Return to its Roots?

[Locke4God]

Agreed Dodie, and I'm glad you mentinoed that. And I guess you see what I mean. There's more to the Chocobo experience in VII, and there's not more to the hunt experience in IX. I get why, but still, there's not any more to it, and consequently I find that to be a shortcoming. I would have loved to have gone back and participated in more hunt, or maybe hunting in the Lindblum area would have been a fun thing to have in there. I really love the whole idea of sidequests. They add a lot for me.

[Dodie16]

Actually, I don't really see your point. You complained that FFIX didn't have enough sidequests and minigames for you, and I provide you a list of what the game has to offer. Then, you complain about what disk they're on.

I get that you don't care for this game very much, and that's fine. You're entitled to your own opinion. I'm just trying to help you see that FF IX does have a lot to offer a gamer, but if you don't see it then I'm sorry. I can't help you anymore on that, because you find even more stuff to complain about when I do try to help.

[loaf]

@ LOAF - Oh come on man, you did not complete IX in 20 hours. :-) I'll need some proof on that one.

Since I currently don't have my PS2 to screenshot a picture of my saved files from there I'm going to restart it on my emulator no quick saves non of those things, to show to you that I can beat it in under 20 hours. I just can't get the Excalibur II yet.

[ViviMasterMage]

I'm not going to even comment on how silly you're being, Locke...

[Xanatos]

Can someone explain to me why's this thread called "Return to it's Roots", it's really deceiving, some people including me actually thought that we would have a discussion about the matter that the tittle of the same thread indicates. Who would have thought that some dude made a thread just to express his anger and hatred towards Final Fantasy IX.

But then again he has all the rights, and of course good reasons for it. I mean how do they dare to put 8 Cid statues in Lindblum that don't represent the Cid's from the former FF games, after all Cid from FF VII and FF VIII would fit just perfectly. Also this game doesn't have enough sidequests and mini games...(Dodies's list)...well, maybe it has but I don't like in which order they've put them, I want all of them on the first CD. And what's with the story, there's not enough hints. Is SquareEnix telling us that we need to follow the story til the very end? Characters, just awful especially the main protagonist, he's just not emo enough.

etc, etc...

Locke, we all know that you hate this game and it's perfectly fine ,but why are you still continuing to bitch about it, it has become rather funny lately especially the reasons you've been coming up with. No mater what remember that Final Fantasy IX is still closest to Hironobu Sakaguchi's view of what Final Fantasy should be. I really hope that you know who Hironobu Sakaguchi is.

[Locke4God]

I'm being silly?

@ Dodie, and the last few posters. I get that you can give me a laundry list of items, but I'm not talking about quantity, I'm talking about quality.

I work in hotels for instance. I could list for you that the room comes with sheets, a phone, carpet, paint on the walls, a door knob, a door lock, a window, etc, etc. But none of those are interesting.

You want to know if the room comes with a plasma TV, a Kitchen, Full Cable, etc.

Dodie your list of things to do in 9 offers me door knobs and carpet. They aren't interesting.

Furthermore my point that they are on Disk 3 is incredibly valid, because if a game doesn't offer you any side options until that late in the experience, then it's falling short. Seriously, what if no quests popped up until after you completed the game. Would you still praise the same laundry list you game me? What if they didn't appear until disk 4? All I'm saying is that waiting until disk 3 to find anything fun to do other than the main quest, is waiting too long. It's rediculous.

I'm not being silly at all.

[loaf]

So which Final Fantasy before that had so much to do before you get the airship.

In IX you could start the Chocobo Hot and Cold on Disk 1.
You can start the Ragtime Trivia on Disk 1.
Frog Catching can be started on Disk 1.
Friendly Monsters can be started on Disk 1.

In VII before you obtain the airship what could you side track yourself with. Gold Saucer? Chocobo Breeding? That's all I can remember.

In VIII? I don't remember VIII having crap for making me side track from the main story except for new GFs and Ultima Weapons early in the game if you knew how.

[Locke4God]

Well Gold Saucer and Chocobo Breeding are waaaaaaaaaaaay better than any side quest in 9 no matter when they start. VIII had a few things and I do admit that they're a bit more sparse, but Triple Triad as a game was faaaaaaaar better than Tetra Master which didn't even bother to give you instructions. I guess they thought it was cute to make you guess.

VIII had a very involved system in weapon upgrading where you had to find and buy magazines, Quizzes to upgrade your rank and pay, Triple Triad which was very interesting in trying to win certain cards from certain players, and then later other things like the Alien Chase. And let us not forget about Weapon in VIII. Finding his island, running down that long corridor, and then learning how to beat him was absolutely the best fighting experience in any FF game I've ever played.

But again I'll say those games you mentioned in IX were just inferior, and you would expect an older game like 7 to have inferior games. So even if you count IX's as just equal, which they aren't, it's still dissapointing and really just revealing that they didn't include much in the game.

Chocobo hot & cold was alright. I did play that a bit. It wasn't chocobo breeding, so again a downward slide. Tetra Master was a downward slide from Triple Triad, and then what else? Anything else you mentioned that's in the first part of the game is drivel. I mean it just wasn't that fun, and even the more fun stuff didn't have much in the way of any kind of pay off. Jumping rope 1000 times. Really? I mean I never felt more like I was wasting my life away. The next step was to quit my job and start smoking pot for a living. :-) Give me some mentaly challenging quests, or something that feels more like I'm accomplishing something. That's what I want. All in All, the side quests in IX are just mediocre. That's all I'm saying.

