Rating: 
Summary: Ouch.......
Review: People get paid for this!? If Square had given me two weeks, a pen, and lots of paper, I could make, all by myself, a strategy guide MUCH better than this for those in need of one. As the world's biggest Final Fantasy IX fan (believe it), I had to check this out and see if A. there were any extras in here worth buying it for and B. there was anything I missed, so that way I could get all that I could out of this epic masterpiece. Here's the problem: There are no extras for this guide. There's lame biographies for the characters, and you basically get the same drawings you'd find in your instruction booklet. No exclusive anything. It gets worst, too. If I did miss anything in the game (I didn't, sadly), it wouldn't have mattered anyway--as it only tells you to log onto PlayOnline.com (which is pretty lame itself, not to mention a pain). So if you want help on finding all the treasures with your chocobo, forget it, you won't get any help at all. The second ending? Nope. Finding out Garnet's real name? Sorry. The black jack code? I didn't see it in this guide. Even if it didn't include extras in here, I wouldn't have given it two stars. But to NOT include all the extras is a complete rip-off. There are lots of extras in this game for every gamer to enjoy--so why not put some more space in this guide on how to get them all? Put it this way--did you buy Final Fantasy IX only to play three of the four disks? Not likely. So why buy a guide that only walks you through the main sections of the game? Also, some of the battle strategies are laughably bad. Just check out the strategy for the last boss. Helpful? Uh, no. However, there is a few reasons why I didn't give this one star, one of them is the layouts. They're not the best I've ever seen, but they are pretty good. This guide also, for the most part, manages to walk you through the main sections of the without spoilers--something that should be in all guides. My advice is this--if you wanted extras like I did, just pick up the latest issue of Gamefan (a real magazine for real gamers, I might add) with Vivi on the cover--they have a great layout section for the game and a little history about the series for those that weren't there when it happened. But if you're looking for a great walkthrough...I'm sorry, it isn't here. I haven't seen an unofficial strategy guide yet, but one will surely pop up soon enough, so definitely wait for it instead of picking this up. If you can't wait though, don't do what this advertisement of a book tells you, as I've said earlier, PlayOnline.com is a pain to deal with. Instead, check out GameFAQS.com--they usually have tons of very in-depth walkthroughs for the latest games. Even if I had this when I first went through the game, it wouldn't have helped much, if at all. I can see certain parts were gamers might have trouble with this game and the guide doesn't help--and that is the sole reason this got a two star rating. I wanted this to have since I'm trying to get my grubby little hands on anything and everything FFIX related...but after looking at this, I put it back on the shelf (perhaps I'll get it down the road, just to have, since I love FFIX so much). Unless you desperately (very desperately) need a guide to this game, then you might want this. But check it out before you buy it--it isn't very helpful. Disappointing, kupo.
Rating: 
Summary: A waste
Review: After playing FF8 with the excellent strategy guide for it, I expected the same to happen with FF9. However, this guide does very little to help you. As a matter of fact I don't even see why this guide was made. To start off, the walkthrough section is just horrible. It only touches on the basic objectives of each area and then tells you to go to playonline.com for the in-depth strategy guide. Didn't these idiots know that the reason most people buy these guides is so that they don't have to run to their computers for a strategy guide? Trust me, you'd be better off without any guide at all than this one. The bestiary is incomplete and the guide for accessories/abilities is lackluster. If you've used any of the other guides then you would know why I say this one sucks. Overall I don't recommend this guide AT ALL. There should be no reason at all for you to buy this guide. You would be better off to just go to playonline.com and save your money.
Rating: 
Summary: Shallow guide for a deep game
Review: I probably should have reviewed this game guide before now and saved some people their money and a bit of anguish, though it looks like most people are in agreement over this one. What this guide DOES have: Excellent workups of the characters, weapons, magical abilities and the Tetra Master card game. A decent but not thorough walkthrough. An accurate world map. What this guide does NOT have: Complete side quest information, information on how to increase the characters' special abilities. Game secrets' clues. So, all in all it's not as dismal as it might first appear. If you want a color guidebook for this game, buy the book. It'll be frustrating, but it's still worth owning. However, you're still going to have to find some of the side quest information on the web (though don't go to the site provided in the book, unless you want MORE frustration.)As for the walkthrough, if you get stuck, just be persistent. The first time I played the game I stayed stuck in one location for months because I couldn't find one candle to light. I asked my friends, and they would just laugh at me and say to keep looking. So, what I'm saying is, you don't necessarily NEED the walkthrough to finish the game. I have played FFIX around 10 times and have basically found everything there is in it. The main failing of this guide is as I mentioned, the lack of providing information on the complex side quests such as Chocobo Hot and Cold (which lets you travel all over the world map to visit areas and discover treasures) and Mognet Central (which has you deliver letters for valuable rewards.) There is no way you would be able to complete Mognet Central without help or trying the quest on your own at least a dozen times. There are also two mini games "Racing Hippaul" and "Jump Rope" that look like they're very small things to do while you walk around town, but they're actually kind of important for collecting items. You would never know this from this guide. Re: Special Abilities. Everyone knows about Quina's special ability "Frog Drop" and how the more frogs you catch in the marshes the stronger it gets. But, did you know that Zidane and Freya ALSO have their own special abilities you can make stronger by completing other tasks? This is another thing not covered in the guide. One of the stupidest things I have ever seen in a print publication is in this guide. Now and then, when you encounter a problem the guide says "Log on to our website and enter code gobbledegook!" (or whatever) Who is going to pause their game and log on to the net? This tactic is used especially with game "secrets"; essentially fun trivia, but still part of the game you'd like to know! I could go on and on, but my point is, if you're deciding to get this guide so that you can get all you can out of an old favorite, this is SO not the guidebook for you. Head to your fave search engine and do your thing. If you haven't played the game before, this guide will be helpful, and it does have a lot of pictures. If you know the Bradygames guide to FF VIII, this one is half the size in weight and content. The Piggyback gameguide has the same "log on to our website" problem, though it may be a better guide.
