How does FF9 hold up today?

[darkknightkryta]

Runa216 said:

Jumpin said:

IMO, it starts off quite nicely. But then the game falls apart after around the 15-20 hour mark, and never really recovers. There are some nice cities in the early part, but most of the later game is desolate. So if you don't plan to finish the game, it is a good one to pick up.

It doesn't quite feel as grand an experience as a real Final Fantasy game. It's highly conservative, it feels a bit like a genericization of earlier FF themes, which I personally was not a fan of. The characters are kind of bland in that there isn't really much to build on, they don't have internal conflicts, aside from one who struggles with some existential issues... which, are of the Pinocchio/Replicant sorts - and already done dozens of times before, and FAR better.

The story was a little on the bland side, lacking much originality in plot mechanics. It is not on the level of other Final Fantasy games, and is probably more comparable to games in the Breath of Fire series.

To be a bit positive, the game is very solidly built.
Solidly built, but also incredibly reserved. While other entries in the series tend to add a lot of mechanics and are bravely creative with plot and character arcs, FF9 comes off as very ordinary and reserved, not trying anything new. 

It's solid, but craven. It's not a leader, but a follower. It's well crafted, but not a work of art.

I think it's still a good game, but (excluding NES FF2, which we shall never speak of again) it is the only FF game released prior to FF11 that I didn't fall in love with.

 

Pros:
* Solid gameplay and battle system
* Pleasant art, although a bit cartoony

Cons:
* On the bland side
* Horrendous pacing in the second and third acts
* Characters lack internal conflict (except Vivi, and even that feels a little contrived)
* It's uninspired/wooden/generic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sRS1dwCotw

I actually agree with him Runa :P

There's great things in this game, but I found it overall uneven.  The story was good, until they shifted gears and tried to make us feel for a certain character (Despite how much of a bitch she was) and the story just kind of falls apart after that.  The locals are absolutely breath taking.  A shame they don't use a similar fantastical style now, but the character models look absolutely horrendous.  All the males look like ugly girls.  Which is a shame considering how beautiful Amano's original art designs were.  Steiner looked like an absolute bad-ass.  Instead he was turned into comedic relief.  I disagree about his comments on characterization though.  The game has a fantastic cast.  It just feels a bit squandered and "uninspired/.../generic" because of how uneven the game handles climaxes and consequences from said climaxes.  The gameplay itself is amazing, and the skill learning system was great.