Cluesless is probably not the right word for all the 9 fans, sorry for that.
About number 9.
Others have already written it down:
"GameSpot noted that the learning curve is easily grasped, and that the ability system is not as complex as in Final Fantasy VII or Final Fantasy VIII. IGN disliked the lengthy combat pace and the repeated battles, describing it as "aggravating", and RPGFan felt the Trance system to be ineffective as the meter buildup is slow and unpredictable, with characters Trancing just before the enemy is killed.
Critics acknowledged that the overall storyline was mainly built upon elements found in previous Final Fantasy installments, such as evil empires and enigmatic villains. The main villain was considered by GameSpot to be the least threatening in the series."
I agree.
After the endlessly customizable materia-system with which you can create any job-class and any hybrid job-class and the very customizable system in 8 where you can brilliantly equip magic to your stats and defense and offense performance and basically create "armor" with magic. The 9 system is really missing depth.
It does have strong points this game.
I like the overal experience on the first continent.
The chocobo digging game is great too.
There are just too many other rpgs i see that do many things much better.
"Allegedly Square internally debated if Final Fantasy IX should have been released as a main series title or as a side story. The concern seems valid, because at times, the way Final Fantasy IX encompasses all that has come before makes it feel as if it exists outside of the main series."
A friend of mine said once that the appeal of 9 might be highly based on its theme and setting. He might be right. If you take the game apart in sections of battle system, characters, story, on each section its outshined by many other games. But the theme and feel of the game give it something special though.
''Hadouken!''
