PlayStation

I've always thought I could enjoy any game so long as it was a feast of sight and sound, not frustratingly difficult, and filled with enough diverting gameplay to keep my mind off the responsibilties of day-to-day existence. I'm also a fan of the production values and atmosphere of console role-playing games (RPGs) in general and the Final Fantasy series especially. So when Final Fantasy IX was released, I was sure I was going to love it.

I can't help wondering how much Final Fantasy IX really deserves my praise, and whether I should instead be paying homage to the earlier games in the series for providing so much of its inspiration.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Animated Violence, Mild Language

Game Description: Dark times have spread over the world of Gaia. Four separate governing nations, some blinded by their short-sighted greed, some persevering in the name of justice, are battling on and off in a deadly game for power. One kingdom, that of Lindblum, headed by the honorable and trustworthy Regent Cid, finally decides to take a stand against the unspeakable massacres by the troops of Alexandria. Enlisting the aid of mere bandits to kidnap Princess Garnet of the Alexandria Empire, for information and interrogation, Garnet and her bodyguard actually join Cid's cause, knowing full well the outlandish recklessness of the governing Queen, who counterattacks with an onslaught of warriors. Thus begins a crossfire that would engulf the world in something far worse than political standoffs. Out of the band of thieves, one boy along with his entourage must battle his way through several awe-inspiring challenges to restore order and peace.

Game Description:  In this colorful, animated 3D adventure, gamers navigate Stuart through a variety of colorful Manhattan locations based on the feature film's locales. Players will interact with Stuart's new yellow canary friend Margalo, explore the Little's immense house, take a swim in the aquarium, and race through Central Park. The goal is to assist Stuart on his mission to recover stolen jewelry. Exciting hidden clips from the film and 12 action-packed minigames enhance the gameplay.

Parents and children in search of quality game software haven't had an easy time despite the industrys recent boom years. Theres no shortage of inane titles lining shelves with only a cartoon license or television character as the selling point, but these kinds of shovelware arent acceptable. If a game is too simplistic and boring, its hard for parents to maintain interest in their childs activity. If the game isnt very good to begin with, or if the difficulty level isnt keyed in to young ones, the child will get frustrated by the gameplay.

In the modern videogame industry, games are almost always created in Japan. Although most games are brought over to America and the other regions of the world, there are always a significant percentage of videogames that never make it out. Frequently, the only option for non-Japanese gamers has been to either buy a Japanese system or modify their American one, and then pay for imports that are largely incomprehensible to those who dont know Japanese.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence