I played Final Fantasy IX for the FIRST TIME completely blind... [Part 1] (FF9 Reactions)

[@marcosdheleno]

16:45 "FF XVI is the darkest and most mature FF game!" meanwhile in FFIX... here's vivi, he is around 8 years old, Vivi has the magical equivalent of TERMINAL CANCER, and his story isnt about finding a cure, but about him learning how to come to therms with his own mortality time and accept that he has a short life that will end before he is even able to grow into a teenager.

[@alexr9564]

It's great, kinda like a kid version of Roy from Blade Runner

[@tryarie1970]

I like the concept of Quina. In a world driven by stories and plot s/he come across as a refreshing uhinged character.

[@DutchDread]

My favorite game of ALL time. You probably get this now, but Garnet didn't love Brahne "just because she's family", she loved her because for the majority of her life Brahne was an actual mother to her, if my mom lost it right now and started a war and tried to kill me I'd still not be able to just say "well screw her then".

[@SamsarasArt]

What Vivi goes through broke my heart. He's a little kid but he goes through the most soul crushing traumatic shit.

[@ZombryaTheDark]

Freya took Ls also. Vivi and her are my favorite characters

[@Zakemaster]

I vacillate between 9 and 6 being my favorite game in the series. This game is definitely something truly special.

[@Trollamollex]

Not like my opinion matters much but I would ask you if you can compare the character development in 6 to 9. Imo 6 has poor character development and involvement compared to many ffs. 9 is definitely one of the best with that

[@Zakemaster]

@@Trollamollex I mean, there’s not really any contest. The grand majority of the cast in 6 is far less developed than most of 9’s cast. There are only a few characters in 6 that undergo full character arcs. But that’s also not really the point of that game. It’s definitely less of a personal tale, like 9, and more an ensemble story all about its world. I’m more than aware that a large part of my love for 6 is nostalgia from just how much I played it when I was younger, but that’s not something I can separate from my feelings towards the game.

[@budakbaongsiah]

Those who love VI seems to love IX as well. Which isn't really odd as both were directed by the same person, Hiroyuki Ito

[@CreamerOfTheDairySquad]

Vacillate: vac·il·late/ˈvasəˌlāt/verb alternate or waver between different opinions or actions; be indecisive. "When it comes to selecting a favorite, I had for a time vacillated between FF7 and FF9" 😂

[@dakotaroberts5827]

FF 6,7, and 9 are tied for my favorite Final Fantasy’s. These games mean so much to me and I’m glad you enjoyed them

[@Deadono]

The music is so special in this game.

[@ThoseGuysTV]

“Whatever Cid Does He’s A Great Guy” The Sweet Innocence Before Experiencing Final Fantasy 12

[@Nerwrax15]

You probably got it now, but Brahne wasn't always psycho, she was a loved Queen and mother before Kuja came around. So Dagger does have reasons to still love and care about her mom beyond Branhe just having the title of "mom" to Dagger. May be annoying, but still makes sense.

[@maduross]

Right, we're seeing the main plot from Zidane's pov mostly so we never see Brahne being normal, we just have to infer it and take Dagger's word for it. Overall I don't mind it because it helps strengthen Dagger as a character by giving her agency via conflict with Zidane/the player.

[@fearlesscheshirecat1411]

You played completely blind…? Dude that’s half the experience! Now all you have are the sounds.

[@UltimateTiknut]

I hate you, take my like.

[@mahnameisj]

Yessss I have been waiting for this banger! I can’t catch streams so this is the only way I get to see your experiences with this series. Gonna sit back and hope you love this one like a lot of us do! 🎉

[@Laezar1]

FF9 is one of my favorite games and honestly seeing you react to it blind in a condensed manner like that makes me appreciate it even more. For the record this is the first video I've seen of you but i appreciate the way you think about the game a lot it's thoughtful and cool. We didn't see much of the gameplay but I also think ff9 has some amazing gameplay too, even if it's very "traditionnal" there isn't really any gimmick or anything like you'd have in 8 but it's really well balanced so it works really well in my opinion. A big part of that is that level has very low impact on your stats and it mostly comes from your gear so they have a lot of control over your power level and can balance the game accordingly. Another is that lategame boss health cap is actually pretty low so the lategame and even side content isn't about absurdely strong superboss that take forever to beat but more about tricky movesets and punishing you for being careless. It's a pretty easy and simple game but it just works well in my opinion. Just very polished (pretty much the opposite of ff8 which has a lot of very cool ideas but very unpolished and all over the place).

