Reviews  •  Latest Reviews  •  Top Games  •  Forums  •  Screenshots  •  Hot Deals! PS3  •  Wii  •  PC  •  PS2  •  PSP  •  Xbox  •  Xbox 360  •  GameCube
Final Fantasy XI: Chains Of Promathia for PlayStation 2 Videos >>
Final Fantasy XI: Chains Of Promathia for PlayStation 2
View Screen Shots >>
Upload Screen Shots >>

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

Product Description

Summary

Final Fantasy is by far, the most successful and most popular RPG series to date. Squaresoft seems to be the only company in the world that really knows what an RPG's story should be like and also know how to turn a simple video game into a breathtaking interactive movie. As their "swan song" to the Playstation, Final Fantasy IX is released and takes us back in time to the 16-bit era where Squaresoft really shined. Final Fantasy IX is simply put, the best Final Fantasy EVER to grace the planet Earth. It takes over the throne which Final Fantasy VI had for several years. In fact, Final Fantasy IX is the best Role Playing Game released for the Playstation ever since.... well nothing! Everyone, (Not just RPG fans) owes it to themselves to set aside $40 for this memorable masterpiece. Apparently, PSM, DailyRadar, and Gamespot think so as well.

Sound

There really is nothing to discuss here, Final Fantasy has Nobuo Uematsu. This guy is really a genius when it comes to music. The return to the past, brings a beautiful and gorgeous soundtrack that surpasses the claimed king of music, Chrono Cross. The music really is a treat and the newly released Soundtrack from Tokyopop is certainly a must buy with your new copy of Final Fantasy IX.

Gameplay

Gameplay for Final Fantasy IX is basically like the others in the series. What relieves fans is the fact the simple equip system is back. One problem with Final Fantasy VIII, for example, was the complex Junction System which was a confusing aspect to the game, and distracted players from the game's beauty. What has changed though is as folows: First off, like previous Final Fantasy titles, there are 4 teammates apart of your party instead of 3. The Limit System is now called the "Trance System". Lastly, characters can be appointed certian gained abilities in the form of a Crystal System.
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Sound

For this one, I can be a little more understanding. I've purchased every single FF soundtrack.
The style has changed from epic to FFXI side story. All of the tunes sound are subdued and sound. While FFVII and FFVIIII were about reinventing the epic, FFXi is about revloring it's musical roots.
Of couse, the music od FF platued with FFVII, but the lastest is understandable in it's context.

Gameplay

After VIII, which threw away the RPG sterotypes of endless weapon upgrades and endless experience levels, it's hard to go back to the usual RPG conventions. I've gone throgh to many games with Fight, Heal, Magic, Fight.
I do *love* the one aparent evolution for FFXI. An arrow that appears over the characters heads as they approvh important items. It makes searching for items *impressivly* more fun.
I have to point out that FFXI is very polished. I gave up on Chrono Trigger because it fell into very familiar RPG stereotypes. FFXI is *just barely* different enough for me to want to complete.
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Summary

I am the biggest RPG fan known to God. God knows it, you know it, I know it, the american people know it. LOL, getting back to the RPG thing. FF9 is probally one of the best RPG games that I've played. It's coming back to what really makes an RPG. FF 7 and FF 8 were nice, but I didn't consider them PURE rpg because of the mini-action you had to do. If your talking about Chrono-Trigger, Final Fantasy 2, or Final Fantasy 3..Those were the TRUE RPG games. I'm going to add FF9 to that list as well. The characters are far superb with its magnificent outline of the characters. The plot is well thought out, and very well timed. I love the gameplay and could (already have) play for hours and hours. This was worth every penny I payed for it. I strongly recommend buying this game if you LOVE rpg's, and coming back to your origninal roots.
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Summary

ff9 is the second best game out there(opinion) the first one has to bee ff7 although i really havent got that far in the game yet, so my opinion might change, first lets start off with thwe overall gameplay and storyline, the gameplay is really easy to learn, i mean u play one battle in the game and its pretty much like that for the rest of the time, except they do get harder, and navigation is really easy to get down, and i mean when your near items, an exclamation mark appears over your head, how cool is that. the story at the beggining is, well there is not really a story at the beggining of the game, in fact, im still not so sure about whats going on, but its getting more interesting and tells u more as u go along, the sound is really good, a step up from all the ff games out there. and graphics are really good, i dont know why everyone complains about this one so much, there pretty good. oh yah and the gard game is really awesome, its way better then the one in 8, this is one of the high points of the game. i mean this game is all this, and cid.

