Disc 4... Unecessary?

I like everything about FFIX, but I can't stop thinking the last CD was unecessary to the story.

First, everything is so random. Memoria, Crystal World, the Original Crystal, Necron. Concepts introduced only in the 4th Disc. And a new conflict too(stop Kuja from destroying existence, something he never wanted to do prior to that point).

Second, the change in scale of the story. Most FF games begin with a little conflict, and little by little grow in scale, until the point you have to save all the planet, or galaxy, or the universe. But that doesn't happen with FFIX. During the entire game we are fighting to save the world, and suddenly we hear about a crystal, and have to save the entire universe/existence! WTF!

I think the game could have ended with Garland and Kuja's defeat in Terra. The 4th CD was unecessary, to me.

And before anyone ask, no I'm not bashing the game. It's one of the best titles in the series, and I love everything about it(including the last Disc).
But I had this thought about the end of the game, and wanted to share it.

Now, what you think? Agree? Disagree?

^Hmmm...personally I think that Disc 4 was necessary. Firstly, I dont think the leap from saving the world to saving the Universe is actually that huge. Either way they're both massive, but once it gets to that scale you hardly notice the difference between the two (to an extent).

You say that it should have ended at Terra, but I would find that ending too rushed. Also, the assimilation would still have continued, and there would need another portion dealing with stopping that - and it would most likely be anticlimatic.

Personally, I dont think Memoria and Necron did that much to the overall storyline. It just introduced new ideas which i thought fitted in with the general idea. Memoria also provided some excellent boss battles.

I do agree though, I dont think Necron really was necessary at all - in fact, it was pretty strange. But either way, I dont care too much.

FFIX does not have a 'big' storyline of saving the world right from the start in my opinion. It begins with a kidnap plot and nothing more, but the wider picture and the introduction of Kuja is not brought in until later. I always felt that FFIX did the best job of slowly escalating the task the characters must face.

I enjoy the ending to the 3rd CD too, as the Mist returns, and the entrance to Memoria is a stunning FMV. I can see why some people may feel the game could be compressed slightly, but I think there's so much impressive stuff in CD 4 (Memoria may be forced in, but it's great fun to go through) I enjoy it being there.

Necron is pointless, though the reasons for its motives (embracing death and an end to existence to end suffering) are also in many ways motives for Seymour and other villains in FFX.

Disc 4? There was a whole unnecessary scene in disc 3 where Garland convinces Zidane that he's an asshole who needs nobody in the time it takes you to read this sentence, then after a bit of uncharacteristic whining he turns back in as much time. Sorry, rant over.

The thing with the final disc on the PSX games: all they had on them was their endings, so much so that different parts of the world had to be blocked off.

I agree with Vivisteiner, ending it at Terra would have been far rushed.

It wasn't really unnecessary. It just seems that way because it was rather poorly integrated into the overall plot. Really, the final disk of FFIX is exactly the same as the final disk of the other PSX final fantasy games; they almost purely contain the final dungeons. The only difference is that FFIX brings up a whole load of new concepts during the final trek that hadn't really been mentioned before, where as the others don't really introduce anything new at all.

Disc 4? unnecessary? rubbish! Sure disc 4 was a little different to the story BUT it rapped things up! if it had been finished in memoria:
a. yes the story would have been rushed
b. it wouldn't have made much sense that Kuja became tranced and blew himself up!
c. It would be a black sheep in the line of Playstation games!
FF7 disc no.: 4
FF8 disc no.: 4
FF9 disc no.: 3 :confused:

Even though i love FF9 and i REALLY wanted Zidane and Dagger/Garnet/Sarah to get together i still thought the ending was SO corny!!
^_^
Thats my only problem with the game, the ending ^_^

Final Fantasy VII only has 3 disks.

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Originally Posted by Karellen

Final Fantasy VII only has 3 disks.

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opps...:p

well i think everything was jsut kinda leading up to disc 4 quite perfectly. ill admit necron seemed random at first but when you think about it disc 4 kinda tied up all the loose ends.

For me it seemed like all three of the PSX Final Fantasy games just kind of fell into confused messes at their very end. This seems to be the kind of trend I've found in a lot of Japanese fiction, though: Awesome premise, sweet build-up with a lot of mystery, but then you find out the background and it's just a mess of half-made ideas. Cultural thing, I guess.

