]- Final Fantasy IX - News -[

No other game has ever been the subject of so much speculation. Months before Final Fantasy IX was announced, fans began to debate what they wanted to see in the sequel. Should Square continue its trend to realistic environments and modern technology? Or would a return to the super-deformed ways of yore be better? Would composer Nobuo Uematsu return, or would the power of unsubstantiated rumors replace him with someone else?

Now, Square has finally brought its latest epic up to public scrutiny. Final Fantasy IX marks a sure-to-be-controversial return to the medieval environments and cartoony graphics of the earlier Final Fantasies. The classic pointy-hatted black mage has been spotted in the early footage, as have dragons, propeller-powered airships, and even a character with a cheetah tail. Unofficial translations of the text seen in the shots thus far reveal the names of four characters: Zotan, Pipi, Garnet, and Steiner.

But despite what some may argue, a medieval environment doesn't necessarily equate to a primitive game. We're sure to see plenty of FMV and flashy special effects, and battle scenes retain the transparent status display of Final Fantasy VIII. (Incidentally, the battle scenes also specifically list an MP statistic, giving a minor hint at what kind of magic system awaits.) However, in a nod to earlier FF games, the party size has been increased to accomodate four characters at once.

In-depth details are of course extremely scarce so soon after FF IX's announcement. But such question marks will be largely irrelevant to most RPG fans -- Final Fantasy IX is real, Final Fantasy IX is here at last, and Final Fantasy IX features super-deformed medieval characters.

Let the flame wars commence.