Final Fantasy IX




How do I begin to describe how much I am in love with Final Fantasy Nine? A world of diverse creatures, imagination and Chocobo Hot and Cold. Heck, Chocobos in general are enough to love FF9, I haven't played FF7 but I've never heard anyone mention them in the same sentence and the chocobos in ff10 look so grimy and evil. 



I'll be honest, I could do without the excess characters. I never liked Freya beyond her role in Burmecia, she seemed like a useless hangers-on after that episode. Admarant Coral was introduced far too late, plus his story was too vague to be interesting. Lani would have made a better choice since she seemed more active, and that could have lead to relationship tension between Zidane and Garnet. Eiko again was interesting for her initial role but seemed like another pointless character when the story became more centralized around Garnet and Zidane. Quina Quen I actually liked, because she essentially was a weird and useless character/hangers-on and therefore was purposefully added on to all the main stories. Vivi had by far the best character development, and the greatest storyline across the whole of the game, his issues revolving around the meaning of existence and birth mirrored that of Zidane's purpose beautifully. Garnet acted as the catalyst for the whole story and as a result was necessary and while her development took a little longer to be appreciated one later saw that she embodied hopelessness, duty and perseverance. Steiner was my second favorite after Vivi, other than being a night his sense of duty and deep moral code made him a stark contrast to Zidane. 



I loved the Villains, Queen Brahne was so easy to hate and so easy to pity. Kuja was just plain evil and cool about it, and Garland... Garland was just the icing on the top of all these monsters by being cold, calculating and, in a sense, profoundly moral. Don't forget that by saving Gaia had adverse effects for Terra, but I suppose Kuja ruined that before the good guys had a chance to make that choice.



You eventually come to care about all the characters, even the non-important ones and it's a real shame that the amount of effort that went into FF9 hasn't survived in the modern era of games. Hundreds of areas, detailed backgrounds, interesting plot with many sub-plots that all wind together and more side-quests than I can remember. Then all the added extras on top of that. I still haven't managed to get Excaliber II, I still haven't defeated Ozma and I don't think it's possible to get the best Card Master score. Then there's the master treasure hunter score too, Chocobo Hot and Cold, Skipping... Quina's Blu Magic. Jeeze this is a long list of stuff.



I mean think about it, you got an entire world, plus a small part of another one. You got to ride a chocobo, a ship, two airships and one spaceship. The monsters are varied; Skeleton Whale, Sagahin, Kappas, Nagas, Zombies, Dragons, Mimics, Basilisks, goblins, ogres, chimeras, gods, demons, clowns...



The cities are all unique. Desolated Burmecia, Bustling Lindblum, Old Fashioned Alexandria which has mainly female guards, the crystal world of Terra. Ipsen's Castle was a smart idea too.



I just loved everything about FF9, I haven't felt there is a game equal to it's magnitude. Fallout 3 approaches the scale but just doesn't have the same impression. FFIX not just my most loved Final Fantasy, but my most loved game ever.

 Well I came in from work after doing a ten hour shift selling shoes to people and getting the place set up for the Christmas sale. After that there was some dinner, bolognese pasta, it was awesome. Then there was a bath, where I also finished up the last couple of chapters of my book on kindle, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep." Then I started on the first Sherlock Homes novel, since I bought the entire collection half a year ago for a pound. Then I tossed the kindle aside, logged on and got cracking on Vizzed. 

Nightmare Creatures was a
game developed by the French company Kalisto Entertainment, who also created other titles such as the Fifth Element (Which I recommend if you enjoy this game). The game Nightmare Creatures was published by Activision which should be more of an attention grabber than you might realize, because back before the PlayStation spawned a series of children Activision was known for developing a wide and varied range of games including the best versions of Spiderman you're ever likely to find... with the exception of Spiderman 2 for the PS2 of course.

