The best Final Fantasy to come out of Square.
User Rating: 8.8 | Final Fantasy IX PS
FF IX mixes the best of both worlds of FF. FF VI and before all had the old-school magic to it. FF VII and VIII showed us a more high-tech, modern look. FF IX uses the old-school looks, like the black mages w/ their oversized hats. But it also has the high tech feel, with all the airships, planet jumping, and the awesome graphics. The graphics were outstanding back when FF IX was released. The CGI's were absoluty amazing. Square left the idea of having a CGI enviroment and regular looking characters. Back in FF VII and VIII, that effect gave the games a lazy look to them. Like, they could've made all the CGI's with great graphics, but they decided not to. In FF IX, if it's CGI, the characters are CGI as well. I really enjoy watching CGI's. The graphics always amaze me. And the regular graphics are amazing just like the CGI's. I never found myself lost, or not able to figure out what something was. Now, today the graphics will look blocky and uneven, nothing compared to FF X. Now, enough about the technicalities of the game, let's get to the story line. This game brings back the idea of the crystal that created the universe, and the heros must save it, or destroy it. The main character is Zidane, a bandit with a tail. Square has made the past few heros the loner type. Both Squall (FF VIII) and Cloud (VII) shared this trait. Zidane is no deifferent. And of course, he likes the princess, Garnet. Garnet is a little different from past games. She is a white mage. In the past games, the girls have been fighters, or at least you had the choice to make them fighters. Vivi is a black mage who doesn't have a place in the world. Steiner is the head of the Knights of Pluto and is charged with protecting the princess. Now there is a comedy triangle here. Zidane and Steiner hate each other (mostly b/c Zidane likes the princess) Zidane likes Vivi as a friend, but Steiner is absoluty stunned by Vivi's power. He insists on calling him master Vivi and some other outragious things. This leaves Vivi in the middle of choosing who to help. The group travel around the planet, and to another planet, picking up a few other characters. This game is by far the best FF game on the shelf (if you can find it on the shelf). 
