I decided with this lockdown to focus on some games I have never competed. I have always heard many say that Final Fantasy IX is considered one of the great jrpg’s and I have never played it so it was time.
The game is out on everything but for this playthrough, I played it on PC. It has some advantages as you can turn on fast, no random encounters, max damage if you just want to complete the game and no modding needed. I did use the no random encounters often as they seem to like to walk three steps and run into something and that really slows down the fun for me.
The story in this game is your typical fare, the princess needs to be protected and needs a group of oddball mercenaries to do the job along with her loyal Knight. This game lets you name the characters if you wish but I just used to default names.
The visuals are a big upgrade from what I just experienced in Final Fantasy VII. Yes, this game came out in 2000 but it is amazing how fast technology moved back then. The characters and environments are leaps and bounds more intricate and the cut scenes are also really impressive for an old game.
The combat is turned based and each turn generates some power than you can use once fully charged for a devastating skill each class has. I enjoyed the battles but I did feel the game was a little harder than Final Fantasy VII.
The game world is big with a lot of areas and had a different feel to them. More steampunk is in some ways and less robotic and mechanized like FFVII is.
The game took me about 55 hours to beat and I recommend the new versions for those wanting to see what the fuss is about and have the ability to plow through it faster if wanted.
Now I have Final Fantasy VIII remastered loaded and completing Final Fantasy VII remade at the moment which I have only good things to say! More to come soon….
Completed on 4-23-2020
Gamer for 40 plus years starting with Pong, consoles and pc gaming. It has been a hobby I have enjoyed over the years for my stress relief and continues to be fun even at my older age. This site is for a lite impression of games I enjoy.
Barzenak's Gaming Impressions 
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