[GypsyElder]

Y'know, I've been looking through this for a while, and the last time I checked mini games aren't what made or broke a game. To be honest I think it's kind of silly that they keep being brought up. For example, I can't think of any real mini games I played in VIII that I enjoyed, in fact I didn't play any, never liked the card game, didn't play any of the Chocobo stuff....can't think of anything else. I still like the game....

Your reasons for disliking IX are kind of silly to me, and sort of apply to more than one FF.... but that's your opinion.

[Xanatos]

@Locke - Chocobo Breading, seriously? Even VG Cats made fun of the Chocobo Breading process, it's full of glitches and even if you follow the best walkthrough it's still pain in the ass. But I guess you played it for fun, not for that shiny red materia which beats the game instantly.

Do you want know how come Final Fantasy VII has more miningames and they're more fun? Rather simple, Final Fantasy VII has noticeable worse graphics than Final Fantasy IX nor high quality videos, less detailed characters, shorter story, less detailed backgrounds, less places to visit etc. Don't get me wrong I'm not bashing Final Fantasy VII but what does all of this mean Locke? Again rather simple, more free MB on discs which means more minigames and more devotion to it just to fill the discs. Just because Final Fantasy VII is older doesn't mean that it has to have inferior minigames, you should at least know that. Final Fantasy IX has enough material to fill 4 discs even without the minigames which were fun by the way, on the other hand I highly doubt that Final Fantasy VII would have 3 discs without all those miningames. And since you prefer mingames and sidequest over the story and gameplay I guess Final Fantasy VII would suck without those minigames, right Locke?

But, wait if you dislike FF IX for not having fun minigames, than you must hate Final Fantasy I, II, III, IV and V for nothing having any.

Also, we all know that Final Fantasy VIII has Triple Triad (one of the best minigames in the entire Final Fantasy franchise), any other minigames?

This thread reminds me of the show called 1 vs 100, and please Locke continue with your posts, they're rather entertaining. Final Fantasy IX is still closest to Hironobu Sakaguchi's view of what Final Fantasy should be. But surely he must be wrong, there are no fun mingames, right Locke?

[Locke4God]

What's your point Xanatard? Making excuses for crapiness again? Of course VII had worse graphics and thus more room. So? There were still less side games in IX then right? You're admiting that? Thank you then, case closed.

As for the early games, that's a completely different animal. You go into those expecting less and enjoy them for what they are. You of all people should know that Mr. "You can't make comparisons between old games and new ones."

But Alas IX wasn't an old game. It was a new one with supposed advancements, and yet it had less. As I've said all along, it was a step down.

[Xanatos]

What's your point Xanatard? Making excuses for crapiness again? Of course VII had worse graphics and thus more room. So? There were still less side games in IX then right? You're admiting that? Thank you then, case closed.

Reduced to insults, I expected nothing more from you. Just worse graphics, nothing more? Wow, and I wondered why do you compare the older games with the new ones on the same ground. Final Fantasy VII had more minigames, so? Does this mean that SquareEnix should have made a fifth disc for Final Fantasy VIII and IX just to cover the minigames?

As for the early games, that's a completely different animal. You go into those expecting less and enjoy them for what they are. You of all people should know that Mr. "You can't make comparisons between old games and new ones."

Completely different animal, why sudden change of mind. If I recall correctly FF IV and VI weren't a completely different animal when you compared them with FF VIII and XII, but then again I guess you don't consider FF IV and VI as the early games.

So basically you're telling me the older games are completely different animals when I compare them but not when you do, hm interesting.

But Alas IX wasn't an old game. It was a new one with supposed advancements, and yet it had less. As I've said all along, it was a step down.

I mean it only had better graphics, better animation, high quality videos, better backgrounds, bigger soundtrack, more places to visit, more detailed characters, more non-playable characters, longer story etc. and all that on the same console, yes, I must agree with you it definitely had less. Yes it was big step down, after all it was so bad that even the father of Final Fantasy consider it as his favorite Final Fantasy

[Locke4God]

:-) I didn't bother to read your whole statement. Actually I find this whole thing amuzing. Toodles.

[Xanatos]

:-) I didn't bother to read your whole statement. Actually I find this whole thing amuzing. Toodles.

Finally, we agree on something.

[Firefly]

By Gypsy Elder:
Y'know, I've been looking through this for a while, and the last time I checked mini games aren't what made or broke a game. To be honest I think it's kind of silly that they keep being brought up. For example, I can't think of any real mini games I played in VIII that I enjoyed, in fact I didn't play any, never liked the card game, didn't play any of the Chocobo stuff....can't think of anything else. I still like the game....

Your reasons for disliking IX are kind of silly to me, and sort of apply to more than one FF.... but that's your opinion.

AMEN! omg,come on people its just a game! Nothing to get mad over.It was made what..9..10 years ago?Whatever ur opinon is dont go bashing others for opposite opinons.Yes,it didnt have many 'fun' minigames in my opinon but it DID have minigames and blah blah etc.