Rating:
Summary: Worth 0 if you ask me.
Review: This guide literally gives FREE information. The complete guide can be found at www.squaresoft.com (changed from playonline now). Word for word, squaresoft.com has copied the book into html format. It is a COMPLETE ripoff. What you are buying is not useful information found in well written strategy guide. Instead, you're buying something that you could've gotten for free.
As for the guide itself, it proves useful and is well written. But no matter how good the guide is, the fact you can own it for free completely destroys the purpose of purchase.
Rating:
Summary: Sometimes it's Helpful
Review: I beat FFIX without the guide. I picked up the guide in a Blockbuster store to see if I missed any major game elements. I'm actually happy that I didn't beat the game with this guide, otherwise I would have made a major mistake. There are advertisements that are littered throughout the guide (i.e. The book says that you can unlock a secret weapon in the game, then there's a little sidenote that says "Refer to Playonline.com for details!"), and it happens on every page. Finally, when you try to go to Playonline.com, you have to become a memeber first. Sigh.
I looked at the final battle's description, and it didn't say much about how to beat it (luckily, I beat it without a guide). Overall, it's a reasonable book, but you may be better off just figuring things out on your own.
Rating:
Summary: DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!!!
Review: This guide tells you absolutely nothing except to go online for more info. Load of crap. If I wanted an online guide I would not have bought a paper one. This is a waste of your money AND your time. BUYER BEWARE!!
Rating:
Summary: A rip-off
Review: What is in the book is good quality stuff; what is NOT in the book makes it not worth the money to buy it. You buy a strategy guide for the STRATEGY (and maps, weapons lists, etc), not as a come-on to a website. Throughout the book you are prodded, time after time, to get on the internet, go to playonline.com, type in a "keyword", and retrieve information that should've been in the book in the first place. As if that wasn't bad enough, playonline.com only has Final Fantasy XI now. If they've archived FFIX and FFX I couldn't find them. So, basically, I unknowingly bought half a book. Very disappointing...
Rating:
Summary: Worst Final Fantasy Guide Ever
Review: Worst Guide Ever Made
Well for starters
At the back of the guide its says
Advanced Boss Stategies.
well lets see here
From Page 67 of guide Disk 1 Evil Forest
Boss Baku
HP 150
AP n/a
Weak Vs. N/a
Seal Hi-Potion,Iron sword
Spoils None
well Battle Tactics:
Make sure you steal items from Baku
Alternate attacks with attempts at thievery
Use Potions if Zidanes HP gets to low
well That Sucked Bad
1 most Guides Will tell you more
2 this Dan Birlew really did not try
On back cover it also says Comprehensive Besive Bestiary well
all it says is level,HP/MP,Gil,EXP,Steal
thats it and the Exp Section is not even correct Its says Exclusive Preview of the next final fantasy
well i looked all day and there was none!
In every Page nealy it says Go to playonline to learn more.
And the site does not work.
so its useless unless your a collecter and you don't want to rip the shrink wrap Well all Brady Guides Suck
the Best guide is Piggyback interactive
Epelley the Final Fantasy X guide it has everything and it Does not say go to playonline to see this or that
Rating:
Summary: Where's the Beef?
Review: The strategy guide business is one of being partly an aid and partly a souvenir. It's not often that a guide manages to fail on both counts. Especially when the underlying game is one as complex and varied an RPG as Final Fantasy IX. I'm not sure what was going on at Squaresoft's planning tables when they thought this out (other than a desire to save pages) but the guide is missing many of the key elements that should make a player willing to but it. Rather than provide a detailed walkthru, the information is split between the book and an online web site. All the real details, advice, and solutions require stopping the game, going online to find something out and then returning to the game. Since my Playstation is in one room, and the computer is in another, I wound up using the guide for high level order of play information and figuring everything else for myself. Since the game isn't particularly hard to follow through without a guide using it to amplify the playing experience is a futile exercise. In addition, in several places the guide has an irritating habit of telling you to do one thing and then telling you several pages later to do something else. I generally don't read guides through from cover to cover while taking notes. Instead I use the guide when I run into an problem or to make sure I haven't missed a side quest. One thing a guide should never do is cause a mistake that means I have to replay 10 hours work in order to correct a tiny omission. The supplied charts are acceptible, but uninspired in the amount of detail provided. And there are no maps worth mentioning. Even the amount and quality of imagery and graphic design are mediocre. Couple this with the fact that the website is generally accessible (all the manual does is provide special search keywords that really aren't needed) and I honestly can't encourage players to buy this guide.
Rating:
Summary: they lazy or something?
Review: I love brady games guides, but this one is just really stupid. Why do I buy a guide? To get the specs and items SO I DON'T HAVE TO GO ONLINE TO FIND THEM. You could find everthing you needed online. The guide told you pretty much everything that was obvious to find. The guide didn't have any area maps either. A few yrs. ago, I didn't have a computer, so when I finally got one that was internet capable, the site was only online for a few months more.
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