IX is better, but I like them both. To the above VIII and IX's card game's were almost the same you just didn't understand what the symbols mean the only difference between the two is that the ruleswere changed in different regions in VIII and you could plcae your card anywhere.I agree that ozmna was only hard for my firts three tries, but my fourth when I figured out how to make the thing kill itself, it became almost as easy as Yu Yevon. IX was my first by the way.