a90skid.com
  • Shop
  • Reviews
  • Shop
  • Reviews
0
A 90s Kid
  • Shop
  • Reviews

My Final Fantasy History (ranked)

VII – Like many, it was my first full JRPG experience. I loved it then, and still love the melancholy tone/music, sci-fi setting, and chasing the Sephiroth trail. It’s also the only one I’ve finished. What a n00b.

IV – While dabbling with the earlier titles this one stuck out to me. I immediately loved the light/dark story and grey morality that was rarely seen in games of that time. I’d love to finish this one next.

VI – Another dabbler, which in JRPG terms means around 20 hours in. Such a massive story and cast, I can see why this is a favorite for many and how revolutionary it was at the time. After Squaresoft wrung everything out of the 16-bit cartridge format it makes sense they had to go with Playstation’s CD media for VII

X – Got about halfway through but wasn’t clicking with the sunny atmosphere and goofy lead character. I understand it’s a great setup for his later plot development but I rarely felt compelled to play this one. Still have the X/X-2 HD Vita version to eventually get to.

XIII – I was several years removed from the hype of this game by the time I played it which might have helped. The combat is a mix of excellent innovation and frustrating linearity as many tougher enemies feel as if they have just one solution. The game is still insanely beautiful to look at today and a lesson that characters need to ‘do’, not ‘tell’ to be interesting.

Now let’s talk about Final Fantasy IX

Before playing my impression of it was “throwback fan-service that was received very well”. After a good ten hours with it I feel that’s only scratching the surface (also, ten hours is just scratching the surface of a four-disc PS1 game (also, don’t scratch the surface of a PS1 game)). Sure there are moogles, chocobos, colored mages and the rest, but the core fundamentals of what truly makes a great FF game are Characters, Story, and play mechanics, and those are done very well.

After not clicking with X’s sunshine theme I was a bit hesitant of this merry band of drama-kids and a goofy Knight. But what turned the corner for me was Vivi the underdog. Controlling Vivi for a portion of the opening act was a strong choice. Everything is against him. He finds out he had a fake ticket, he has to work as a slave for a literal street rat, and he generally seems to have gotten the short stick in life. But as he joins the crew and the first battles come around it’s quickly apparent that his magic is more powerful than even he knows. The princess seems to be on a similar arc of empowerment as she immediately flips the script of being rescue fodder and was already planning her own escape. Back to Vivi, I was sold when he encounters mysterious creations that look identical to him and how he begins to question his own existence. This is definitely better than a sunny day at the beach.

The combat starts off at a great level, with numbers so low it’s easy to get a grip on the system and realize the importance of each mechanic. I’ve enjoyed the boss battles, especially with the fabulously integrated conversation and story elements throughout, but the frequency of random encounters is tediously high. I find myself missing the 3X speed offered in many of the FF ports, but alas I’m playing the original on a Vita.

The humour in this game surprised me. Many games are funny……for a game, but I’d say IX transcends that successfully. The womanizing lead and blindly loyal knight provide many of the jokey lines but some of the NPCs get in on the action as well. My favorite bit features Guard #1 explaining a the entrance to the city in a very RPG manner while Guard #2 calls him a know-it-all and questions why he didn’t become a tour guide instead.

FF games are always known for their looks and this one is no exception. I’m a huge fan of pre-rendered backgrounds as they work well with the Playstation’s limitation and I feel it’s closer to artistry rather than engineering a 3D environment. Static camera angles in the hands of a skilled creator can tell more of a specific story as well. There’s a lot of obvious love and detail poured into just about every scene so far.

I was surprised at how early it got its hooks into me but I’m fully on board and glad I’m playing on the Vita to sneak in a quick session whenever possible. I recently switched the action/cancel buttons to L1/L2 to make it more comfortable to play lying in bed or one-handed, which sounds a lot dirtier than it actually is.

This game holds up and is definitely worth playing in 2016 if you have any inclination towards RPGs or story-based games. Part 2 will follow when I’ve digested another big chunk of this fabulous game. I’m also looking forward to completing enough entries in the series that I can do a proper ranking of the whole darn thing.

Let me know what you think.

 

 

 

Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Related Topics
  • cloud
  • discussion
  • ff
  • ff6
  • ff7
  • ff9
  • ffiv
  • ffix
  • ffvi
  • final fantasy
  • gaming
  • jrpg
  • kefka
  • rank
  • reaction
  • retro
  • review
  • rpg
  • sephiroth
Mathew Falvai

Mathew is a huge fan of Space, Strategy, and Shadowrun (Genesis version is #1). When it comes to games and films, he’d much rather experience a 10/10 classic from yesteryear than a 6/10 modern blandfest. He does feel we’re living in a gaming golden age with the power of indie developers at an all-time high, but wishes AAA publishers would take more risks. Mat believes it’s only a matter of time before the pendulum swings the other way and new ideas take their rightful place above reboots.

You May Also Like
Dead or Alive 6 Free
View Post
  • 2 min
  • News
  • PC
  • PlayStation
  • Uncategorized
  • Xbox

Dead or Alive 6 Launches Free Version With Limited Roster

  • Matthew Hayes
  • March 16, 2019
View Post
  • 2 min
  • Announcements
  • PlayStation
  • PlayStation 4
  • Uncategorized
  • Xbox
  • Xbox One

RED DEAD ONLINE gets new Modes, Events, Weapons, and more on Feb 26th

  • Mathew Falvai
  • February 21, 2019
View Post
  • 1 min
  • News
  • Nintendo
  • PC
  • PlayStation
  • Uncategorized

Dark Devotion’s New Boss Trailer Reveals Terrifying New Monsters

  • Matthew Hayes
  • January 9, 2019
AGDQ 2019 Donkey Kong Country
View Post
  • 4 min
  • Opinion
  • Uncategorized

The Best Runs from AGDQ 2019 Day One

  • Matthew Owen
  • January 7, 2019
View Post
  • 2 min
  • News
  • Nintendo
  • Uncategorized

Nintendo 3DS Games Deeply Discounted During Massive Target Sale

  • Matthew Hayes
  • January 7, 2019
View Post
  • 2 min
  • News
  • Nintendo
  • Uncategorized

God of War Art Director Re-Imagines Super Smash Bros. Characters in New Artwork

  • Matthew Hayes
  • January 7, 2019
View Post
  • 2 min
  • Uncategorized

KODI (XMB) app now available on Xbox Store – (free tv/movie streaming)

  • Mathew Falvai
  • December 30, 2017
View Post
  • 3 min
  • Uncategorized

Kingdom Hearts 3 leak may reveal new environments

  • Mathew Falvai
  • December 25, 2017
1 comment
  1. Pingback: Lost Odyssey - Retro Review

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe

Subscribe now to our newsletter

A90KID.COM

VIDEO GAMES COMMUNITY & ENTERTAINMENT

A 90s Kid is an active website and media channel, dedicated to providing you information and entertainment related to the video games industry

Navigation
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Refund and Returns Policy
Recent Articles
  • SpongeBob Squarepants: The Cosmic Shake Review – Back to Bikini Bottom January 31, 2023
  • How competitiveness drives gamers to be better January 27, 2023
  • Gaming gadgets make a difference for some January 27, 2023
  • How gamers benefit in various ways from playing video games January 27, 2023
  • Nothing Screams Interactive Distraction Like Video Games January 27, 2023
A 90s Kid
© 2022

Input your search keywords and press Enter.