Any reviewer who attempts to review any of the Final Fantasy games must delve into the history of the series.  Square, in essence, has made RPGs what they are today.  The Final Fantasy titles are what have made most RPG console gamers the hard-to-please snobs that they are.  However, every RPG addict has their bias, their favorite FF title, and an explanation of my bias is necessary before it is imposed upon Square's latest offering, Final Fantasy IX.

Final Fantasy IV (aka Final Fantasy II in the U.S.) is my favorite RPG of all time.  Period.  End of story.  Yes, the plot was simple; collect the eight crystals, go to the moon, save the world.  It goes deeper than that, though.  FFIV had characters that I cared about, and their trials moved me...Cecil's transformation from dark knight to paladin, Kain's betrayal and redemption, the twins' sacrifice, Edge's unrequited love, Yang's pan-slinging wife, and Rydia's growth from a child to hardcore black mage/summoner.  I still pull this game out every few years and laugh and cry, just like I did the first time I played.

Then Square stumbled.  FFV seemed much like a toddler attempting to walk.  You know that it tried, but it only succeeded in wobbling and falling over.  Thankfully, FFVI regained its footing, and characters once again became charming...Locke's charisma, Edgar's hockey mask, Yeti and Moogle, Gau's social ineptitude, Shadow's past, and Terra...well let's just say I really like those black mages.

The PlayStation was born, and Square discovered FMV.  To introduce the technology of the future, the series itself traveled forward in time, and the masses came along for the ride.  FFVII was a good game, but not a great one.  Oh, I know it looked pretty at the time, and I will concede that it had its moving moments, but something intangible was missing.  It was like Square was moving on auto-pilot and the charm that had marked IV and VI was something that only reappeared as a residual taint.  This was followed by what I consider the worst FF title ever released, Final Fantasy VIII.  Square sold its soul for amazing FMVs.  The thing is, I don't care about FMVs.  I care about story and characters;  Squall's apathy made me...well, apathetic. 

And now, with the release of Final Fantasy IX, we return to the world of the past, and it's about damn time.  The story begins in an airship.  Zidane and his group of merry actor/thieves are about to stage a play, the ultimate goal of which is to kidnap Garnet, princess and heir to the throne of Alexandria.  Fast forward...You now control Vivi, and it is apparent that the black mage is back, and so is the tender silliness and spirit that made Square the monolith that it is today.

Of course, nothing goes quite as planned.  Garnet wants to be kidnapped, for something is quite rotten in the state of Alexandria.  Steiner, her knight captain will do anything he can to prevent this.  Poor little Vivi ends up in the middle of a battle that does not appear to be his.  Suddenly, Zidane has encountered the core party that will be yours to love, to ridicule, and to control for the next several weeks of your life.  Yes, there will be more characters, and there will be moogles and chocobos, for no true Final Fantasy world would be complete without them, and this is, finally, such a world.  Your mission is quite simple, travel around the world to find the source of the corruption that is rapidly eating away at the Alexandrian queen.  This quest will, of course, take Zidane and his motley crew all over the planet...and beyond.   

Battles are still random, often times too frequent, but then, when trying to level up before a boss battle, too few and far between.  In other words, it's all a matter of perspective.   Combat is turn based, and it seems to take longer for the characters to react than it has in previous games, so, plan accordingly.  Magic is once again a learned art that requires MP.  The summon sequences are, as usual, stunning, but they do not occur every time a eidolon is called--unless the Boost ability is equipped.  Speaking of abilities, here is where character customization kicks in.  Characters learn abilities from the weapons and armor that they equip.  Once these abilities are learned, they can be activated by equipping "gems" (This does not hold true for spells, summons, and special character skills.  Once they are learned, they are automatically part of that characters repertoire.)  Not all characters can learn all abilities.  Eiko learning how to counterattack would be frivolous.  Likewise, allowing Amarant to use MP +20% is pointless.  Weapons and armor can be purchased or "synthed."  In other words, do not sell anything, you made need it to create something new later.  The battles themselves are not all that difficult, there are very few challenging boss battles, provided the characters are leveled and equipped accordingly.

Side quests still abound.  Most notable are the Chocobo hot and cold game, the restoration of Mognet, and Tetra Master.  To elaborate:  Eventually Zidane acquires a chocobo (creatively named Choco).  Choco can dig up treasure, if he has previously found the Chocograph that reveals the location of said treasure.  It takes a lot of time and effort to find all the booty, but the best weapons in the game can only be found through this side quest.  Once enough game time has elapsed, and Choco has learned to fly, Zidane can restore the Moogles' postal service, Mognet.  The reward for doing so isn't exactly overwhelming, but there is a Moogle family that gets fed through all of Zidane's work, and aren't Moogle babies precious?  Finally, the card game makes a comeback.  This time the game is referred to as Tetra Master.  The premise is simple.  You have cards.  They have arrows, attack and defense ratings.  Point your arrows at your opponents cards, and hope your numbers are higher (although sometimes weaker cards win, don't ask me why, I really don't understand it myself).  Only at the midway point in the game does card playing really net anything, but it is a nice little diversion from the heavy responsibility of saving the world.

In the end, Final Fantasy XI is not about fancy FMVs.  Oh sure, some do occur, but they are not there to wow the player with their sheer beauty.  They exist to set a mood, to move the plot forward, for this is a story driven game.  The plot, while I shall not give away any more than I have previously, revolves around the meaning of life.  What does it mean to be created for a purpose, and what happens when one rebels against their creation?  It sounds heavy, and it is, but the theme is presented in a tender and at times silly fashion that deters from some of the overly philosophical routes it could have taken.

This is Final Fantasy as it once was, as it always should have been.  It's not about technology, it's about story and characters.  This is the last chapter before the series goes on-line, and people like me, who view their video games as a sort of personal, private meditation bid Square "adieu."  Final Fantasy IX is the swan song; the last hurrah of what we loved when we were young, before we were jaded and Square developers "sold out;" when charm and silliness could be mixed with tales of self-sacrifice and redemption.  So in the end (of the series thus far, not FFIX in particular), the hardcore female black mages of mysterious origins that have always been my favorite are gone, and we are left with earnest, awkward little Vivi.  Believe it or not, that is a trade that I think I can live with.