  

The Story: If you've ever
 played Medieval this story should come as no great surprise. Evil scientist dabbles in the occult and brings forth the spirits of the damned. Okay, the tale isn't quite so simple as all that, but that is the gist. Evil Scientist turned Pagan Adam Crowley, you know he's evil because he has 'crow' in his name, has joined with the Cult of Hecate (The Greek Goddess of the moon, poison, witchcraft and things that go bump in the night) who had once tried in the year 1666 (The year of the devil) to great an elixir which would grant them super-human abilities. The unfortunate side-effect of following an evil Goddess was that they were instead transmuted into horrific monstrous monstrosities. Now, in the year 1834 there is something foul in the streets of Chelsea, creatures mutating from people and corpses rising from the grave. Seeking to defeat Mr Crowley are one Ignatius Blackward (a well-travelled and disciplined monk) and one Nadia Franciscus (The daughter of a murdered Professor whom knew too much about Adam Crowley) they receive a mysterious letter, a summons from a man who may help in their mission.  

 

Story Quality: The introduction to the game is given in a downward scrolling text which most people will assume is outdated, and they are correct, it does not deliver the actual story in an energetic way, and little development happens outside of text. Yet while most people will probably skip pass this introduction and ignore the words bubbling from the top of the screen, those that do follow the text will gain some insight and enough of a bump to want to learn more, and hopefully defeat Adam Crowley and his army of mutants.   

Design: Essentially the game is set in and around Chelsea and London and has a typical Gothic/Victorian design set. The tall buildings and tight passages help to create the illusion of oppression and suffocation at times, while the wider areas allow for an occasional reprieve from the claustrophobic streets and underground. The game's urban areas are rather detailed considered this games age, and the characters and monsters, while limited in the graphical sense, have well-crafted detailing which gives you the sense that you are fighting unholy monsters and not just pixels. People accustomed to playing World of Warcraft and Minecraft will have no problems adjusting to this retro style.

  

Gameplay: Nightmare Creatures is essentially an action/survival game which has that basic element down to a fine point. The game literary feels like a fight for survival against a brood of monsters which come at you from various angles and by unexpected leaps, be it morosely wandering Zombie or Vicious Troll you will find yourself instinctively tense up from the experience. Fighting is intense at times, especially if your opponent is open to the use of tactics. The AI is capable and challenging enough to anticipate attacks, attempt to flank and even dodge 

or run from your attacks. More often than not you will find yourself screaming at the corpses to stop dodging! I would describe the difficulty slope as bumpy, slow incline with satisfying rewards at different intervals. This game does have everything you could possibly want, things which are only just appearing in Xbox 360 and PS3 games are right here. Have you ever wanted to kick a zombie in half? It's here. Shoot a flintlock at a werewolf? Here. Cut a troll into pieces? Here. Use a bow staff like a pro, kick a zombie's head off or transform into a monster? All here. (Might have to use a cheat for that last one.) The controls are fairly easy to get the hang of, two for attack, one for secondary weapon, pause, directions and strafing.

 

Ambiance: The music is shadowy and depressing, but not so much that you get sick of hearing it after a while, it changes with slow periods and faster periods. The sound of an organ really helps one acclimatize to the gothic environment. However the noises made by the creatures themselves can be disappointing at times. Kicking a corpse in half does not result in a cry of horror, but a quiet grunt that could have been given by an average man. The same can be said for other monsters who have unsettling, but not frightening voices. The sounds created by weapons are dull, fit for purpose yet do not pack a satisfying punch.

  

Camera: The camera is not annoying as it sometimes can be in third person games. It sits directly behind the character in wide areas, but changes to cinematic view when one is close to a building. This is not a hindrance, but may get some people confused. I have not felt at any time that the camera is a serious problem to gameplay, just a minor one and only when you're trying to line up a shot.

  

Conclusion: I would say you're depriving yourself on a unique experience if you avoid this game. The joy one can have with hours of zombie-kicking-in-half action is one of the most satisfying experiences this game has to offer, never mind a decent story and various other creatures you can attempt to kick in half. The moody atmosphere, the occasional puzzles and the satisfactory challenge enemies put up is enough to make this game last for hours. However if you're looking for an in-depth and puzzling story to sink your teeth into, look somewhere else. 

Lapras at the lead.




Followed by Sheldon who is a Blastoise.
Tiny the Dragonite in third.
Perry the Parasect is fourth.
Fifth is Rawkus the Tauros.



And bringing up the rear is Mr. Mime!