Sound

sound is good

Gameplay

Gameplay is probably one of the best and worse in the game, the areas are really easy to navigate i mean like when your running around in the map world, its so easy to find where to go next, and the cities are really easy to navigate no matter how big they are, this is definatly one of the good things about the game, and also the battles, i know your gonna be like oh no, another endless battle that im still not sure how to do it, well there are a lot of endless battles but its much easier to know how to beat them, and i mean some of the attacks u can learn are totally awesome, which is definatly the best thing about this game. now one of the low points of the game is the lack of info at the begining of the game, although it does make up for it with a really cool story later in the game,about 3 hours into the game u kind of understand whats going on, but untill then its really slow. oh, and one more thing, this thing called active time events lets u check whats going on with the other characters, although there not really that important it is still cool to see whats going on with everyone elese.
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Sound

The music and sounds to this game is the OTHER astonishing aspect of this game. The music in any and all Final Fantasy games are so emotional and moody and atmospheric and with Final Fintasy 9, they've not only improved on sounds but with remixed music, it even brings back so much nostalgia from Final Fantasy 2. I totally dig that! Nobuo Uematsu is a visionary composer and his musical compositions are truly works of art. You have to hear to understand. Besides, what other rad RPG game has it's own theme song? 'Melodies Of Life' is an awesome song that totally is cohesive to the content of Final Fantasy 9-lyrically and musically-and I just totally love how Garnet sings it throughout the game. The music is in total, moving and emotionally provocative and immensely satisfying. Nobuo Uematsu rocks!

Gameplay

Gameplay in this game is so simplistic and accessible. There aren't extreme, confusing overlapping screens and it's so simple to read. Whatever it is that you are searching for-from the items to the character stats-it's right in front of your face. I also enjoyed that it was analog compatible and the dual shock was cool. The gameplay's simplicity also made controlling the characters during battle so much fun because it was so easy. I'm always down for easy controls.
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Summary

Without a shadow of a doubt, Final Fantasy IX is the best Final Fantasy for the Playstation. The game may have returned to its roots with the game's fantasy setting and sprite based characters, however this dose not mean that FFIX is in anyways primative. In many aspects, FFIX improved significantly compared to FFVIII(Which did'nt suck but did not exactly reach my expectations). The game did start out slow in the beginning, not offering anything to develop the story exept a few minor clues. However, the story eventually develops with the origin of Zidane and the numerous plot twists. The story is probabliy the most entertaining of all Final Fantasy's. FFVII and VII's stories were original and great in their own right but there were too many scientific themes. The characters again serve a purpose in both battle and story. Every character had a story to tell each having seperate backgrounds and origins. This was releif considering Final Fantasv VIII had a dawsons creek type of relationship and is it just my imagination or Irvine, Zell and Squall were a hundred times more useful than the female counterparts. Final Fantasy IX all were useful and each had their significant roles and abilies. Just like every Final Fantasy, this chapter of the series is able to include emotions and infuse them with their characters. In conclusion, Final Fantasy IX brings back Final Fantasy of the days of yore but combining playstation's technological capabilities making a excellent combination. With the game's imagination, story, graphics and heart this game makes us Final Fantasy (too extravagant to describe in just mere words).
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Summary

Final Fantasy IX is finally here. All that is old is new again. This new chapter of the Final Fantasy saga sees the game converted back to its roots...full of wizards and magic. Most people may not see this change with pleasure, as they preffer the sci-fi elements of Final Fantasy XIII.
Square has really outdone themselves building a fantasy world that I could be content to simply stare at. The images, gameplay, EVERYTHING is as sophisticated as a French aged cheese.
This game has been anticipated by many fans (including myself) of the original series. It returns to many gameplay elements and overall spirit of the FF games that started on Nintendo. This game combines the finest of the past and present, the fantastic themes of the classic games brought to life by the technology of the PlayStation.
Oh, and this time there really is a vilain which you have to go after. In FFVIII offcourse, there was the sorceress, but you the characters spent more time talking about her behind her back and her motivations were as clear as mud.
You can judge for yourself if this installment is too rushed or if you feel deja vu playing it, but no matter with what you will conclude, this game will be consider as a classic, not only for its stunning gameplay, sound etc, but also because it's THE LAST FF GAME FOR PLAYSTATION!!!

Sound

After the kind of soundtracks that Square has produced in the past three years or so, it takes something pretty special to establish a new high-water mark, and Final Fantasy IX, suceeded doing so. It features a few tracks in key moments that I loved. The final battle music is fantastic, the world theme and the flight theme is extremely suitable. The general character of the music is pleasantly light for an epic adventure. "Melodies of Life" is a suitable one for plucking on the heartstrings, and it supplies the base for many of the better BGM tracks (you can pick out its melody in at least three different ones). I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention the presence of the famous Crystal theme, both the original version and a beautifully dark minor-key adaptation, which I could listen to for hours.
Although, I loved the music this is a classic case of love it or hate it. There is no middle.

