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Obscure Final Fantasy IX sidequest uncovered and detailed
Details regarding a little-known sidequest in Square Enix's PSOne RPG Final Fantasy IX have surfaced, sparking fan discussion some 13 years after the game's initial release. GameFAQs user The_Kusabi_ discovered the sidequest while reading through Final Fantasy IX Ultimania, a 600-page guide/tome that was never released outside of Japan. Despite its appearance in an official guide, the secret remained undocumented in the western world, evading the watchful eye of FAQ authors until recently. According to fan documentation, the newly discovered sidequest only triggers after entering the game's final dungeon. It activates once the player speaks to the Nero brothers in Lindblum, and advances alongside specific story triggers and boss battles within the final dungeon. The quest requires the player to return to the Nero brothers a minimum of 9 times within a possible 16 advancement points, adding another layer of complexity to a quest that a majority of players would never see in the first place. Fans can attest that Final Fantasy IX is rife with obscure secrets like this one. An alternate bit of dialogue during the game's opening can only be seen if the player answers a question incorrectly 64 times in a row, for instance. One of Final Fantasy IX's more notorious secrets is the Excalibur II sword, which can only be obtained by speeding through the game, start to finish, in under 12 hours.
Sakaguchi provides glimpse into Final Fantasy IX development
Legendary Final Fantasy game designer Hironobu Sakaguchi has dug up some old notes from the making of Final Fantasy IX, and they're an interesting read for anyone who's a fan of the adventures of Zidane, Vivi and Steiner. There's a lot of interesting stuff in there, especially if you love the old game (lots of fight sequences were planned differently than they went in the final code). If nothing else, it's fascinating to see the game designer's mind working to plan on paper what eventually became a classic PlayStation RPG. Sakanguchi is both cinematic with his descriptions ("like steady cam," he says at one point to describe the game's opening shot) and very interested in characters (describing Vivi as "introversive [sic], quiet, obedient, indecisive, pure in heart and kind"). He glosses over spell and game specifics, leaving things like gearing up only described as "able to collect weapons and protective gears here." That all makes sense, of course -- he and the team wouldn't need to figure out the numbers until later. But the little script is a fascinating look at the very early stages of a classic Final Fantasy title, and just how centered on character and storytelling Square was back in those days. Sakaguchi's notes are a must-read for fans of the JRPG genre.
Final Fantasy IX 'Fight, Magic, Item, Run'-ing to PSN next week
The final (and some would argue best) installment of the Final Fantasy franchise on the original PlayStation will, at long last, make it to the North American PlayStation Store next week. Final Fantasy IX will mimic the $10 price point of the other two PS1 Fantasies currently available on PSN and will be added to the storefront with the update next Tuesday, June 15. If you skipped out on the ninth entry in the long-lasting series -- which isn't too unlikely, considering its sales numbers clocked in well below those of FFVII and FFVIII -- the PSN re-release is your chance to find what all the fuss is about. We wish we'd have some time to reinvest into IX next week ourselves, but, well, we might be kind of busy.
European PSN releases for May 26
Oh, great. Once again, Europe has beaten America to the punch in adding a Square Enix classic to the PlayStation Store. Prepare yourselves to sink a multitude of hours into Final Fantasy IX (you lucky jerks) -- or, if you're in the mood for something more modern, check out Fret Nice, Voodoo Dice or Episode 2 of Sam and Max: The Devil's Playhouse. PSP owners have a ton to check out as well, including DJ Max Fever, and, oh yeah, Final Freaking Fantasy IX. Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list: (Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)
Final Fantasy IX hitting Japanese PSN May 20
According to a recent Joystiq Superpoll™, 30.3 percent of our readers think Final Fantasy IX is the series' best installment on the PS1, meaning 69.7 percent of you are so totally wrong. Those belonging to the first group will be pleased to hear the game recently received an extremely imminent release date for Japan -- according to a Tweet from Square Enix producer Shinji Hashimoto (as translated by Andriasang), the game will arrive on the Japanese PSN May 20. We're really hoping the release date for other regions falls somewhere around that time -- especially after Hashimoto teased us with a video of the game's intro cinematic running on a PSP. Oh, Hashimoto! You heartbreaker! [Via Eurogamer]
No cloud, nor squall shall hinder Final Fantasy IX's release to PSN
Ask anybody who was old enough to go through the life cycle of the first PlayStation and they'll likely have an opinion on which Final Fantasy was the best. And "soon," a whole new generation will be able to engage in that most stimulating of debates, with the PlayStation Blog confirming that Final Fantasy IX will be the third "proper" PlayStation-era Final Fantasy game available for download on PSN, joining siblings Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII. Joystiq itself takes no part in the ongoing war for supremacy each title is unwillingly engaged in. We simply aim to enjoy the good parts of each. But that doesn't mean you can't battle it out in this here poll! %Poll-46051% [Thanks, Eduardo]
Final Fantasy IX confirmed for release on Japanese PSN
If you're wondering who you need to talk to in order to get your beloved PS1 RPGs onto the PlayStation Store, we're thinking Shinji Hashimoto is the man who gets things done. Last week, he said he was planning on "proposing" bringing Final Fantasy IX to the PSN -- this week, Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada confirmed that the game would soon join FFVII and FFVIII on the PS3's Japanese digital storefront. No release date or pricing details have been released so far. Impressive, Mr. Hashimoto. Most impressive. But we bet you can't do it again for Chrono Cross. Oh, and while you're at it, we bet you can't get Vagrant Story localized for U.S. release. C'mon. We dare you.
Final Fantasy IX could hit PlayStation Store soon
We have a bit of evidence now suggesting that Final Fantasy IX might be headed to the PSOne Classics selection of the PlayStation Store -- besides the fact that Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and Tactics are already available on the store. Square Enix producer Shinji Hashimoto Tweeted (translation by Andriasang) that "Regarding an FF9 download release, everyone is so passionate about it that I'll be proposing it at the next board meeting. Look forward to next week!" To those of you out there constantly discussing how awesome Quina is on Twitter, in Japanese, it looks like you might be victorious. Of course, this kind of statement is more likely to make fans feel engaged in a process that is going on independent of their participation -- by which we mean this was totally going to happen anyway.
Final Fantasy III Wi-Fi details [Update 1]
Those who have played Final Fantasy IX will vaguely remember a system called "MogNet", in which the player took up the role of carrier between moogles worldwide. There was also something about a purple moogle who used too much hair gel, or something. Whatever. Anyway, the "MogNet" system will be making a comeback in the updated DS version of Final Fantasy III. In addition to performing said tasks to unlock various side-quests in the single-player game, players will have the ability to send messages via Nintendo Wi-Fi to other players of the game. Don't instant messages seem a little easier, though? If Square-Enix doesn't implement some sort of in-game incentive, it may be a fairly unused feature. More details are still forthcoming, says Square-Enix, so keep holding your breath for a party vs. party battle system over Wi-Fi. Oh, how we long.[Thanks, GamingBurrito!][LOL. GamingBurrito. Awesome.][Update 1: Minor grammar issues corrected.]
