i believe that ff9 is the most underrated final fantasy game for the ps1. and i blame sony for releasing ps2 right after ff9 was released so all the hype is towards ff10 and people forget about ff9.

reasons why i think ff9 deserves more ratings..

- it had the best character system. the main character zidane had a big affect on every character in the game. their connections with each other were great. we see the respect between steiner and vivi. we see mistrust between zidane and steiner. we see rivalry between amarant and freya. we see friendship between zidane and vivi. we see the sisterly love between garnet and eiko. we see the annoyance eiko gives amarant. these connections between the characters made the game so great...we dont see these things from characters in ff7 or ff8. in ff7, the characters totally dont connect, they just work together with no conflicts with each other. a perfect teamwork. in ff8, all the characters are pretty much ignored expect squall and rinoa.

- it had the best music. i guess this is an opinion rather than a fact. but you guys cant deny that the music didnt touch you. they were memorable, esp. the ending song. each city had its own music, and the music and the settings are totally similar. and that song "you are not alone"...oh man when that scene came up, it was touching to see the friends that zidane decided to forget about, come back to help him..than dagger finishes it by healing him in the middle of the battle and making him come to his senses...that scene would not be the same without the music.

- the fact that its a tribute to the series was a great idea. i loved it...bringing back the old memories, making us think "this all seems familiar"

- i liked the fact that final fantasy IX was back to the classic medieval setting after the 2 series before it were so futurific. ff7 or 8 didnt give me the final fantasy feel with all the guns and overtuned weapons. it just didnt seem "final fantasy" without a king or a ruler or kingdoms and esp a princess.

- the main character was also the best. he wasnt dull like the other two. his attitude was more realistic because we all know everyone has a sense of humor. all guys are flirty with girls, and like to "holler" like zidane does. squall and cloud are just not real. if a girl like quistis..or aeries approached anyone...no ones going to sit there and act like theyre not hot. theyre teenagers. be more realistic. i'm not actually telling the makers to make them more realistic since their attitude depends on the storyline of the game. im just saying, zidane seems to connect to majority of the gamers.

- people say sephiroth was the best "bad guy" in the FF series. i say kuja was better. sure sephiroth killed more, characters that mattered in the game, such as the president of shinra, or aeries (which is why most people think of sephiroth as the worst), and he did attempt to destroy the planet...keyword being attempt. people seem to forget that kuja actually did destory a planet. he destroyed the planet of terra, and destoryed majority of gaia (alexandria, cleyra, lindblum, burmecia, madain sari), killing both of garnets mother. killing spree wise, kuja got more points. sephiroth didnt really have anything but, strength like most one man army. kuja had power, he completley controlled those black mages and eidolons. even zorn and thorn ended up betraying alexandria for kuja. so power is another point added to kuja. but sephiroth does earn a point for his badass sword.

- the ending was also well thought of. it even made my 2 cousins cry, lol. you cant tell me that wasnt cool what zidane did. hiding under the robe. i mean it was obvious it was zidane, but it was pretty cool. than came the movie where garnet runs to zidane, very emotional and touching i must say. i wouldnt say its the best ending, since i think ffX ending was better. for some reason, i'm a fan of sad endings. they just seem to leave you wanting for more.

- oh and, dagger was def the hottest out of aeries and rinoa. aeries is pretty, and very innocent looking. but i'm a fan of long black hairs...and a fan of princesses. and rinoa is just too pale. lol when she turned all psycho from the sorceress...she actually looked like a ghost.

and for the battle system, ff9 wasnt too great in that. i think ff8's junction was pretty fun. difficult to learn, but once its learned, its pretty fun and very tacticle