But yeah, I was so into playing this game until the fourth disc. I just couldn't bring myself to care once I hit it.

The whole Necron thing was totally unnecesessary if the whole cd4 is not unnecessary. You never even heard a word of necron until you kill kuja and think that's it but NO! there comes this random dude. I think they just wanted to make the game a bit longer by adding some stupid things like necron and the whole cd 4 actually. It was unncecessary.

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Originally Posted by loza

Even though i love FF9 and i REALLY wanted Zidane and Dagger/Garnet/Sarah to get together i still thought the ending was SO corny!!
^_^
Thats my only problem with the game, the ending ^_^

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That was my favorite part! Hooray for corny!!:love: :D :love:

I love the ending/Necron. I'm the type that likes the philosophical stuff, so I drool over Necron's ramblings every time I read them. Who cares where he comes from, he's insightful!

Although I agree ending on Terra could have been good IF done well; you simply need that Final Dungeon in FF. Well, at least you used to.

And Memoria is one of the best. If you played other FF's (or better yet all) it signifies that everything comes from memories, and those memories are embodied in the crystal, to me disc 4 is the icing on the cake - this game was a reward for FF fans (yet you don't need to be a vet to enjoy).

Necron, like other parts of the game and final dungeon, also has other FF's as his foundation. The system to end all existence. An artificial imbalance of light and darkness took place, and there he is. Yet hope comes out as the victor in the end. That's just Final Fantasy for you.

Necron is, as I see it, not as much of a "random dude that wants to destroy everything" as he is a metaphor for the destruction (or deterioration) of memories. If you think back, a whole lot of the plot revolved around lost memories (Zidane's past, Garnet's original home, Vivi's "origin").

Overall, I think the plot is not quite as loosely held together as it may seem at first sight. I'm not talking about Future Esthar style theories, I mean there is likely to be at least some thought behind it, even if you have to look for it at times.

It won't be necessary if the game file is smaller than 4 CDs but the game is actually bigger, so that's why they added one more CD to fit the data (4th CD) which is necessary.

Actually I thought disc was really necessary. From my memory they did say something about the Original Crystal in Disc 2 or 3. The idea of Memoria and the Crystal tower I thought was need because in disc 3 they never killed Kuja. Though I do agree that the Necron idea was kind of like where the heck did that come from, but I did like having the extra battle.

i think this idea came forth from the fact that in disc 4 the story speeded up until a point where you were thinking: what the hell!?!

i think they could have slowed it down and round it all up nicely.. but they would have needed a 5th disc for the credits and ending scene

I dont think disc 4 was a waste a time, because u would not be able to fight ozma, and hades. plus u wouldnt be able to get the best weapon in the game. but i do agree the final guy was a waste.:choc2:

WOOT CHOCOBOS!!!!

I can understand the point of view of the opening post. I feel that quite a few of the Final Fantasy titles tend to lose a lot of their storyline and gameplay focus at the end, as the only thing that remains for the player to do are several or few sidequests and take on the last boss in a final dungeon sequence; additionally, many of the bosses from Final Fantasy games have little or no connection to the main storyline over the course of a majority of the game. Examples of this type of final boss include: Ultimecia, Necron, and Yu Yevon.

it probably needs a whole disk for the unesscesary long ending to the game

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Originally Posted by Roogle

I can understand the point of view of the opening post. I feel that quite a few of the Final Fantasy titles tend to lose a lot of their storyline and gameplay focus at the end, as the only thing that remains for the player to do are several or few sidequests and take on the last boss in a final dungeon sequence; additionally, many of the bosses from Final Fantasy games have little or no connection to the main storyline over the course of a majority of the game. Examples of this type of final boss include: Ultimecia, Necron, and Yu Yevon.

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Ultimecia actually has a lot of connection to the storyline for most of the game in FFVIII. She's the one possessing Edea for the first two discs for one. And Necron and Yu Yevon only add on one battle, they hardly stretch the games out that much.

And to thelast poster saying FFIX had a 'unnecessarily long ending' - WRONG.

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Originally Posted by The Unknown Guru

I love the ending/Necron. I'm the type that likes the philosophical stuff, so I drool over Necron's ramblings every time I read them. Who cares where he comes from, he's insightful!

