Playthrough thread

[Boxman]

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[Xanatos]

I'm going through FF IX as well right now, I'm currently on disc 3. What I wouldn't give to play it for the first time again, enjoy every minute of it you lucky bastard It's by far my favorite game in the series, needless to say I played it to death numerous times, if you need any help feel free to ask.

[Sheechiibii]

I'm playing through IX again myself. I'm on Disk Two right now, I love this game and have played it numerous times. To answer your question about the ATEs sometimes you can't view all of them and you get to choose which ones to view, sometimes you don't have to view any if you don't want to. So yeah the idea is that they're more optional

A tip (if you want one) would be to steal during boss fights. Stealing can sometimes take ages in this game, but can be so worth it because almost all the bosses carry really good stuff, and if you're not making much money then it's an easy way to get good equipment at little cost other than time.

Glad you're enjoying it so far. Yeah you get more brighter landscapes further on in the game, the idea being that the continent you're on is covered in mist, so unless you're up high everything is misty and dull. I liked the music in FFIX but that's probably cause it felt kinda medieval and fantasy-like for me. Be good to see more of what you think as you keep playing. If you've got any problems or want any tips just ask.

[Xanatos]

Do not sell your equipment even if you feel it's of no use to you anymore, older inferior equipment will come in handy once you unlock the synth option. Also, as you gain control over new characters they can learn usefull abilities via same equipment and you save a lot on money.

Ability points, abilities themselves and right equipment are far more important than exp, levels are not that important as this game is not that challenging to begin with. Grinding early in the game will gain you some high HP, but overall bad stats. Better equipment equals better stats as you level up.

[Boxman]

Thank guys. If i need help I'll be sure to say so, but please leave any tips you may think are important, so long as they don't spoil specific stuff like names or anything. ^^' I may try stealing stuff more often. What I've been doing is exploring after getting all my shopping done and coming across weapons and armor I could have gotten for free. x.x Guess I shouldn't be so quick to part with my money. Also should be glad I don't have to worry about changing or scratching discs because I downloaded it for PS3.

Didn't want to update again til I had a significant one to post, but think I may have waited too long and now have a very long one to write, so I may skim over or even forget some stuff that went on, knowing how my memory can be. Here we go...

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Chapter 2: Tons of plot and other junk

Beginning exactly where I left off, I decided to explore a bit before entering town. The actual draw distance isn't great but understandable, and it's far less gloomy than below the mist. Also seeing airships fly about is a neat detail that makes the world feel more alive than previous games were able to convey. It makes me think of the seemingly large graphical jump between it and X, though I suppose X had a more realistic style to it, too, as well as no large world map taking up resources.

It feels great to finally enter a town where I can rest and buy stuff, but it isn't long before there are complications and my entire party is separated. Makes it kind of annoying when I've bought new armor and weapons, and something I like more about FFV because mostly your party sticks together, but I guess it is at the cost of a more complex and dynamic story so it is kind of worth it here. Seeing characters develop on their own, such as Garnet trying to act not so prim and proper(and added in the thought of how the old farmer hag would treat her differently with knowledge she was royalty), or Steiner being in denial but still questioning the queen in the back of his mind, feels a bit more real than acting exclusively within a group.

Unexpected stuff happens and Vivi is kidnapped. Garnet and Zidane go on an unofficial date before finally deciding to look for him. Somewhere between all the commotion I had some time to try out the card game with the shopkeeper. Usually I'm terrible at card games, and I only tend to win them in games like Red Dead Redemption by accident. Here it's not so different: I end up losing a single card. Seems pretty simplistic, though, so I may try it again farther on when I've collected more cards. What I would like to know is, beyond just for fun, is there a point to it? Any neato spells or items or etc. to be gained from it?

Eventually I find Vivi and the dark secret about the town. The black mage clone robot army thingies remind me of a certain plot point late in Super Smash Bros. Brawl's story mode that I won't spoil but may be obvious. Soon enough I come to the surface and after a short bit with Steiner bothering an old man I am thrown into a boss battle. Was surprised at how easy this thing was compared to how much trouble the first Black Waltz was, but shortly after I found there's a reason for it.

