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Final Fantasy XI: Chains Of Promathia for PlayStation 2 Videos >>
Final Fantasy XI: Chains Of Promathia for PlayStation 2
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Final Fantasy XI: Chains Of Promathia for PlayStation 2
328 reviews   4.48 of 5

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Summary

If your a complete newbie to the FF series, you must be a complete newbie to video games itself. Final Fantasy is one of the most famous games series ever to step into the video game history dating way back to the NES days. It's a classic series and most everyone who knows about video games can say "I know Final Fantasy". This famous series is produced by the great Squaresoft. All of the games in the series are RPGs that mixes elements about love and life. In fact, in the latest RPG, Vivi asks himself about his life and how his brothers are just robots controller by an eviler force known as Kuja. Kuja and Queen Brahne decide to the rule the world using these mages destroying everything in it's path. Zidane is told to stop them by his leader and along the way he meets friends to help him. Vivi, as mentioned, is a mage who has great magical powers. He and Zidane are the first to meet and they keep meeting new friends along the way of Zidane's quest. He also meets and falls in love with Queen Brahne's daughter - Princess Garnet. Together, they all meet up to take down one person -Kuja. Some characters Zidane meets have subplots with themselves. Like Quina, a strange being who loves to eat, goes on a quest just to find better food. You also have old enemies becoming good friends with you as time passes like Princess Garnet's guard - Steiner. During fights, you (Zidane) and 3 party members are pitted in a small area. Mind you, enemies pop up randomly as you walk in dungeons and the world map itself. Anyway, you are pitted in this area, and 4 of you (by the way, having 4 players rocks since most FF games have you play with 3) fight the enemy. You take turns attacking the enemy and the enemy has his own turn to attack one of you. When a character is ready to attack, he has numeral choices. Does he want to attack? Does he want to use magic? Items? Once he's ready, he wait's in line until everyone does what they want and performs. You control all 4 characters and this keeps going until your enemy dies. That's a basic battle system of any RPG. You also have trances - if you get attacked long enough, your character goes into a trance and he goes beserk and can really do some major damage.

Anyway, you go through the game, going through dungeons and battling baddies and bosses. Along the way, Vivi finds out what life is all about and asks some really cool questions like "How do you prove we exist?" (which is a question I love). He finds out what friends really are. Zidane, as mentioned, is on the quest to help his friends and he finds out that friends are really important near the end when he's in great pain and says he doesn't need everyone. In this particular level, he goes through these fighting sequences and friends pop in to help him and he keeps dragging on, injured, all while this really awesome song is playing in the background. As mentioned, there are other subplots that aren't really important to the main story itself.

As you go through the game, you'll notice there are many, MANY places to visit. There aren't "levels", just "destinations". In these destinations, you are there for a specific reason relating to the story where you fight bosses at the end. In between these destinations, you visit towns - chat around, ask questions, hang about, have a nap, buy weapons-items, whatever. It's a great place to chill after a great battle and whenever you are ready, you go where you need to. For example, in one tow..i mean city, you are in Lindblum. First, let me say this city is HUGE! It's filled with trains to take you to each part of the city, but the whole city in whole is huge!! It's so much fun just exploring. Anyway, after exploring - you visit the castle because you are summoned by King Cid. He then sends you off to your mission. After you finish the mission, the story continues, growing even more complex, and you know where your next destionation is. And that's awesome. You know exactly where you need to go because people tell you or Zidane himself knows. And it's not linear, because you can explore whenever you want. You don't have to rack your brains on knowing where to go next because you already know. And each destination is not some place you are going out of your mission, it's all related.

Sound

The music in this game is awesome. Aside, from the obvious tunes that appear in every FF game (who can forget the "Do-do-do-do-do-doooooooo"), there really is great music. One song in particular is awesome called "You're Not Alone" (the same song I mentioned up there).Many other great memorizable tunes and songs.

