Finally…Final Fantasy IX is now available on Steam, and it’s packed with some new features for old and new fans.
There are a few surefire ways to start a free-for-all argument amongst friends. One way is to pose the question “Is a hot dog a sandwich?” (it isn’t, by the way), and another is to ask, “Which Final Fantasy game is the best?” Be warned though, because everybody has an opinion about their favorite games from Square’s classic series. As with something like Star Wars or James Bond, it’s generally the ones you grew up with that become your favorites.
The reason for bringing this up, of course, is that after months of waiting, Final Fantasy IX is now available on Steam. This is the last of the three PlayStation 1 releases to be updated and brought to this platform. This entry in the series was originally contentious when first released. Much like with the initial response to The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker a few years later, some fans bristled at Final Fantasy IX’s less realistic visual style and more lighthearted tone. Over the years however, its great characters, its touching story, and its surprisingly robust systems have brought most people around to its greatness.
While it is still early, a quick glance at user reviews shows an overall positive response. This is quite honestly a bit of a relief, since over the past few years, the quality of Final Fantasy ports has been mixed to say the least.
As with the ports of Final Fantasy VII and VIII in the past couple of years, there have been some additions to this version of Final Fantasy IX:
- Steam Achievements
- 7 game boosters including high speed and no encounter modes.
- Autosaves
- High-definition movies and character models.
The game boosters are particularly welcome additions as they allow players to rediscover what they loved about Final Fantasy IX without having to endure the archaic gameplay mechanics (endless grinding, random battles, etc.) that plague games of this era. On the other hand, if you’re the type of person who has the time and inclination to kick it old-school, then you can just ignore those modes and carry on.
So the wait is over, and Final Fantasy IX is finally available for Steam users. You can pick it up here. As an added bonus, it’s also on sale for 20% off from its regularly-priced $20.99.