Of course more cutscenes have to happen first, particularly one where Zidane is telling Garnet to climb aboard the airship. Was wondering whether they would go through with it and was still surprised Zidane touched Garnet's butt. I guess I should be more puzzled that his attention wasn't drawn to it sooner.
Also confused why she wouldn't be more upset but I suppose it was just a small joke that didn't warrant much drama.

Black Waltz 3 shows up almost immediately and is much more annoying, having to wait for it to be grounded to hit with physical attacks. In retrospect I should have just spammed magic with Vivi and use Zidane and Steiner for potions and ethers since Garnet wasn't there to heal. There were a couple close calls but I made it through and was treated to a lot of action. Wonder what's going through Vivi's mind after these events but it's hard to tell as he doesn't talk much.

Finally we make it to Lindblum and it seems to be the grandest settlement I've come to in an FF game. Finding out Cid is the king/regent/whatever was surprising, but being a bug was more so. Reminds me of all the kings in Super Mario Bros. 3 having been turned into various things. Anyway, we get some more info on Zidane, learning that he and his mates were hired by Mr. Bug and not just out to kidnap a princess, as well as meeting this rat lady from his past. Can't for the life of me recall what her name actually was, but Zidane called her Ratchel. On account of a Rachel being the first friend I remember having, I decided to name her that.

Once again free to explore, this place feels quite large and with a lot to do, which fits its scale and is quite a good feeling. Tons of areas, NPCs, backstory, shops, etc. Hadn't known at all about fusing items so it kind of made me regret selling all my old equipment but at least I managed to make this Ogre weapon for Zidane...even if I'm broke now. One thing to note here is the art style. Up until this point I've preferred stuff used in Chrono Cross, of which I'm also been playing for the first time, but I love how this place looks. Makes me wish the graphics engine of Skyward Sword had been more advanced, what with promises of n impressionist style painting.

I forget how everything came together but I eventually found myself in a cutscene with Garnet on top of a tower. Looked through a telescope to get information on surrounding areas which was cool. Zidane made Garnet promise to go on a date with him if he won the Monster Hunter game I've heard about all over town. Not sure what I was expecting but it seems odd that they'd let monsters out in the streets, rather than having some sort of colloseum, or having it out in the wilderness.

In any case it seemed pretty simple. None of the enemies were strong at all and only had to heal once. Problem is, I wasn't sure at firs whether I could go to the other districts, and the birds were annoying. Missed one battle when a monster was chasing Vivi and went off screen before I could catch up. Cleared out most of therest but time ran out. Kinda confused because I didn't come across the big red monster at all? Rat lady ended up winning which was disappointing. Planned on saving over a new file so I could try the hunt again to see if I could win but forgot and now the chance is gone.

After eating much food, everyone except Garnet and Steiner were knocked out and they ditched us. Oh yeah, and Rachel's home was attacked or something. Bug said we should head through this one gate on foot so that's what I did and figured it was a good time for a break.

Sketched some not very detailed fanart. First time in months I've drawn anything: https://mbasic.facebook.com/photo.ph...62400&__tn__=E

[Sheechiibii]

It's a good thing that Freya (Rachel ) won the tournament by the way, because she gets a much better prize than Zidane does at that point in the game. I think she got the Coral Ring but Zidane only got money so it's much better to have her win anyway and it doesn't change anything in the storyline. As for the question about cards, well I never play it since I don't like it so I'm not sure if there's decent prizes to be won, but later on in the game you have to play during the plot to continue so it's probably good to get some experience in it

[Boxman]

Alrighty, guess I was more disappointed in losing really, kinda forgot about prizes. Forgetting Freya's name and not realizing abilities would be lost with gear thrown out makes me feel I should start paying more attention. Thanks again Xanatos and Sheechiibii for the help. Will have to practice that card game soon.