Gameplay

There are few games that have you care about the characters you play with. Final Fantasy IX is one of those games. FFIX has you care what happens to your characters and you end up feeling for them. When Vivi finds out that all his brothers are just ploys in Kuja's plan, you feel sad for him as he goes off and cries. You feel happy when you defeat a huge boss. You feel sad ...well kind of..when Queen Brahne dies and Princess Garnet is sad. You feel proud when you control Steiner and Beatrix as a bunch of monsters attack Alexandria and they are trying to get one particular spot as they battle the monsters when they keep coming. And as they shout "For the queen!" "For the queen!" (Princess Garnet obviously becomes queen after Brahne dies)

These characters are lovable and hilarious. You laugh as Zidane disses Steiner and he storms off. Really, there are about 8 or so characters you pick to fight and only about 5 of them are worth knowing and loving. Of course the main character - Zidane, the magic man Vivi, eidolon-summoning Eiko and Princess Garnet, and princess guarding Steiner. Aside from that you also have Amarant, Quina, Freya, and I think that's it? Aside from the characters you play as frequently, you'll grow to know and love Beatrix, the whole Tribal gang, Garland, Kuja...well you'll hate him, King Cid, Queen Brahne, and many key others.

My party of four is:

Zidane(you have no choice even if you, for some odd reason, dont want him. He's a great attacker and he can steal gil or money)

Steiner(an even better attacker then Zidane. I'm near the end - Disc 4 - and he can do an easy 3000-3500 damage. He's also good in magic but he needs Vivi to do magic attacks)

Vivi(he's usually only good for magic. He's awesome with magic, in fact. He has them all from the classics - firaga, blizzaga, thundagra, and many others)

and Eiko(she's a summoner and a healer like Garnet only much better. She has one eidolon - monster who attacks the enemy - but she really is needed for the healing part. She has magic that includes Curage which cures your party members)

I definately recommend FF9 to EVERYONE. I don't care if you hate RPGs, this game is definately worth everyone to have in their library. This game has a great intriguing storyline, AWESOME characters, and is "just plain fun"
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Summary

I am shocked and appalled to find out that anyone hated this game. I am beginning to think that any game with as big a spotlight as the Final Fantasy series will have many people who dislike it simply because it's not what they expected, or it doesn't do something that they wanted it to. People have to realize that games can't please everyone, and I realize it's too much to ask, but I wish that could leave our taste at the door and look at games in a more subjective way.
Now I'll get off of my soap box and tell you that FF9 is as close as I've ever played to a flawless game. The storyline, while not as epic as some other games, is very effective and very engaging. The first ten hours especially are like an RPG thrill ride. The game never becomes boring or drags, like in Legend Of Dragoon. However, storyline isn't everything; there is also the execution of play, and in this area, I could not think of much that the developers could have done better. Frankly, after FF7 and possibly Chrono Trigger, this was the best RPG ever created.

Sound

Another great Final Fantasy soundtrack. The music was definitely up to the high standard created by the previous FF games, and the sound added a lot to the exciting FMV sequences of the game.

Unless you hate RPG's, you owe it to yourself to play this game. It is an experience you won't soon forget.

Gameplay

If you've played the previous Final Fantasies on the PlayStation then you know what the gameplay will be like. Simple active time battles, complete with summons and limit breaks. A few side-quests to find rare treasures; good old-fashioned RPG elements. If you're looking for revolutionary gameplay, you won't find it here. However, it is a very effective and very playable style. Plus they added the feature of learning new abilities, and got rid of that draw command from FF8.(Thank God!)
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Summary

In the year 1987, a small Japanese publishing company called Square Co., started creating games for video game consoles alike. Their failure in making successful games made them wonder what they could do to make the name Square one day famous for their games. RPG back in the 80's were extremely popular, so Square decided to take that route in their business to see if they can share the glory. Alas a game called "Final Fantasy" was brought to the world. The games success led the name SquareSoft popular through out Japan. The Final Fantasy series is the longest running series ever in the video game environment. Then on the year 2000, Square continued its tradition by introducing one of their best titles yet: Final Fantasy 9.

The story line found within the Final Fantasy series have reached significant changes. The first 5 titles involved fantasy like world where dragons and magic roam. Crystals were involve and each had their own mystical powers, usually deriving from the main elements which are fire, wind, water, and earth.

This trend stopped when they introduced Final Fantasy 6(or Super Nintendo's Final Fantasy 3). The environment revolutionized to a more futuristic like genre. Magic was disappearing and machine technology took place around the world. Although different, Final Fantasy 6 still had elements found within its predecessors. Then came Final Fantasy 7 and 8. These two titles also shared the world of a sci-fi like environment not typically found on a Final Fantasy title until now.

While certain individuals enjoy this change, most believe that the series seem to be losing its "touch". Most mention how these newer titles seem to advance away towards what they have come and used to love. "Where is the Fantasy?" is what complainers are asking for and fortunately Square listened to these demands. Squares goal was to take back what was lost for the past years. Fans wanted crystals, dragons, and SD(simply deformed) characters back. Final Fantasy greatly achieves this goal and satisfied the desires of many.