[@ItsLazBoi]

Thank you! I agree as well, I wish I could include more gameplay in these videos but I did love IX for that, it might be my favourite FF combat system I’ve played so far.

[@Laezar1]

​@@ItsLazBoi I can't say 9 is my favorite combat because 10 exist (though the system is amazing the execution has flaws especially in the side content and the progression system). You'll see what I mean when you play it (and wonder why they didn't use this system again afterwards). But yeah 9 is definitely very understated, doesn't stand out in what it does but it's so well executed and removes so much of the usual ff clutter and weird shit I think it's not acknowledged enough.

[@rumplstiltztinkerstein]

I agree. I would reject my humanity and embrace the title of "furry" if it is for Freya. God dang, I like her character.

[@Juice_Tortuga]

THIS is the the one I was waiting for you to play!! Such an epic. So creative and charming yet so deep and dark at points too - enjoy! ❤️

[@D_o_r_a_n]

My favorite FF by far. I’ve completed it a dozen times and I keep going back to it, never going for Excalibur because I play this one SLOWLY. I grind and level up longer than necessary, I use that cotton robe trick for more money, I milk all the side quests for all they’re worth. I love this game! Cotton Robe Trick: Wrist (130 gil) + Steepled Hat (260 gil) + 1000 gil = Cotton Robe. Sell Cotton Robe for 2000 gil. Profit of 610 gil per robe. If you grind enough before leaving Dali, you can buy 99 Wrists there. Grind more so you can buy 99 Steepled Hats in Lindblum and make 96 Cotton Robes (keeping some basic gear). Sell 93 Cotton Robes and you can buy everything you need and leave Lindblum with more gil than you had when you arrived, a huge early advantage. After that pount, you have to go to Burmecia for Steepled Hats, but sell 8-10 batches and you don’t have to worry about gil for the rest of the game.

[@Deadono]

"grounded in reality" as you edited Squalls face. I had actual tears from laughing, lol.

[@DutchDread]

Oh man, some of these edits hurt, like not seeing Beatrix fight, or hearing the first notes of the friendly creature song and then NOT what happened.

[@ItsLazBoi]

I have to make sacrifices, but the full VODs are linked below if you want to scan them for particular bits

[@BaschBarrage]

That is why FF9 is the love letter for its fans.. FF7 and FF8 has been going away from its original roots of Medieval Fantasy, therefor the Father of FF made FF9 to go back to it roots, a love letter for us all. This is most favorite work of Father of FF, even Nobuo Eumatsu says this is his most favorite work. This is my most favorite Final Fantasy game, and it meant a lot to me when I was a child, 20+ years ago.

[@LiamRS24]

This was such a fun series of streams and the beginning of part 2 was a real roller-coaster of emotions in the streams. Looking forward to reliving part 2, what a top content creator you are my dude! ❤

[@ItsLazBoi]

truly appreciate this!!

[@V_i_vi_an]

Athough Brahne was very awful during the events of the game, we are told multiple times by NPCs that she was actually a very beloved queen for most of her reign and Alexandria is on it's golden age thanks to her. Kuja did corrupt her big time so Garnet being sad about her death makes a lot of sense. She saw her mother be turned into a monster and then murdered, that's fucked up.

[@00Kuja00]

Tot's observation tower inside the Gaia globe is a good foreshadowing of Garland's observation tower on Terra, inside the real Gaia.^^

[@vexcarius7100]

Bro voice overes the entire game accurately like how I imagined it. His Quina voice is freaking gold.

[@natebrooks774]

IX is my favorite Final Fantasy, it's a slower burn, but it really pays off. The world building is so amazing

[@hammid531]

This is my favourite stream series you've done

[@00Kuja00]

Some say Necron's appearance is sudden, when "his" introduction starts at the cemetery scene at the Black Mage Village.