[Rowan]

Its just as xanatos says, grinding early game will prevent you from maxing out character stats (as far as they possibly can go). Although, grinding is effective in FF9 if you are having trouble beating a boss, and I HIGHLY reccomend it. If you were grinding like me, by the time you get access to available equipment that gives great stat boosts, your level will only be around mid 40's maybe early 50s. That leaves 50 levels to grind with stat boosting equipment, IF you want too. Even still, being lvl 99 without using the stat boosting armor still makes things relatively easy end-game. I think the low level playthrough's are for completionists only, and can ruin the fun of the game. Its also worth mentioning that the stat boosts from a low level game with high stat boosting equipment disc 3, are negligible in my opinion. Black belt offers great lvl boosts to power and defense and are readily availalbe at lindblum (from memory). So just equip that and off you go.


Important edit info:

Stealing from enemies and especially bosses is the most rewarding of any Final Fantasy game I have played. You are almost always given next tier items and equipment if you are able to steal it. Most enemies will carry 3 items. If you are so bold, I reccomend only killing a boss once you have cleaned it out.

[loaf]

You have to stay lvl1 up to Disc 4 in order to get the good stats.

[Rowan]

You have to stay lvl1 up to Disc 4 in order to get the good stats.

Define good relative to non-disc4 stats.

[loaf]

Let me correct myself. Perfect or Max Stats for characters.

Edit: I'm debating on which one I want to do in the end.

Also most of the items that grant you a Permanent stat boost upon leveling you get at Disc 4.

[Rowan]

Let me correct myself. Perfect or Max Stats for characters.

Edit: I'm debating on which one I want to do in the end.

Also most of the items that grant you a Permanent stat boost upon leveling you get at Disc 4.

IIRC, the black belt gives decent strength and defence boosts and is available as early as disc 1. Its not for max stats, but its certainly a good item to have equipped if you want more strength and def when levelling up. ALSO, its quite convienient that it becomes available just before you can fight the grand dragon.

[loaf]

A lot of things are conveniently places in Final Fantasy games for a reason. It's crazy.

[Rowan]

A lot of things are conveniently places in Final Fantasy games for a reason. It's crazy.

You know, I was just thinking this same thing. We talked about something recently in direct reference to this, but I cannot remember what it was. Now its going to bug me all day. Can you think of something off the top of your head?

Edit:, GOT ONE. Although this is specific to the part in ff9 we just talked about. Grand dragon is weak to ice. You can steal a staff for Vivi from the boss in gizamalukes grotto which teaches blizzara, you can pruchase and equip armor/accessory that gives elemental affinity to ice attack from linblum, and you also get the coral ring which makes you immune (or absorb?) thunder attacks, all of which are things that help you fight the grand dragon in the upper exit of gizamalukes grotto. All of these things can be done just before you are able to fight the grand dragon, so its as if Squaresoft (R.I.P) had intended you to use these items to help you best the dragon (which is completely optional).

yeah baby.

[Boxman]

Man, I need to start reading more replies before immediately going back into the game again. Missed out on some stuff but will probably be good advice for subsequent playthroughs should I choose to do so, so thanks guys. Depending on how much I write, could be possible I hadn't read the last dozen posts before the next two updates' worth of playing.

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Chapter 3: Dark doominess and the end of disc 1

Went back into Lindblum to see if there was any new equipment to buy at any of the shops but there seemed to be nothing for Freya. Don't recall seeing the aforementioned Black belt either but it's likely I just missed it somehow.

Onward I went out into the misty plains and such to I forget where. Bermucia? Burmecai? I'll settle for Rat city til an expert corrects me. Being a much bigger area than I expected, combined with forgetting I have a map at all, I kinda got lost. Gave me a chance to notice details like the more sunsetty areas, though, and got much experience from these large wyvern things that would be intimidating if not for them being so pink.

Came across an area that was in a cutscene I forgot to go over last update. Apparently Zidane's Tantalus friends had been by this ruin and had escaped the evil forest, and now are looking for a cure for Blank's petrification. I'd assumed the ruin was closer to the evil forest rather than all the way down here but I guess it makes sense.

Found the Chocobo forest, too, and played the little mini game. Reminded me of the annoying mine detecting game from No More Heroes but this was far better. Found the little treasure in the overworld as well which reminded me about the map and I promptly made it to the cave I figured I was meant to go to. Thank god for Chocobos because the encounter rate is really high.