Final Fantasy 9 goas way back to old school gaming. The characters were no longer life-like looking and the story involves a much more fantasy like background. Even some of the music reminded of the past which was forgotten.

Final Fantasy 9 is not like Final Fantasy 7, and 8 but takes a role more like the older versions. Final Fanatsy 9 is unique gameplay wise as well as the story.

Final Fantasy 9 is about a Queen named Brahn that is power hungry and wants to rule lands around the kingdom. A group of thieves or "performers" called Tantalus, plan to kidnap Princess Garnet in order to syphon information about the Queens' plans. There are many twists and turns in the story which I will reveal due to people out there who would like to experince the story for themselves.

Unlike characters previously known through out other Final Fantasy titles, this new group have much spunk and comical attitudes. For the first time, a group of young sprites take role in this story, even as young as 6 years old! The stroy creator is named Hironobu Sakaguchi who was also the same director for all the other Final Fantasy series as well. This man is a genious!

Characters have always been very essential in the world of Final Fantasy. They provide the mood and everything else needed to make a game worth playing as well as intriguing. These characters are created by a man named Amano who also last created characters for Final Fantasy 6. Here is a quick synopsis of the main characters found.

Zidane: The main leader of the group. He is a thief and looked at as a leader from the others. He has this interest in girls which usually distracts him from accomplishing his quest. He has a mysterious past which will eventually unveil like all the other Final Fantasy leaders like Squall and Cloud.

Garnet(AKA Dagger): She is the princess of Alexandria and has the power to summon Eidolons. She posseses this mysterious gift without her really knowing where it originated from, but is eventually revealed later on the game.

Steiner: A sworn martyr and protector of Garnet. A knight with great loyalty and determination. He has sworn to protect Garnet at any cost, even from Zidane.

Vivi: A black mage that is very unsure about himself. He seeks out the truth behind his background to better understand what his purpose is for living.

Freya: A member of the Dragoon Knights of Burmecia and a friend to Zidane. Her lost love is what's keeping her faith high enough to continue the job that she is doing.

Quina: A weird character that is either a he or a she. He/she is a Qu which is a group of sprites involved in the love of food and cooking.

Eiko: A small yet free minded little girl. Like Dagger, she too has the ability to summon. She comes from an abandoned village called Madain Sari where many summoners used to live. She has an interest in Zidane which later prooves very amusing.

Amarant: A silent and mysterious bounty hunter who disregards everybody else but Zidane. A strong fighter but very stubborn.

These are just a few of the characters included. Other characters loke Cid is also found as well as our lovable chocobo friends and moogle buddies. This time, they take on bigger roles that affect the way the game is played.

Final Fantasy 9 brings back a lot of memories. If you are a veteran player, you know what I am talking about. If you have never played any Final Fantasy series at all, this is the one to take high regard of. It is a great mixture of old as well as new school concepts. This title is the one to get in order to experience what a true RPG game is really like.

Speaking of titles, an interesting thought came to mind. From what I have heard from friends as well as others alike, they all have their favortes as well as least favorites. From my statistics, I discovered that only the odd numbered titles were favored. Final Fantasy 7 was favored more than 8. As for for Final Fantasy 6, it is really Final Fantasy 3 for the American version which is also highly favored. So, Final Fantasy 9 is "supposedly" the good title. Let us hope that this uncanny trend does not continue for FF10.

Overall, Final Fantasy 9 is a must for any RPG fan out there. The gameplay is great and the music is astonoshing. With 4 CD's, this is a long and engaging adventure with non-stop entertainment and action. The story flows very smoothly as well as very understandable. Words cannot really explain the depth of Final Fantasy 9. Great job Square.

Sound

Sound...Music...ah the one behind all this is Nobou Uematsu. A great composer and well written material that he does. I cannot even fathom the way this man creates such great ensembles that actually stay with me forever. There are no other games in the world that provide better sound tracks than Square. Square developed such great music here that... words cannot explain really. Other games that should deserve praising are Chrono Cross and Vagrant Story.

Anyways, the music is fantastic and beyond much beyond that. With the addition of a lyrical song at the end even makes it an even more exhilarating game. The ending song is called "Melodies of Life" and I must say this song delivered messages that just blew my heart out. This is just an example of the song, specifcally the melody. "A voice from the past, joining yours and mine. Adding up the layers of harmony. And so it goes on and on. Melodies of life, to the skies beyond the flying birds--forever and beyond."....... After listening to the music once, I realized that it's not enough, I have got to hear this beautiful piece again.