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I definitely agree with you....the entire 4th disc kinda put things into perspective for me and made me think alot about my life and how I think of things....like when Zidane thinks he has no purpose or when Necron speaks of how fear controls our thoughts and actions...all so0o true....really makes me think and appreciate life yeh know?? :love:

I think some people didn't understand what I meant. I'm not saying they should make the first 3 discs exactly like the originals, and then "cut out" the last one.
What I'm saying is that they could have resolved everything on disc 3. For example, instead of Kuja knocking-out the party and destroying Terra, the party could fight Trance Kuja and beat him right there. Or just fight normal Kuja and beat him.
Thereby we wouldn't have all the random things that didn't make sense on disc 4.

Don't forget that the 4th disc has the best music in the game. =]

Anyway, I think the 4th one was entirely necessary. I wanted to play IX as long as I could and I didn't care how dragged out the story was. Like a true Final Fantasy game it needed that very last boss you never thought you'd have to fight and a location you never thought you'd have to go to.

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Originally Posted by The Crystal

I think some people didn't understand what I meant. I'm not saying they should make the first 3 discs exactly like the originals, and then "cut out" the last one.
What I'm saying is that they could have resolved everything on disc 3. For example, instead of Kuja knocking-out the party and destroying Terra, the party could fight Trance Kuja and beat him right there. Or just fight normal Kuja and beat him.
Thereby we wouldn't have all the random things that didn't make sense on disc 4.

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So....

Party: Oh snap! The villain just got all the power he's strode for the entire game!
Kuja: Mwahaha! I am invincible!
Party: *beats him*

.....crickets chirp.

Worst. Ending. Ever.

You don't have the villain finally achieve ultimate monstrous godly power and then lose in the same few minutes. That just be pathetic.

And everything on 4 wasn't random. It was just new information and relevations. We learned more and the story further developed. That is a good thing.

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Originally Posted by Forsaken Lover

You don't have the villain finally achieve ultimate monstrous godly power and then lose in the same few minutes. That just be pathetic.

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That's actually how a climax does work in a lot of cases. Especially in movies and such

Well, movies are way different than RPGs in...amost everything. They follow basic storytelling rules and types but the format is different because one is a game, the other is a movie, difference in time of the game compared to the time of a movie, etc..

Out of all the RPGs I've ever played, I can't remember the final villain being endowed with the godly evil power and then losing right then to the party. I'm not saying it hasn't happened. It probably has in a few games but I just don't think it's a very apt move. You do want to impress upon the player that this is the super bad you've worked your ass off for hours to stop and how epic this battle will be.

Without disk for this game would feel very unfinished for me. Sure you kill Garland in disk three, but Kuja is still a big enemy.

And considering the party couldn't defeat Kuja, ever, (it more or less appears during the last fight he toys with you, I mean him not using Ultima right away doesn't make sense :P) it wouldn't make sense if the party just crushed him right away.

In fact, I loved that the party got humiliated there, it really but a sense of "woah" in Kuja's power. Also, Kuja's motive of wanting to kill everything. I thought that reaction was most fitting to his character. Over and over Kuja is shown as selfish, and selfloving, when he finds out he's got a designated time-limit to life, I thought his, "If I can't live then no one can!" Attitude completely fit his character.

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Originally Posted by Roogle

I can understand the point of view of the opening post. I feel that quite a few of the Final Fantasy titles tend to lose a lot of their storyline and gameplay focus at the end, as the only thing that remains for the player to do are several or few sidequests and take on the last boss in a final dungeon sequence; additionally, many of the bosses from Final Fantasy games have little or no connection to the main storyline over the course of a majority of the game. Examples of this type of final boss include: Ultimecia, Necron, and Yu Yevon.

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Did you pay much attention to the storyline of FFX? Yu Yevon does have quite a connection, although I agree the battle itself was useless (he hardly ever uses anything but Gravija and, only as a counterattack, Curaga (although if you fight long enough, I've seen him use Ultima as well - but still, auto-life means it can't kill you)). Ultimecia, that's already been justified by someone else. I do agree Necron was really out-of-nowhere though... >_>

ulti was there throughout the whole story
in disguise!!!!

and i think i read on the final fantasy wiki that necron was their earlier too
he originated as the soulcage or somethin
which would be a ff5 reference to as exdeath started out as a tree
or somethin like that