Inside of the cave seems bland at first but further on has a sort of creepy motif. Wonder what the significance of the bells are other than gameplay purposes, if any. Can't believe I've neglected to mention Zorn and Thorn until now, as they've been causing near about every single annoyance throughout the game so far. I like the duality in their dialogue as well as their overall design but whever I see their faces I get creeped out.

Almost got a game over to another big, pink creature. This one was a giant snake lady thingy and it killed Vivi. Poor Vivi. He seems to be the weakest at this point in the game. Keeping him in the back row behind Zidane and Freya hasn't done much for his survival. He has done good, though - forgot he picked up this nut that Moogles like back in Lindblum. It came in handy when helping out two Moogles who made the odd decision to have a wedding in such a creepy place.

Went up these vines to an outside area where large scary dragons murdered me with thundaga. Wasn't much of a loss though since I saved just before then, so I backtracked and found the correct path, leading to a considerably weaker water serpent cobra that served as a boss. Still tough, though, and found it a challenge to make time to try to steal anything between healing. Really missing Garnet.

Speaking of her, after the boss was dealt with, we find out where both Garnet and Steiner are headed after a silly cutscene. Can't imagine it was too pleasant being covered in smelly pickles. Apparently missed a chance to peek at Garnet changing unfortunately. So it seems the two aren't going to rat city but rather back towards Alexandria. Hmm...

Zidane and co. haven't moved an inch in the time it took to do all that so I make up for it by getting to ratville pretty quickly. Art is really good here, too, and interesting to think about the statues and architecture. Enemies are somewhat annoying though. Lizard geckos that can petrify reinforce that abilities seem more crucial than just stats alone. Also ran into my first few mimics here and can't seem to tell the difference? Should be glad that at least they aren't terrifying like the ones in Dark Souls. x.x

Found a new weapon for Freya and also found a Moogle across the way. Moving on brings me to lotsa plot. Most important being Queen Brahn, Beatrix, and this new Kuja guy meeting here. Beatrix killed me pretty quickly and I was surprised to find it wasn't one of those mandatory losses some RPGs have. The second attempt had me wasting a lot of pheonix downs but at least I survived. Still, just barely, and the three evil peeps left my party unconscious.

A cg cutscene showed Kuja was rather...feminine... Nothing wrong with it, just not what I was expecting. Not sure what to make of him in just those few short moments. All I know is his hips make him less believable than Sheik in Ocarina of Time.

So I'll stop there since it's the end of disc 1 and I'll try to cram in what I've played of disc 2 next time.

[Sheechiibii]

Yeah Kuja's quite the drama queen but he makes for an interesting villain though. You were right, it's calle Burmecia I hope you've been buying items from Stiltskin (the travelling moogle) cause he has very good stuff later in the game and I think it depends on how much you buy from him early on. Just out of interest what are your levels at? I wouldn't worry too much about stealing from Beatrix, as since the battle is on a time limit it can be very hard to steal all her items before the battle ends so I usually don't worry much about them if I don't get them all.

On a side note, have you visited Qu's Marsh yet (big green splodge between Lindblum and Gizamaluke's Grotto? It's possible you might not have and if you still have time before continuing the game (with Zidane's party) it might be worth stopping by there since you can pick up another party member, Quina, who specialises in blue magic. You can also play a mini game which involves catching frogs and ups the damage done by one of Quina's attacks.

[Boxman]

Kuja's the villain? Or a villain? I guess that does make sense, just assumed Brahne would be the only real big evil person before now. From what I've seen of him he seems interesting, not sure how I'd compare him to other villains in the series.

