IGN

• PC
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

• N64
• 4.3 / 10
• États-Unis

• DC
• NG
• PS2
• PS4
• SWITCH
• 7.4 / 10
• États-Unis

I hate to say it, but King of Fighters 2000 is the game that finally had me doubting the future of the series. Don't misunderstand me; it's not a terrible title in the least (in fact, it's quite entertaining when you're playing with a group of people that know what they're doing), it's just that we've been battling this way for so damn long, I fear it's starting to become stale. And what's really terrifying is that this was a game built nearly three years ago -- there have been two more since then. How will those two stand up when they make it to the PlayStation 2? That said, King of Fighters 2000 is still a great import purchase for fighting fans and SNK diehards. A title that saw mucho playtime in the Dunham household (a home where we still firmly believe that King of Fighters 97 is quite possibly greatest fighting game ever made), KOF 2000 is what it is, and whether or not that hurts it or helps it is up to you.

• PS
• 6.8 / 10
• États-Unis

• PS
• 5 / 10
• États-Unis

• PS
• 3.2 / 10
• États-Unis

• DC
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

• GB
• 3 / 10
• États-Unis

• GB
• 7 / 10
• États-Unis

• PS
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

• PS2
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

• PS2
• 9 / 10
• États-Unis

• PS
• 3.5 / 10
• États-Unis

• PS2
• 7.7 / 10
• États-Unis

• PS3
• IOS
• ANDROID
• PC
• PS4
• XONE
• SWITCH
• 9.2 / 10
• États-Unis

What's a little unnerving about FFIX is that, after several Final Fantasies in succession, you can start picking out the Tinkertoys. What I mean is, you can see the plot and character elements being recycled from previous games. This is obviously something I can't talk about in detail, but there are elements obviously drawn from VI, VII, and VIII all through the plot of IX, and if it hadn't been eight years since I played IV, I could probably pick out a few common threads there as well. No, wait, I take that back, nailed at least one lift from IV. It's not on the scale of something like the anime references in Xenogears, where you could fill a book-length concordance with all the familiar moments, but it's enough to make me wonder whether Square couldn't be better served siphoning off a little of the CG budget and beefing up the scenario design staff. FFIX is uncomfortably familiar in terms of narrative structure as well as narrative content. Like the previous PlayStation FFs, and to a lesser extent the series in general, events progress in a particular way - up until the wide-open rose-smelling sections on the third disc, you move predictably from chapter to chapter of the tale and don't deviate particularly far from your path. Lengthy sections of the game up through that point are thoroughly noninteractive, too, as you tap the X button through scenes of dialogue or wander about towns looking for the particular characters and items that will push the plot forward. On a larger scale, you battle your way through part of the plot, get the ship, sail to the other continent, explore more of the plot, get the airship, encounter the pre-climactic bits, get the run of the world to build up your levels and equipment in preparation for the final battle, and then proceed to the endgame. The previous sentence could describe VII, VIII, or IX with equal precision. Final Fantasy could go on forever re-creating its particular spin on the traditional heroic quest, and it would be a success every single time, but I can't help feeling as if something that features this kind of majestic visual craftsmanship ought to host a story built with equal care. I recognize the value which these conventions hold for both Square and the series' legions of fans, but in the words of a great philosopher, overspecialization leads to death. There's going to be a point one of these days where the formula won't necessarily work anymore. There will come a day that beauty will finally prove to go only skin deep. This is the last Final Fantasy on the PlayStation, and a brave new world of next-generation consoles awaits, in which the destination of Square's flagship series remains uncertain. What is Final Fantasy X going to be - a leap ahead like Final Fantasy VII was, or more of what we've seen on the PlayStation? What on earth will Final Fantasy XI be - if it follows its current trend, it may very well be the most amazing game that no power in the world will be able to make me play. Eh, probably just me getting old again. The fact of the matter is that there has never been a Final Fantasy that delivered less than your money's worth of adventure - not now, and probably not ever - and I can't see any Final Fantasy fan experiencing any disappointment at the end of their experience with Final Fantasy IX. Its conclusion may not be the most original you could conceive of, but it's no less satisfying for that. Perhaps I just need to sit back, relax, and remember how I used to feel when I played these games. It was a long time ago, and I was a rather different person then, but reliving the good old days is more than half the point of FFIX.

• PS
• 5 / 10
• États-Unis

• PC
• 6.7 / 10
• États-Unis

• PS
• 6 / 10
• États-Unis