[@xenotypos]

Very good recap, I feel like it's even better to see it after you watched the streams (I didn't catch the stream for the other FFs). That being said, I wonder what "the" moment will look like ahah. I'm looking forward too see the ending again too, since everyone (at least at that stream) loved that ending.

[@geralttheteacher8195]

That French voice for Freya... 😂😂😂😂 Loved watching this back and remembering the joyous tears from the live stream! Quality as always mate.

[@SnowCoveredKK]

I firmly believe the track that plays for the CGI cutscene during the Escape from Southgate is the single most epic composition that Uematsu has ever done

[@Arksimon2k]

Oh man, thanks for this video. I loved your revelations in the Black Mage village and now i'm very excited to see how you react to the 2nd half of the game.

[@maillardsbearcat]

Yo I'm so glad you finally played this. This one is my favorite for sure.

[@TheVeyZ]

FFIX is and forever will always be my favorite Final Fantasy ❤

[@jupiterbean]

The explosion did-they-escape meltdown is *chef’s kiss*

[@filippogabello1567]

I love when people get hooked on THE THEEEEMES

[@JesseSwaney]

I really enjoyed all of the Final Fantasy games. I really look forward to watching you play 12.

[@Christopher-Kisby]

Your newly discovered to me really enjoyed OG 7 highlights can’t wait for you to play 10

[@lloydnorval1989]

The forest orchestra was Rufus Shinra's presidential augmentation parade :) i love how they did that

[@wheresatari668]

The soundtrack. That is all.

[@ItsLazBoi]

banger

[@greenserene2676]

I love Zidane and Vivi's brotherly connection. Poor Vivi, he's my favorite. He's just a baby in this harsh, cruel world.

[@BashxSaiyan]

One small thing I've noticed with the series in its combat is that the entries that are like the 1- 5 that have the job system, allow more than 3 party members at a time. The other that have a more modern look like 7,8, 10, 13, 15 only allow 3 party members. I wonder why they made them that way. Try to imagine ff7 with 4 party members in a battle.

[@JPRequiem]

9 will forever be my favourite in the series

[@TheSteelers4190]

VII is my 1a and IX is my 1b......the characters are a big reason why. Amazing cast. This game was the perfect bookend to the PS1 era of FF.

[@zmandragon]

IX was my first and only doubled as my favorite after I played the others before it as it is a love letter to final fantasy itself.

[@alexhaggerty1011]

I couldn't wait until you got to 9. It's my 2nd favorite of the property. Can't wait for the remake.

[@ItsElva]

I HAVENT PLAYED THIS GAME YET BUT IM SURE ITS GREAT AND IM SURE YOUR VIDEO IS GREAT ⭐️

[@rowanmorris2187]

Super vid. Looking forward to part 2 ace.

[@BCOG1691]

Final Fantasy IX taught me alot in life. One thing i am bothered by their job class was Garnet is more superior as a Summoner while Eiko was a great White Mage but the were introduced the other way around. i also feel like Kuja used a spell to Branhe to make her a bit greedy.

[@MakeHerSquirtle]

Was catching up on the vods yesterday. Really hope he includes some of the discussion about “the great escape from Alexandria”

[@xenotypos]

Legendary moment. But watching the beginning of this vid, I'm now certain: the teams that did the FMVs (it was often outsourced, a lot was even made in France) went way too far on the explosions. Maybe a nbit of miscommunication between the teams. Look at how the first ship explodes when it crashes, and then all the team is safe and inside the ship (which isn't that badly damaged). It's a bit similar for Alexandria's destruction. Well, anyway after that James loved the last part of the game so much that it didn't really matter.

[@MakeHerSquirtle]

@@xenotypos agreed. I had already watched his reaction to the end back in March so I already knew how much he loved the game once it reached its conclusion. With that knowledge, I was laughing way too hard during the whole discussion because of how tilted both James and tasos/flash were getting. In the end it’s all love and I’m just happy we can all enjoy this great game together.

[@hammid531]

I will say as someone who was part of that discussion it was one of the worst and best part of this stream series

[@ItsLazBoi]

I did include it (a bit), I had to cut most of it for time, the video is already incredibly long but I tried to include at least the set up for it and the "aha!" moment at the end.

