Operation Backlog Completion 2026

It’s the 23rd Anniversary of Final Fantasy IX

 Video games  6 Responses »  Tagged with: ,
Jul 072023
 

Today is the 23rd anniversary of Final Fantasy IX.

While it wouldn’t be released in North America until November (and not in Europe until the next February), July 7, 2000 was the date Final Fantasy IX first came out in Japan.

Final Fantasy IX holds a special place in my heart. It was my first Final Fantasy game, as well as one of my first JRPGs, although I might have already played Paper Mario and Pokémon.

I fell in love with it as soon as I started playing, and it got me hooked on the genre.

It’s been so long since I played Final Fantasy IX, I’ve probably forgotten a lot of details. Still, the parts I do remember are wonderful memories. The “You’re Not Alone” scene is one of the most powerful scenes in the series to me, along with a certain scene where two characters fight side-by-side.

So I keep wondering if we’ll see Final Fantasy IX return someday.

Most attention has been on Final Fantasy XVI and the upcoming Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, but there have been some whispers of Final Fantasy IX news. For one thing, there’s supposedly an animated series being made… although the total silence about it makes me wonder if it will ever exist.

There also have been rumors of a Final Fantasy IX remake for a while now. It was part of the Nvidia leak, and further rumors have followed since then. Even Gematsu says it’s in development. If the remake does exist, could it be set for 2025 for the game’s 25th anniversary?

I don’t often replay games since there are so many games I have yet to play in my backlog, but a Final Fantasy IX remake is one I’d play for sure.

Many fans think the rumored Final Fantasy IX remake will feature turn-based combat, as a love letter to the classics just like the original Final Fantasy IX was. I would love that. It would be amazing, especially with recent games in the series switching to action combat instead.

There’s no real news to discuss today or anything like that. But after seeing that it was the anniversary of the game that really got me into the genre, I wanted to make a post remembering it. Have you played Final Fantasy IX? Would you play a remake if one came out?

Final Fantasy IV: An Old Classic I Finally Played

 Reviews, Video games  4 Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
Apr 242023
 

As a big Final Fantasy fan, one of the most notable gaps in my Final Fantasy playing history was Final Fantasy IV.

Well, no longer! Last week, I finished playing Final Fantasy IV for the first time.

(Because of the pixel remasters coming to consoles, you might assume I played it there, but the timing was actually just a coincidence; I was playing Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection digitally on my Vita.)

Final Fantasy IV puts you in the shoes of Cecil, a dark knight who begins to question the sinister order the king has given him and becomes an enemy of the kingdom as a result. It has a good story premise and some pretty interesting plot points, although I felt the story suffered from its pacing.

This is a fast-paced RPG. I finished in under 30 hours, which is quick for me playing a Final Fantasy game. But a result of the fast pacing is that I rarely felt I’d gotten to know the characters. It could have really benefited from slowing the pace a bit to show more character interactions.

Click for Final Fantasy IV spoilers
Especially since this game absolutely adores party members sacrificing themselves for you. If I’d been more attached to them, those moments would have hit harder.

On the other hand, I have to keep the context in mind. Coming off of the earlier Final Fantasy games, I can easily see how this would have felt like a huge step forward in terms of storytelling.

I also had a lot of fun playing it. Final Fantasy IV’s combat is a relatively basic turn-based combat system, but each character has a fairly unique way to be utilized in combat. It was challenging without feeling overbearing. Exploration was also enjoyable; while there were only a handful of reasons to deviate from the story path, I appreciated that the dungeons had items and secrets areas without being mazes (aside from a couple).

Now, I did end up with unintentional stress during my playthrough when all of my save files abruptly vanished while I was playing. I’ve had concerns about my Vita memory card for quite a while, but this is the first time it did that. Fortunately, since I was in-game while it happened, I was able to save again.

I’m happy I played Final Fantasy IV. It’s not a new favorite for me, but it was an enjoyable game. Since I have the Complete Collection, I’ll eventually play The After Years, too.

From the mainline Final Fantasy series, I’ve now played Final Fantasy III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XIII, part of XIV, and XV. Since I tried I and II but couldn’t get into them, Final Fantasy XII stands out as the next notable gap, but with Final Fantasy XVI less than two months away, it’s safe to say that’s what my next Final Fantasy game will be.

Have you played Final Fantasy IV? If not, it’s readily available now thanks to the PSP collection, the DS remake, the PC port of the DS version, and the pixel remaster available on PC, mobile, PS4, and Switch.

Final Fantasy XVI Has Gone Gold

 Video games  No Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
Mar 312023
 

Final Fantasy XVI, my second-most anticipated game of the year, has officially gone gold.

Square Enix made the announcement in a tweet that also includes another look at the adorable Torgal plushies I wish they’d sell as merchandise.

I haven’t been following Final Fantasy XVI too closely to avoid spoilers, although I did check out the “World of Valisthea” trailer to see the gameplay environments, since exploration is the one thing I still have questions about. From that trailer alone, the world looks beautiful.

Final Fantasy XVI is due out on June 22, so if the game has already gone gold, I think it’s safe to say we don’t have to worry about any delays.

While I had some concerns early on, I’ve been getting more and more excited for Final Fantasy XVI. April is supposed to feature news about exploration and RPG elements, so I’ll be looking forward to that. Now, I still don’t have a PS5, since there haven’t been enough exclusives to convince me, but this should be the game that gets me to take the plunge.

Discourse around Final Fantasy XVI has caused this strange divide where some people think it’s a disastrous insult to Final Fantasy and other people think it will be the greatest, most innovative game that ever existed. I fall somewhere in the middle, leaning toward the positive side. While I would have loved a turn-based Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy XVI looks like it’s shaping up to be a great game.

Are you excited for Final Fantasy XVI? Do you want to buy a Torgal plush? Were you surprised to hear it’s gone gold this far ahead of launch?

(In unrelated news, I saw an article from Noisy Pixel saying a Tokyo Xanadu sequel is being teased, but since the article warns of spoilers and I haven’t finished Tokyo Xanadu yet, I didn’t look into it any further. Here’s hoping I finish my Tokyo Xanadu playthrough in the near future. Then we can actually talk about the potential sequel tease!)

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