Overall, great and always innovated music with a lot of feeling and emotion involved which makes this game a one of a kind.

In conclusion, this game depicts anything you have ever wanted in an RPG. Once again, great job Square.

Gameplay

Boy, where do we even start. Final Fantasy 9 provided so much in depth through their gameplay.

Let us start with the basics. Like any other typical RPG game, characters become stronger or level up through many skirmishes with monsters. These characters are able to purchase goods such as upgraded weapons, armor, head gear, accessories as well as a variety of different items that help out through their journeys. It is very fortunate that the equiping system was simplified siginificantly. In Final Fantasy 8, the concept of equiping certain items is just too complicated. This usually ends up being a nuisance more than than strategizing. The way equiping is done on Final Fantasy 9 is similar to Final Fantasy 6 where you simply wear an item and certain status increases occur. Although there is a twist, wearing particular items enable specific characters to learn different abilities. What makes each character unique is the fact that not everyone is able to learn the same moves. Instead, each have their own unique powers. For example, Vivi is the only character that can use black magic while Zidane is the only one that can steal. Abilities are further enhanced with the help of particular items bought in either towns or found outside the world.

These profound abilities help out when it comes to battle. Like any other Final Fantasy series, battles are random. Most of the battles take place out of towns or any other particular places. When engaged in battle, up to four people can fight as a group. The last time a group of 4 or more was provided was on Final Fantasy 6. It's great to see the return of this concept which now provide more strategy behind battles. When encountered, random monsters appear depending on the region you are in. Usually, when you enter a cave or forest of some sort, enemies are found. At the very end of these levels are usually bosses. A boss is a character which is the leader of the place. They are much stronger than the monsters you have already encountered and are usually infuriated. Bosses are what's keeping your group from progressing.

The way battles are fought is in some type of order. An ATB bar is included to show when a character is about to take their turn. It is basically going back and forth until whichever group is defeated first. After battles, money is received as well as experience points to increase one's rescent level. It is extremely important to keep each characters level at balance because eventually each character is used at certain points in the game. With a weak character, they become a liability towards losing.

The battle system is great, customizing characters and having them fight is the best part of the game but there is more to that. Unlike Final Fantasy 8, standard weapons actually have a purpose. They are finally strong enough to put it to good use in battle. In Final Fantasy 8, the weapons prooved useless when there's more convienient moves that can be initieted. What is also great is the fact that each character have their weaknesses and strenghts. Each character must work together in order to survive fights and win. For example, it is always a good idea to have someone in the group that can heal in case the extra HP(hit points) are needed. Garnet and Eiko are great candidates for defense while Vivi and Steiner proove real well in offense.

Mini games are usually found in a typical Final Fantasy series, and this is no exception. There are so many extra things to do to last a player for weeks. Here are a few examples of what could be found in this game:

Chocobo Hot and Cold: A mini-game that involves speed and luck in order to find goods around an area. A chocobo is used in order to find these items, but you have got to move quick due to a time limit. Items found range from gil, to chocographs. Chocographs are maps that clue you in to finding rare treasures not found anywhere else. Finding these specific areas take time as well as scrutinizing vision.

Mognet Central: This is where you help a bunch of moogles send their letters and recieve prizes through the process.

Stellazzios: A total of twelve stellazzios and a mysterious 13th are hidden through out the world. Find these items in order to get awards, each item given gets you better items each time.

Treno Auction: Where familiar items from the past are auctioned off.(Rat Tail anybody?) Some items are useless while others have more important purposes.

Frog Catching: This is the only game that Quina can play. Catch more frogs in order to increase the power of "Frog Drop". The more frogs you have, the more damage is dealt by the attack.

There are also other games such as finding coffee for Mr. Morrid, jump roping, and racing Hipaul the hippo kid. But none can overide any other mini-game than the Tetra Master. Tetra Master is a card game based on characters and places that are discovered. The card game was actually first introduced back on Final Fantasy 8. The card game was called Triple Triad, but Tetra Master exceeds beyond the the Triple Triad. Tetra Master is a card game that is played by almost anyone in the world.(Go up to someone and press the square button.) It is a complicated game that involves luck as well as startegy. The purpose of the game is to defeat another card by placing a number next to another card with higher value. It is extremely addictive and is also possible to collect every single card in the game, some are just harder to find than others.