[@averiskonsept]

Vivi is the best character in all of Final Fantasy. BUT I couldn't help thinking... what if there was a spin off game where you play as a Quina trying to get back from Cleyra... hiding from Grand Dragons and the Alexandrian army, (and you know, working on culinary prowess) walking all the way back to Lindblum where he/she watches it get ransacked and escapes home, wiser and saddened by the loss of his friends -- surely they're dead after everything? And poor Quina will be stuck in a frog pond the rest of his/her life... And then Zidane shows up

[@Isenlyn]

Of all characters, Zidane should be the one with French accent. XD His name is derived from "Gitan" meaning Gypsy. But being French, FF9 being one of my favorites games and Freya being my favorite character, I'm ok with that. XD Also, it's hilarious. ^^

[@zackfair6203]

32:50 sector 7 all over again 😂

[@omegagilgamesh]

"What do you mean no vaccines?!...oh, no vancancies?" Freudian Slip?

[@autumnshinespark]

Holy shit you got the 10,000 gil, what? That's so hard!

[@joshthestampede]

The disrespect for Quina smh

[@LazerzZ]

Don’t worry, I have such an arc 😂

[@joshthestampede]

@@LazerzZ don’t judge me either I haven’t finished watching I’ve been chipping away at work 😂 Quina is just funny af to me this is also maybe my favorite FF so I’m sensitive

[@Hugo_Le_Mignon]

When you started to cry? I told to myself: yep, he got the game. ❤

[@Daggea]

Am I here for my favorite Final Fantasy ? Hell yeah !

[@c0mplex_Ale]

fuck me, Vivi's story makes me wanna cry just thinking about it even after so much time after playing the game

[@kiamick]

Doctor Tot is from Yorkshire!!

[@arecord86]

Oooooh snap!!! Here we go. Best game ever!

[@missylynn9180]

My all time favorite game! It still looks pretty good but a remake would be amazing!!!

[@jinxx9515]

2nd best ff. 7 gets all the love but 6 and 9 are better. This was a legit golden age for final fantasy. 6,7,9, and 10 are all incredible. 12 is also really popular.

[@lloydnorval1989]

Zidane's Trance ability reminds me of Super Saiyan 4 plus he has a monkey tail :P gotta be based off Sun Wukong, like Goku was

[@lastlegend9657]

Did you play this with the Mogiri Mod? It's now my preferred way to the play the game.

[@ItsLazBoi]

I did indeed

[@googlesucks1515]

Fabul is Yang's kingdom in ff4

[@V_i_vi_an]

We all saw you thinking unwisely with the Kuja thong cutscene...

[@thedropsensei1593]

Hey James, I was thinking of getting into Final Fantasy for a long ass time. I’d say we both have pretty similar tastes to what we like in games. So which game would you suggest starting with or one that you started with? Thanks man, great video btw❤

[@ItsLazBoi]

I started with VII Remake, that’s the one that got me hooked and made me want to go back and see where it all started. I would say FF1 isn’t a bad place to start either, if you want to begin with the roots. But then if you want to start with a loved classic that plays like a traditional FF but also not the very first one, FF7 or FF9 are definitely contenders. Or the final option, start with XVI, see if it hooks you then simply take your pick of which you want to try next, there’s really no wrong choice, since every FF is a brand new world.

[@thedropsensei1593]

@@ItsLazBoi Thanks a lot man! That’s the thing with playing new franchises, sometimes they change over the course of time and starting at an odd point can change and shift your POV like Tomb Raider and Assassins creed (sry i know 🥲). So I kinda like to start at the very beginning usually. But I’ve heard that the story elements are very minimal in the first 6 games so maybe I’ll check out VII remake from start and then take it from there!! XVI Looks fire the not even kidding 🔥

[@ItsLazBoi]

All good dude, any starting point is a good starting point when it comes to FF mainline games. FF1-3 have very sparse stories that while engaging and fun aren't very deep, FF4-6 have very interesting stories with some nice theming, VI is particularly sophisticated for a game of it's nature. VII Remake is certainly a good start for a newcomer, it was my entry point after all, and from there I just went back to FF1 and went through in order just to observe the evolution of how the games handled themselves and it has been a very fun time to say the least.