Both Golbez and Exdeath are kinda boring. Kefka is cool but lacks depth, he's just less bland and more charismatic. It's hard to tell who was the villain in 10 between Seymour and Sin and etc. The closest one I can think of when it comes to similarities is Ghirahim from Zelda: Skyward Sword, but for him it seems he's more obsessed with vanity and his own ego than simply appearing feminine. I dated a transgender person once but unfortunately it didn't last long but well that's not what people came to read about. x.x

I read about this Quina thing and am kicking myself because he/she could have been really useful to have. But as I understand it you have to get him/her later on anyway? Might be able to backtrack to go and get them where I am now, not sure but it'll be the first thing I try to do when I get back to playing. Have only come across Stilltskin once, maybe I need to keep more of an eye out for him. Here are my levels so far:

Zidane - 14
Vivi - 13
Garnet - 8
Steiner - 7
Freya - 15

Have the faster leveling ability for Freya. Was hesitant about using it at first but she seems to need a bit of a boost. May take it off eventually though to focus on getting abilities from other equipment. Think I'll post the rest of what I've played either later today or tomorrow.

[Xanatos]

No worries, you'll pick up Quina eventually. Even though Quina is often overlooked due to "its" strange design "it" is the most useful character in the game, granted you devote some time to obtain all of "its" Blue Magic.

Your levels are just fine, I suggest you switch off "auto level" this early in the game, those few levels you gain while learning abilities and as you go will be more than enough, however "ability up" is essential, some of your characters will soon be able to aquire equipment with such ability.

Without spoiling anything, I'll just say Kuja is beyond awesome.

[Boxman]

Yeah, I figure I'll just refer to Quina as "it" until I meet them and see for myself. Auto leveling can be turned off? Haven't seen 'ability up' anywhere but that sounds like a good thing to have so I'll look for it. Been getting back into Yakuza 3 which is fun but I'm eager to get back to FF9 here, so let's hope I remember all that went on when I last played..

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Chapter 4: More rats 'n' nobles

The game sends us back over to see what Garnet and Steiner are up to. They reach a station atop a mountain where there's a rest area, so I decide to let them go into the little cafe area. After talking to a buncha folks, a couple of Zidane's friends show up - namely Marcus and that other guy.

With the knowledge that Marcus is trying to save Blank, Garnet chooses to go along with him despite Steiner's protests. That and Marcus seems to be dismissive about her. Not sure I can blame him but it's unclear whether it's because Garnet is royalty or because she's Brahne's daughter. It would seem Tantalus doesn't like the idea of wealth in general, but then at the same time it also feels like the world has a problem with Alexandria specifically.

The cable car thing stops within minutes. Heading outside I find it's Black Waltz 3 again, though much weaker than before. The fight reflects that in being a bit on the easy side. Moving on I shop some and head out into the overworld. This time I try not to get lost. The screen suddenly gets darker near this littletown I'm heading for, making me appreciate all the more a 3D world over a 2D one. I get in and find it's the place I'm supposed to be going to - Treno, I think? Some noble place full of theives or something.

After a funny little scene, Steiner is left all alone with both his friends heading off in different directions. Tons of Active Time Events here, mostly showing Garnet getting robbed, so I give chase to the crook and while I don't get her money back, he does give up a Power belt which seems nice. I pass by some card gambling place as well as a drunk and eventually make it to the auction that ATE's shown both Garnet and Kuja are at. Garnet is still there but Kuja seems to have disappeared.

Glad I didn't have to participate in any auction, though I wonder if I can later on. The auction mini game in Wind Waker was pretty fun. Anyway, I didn't have a hard time finding the place Marcus went to, and regardless of even more protests from Steiner, we set sail to go and steal Supersoft. Kinda strange here that Garnet is blaming Zidane for all this, for treating her like a child, but I guess it makes sense.

Unfortunately our lives as theives are short lives as we run into this funny, kinda creepy Dr. Toot guy. Apparently he tot - er, taught - a bunch of stuff to Garnet when she was just a tot, and left the kingdom sometime later. He agrees to just give us Supersoft if we just go to his creepy tower which is boring but we do it anyway. I forget why exactly but we head down into this tunnel, to take a shortcut or something I guess.

Eventually I press enough buttons and levers and switches to make a giant bug carrying a carriage appear. Between this and Marcus and the general atmosphere it's hard not to get a Gears of War kinda vibe. Riding along, the ant comes to a full stop for another monster (I think Marcus is just bad luck on these kinds of trips). This time it's a really odd looking pink snake with a hippo face. o.O And it's unique in that it's the first to actually use the flee command to actually leave battle. Ugh, what a *****...I guess it makes no difference anyway since bosses haven't been giving any experience anyway.

