Over the last year or so I've played through the numbered FFs in order up to VII, plus X and a bit of XII. Wanting a JRPG to sink my teeth into, I figured I'd go for the one I've never finished, FFIX. It's been several years since I last gave it a try, so I thought - maybe my tastes have changed. Or maybe I'll appreciate it more with a better knowledge of the games it is seeking to evoke nostalgia of.

Well, that didn't happen. In fact, I got significantly less far than I have during prior attempts to finish the game. I just cannot bring myself to care, and I can find very little enjoyment in it. I find the story utterly flat and boring, the characters largely lacking in any appeal (the ones that ARE interesting are all background characters or just shoved off to the side - if the party starred Beatrix, Blank, Freya, and Dr. Tot, it would be another matter.) and the gameplay is uninspired and unimaginative.

I've tried on its own merits and I've tried on the strength of nostalgia and on neither count does it do anything at all for me. I just don't understand why people love this game so much.