[@johnyguitar8859]

I love ff IX so much ❤ thanks

[@BooyahAmigos]

blank is my fave... how dare you

[@budakbaongsiah]

1:56 like Zinedine Zidane

[@jethiliusavalar6449]

Vivi and Dagger feel more like the main character than Zidane. Am I alone on this?

[@rakino4418]

Probably more Dagger. Zidane is central to the Kuja/Garland plot though.

[@stevesomerford9463]

loving this content when you playing 10??

[@justcallmetoki]

I love the french Freya!

[@Princessk8]

That domestic abuse situation hits a lot different in 2023 than it did in 2000 or w/e lol

[@flashparodox7612]

final fantasy 9

[@ItsLazBoi]

This is very true

[@jasnotta519]

I'm truing so hard rn

[@barret73]

nice. grettings from Argentina

[@Deadono]

Vaccines! I don't think I can finish this, lol.

[@FungiFilmReviews]

GAME IS DOPE!!!!! VIVI FTW

[@kevinstanton5998]

Just found the channel :)

[@ShellyYum]

Supposedly, FFIX is being remade....

[@ItsLazBoi]

So I’ve heard, it’s been rumoured for a while now, hopefully they can do it justice

[@StewNWT]

see you are a man of culture, ergo you know FF8 sucks

[@dimitristakis6396]

Best final fantasy game. The devs said it. We say it. Everyone says it.

[@Alex55455]

FF9 is a good Final Fantasy that does all the basic stuff well and has very few flaws but it doesn’t really do anything too out there or take many risks like FF6, 7 and 8 did. The game has a good solid story, rocks the best ps1 era FF graphics, has some nice progression systems in place, good music and fun combat. Zidane, Garnet, Vivi and Steiner are all interesting characters. The only real downsides is the game is pretty slow, the remaining characters I didn’t mention above aren’t really that interesting and Quina is really annoying. Also coming back to the story it doesn’t really have many wow moments or anything too out there again coming back to the lack of risks so the story is far from the most interesting in the series but it doesn’t do anything wrong either. The final boss though is a bit of an exception as that was definitely risk taking not coming off and it doesn’t really come off as it’s just like who the heck is guy and why are we fighting him. Should’ve just kept Kuja as the Final Boss only

[@ItsLazBoi]

I would wager that the risk of FF9 is doing nothing too crazy, to have it be a very genuine and earnest character journey in a whimsical world, a backdrop for telling a very human narrative on what it really means to live. I love that. As for the final boss, while I agree in universe to sort of feels out of nowhere the core themes that are strong throughout all of FF9 make it make sense. The final boss being a metaphor for despair and fear which is a hurdle every main character has to overcome, I think it’s rather beautiful in that respect.

[@lekntakfs1071]

I don't think it was intentional at all, but Quina is kitchen in Catalonian and it suits.

[@redblue151]

First

[@Despicablehobbit]

Perhaps the funniest thing so far as saying you got the card game 😂 no one understands it

[@Captain_Caveman1981]

Nobody likes Quina. Lol The blue mage spells s/he can learn are pretty helpful though.

[@ItsLazBoi]

Let me tell you the arc I underwent by the end with Quina is a feat, I love Quina

[@midnight3630]

Quina is the best! “I do what I want, you have problem” words to live by.

[@xenotypos]

The humor and the blunt/innocent perspective of Quina grew on a lot of people. She's a fantastic addition to the team, but you don't have to take seriously.

[@Captain_Caveman1981]

Well fellas, I stand corrected then. Haha Looking forward to part two.

[@the-NightStar]

Replace "Nobody" with "Everybody" and you'd actually be right.

[@dannypatrick9361]

Aboot time, guuuy!

[@lookhowshegobbledthat]

Yaassss my fave, Vivi goated.

[@Reshapable]

28:30 this is exactly what 7 haters sound like lol.

[@the-NightStar]

Final Fantasy 7 IS massively overrated in every possible way, though. Not that it's not a GOOD game, but it's MASSIVELY overrated. I'd barely even call it the 4th best game in the series.

[@Reshapable]

@@the-NightStar and you NEED people to know it! lol