Gameplay

"Oh, is this a game?." While playing this game, I forgot this at times, but I was called upon to test my brain and my reflexes through Final Fantasy IX's dungeons and battle sequences. If you've played anything earlier than Final Fantasy VII, you'll probably be able to place a few gameplay elements from back in the day.
In short, FFIX's narrative concerns a group of bandits and their efforts to stop an evil queen bent on world domination, yet the queen is just a front for a more insiduous plot unrelated to the games story.
The party size, for example, is up to four, just like the first game and the five equipment slots signify a return to the more complex equipment system in the earlier games as well. The handling of Summon monsters (In FF VIII-GF's), here called Eidolons, bears a strong resemblance to those from Final Fantasy VI. You can still pick out archetypes like the Summoner, the Black Mage, the Dragon Knight, and so forth, although Quina fairly defies categorization.
You acquire abilities from the items you equip, attaching those abilities to your character by way of a set of Blue Crystal slots, which you gain as you increase in level, and eventually getting to keep those abilities independently of the associated equipment, once you've acquired the required amount of Ability Points. Abilities range from spells to special attacks to defenses and immunities, and different abilities can be learned by different characters from the same item of equipment, so one of the more interesting aspects of development is shuffling around your characters' equipment not just according to its immediate effect on your statistics, but also what skills the characters can learn. Once again, the treasure chests have cool stuff like Genji Gloves and Ultima Swords and Aegis Armor, instead of just Bolts and Fur. In a simplified holdover from FFVIII, though, you can make new items from shops located in several towns.
This is another Final Fantasy, with some fun new evolutions added to the traditional gameplay model for a little variety. In IX, there's another new ability development system, and the addition of the Active Time Event system is a neat way to make cinematic sequences a little more interesting.
Unfortunately, random battles are still there. This needs to change - if I hear that classic "whoosh" coming out of nowhere, followed by swirly colors and the traditional battle theme, on PlayStation 2, there will be a flood of curses laid down upon the demons of lazy game design. Chrono Cross, has shown, how to implement a more intelligent and less frustrating encounter system, gradually eroding the excuse of "that's how Final Fantasy is." The slow pace of combat is aggravating as well. I would not necessarily mind fighting a great deal, since I have in fact played RPGs with enjoyable combat systems (Chrono Cross), if only it were a little better-handled.
The combat sequences are beautiful to look at, but so many areas possess so little variation in terms of opposition that the novelty wears off well before you run out of encounters to fight through, and so what's left is essentially just a chore to be completed.
Nevertheless, this 'minus' in the game doesn't make me give less then a 5 for the gameplay.
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Sound

the music is great, just what you'd expect from Nobuo Uematsu. The sound is breathtaking, as it fits the mood perfectly (somethimes u dont even notice it, it kinda sinks in your head...like the feeling you get when you play resident evil...but a happier mood). The only complaint i have is the sound effects. Contrasting the brilliant musical score, the sound effects seem a bit below average, but everything else is so great that you easily let that one slip by...

Gameplay

The gameplay is like the other 2 PS final fantasies: the ATB....and it suits this verison fine. in the beginning, you kinda get the feeling that the bar fills up soooo SLOW, but it does get better, and you dont even notice the speed after a while. The gameplay is great, and if you liked FF6 (FF3 in the US) you'll definetly like this one. The game is easy to get into, and any role playing fan will enjoy the complex system that makes up FF9.
Would you like to Comment?
Join VideoGameReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.

Summary

BEST PSX RPG ever? the simple answer? I think so. Overall it is the best, in this case, the sum is greater than its parts. The second you start playing FF9 you really get the feeling that it is a compilation of many, if not all, of the games combined. Ignore the posts where people give this game extremely low ratings. There really is no way you could dislike this game, especially not that much, I think those people are just trying to alter the overall rating average for it. That said, the graphics in this game are outstanding, the backgrounds look better, but the characters do look more "grainy" than in FF8. The gameplay is so much improved this time around, I'll mention more later. The sound is quite good, although nothing spectacular...it never gets annoying, but it doesn't leave you humming the song like you might with games like Chrono Cross.

Sound

The weakest aspect of this game is probably sound. That is not to say that the sound in the game is bad, not at all...its quite good in fact. But not as good as Chrono Cross. Of course, thats still better than just about every single other RPG out there. The battle music is a little repetitive, but there's a nostalgic feeling at times when you can pick out similar pieces of music from earlier FF games.
Overall the sound is good, not the best, but still very good.

Gameplay

This is probably the biggest improvement over the past two games that FF9 brings to the table. The essential points of the game are all still there. The active time battles, deep plot, fully realized worlds, the whole thing is still there. But unlike the last 2 games, and especially unlike FF8, this game is actually FUN. The characters are fun, they have interesting, often humorous personalities, it really brings the characters to life and makes you care about the characters. I guess I've grown tired of lead characters who are moody and unsure of t