Even more bad stuff happens when I find a trap was set by Zorn and Thorn and my party is taken captive. Makes me wonder if Toot was in cahoots with them. I'm sure these scenes didn't happen right away but I'll forget them if I don't cover them now. The first is of Marcus and Steiner locked in a cage eerily similar to one from Ico, Steiner still in denial about Brahne. The second is Garnet thinking to herself before Zorn and Thorn come to take her to Brahne, whom only lies to her before Kuja comes to put her to sleep.

Seems she and Kuja have some history, or at least Kuja believes so. Not too long later we see Zorn and Thorn with Garnet in some scary ritual room where they do some ritual thing to her. According to them, since she is 16 they can remove these eidilons??? from her. Think I can recall Tot talking about them in his little flashback earlier but not sure. And with that I'll take a break before I write the rest so I can finally get back to playing it.

[Xanatos]

Not even characters of FF IX are sure what gender Quina is. I meant turning off the "level up" ability, forgot its name there. You don't need to do any of this of course, it's just a tip, and since it's your first playthrough it doesn't really matter that much.

You can bid at auction house at any given time, granted you have money to spend. You can buy some exotic and rare items to increase your treasure rank.

[Sheechiibii]

I think Marcus was kind of cold towards Garnet because Zidane's his friend and from his perspective Zidane risked his life to help Garnet and then she turn around and ditched him asap. So I think at the time he wasn't feeling up to being too nice to her.

Haha yeah Quina's gender is never revealed, not sure if that's true for all Qu or if Quina's just special. S/he's definitely an asset to the team though. I never really gave him/her a chance in previous play throughs because I didn't like the character, but this time I've been using him/her and s/he's a valuable part of the team. Supposedly his/her Frog Drop ability is the strongest in the game.

Also yeah I second Xanatos: Kuja is awesome.

[Boxman]

Well, Quina certainly sounds the most interesting so far. Looking forward to it. Turning off the faster leveling does sound like a good idea at this point. And yeah that explanation about Marcus definitely makes more sense than what I was thinking.

A bit of real life stuff came up yesterday and was too tired to post the rest last night so sorry about that. ^^' I've got some time now so here I go.

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Chapter 4: More rats part dos

Fortunately Zidane, Vivi, and Freya are not dead despite Beatrix repeatedly killing each of them. Based on details presented in a prior cutscene I kind of glossed over, the three decide to head out to wherever it is Freya's people chose to run away to - I'm really not good with names. It only takes me maybe five minutes to get there.

Was expecting there to be more of a sandstorm rather than a tornado. Also thought actually getting there would be the hard part, but I'm not complaining. Turns out the rats and their long lost family live atop this giant tree instead of a generic desert village a lot of other RPGs have. Pretty neat. That said, traversing it is a bit confusing with more branching paths and sandpits and stuff. There was even a giant bird that ate Vivi in one gulp.

Eventually I made it through though, and was welcomed into the more or less peaceful village. Freya went to see the king and both Zidane and Vivi took a short tour before splitting up. Did some shopping and went to the inn, which is the only place I've seen Stiltskin so far. Exploring the place a bit more, ATE's reveal Vivi being bullied by ratsists. Unfortunately going back to those areas, the bullies pretend they've done nothing wrong and try to get me to buy their ****. They won't be seeing anymore of my money.

I'm told Freya will meet me in front of the inn, so I go there only to be told there's this giant antlion monster thing trying to eat a kid. I have to wonder why these idiots chose such a monster infested place as a safe haven. So much hate. Anyway, the brat turns out to be the prince and he gets away safely, but for some reason I'm still forced to fight this thing? The battle proves to be a bit tough but is over quickly.

The king doesn't seem so miffed about his son being a prick and the conversation turns to praying to their gods and such. Not sure what kind of dance I expected but clogging is a surprise. Evidently it fails, the harp breaks, and the tornado disappears. I guess that's a bad thing for them but I like it as it kept making me dizzy. Apparently I have to leave town and go back down the tree for I forget why.

