13. Final Fantasy IX (PS1)
When it released back in 2000, Final Fantasy IX seemed a stunning return to form. It's not that VII and VIII were bad games per se, but they just never felt like Final Fantasy to me. FFIX, on the other hand, is nothing if not a celebration of the series' past. Gone are the dieselpunk trappings of the previous two entries; Final Fantasy IX is all about the fantasy, baby! Well, fantasy and charm. The cast is the most loveable bunch the series has ever seen, headed up by an upbeat David Bowie-look alike. Zidane is a welcome antidote to the dreariness of Cloud and Squall (a.k.a. Crybaby McEmopants). If you don't smile early and often while playing this game, then you're simply not human. There's a lengthy comedy of errors concerning a love letter that remains the most sweetly amusing thing I've seen in a game. But like any good Final Fantasy, IX also has its share of tragedy, and the darker moments seem all the more powerful for the game's abundant charm and humor. I can't remember ever really feeling for a character the way I did for Vivi during his existential struggle, and his story arc is easily the highlight of the game (and arguably the whole franchise) for me. It's interesting to note that Final Fantasy IX was originally planned as a spin-off, but I reckon Squaresoft smartly decided to make it a full fledged entry when it became apparent that the game they'd created was not only a Final Fantasy, but the most Final Fantasy of them all.
