Nostalgic Gaming: Final Fantasy 9!

Released in 2000, this was one of those Final Fantasy game titles that came back to its roots using the job system and gave a fresh lick of paint to the series. You take control of the main protagonist Zidane Tribal who is a skilled thief and you're involved in a group called Tantalus.

The game has a lot of drama, action and humor which I find very entertaining and kept me going till the end of the game. The game looks amazing during the time of its release pushing the capabilities of the PSX engine to the roof!

Every character has a unique job to one another making the mix and match strategy deep and thorough and each one of them has a large impact on the story. The game may be 15 years old but I'll still play this game multiple times!

Even doing all the tedious side quests all over again, yes I'm talking to you Chocobo hot and cold! Don't get me wrong, I love all the side quests, the frustrations and the sense of achievement I got when I finished everything was all too rewarding!

There are 8 characters in total that'll help you get your questions answered about the game.

The characters are, from left to right, Freya the Dragoon, Eiko the Summoner/White Mage, Vivi the Black Mage (Dual Cast!!), Steiner the Knight, Dagger The White Mage/Summoner (Yeah, just like Eiko but with different spells), Zidane the Thief (Just keep stealing!), Quina the Blue Mage (Though you learn the skill by eating the monster instead of being targeted by it) and Amarant the Monk/Ninja/Samurai (He's got a lot of cool skills).

The stealing mechanics of the game may get ridiculous sometimes but it'll all be rewarding in the end. There are a lot of secrets and mini games (Tetra Masteeeeeeer!!!) to give you a break from the main objective. JRPG's may have a linear path in story but once you add in a little bit of bonuses from secrets, it'll make the game a lot more worthwhile and lovable at the same time.

The music! It gave life to every corner of the place you were in! It always seemed to blend in with every scenario that you would even pause for a moment just to listen to the awesome soundtracks that the game has. Like most Final Fantasy titles, the background music will always give you a nostalgic feeling of the past once you hear the tracks again and even as you grow older you'll miss the sentience of Final Fantasy 9.

The story is gripping! The twists also! So if you haven't played this game, please, could you give it a go? I'm sure you'll love it and appreciate what the game has to offer even if you're from a newer generation compared to us who've played it beforehand.

For us who've already experienced the wonders of this game, and still get a bit teary eyed at some points of it, we'll always treasure this as one of those games that gave us happiness in our times sadness. Video games will always be our escape from reality but games like these will always be in our hearts for years to come.