developed into a more and more confident and steely person, Vivi was just adorable and amazing throughout, Steiner was funny and stubborn, Freya was kind yet steely (and quite sexy for a rat!) Quina was refreshingly quirky both in personality and looks, Eiko had a very strong and gutsy personality and Amarant had the toughest, hardest personality of them all which was also refreshing.
Plenty of other decent characters too. I liked Beatrix especially. Overall the storyline and characters were great. I did feel some of the playable characters didn't get as much development as others but I'd make the same criticism of the previous two FFs as well and no doubt the same would apply to the first six in the series.
All in all FFIX is an excellent game and I'd play it again and again no doubt and after the FF7 remake I would definitely like to see a remake of this game along with FF8.
Edit: Forgot to say I loved some of the music!
I love FF7 and FF8 but having played those two back to back I must say it made a change of scenery to have a FF game with a medieval setting (with a bit of industrial technology thrown in for good measure) like the older FF games had been. That's one of the things I think that keeps this franchise from going stale, constantly changing between medieval and more modern settings. So here's my overview of each aspect of the game:
Graphics: I found the CGI graphics really good for the ps1 era and that opening cut scene really drew me into that world, especially that castle in Alexandria so I knew this was going to be a very different world to the previous two FFs.
The battle graphics were fine but they seemed a slight step down from FF8's. I don't know whether it had anything to do with the decision to have four playable characters in battle at the same time instead of three. Maybe that extra fourth character put just a little bit of strain on the graphics engine. I'm just guessing though so anyone who knows a different cause for this or even disagrees about the graphics can feel free to say so here. Its just a minor issue for me though.
The pre-rendered backgrounds in the gameplay graphics outside of battles were really good, just as detailed as in the two previous games,and the medieval setting meant we got to see typically medieval architecture in cities like Alexandria and others.
Gameplay- I got the hang of FF8's junction system eventually but after that game it was a relief to have a simpler system here. The fact each weapon, armour, accessory etc came with a certain spell or ability gave an extra dimension to the decision making as to which one to equip each character beside the usual differences in stats.
I know not everyone might agree but I also liked the fact only one character or some characters could learn certain spells or abilities as it helps to further distinguish each character's traits which in turn means you really have to think about which character to use in certain battles.
Storyline and characters- The storyline engaged me throughout and from the very beginning. After the more introverted protagonists in the previous two games Zidane was a refreshingly more extroverted lead character, Garnett slowly developed into a more and more confident and steely person, Vivi was just adorable and amazing throughout, Steiner was funny and stubborn, Freya was kind yet steely (and quite sexy for a rat!) Quina was refreshingly quirky both in personality and looks, Eiko had a very strong and gutsy personality and Amarant had the toughest, hardest personality of them all which was also refreshing.
Plenty of other decent characters too. I liked Beatrix especially. Overall the storyline and characters were great. I did feel some of the playable characters didn't get as much development as others but I'd make the same criticism of the previous two FFs as well and no doubt the same would apply to the first six in the series.
All in all FFIX is an excellent game and I'd play it again and again no doubt and after the FF7 remake I would definitely like to see a remake of this game along with FF8.
Edit: Forgot to say I loved some of the music!