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Virtua Saturn

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,378
I don't have any nostalgia for it but people always speak about it with a certain degree of reverence. I was trying to decide if I should pick it up on the Switch.
 

BasilZero

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
36,343
Omni
Yes

One of the best jrpgs ever made

Great story, characters and music

Also love the world and lore


I first played it back in 2005 for my PS2

Then played it again on Steam back in 2017

Gonna play it again when I buy it on PS4 and Switch in the future
 

ChaosSmurf

GLHF
Verified
Oct 25, 2017
257
Horsham, United Kingdom
It is probably the only game of its age where I would still recommend the original version, in fact. It holds up, and the HD stuff doesn't even really get in the way in the newer versions. Amazing soundtrack, cool systems, good characters, surprising, and a better translation than 7 & 8. My favourite FF game other than 14.
 

jml

Member
Mar 9, 2018
4,783
I first played it 5 or so years ago and thought it still held up really well then.
 

'3y Kingdom

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,494
Yes, but only as a good game, not as a masterpiece of the genre or anything like that. It's a fun game with loads of charm (especially if you are familiar enough with the preceding games to catch all the references), great music and graphical style, a really fun sidequest in Chocobo Hot and Cold, and a mess of a plot.
 

Small Red Boy

â–˛ Legend â–˛
Member
May 9, 2019
2,673
YES, definetly one of my fav games (and my fav ff). But have in mind that, iirc, there is a bug in the switch version which resets the world's map music after every battle; so you wouldn't be able to listen to the whole song and can be annoying (not game breaking but still). FFVII for switch had the same bug but they fixed, but they didn't for FFIX (which is strange and I might be wrong)
 

Sir Hound

Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,197
Currently playing through it straight off the back of 7, it was my #1 growing up and it holds to that now. The buffs don't have thumbstick shortcuts, I thought I was gonna miss that but actually I haven't felt the need.
 
OP
OP
Virtua Saturn

Virtua Saturn

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,378
Okay, I am sold. I was a little concerned since I have found 8 but and 16 bit titles easier to go back to than early 3rd games.
 

Olimar

Member
Oct 27, 2017
89
New York, NY
Final Fantasy IX is almost as if to be a 'greatest hits' of the entire franchise. Fresh off of the heels of Final Fantasy VIII, which took a very realistic meets 60s retro-future aesthetic, it was great to see a return to true form of the genre.

The only gripe when playing the original PlayStation version would be that battle introductions take some time. However, this was the last game fully composed by Uematsu, complete with an overworld, chocobos, an actual magic system, and all of the 'tropes' that make Final Fantasy fun. Plus the characters are actually fun and interact well!

Would highly recommend over the trash that it has since become.
 

P-Bo

One Winged Slayer
Member
Jun 17, 2019
4,405
YES.

To date, it has been the only game to have drawn tears from me--also seeing as it was Sakaguchi's last Final Fantasy before leaving (someone correct me if mistaken), it is a must-play.
 
Oct 29, 2017
1,681
I picked it up on the Switch and struggled to get into it. The graphic style wasn't great and it's a shame it wasn't improved for the Switch.

FF XII is a lot better from what I've played.
 

Lothars

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
9,765
I'd recommend every final fantasy to play but I am not a fan of IX and think it's in the lower tiers, I would still recommend to play it. it's not a bad game by any means just not one of the better final fantasy's
 
Oct 26, 2017
5,132
It's my absolute favorite Final Fantasy game. I've replayed it more than any other FF game. I highly recommend it.
 

Keym

The Fallen
Oct 26, 2017
9,191
Sure but it'd be better if you played some of the earlier entries first.
 

Trago

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,600
Consider that it's Sakaguchi's favorite entry in the whole series.

It's my personal favorite too. The story and characters are so endearing.

And despite it's age, the game still holds up.
 

werezompire

Zeboyd Games
Verified
Oct 26, 2017
11,319
Combat is mediocre (which to be fair is true of most Final Fantasy games IMO, exceptions like FF5 & FFT notwithstanding) & slow unless you enable hacks (which are available in the rereleases), but it has some of the best graphics on the system, the soundtrack is excellent & has a unique vibe, the skill system is fun but not overly complicated, the characters are fun, and the scenarios interesting. It's aged well.

Don't give up on all PS1 RPGs. Grandia is excellent & Breath of Fire 3 & 4 are both a lot of fun if you can get past the clunky camera (they have a top-down view to go with the mix of 2D & 3D graphics, but you can also rotate in set increments which is necessary to look around things). Suikoden 2 is also a classic.
 
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TheMrPliskin

Member
Oct 26, 2017
3,564
Definitely, for the most part it's aged fairly well and with the re-releases you can speed up the slow combat which was the games biggest flaw.
 

TheAggroCraig

One Winged Slayer
Member
Nov 6, 2017
5,908
I played it for the first time in 2019, but I have nostalgia for the PS1 JRPGs which probably helped quite a bit.

The game is good, personally I didn't like it as much as everyone else but it's definitely worth a playthrough if you're an FF fan.
 

Thrill_house

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,611
It is still solid and lots of fun. Just be prepared for random battles that are far slower than the other games
 

The Unsent

Member
Oct 25, 2017
19,424
It's worth playing for the excellent enviroments (especially cities) the entertaining story with great humour, a sweet romance and great music. One of my favourite aspects is the diversity of NPCs and how many races there are on the cities, the game often feels like a fairytale which makes it stand out compared to other RPGs.

I found the ability weapon system really addictive but might not be anything special by today's standards, the game also has dated random battle transitions but they're not too annoying because most of the levels are fairly easy to navigate. Some people don't like the slower combat compared to some of the flashier games in the series, but there's specific options to speed it up.

Anyway even trying to be objective, I recommend it and see it as one of the greatest games ever. It's a more well rounded and more accessible game than most modern JRPGs.
 

Barrel Cannon

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
9,290
Yes, I'm biased and it's my fav in the series but other than the slow-feeling battle system it's a one of the most endearing games in the series for me
 

Descendant

Member
Nov 2, 2017
1,111
I honestly reccomend FF7, FF8, and FF9 to anyone who likes RPGs. They are all fantastic games with entirety different settings, stories, and mechanics. All worth your time...

FFIX in particular while in my opinion not as 10/10 as some fans make it out to be...its still an incredible RPG with some standout characters in the party. You cant go wrong with it.
 

Cactuar

Banned
Nov 30, 2018
5,878
I wouldn't wish FFIX on my worst enemy. Played it day one when it dropped, replayed it later in life to give it a second chance. I give up. Nothing about that game I like. If you're trying to play some oldschool JRPGs, there's plenty I would recommend you before FFIX even entered my consciousness.