That was the last bit I've played so next time I'll go see if I can still find Quina early.

[Xanatos]

As a character Quina has no depth whatsoever, but s/he make more than enough for it gameplay wise. Most people don't know this but Quina can one-shoot most if not all bosses during first two discs.

[Rowan]

As a character Quina has no depth whatsoever

[Sheechiibii]

Are you still playing? I just finished my most recent playthrough a few days ago. This time I did every side quest and killed all the optional bosses (including Ozma who I didn't find near as difficult as people said he would be). I had a totally different team than I usually do (Zidane, Freya, Amarant and Quina) so that made the game feel kinda different this time. I usually say that IX is my third favourite after X and VIII which are joint first, but I love this game so much it might be joint first with the other two as well.

[Boxman]

Sorry for the lack of posting. I'm not dead or anything. Been focusing on other games, finished Yakuza 3 and am well into 4 now, and MGS comes out in a few days too, so yeah I kinda forgot this thread existed. x.x But I think I'll get back into it as soon as I have Yakuza 4 finished so sorry for the wait. ^^'

[Boxman]

Soooooo it's been a few years. I bought 5 and 8 and am tryin to save for 7 and the 10/10-2 HD release($27 used at gamestop, preferable to $40 on PSN at least) so I'm finally back in an FF mood. Been spending most of my time reexperiencing Deadly Premonition and getting all the trophies and such which has been great. Dust: An Elysian Tail is free for now so I have been playing that too. Pretty fun hack n slash RPG though I wish there were a few more combos. Haven't finished it yet so I hope it won't distract me from FF too much.

I'll be honest and hope people won't kill me - have yet to touch 9 again. Was more excited to return to 5, and later wanted to start up 8. Thought about writing about my first impressions of 8, too, but think it might be redundant putting another one of these threads in the same section. Not sure whether I'll play 8 and 9 side by side, especially having a head start in 9, but for now I'll just post part 1 of 8 to buy myself some time.


FF8 or VIII or the eighth part 1 of many:

Didn't know much going into it other than that there are these two characters, Squall and Rinoa, who seem to sometimes be compared to Tidus and Yuna from what I've seen, so there's probably gonna be a large chunk of the narrative focused on romance. Oh and some theory about all the characters being dead or in limbo or something? Otherwise I don't think I've heard much at all. Mostly my interest comes from it being the favorite of someone I used to know, so I want to get an idea of why if I can.

The incredibly long intro before the main menu gives an entirely different vibe from 9. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I think I prefer the more whimsical and lighthearted style over it. The pacing also feels very different; 9 started off almost with a bang, and from more than one point of view, and took a bit of time to get settled once escaping all the action.

Here, however, we start out pretty slow. Don't really mind it, some stories are just better told this way, though I don't know yet whether it'll pay off. Anyway, I renamed Squall, having him be another Travis instead, and wondered what got him put in a hospital bed. Kinda reminded me of Mass Effect for some reason. Following this Quistis lady I quickly learn that Garden is pretty much interchangeable with school, which is a real drag. If I wanted to be in school I wouldn't be playing a video game.

The talk of a SeeD test reminded me of the GOAT from Fallout 3. All these different series seem to want to just copy Final Fantasy for some reason. Explored the school a bit on my own, helped another student with the layout of the place, and left because apparently there's some prerequisite to taking the SeeD.

Got a little lost in the world outside the school, camera being no help, and forgetting there was a mini map. Got into some battles with bugs that took a few good hits to kill. Unsure of whether I've been timing R1 right when attacking because I do seem to have gotten some criticals, but that may just have a random chance of happening regardless? Also have no idea how limit breaks work. Quistis makes me sad that there aren't more women in positions of authority with whips in games.

Found a small town down the road and was a bit surprised to find a car and a gas station. I'm more or less fine with futuristic stuff because it tends to still have fantasy elements and imagination, but this feels almost too modern for me. Not game ruining as so far the story sees ok and I like the core gameplay, but it just feels really odd to have this in an FF game.