Square provided a lot of convenience when this game was created. Usually treasures are found around different areas. The problem was that you would have to hump the whole perimeter to try to find something. Well, no more of that, instead a "!" is shown to show that a particular item can be picked up or a specific action can be commenced. This concept prooved to save time tremendously.

As for controls, the movements are very smooth. There is nothing wrong with the movements and can easily be grasped by anyone in a few seconds. What is up is up and vice versa.

Final Fantasy 9 also has its share of secrets. There are really powerful weapons to be found like the Excalibur and bosses to be fought like Hades and Ozma. These tend to take time and a lot of effort in order to win. Ozma is the most powerful enemy fought in this game, even harder than the last boss!

Although the game has its share of flaws. The one main concern is the "Trance" system. When a character recieves damage, a bar is filled depending on how much damage was inflicted. Once a trance bar is full, your character transforms and now posseses much stronger abilities that only last for that battle. The problem is, sometimes a trance can be triggered when you do not want it to be. Sometimes a trance is prooven useless when a battle ends and you never had the chance to use the powers. Square should have treated this concept like they did on Final Fantasy 7 where you can actually harness this power and put it to good use whenever you desire. Other than this, there is no other flaw to be found, honest.

The difficulty level of this game depends on how well the characters have been trained. If your sprites are at a certain level, you should be fine. Although, great power is not the only way to win battles, there is also strategy. Some monsters are weak under specific elements while some take advantage of them. For example, it is extremely foolish to cast the spell fire on a bomb, which is a fire type. It is better to cast some type of spell, like water or ice type, to deal more damage and be more effective against the enemy.

Enemies of the past have returned including: cactaur, flan, movers, tonberry, veterans, marlboros and behemoths. These are familiar to most of the other titles and retain their unique abilities. New enemies are also encountered such as: serpions, lamias, catoblepas, clippers, abadons, garudas, and many, many more. Each have their own unique powers and weaknesses than need to be looked at carefully in order to win battles against them.

Overall, the gameplay is great. Square promised to take us back to old school Final Fantasy, and this game provided us that promise. After playing this game for the first time, you will never again stop until you finish.

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Summary

I LOVE this game sooooo much! It was so close to perfect! There was, in my opinion, only one ickle teeny weeny problem with the whole game. It was too damn short and easy! Ok, the end boss was the hardest, toughest, evilest boss I have EVER fought (and my characters were all at top level!) but the rest was waaaaay too easy! I finished the whole game in 45 hours!
That's not exactly a problem but it kinda lulls you into a false sense of security. I fought Kuja (for the last time) at level 89, 90 and 93. I won. I was totally annihilated by the Evil last boss.
Kay, moan over. The plot was brilliant, although it was kinda close to 7's plot (Girl from strange race ie Aeris and Garnet, Genetically created clone boy, Cloud and Zidane, white haired geneticly created villan, Sephiroth, incidently the best villan EVER, and Kuja) noone who played it really would care.
I liked the fact ALL the characters had at least a little bit of history. They didn't go into masses of detail for Vivi, Eiko, Steiner (Particularly), Freya and Armarant but more than enough to give you a sense of knowing them. It was also more event driven than FF8. Plus Squall was SUCH A DICKHEAD! Sorry...but he was. Cloud was damned annoying to but still wasn't such a....*&^%%$£^*&*()(*. That's why I liked Zidane. He was so much more cheerful than them. Most of the time. Garnet wasn't such a bitch as Aeris (SOOOO evil Sephiroth looked like a fluffy little kitten) and Rinoa (Just didn't like her). Garnet was much nicer and didn't invoke pure hatred from me.
Steiner was crap though. So bloody annoying. Vivi was my fav. He was so sweet. Eiko was ok. So was Freya. Amarant was a bit....whatever. Quina was weird but kinda funny. each had their own personalities and history. Freya's was particularly good. The main characters (Zidane, Garnet and Vivi) were the type you wouldn't mind spending 45+ hours with.
I really recommend this game to ANYONE with the smallest amount taste in computer games. If you don't like this game it's not the games fault. It's because you're a weak and shallow person without enough brain cells to finish the game and a total lack of personality! Sorry, I just love this game.

Sound

Umm, I didn't pay tons of attention but it was simply perfect. I love the creepy music towards the end. It captured the mood perfectly (I will find another word meaning perfect. Any suggestions email me at vickiallen6@hotmail.com). it was scary, romantic, sad, cheerful and loads of other emotions exactly where it needed to be. yes, it's that word again, PERFECT! ^_^
I would definately buy an album with all the FF9 songs if I found/ could afford one.

