Man, it pained me so much to see all of that cool shit hinted at in the preproduction works not get used in the final product. Floating cities, Zidane having a real special attack, art that showed the characters being able to interact with friendly dragons and other shit, the air-suspended Lolo fish that could phase through walls, the Black Mage Army being a completely different concept, etc. It would have been neat to have played that version of IX, and maybe have the final result be X, and the rest of the games moved up a number or whatever...
Anyone remember the pre-production shots and art of FFIX?
- Thread starter belgurdo
- Start date
BobbyRobby
Member
jett said:
This I remember.
I wish Square would back off the Realistic character designs again after XII. I doubt it will happen though, as FFIX didn't sell that well compared to the others.
Despite the loadtimes and disregard for a central villain that doesn't reak of embarrassment to the eyes, this could be my favorite FF game of the PSX trilogy and certainly of the last half dozen years.
A lot of that praise is focused on the cohesive blend of stylized art poured into the settings and characters. True to form from beginning to end, the FF franchise has failed to deliver a unified look that reaches the level of FF9 for quite a while now. Though I enjoy the dignified neo-victorian trappings FF8 attempted, it was pretty spotty in sustaining itself and much of the game delivered a mish-mash of artistic visions that didn't incite a unified whole, or maybe that is the point given all the time-collapsing and stuff. FFX/X-2 came closer, but I'm just not a fan of the stylistic direction it went. FF7 was just all over the place, plus it needed more Hot Turk action.
Besides, the ragtag group of NPC rogues that dipped in and out of camera focus during FF9 were just awesome and bear mention.
A lot of that praise is focused on the cohesive blend of stylized art poured into the settings and characters. True to form from beginning to end, the FF franchise has failed to deliver a unified look that reaches the level of FF9 for quite a while now. Though I enjoy the dignified neo-victorian trappings FF8 attempted, it was pretty spotty in sustaining itself and much of the game delivered a mish-mash of artistic visions that didn't incite a unified whole, or maybe that is the point given all the time-collapsing and stuff. FFX/X-2 came closer, but I'm just not a fan of the stylistic direction it went. FF7 was just all over the place, plus it needed more Hot Turk action.
Besides, the ragtag group of NPC rogues that dipped in and out of camera focus during FF9 were just awesome and bear mention.
JoshuaJSlone
Member
This was a theory expounded on The GIA before the FF IX info arrived, I believe. The reasoning was something like...Jonnyram said:
There have been 3 FFs on each system thus far. However, we're getting pretty late in the life of this system now; do they really have time for an all-new Final Fantasy? As well, the early shots of Laguna (in civilian clothing) don't match up with the more recent shots we've seen of him (in armor). Thus we theorize that FF VIII has gone through some pretty big shifts, and has in fact become both FF VIII and IX.
I tried a few months back. I found a site that had GIA content archived, but it didn't have those images.belgurdo said:
Eureka!
Here's the FFIX page:
http://web.archive.org/web/20010628132203/thegia.com/psx/ff9/ff9.html
unfortunately most of it hasn't been archived... PRIORITIES, people! :lol
Here's the FFIX page:
http://web.archive.org/web/20010628132203/thegia.com/psx/ff9/ff9.html
unfortunately most of it hasn't been archived... PRIORITIES, people! :lol
Trying to stay on topic for the most part: having been new to the series (having only played VII prior to IX), I found that many of the parts of the game were fitting... in regards to the art of the whole thing.
The feel of the game, no matter what part you were playing in, really molded into SEPARATE areas. I felt that pirates lived on a boat... or that I was currently sleeping in an area that a King inhabited... furthermore... I felt gloom and doom when the appropriate time called for it. I was also I big fan of the BIG HEADS! The character models were easy to embrace and, for the most part, are also pretty rememberable.
I was also extremely impressed with the colors. I'm not (nor will I pretend to be) an artist in any way shape or form... but I appreciate blends and variety... I remember distincting while playing IX that the colors that were available to each area were not just fitting, as mentioned before, but also vast and vibrant. Cool shit.
I also enjoyed Kuja (his model, character, etc.)... however the lack of a steady villain in FFIX hurt the game... but only slightly.
Off topic now
:What I find interesting about FFIX... is the fact that it is the last of it's kind in that it will always have the distinction of being the Final Final Fantasy w/o voice acting. Seeing as how voice acting is the new trend in video gaming... we will never, ever be able to apply our own personalities and attributes to our FF characters like we used to.
Zidane (or whatever you named him), you are the last of your kind.
The feel of the game, no matter what part you were playing in, really molded into SEPARATE areas. I felt that pirates lived on a boat... or that I was currently sleeping in an area that a King inhabited... furthermore... I felt gloom and doom when the appropriate time called for it. I was also I big fan of the BIG HEADS! The character models were easy to embrace and, for the most part, are also pretty rememberable.
I was also extremely impressed with the colors. I'm not (nor will I pretend to be) an artist in any way shape or form... but I appreciate blends and variety... I remember distincting while playing IX that the colors that were available to each area were not just fitting, as mentioned before, but also vast and vibrant. Cool shit.
I also enjoyed Kuja (his model, character, etc.)... however the lack of a steady villain in FFIX hurt the game... but only slightly.
Off topic now
:What I find interesting about FFIX... is the fact that it is the last of it's kind in that it will always have the distinction of being the Final Final Fantasy w/o voice acting. Seeing as how voice acting is the new trend in video gaming... we will never, ever be able to apply our own personalities and attributes to our FF characters like we used to. Zidane (or whatever you named him), you are the last of your kind.
SantaC
Member
Unison said:Eureka!
Here's the FFIX page:
http://web.archive.org/web/20010628132203/thegia.com/psx/ff9/ff9.html
unfortunately most of it hasn't been archived... PRIORITIES, people! :lol
wtf? That doesn't beat the current art.