Stayed at the inn and bought some odds and ends while there. Came across a shop that could upgrade weapons but unfortunately didn't have the right materials and don't know if I even have access to them yet. So I left, finally found the mini map button and where I was meant to go. Once there I was asked to set a time. Had no idea what I was doing or what the test would be like, probably missed or forgot important info, so I winged it and chose a half hour.

Went in a straight line the whole way and figured I'd backtrack along the side paths if I didn't find whatever I was supposed to find. Fortunately I found Ifrit and fought him and it took a while but otherwise was pretty easy to manage. Using summons didn't seem as useful here for some reason so I just wailed on him instead. Speaking of I'm not sure I understand the drawing system and magic in this game. Not sure I get junctions and GFs entirely either but have more of a grasp on it. Seems like a more complex version of what 6 had.

Headed back to the school with my new GF and dtarted the SeeD stuff. Laughed at Cid who sort of resembled Robin Williams. Wasn't expecting most of the stuff that came next, from the political side to D-day to sending students into a real war zone as a test, but I guess that isn't much worse than getting little kids to go out on their own to catch violent creatures in wilderness.

Initially Seifer seemed like a **** but I think I like him a bit more than Zell at least, though neither have really had much time to develop yet. Disobeyed orders from the top brass and decided to go to this old communications tower where it seemed the enemy were trying to repair it. Seifer went on ahead and I subsequently ran into the student I'd helped earlier - a clumsy girl named Selphie if I'm recalling right. Up to this point I wasn't really sure who would be a stable or permanent party member but I've heard about Selphie enough to imagine that she is at least?

Went inside the tower, saved, and quit for now. Will probably have to get back to 9 before I start to confuse their battle systems and stuff.

[Sheechiibii]

So not only are you playing IX for the first time, but VIII as well? Squall's critical hits only when you pull the trigger at the right time, it's not random so it seems like you've been getting it right. Squall's limit break is just like his critical hits, you need to press R1 at the right times to get the hits. GFs level up so they get stronger as the game goes on, their main job is to give your characters abilities and allow you to junction magic to your stats. Yes, Cid really does look like Robin Williams in VIII, I thought so too

If you have any questions I'd be more than happy to try and answer them I've played this game so many times (just like IX lol) I know it pretty well by now.

[Boxman]

Thanks for answering. Think I'll have to practice and fiddle around a bit. I guess I should ask, should I avoid leveling up? I heard enemies keep up and stay as strong as you do so it might actually be easier not to? Not sure if I like it or not but I suppose the real stat boosts come from junctioning and GFs. Apparently one of the GFs has a Card ability which I've heard can win battles without gaining exp? Guess I'll go for that for now.

Did play a bit but not for long. Went to the top of the tower, fought the soldiers who'd turned the satellite on, and killed a monster that took a helluva beating. Then I had a half hour to get back to shore which would have been easy except a giant spider car mech thing was chasing me - almost as tense as being chased by Paula in Shadows of the Damned. Quickly realized normal attacks weren't doing me much good so I spammed GFs. The cutscenes are nice and all but wish they could be skipped.

Eventually made it and Quistis took it out with a turret. After making it back to the mainland I rested at the inn and since then I've actually started using the draw command, so I've been grinding whatever useful magics I can.

[Sheechiibii]

Well, I sometimes avoid levelling up and I sometimes don't, but I've played the game many times so using different strategies keeps things fresh. Later in the game you'll get abilities that give you bonuses to certain stats at level up, so levelling early in the game can be less effective than conserving your levels for later. The enemies do level up with you, but junctions can help you stay ahead and it's not so different from other games where the further you go the harder the enemies you face become, only this time the enemies stats are based more on your level rather than the area they're found in. If you do want to avoid leveling as much as possible, Quizecotl has the card ability which lets you turn an enemy into a card which means you get ap but not exp. Diablos (he's in the magic lamp you get from Cid before you leave the Garden next time) also gives you the no encounters ability which can also be useful if you want to avoid levelling.

I hope you've been drawing from bosses as some of them have GFs, the one on top of the tower had the GF Siren (I believe) which you won't be able to get if you missed it there. It's not the most amazing GF anyway so don't feel too bad if you did miss it, but keep in mind when you go against other bosses to always check what magics/GF they might have