Gameplay

Heaven! YOU CAN USE 4 CHARACTERS! Ha ha ha ha ha! This made me so happy! Three characters are not enough to have a really good strategic fight! You need 4! U NEED 4! I fell head over heels for the fact that each character had their own specila set off moves no one else could learn. The only down side was that characters with crap personalities (stand up Steiner. What kind of name is Adelbert anyway?) had really good fighting skills. I also really liked the fact Vivi and Steiner could interact. If Vivi was in the same party as Adelbert (snigger) Steiner, then Steiner could use sword art, a devastating attack!
Another touch I have to mention although it may not sound much is where Garnet (I will not call her Dagger) cuts her hair and her picture in your party changes! That really made you think the designers had put a lot of effort into it.
The mini games rock too. The skipping game is great, as is the racing game.
I think I've covered everything. The gameplay is perfect.
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Summary

The Final Fantasy series is on a freefall folks, and it only gets worse with this so-called "homage" to the older FF games. This game was rushed and totally unprepared. All that it has is a few a cut scenes that are well done. I would recommend to anyone who wants to buy this gme to refrain from that option. This game has some copied story aspects from Wild Arms (Dagger cutting her hair off like Cecilia in WA) and Wild Arms 2 (the concept of two separate worlds that merge). The crystals played a very small and insignifigant role. As a gamer of almost 15 years, trust me, this game is overly cliched. The lesson learned: If you want to make a good Final Fantasy, learn from the earlier super nintendo counterparts. Whoever wrote the plot to this game should look for another job. The crystal isn't back, it's dead.

Sound

Final Fantasy never ceases to amaze me with it's awesome and powerful music soundtrack. This one needed some work though. The music was basic and almost silly. It needed the flair and glory that is a good FF soundtrack. Much like the rest of the game, this also took major steps back.

Gameplay

Gameplay is dull and stagnant. It uses no revolutionary concepts to really make this game take off. The turn based combat actually was a step backward in this series. A more active combat system is needed. As a fan of the older Final Fantasy games, I am a fan of turn-based combat, but the playstation is capable of so much more. This game should have been a combination of evolution and nostalgia. Once again another failed project by Square in the last two years.(except front mission 3 of course.) As an RPG player, I just couldn't really feel a sense of character development with these characters.(character development made the earlier FF games so great.) The clone story concerning our tailed friend Zidane was just plain stupid and overdone. However, I found the dwarves highly amusing, talking about the race of "Pyntie Hets".
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Summary

All in all FF9 was better than I expected but not by much.

The positive/good:

-it had good gameplay: the magic/equipment system is pretty original and fun to mess with. Weapons/protective equipment each have their own skill attributes which forces the player to equip them to learn new skills. This will lead to situations such as: forced to be equipped with certain inferior equipment in order to learn new skills, having a hard time deciding what to equip in order to keep a good balance between the need to learn new skills and the need to have good weapons/protective equipment equipped, etc etc. In short: it adds to the strategic part to the gameplay.
The Active Time Event system is also a nice original addition to the game. No longer do a party of characters stick together when arriving at a new town; in FF9 the characters will each go their own way and explore the town by themselves, which is a refreshing approach in an RPG. The ATE system will allow you to switch over to see what other characters are doing while you play explore the town as Zidane. There's more to the gameplay, but the skill system and the ATE system are the 2 that stand out most and are quite original ideas.

-above average graphics: nice FMV but the in-game graphics were often very pixelated. Still good for a PSX game though.

-some nice character development: I disliked the cast of characters, but there's no denying that Square did well in paying attention to each character's (changing/true) feelings and past at some point in the game

-Square succeeded in creating a nice cosy medievel/disneyland-like atmosphere that can make you feel nostalgic at times. I believe that was their goal, and they did well IMO.

The negative/bad:

-for the most part of the game, the story moves at a very slow pace and boredom started to get to me in the second disk

-the music is disappointingly plain, and I would say that it's average at best. Don't expect a memorable soundtrack of this game

-although the characters were well developed, I could not get attached to this cast of characters. Vivi wasn't as cute and cool as the hype suggests (he annoyed me quite a bit), Zidane is an uninspiring main character whom I really didn't care about, Princess Garnet is far from pretty -the art is simply NOT beautiful in FF9 and I really prefer the anime style that was used in FF7- and really didn't have the "I must protect her at all cost" sort of impact to you as Aerith of FF7 had, etc etc.