By far, the most annoying trophy/achievement in Final Fantasy IX is Movie Critic, which requires you to view 79 Active Time Events (ATEs). ATEs are basically little cutscenes that happen away from your controlled character, so you can see what other characters are doing during the current events. Despite the description saying you only need to view 79 of them, that actually includes all of them. There’s 83 total ATEs in the game, but three of them don’t count towards this trophy/achievement, leaving 80 total. Of course, there comes a point in the game where you have to make a choice on what to do (it’s a minor choice), with there being an ATE for each of the options, meaning you will miss one of those. Thus, you only get 79 ATEs to view, so you will have to get all of them in order to unlock this trophy/achievement.
This page will give details on all of the ATEs, saying whether they happen automatically or you have to trigger them yourself. To trigger the ATE, look for the Active Time Event to pop up in the bottom left corner of the screen, then press the Touchpad (PS4), Minus button (Switch), View button (Xbox One) or the Select button (all other Playstation consoles) to bring up a list of the current ATEs you can view. In some instances, you will need to pick specific ones, as to not make others go away, but those will be pointed out in the following guide.
The Evil Forest¶
The first area with ATEs is the Evil Forest, with nothing really standing out here. My Little Baby requires you to watch Time to Escape first, but that’s about it for this area. Note that you will get two of the Teach Me, Mogster! ATEs here, which don’t count towards the total for Movie Critic.
| ATE | Description |
|---|---|
| The Forest Keeper | Automatic |
| Time to Escape | -- |
| My Little Baby | Must view My Little Baby first |
| Girl Who Was Left Behind | -- |
| Orchestra in the Forest | Will get this where you encountered Prison Cage |
| Do As I Say, Not As I Do | Automatic |
The Village of Dali (First Visit)¶
Your first visit to Dali isn’t really eventful, as far as ATEs go. Dagger Tries Harder might not trigger right away, but avoid the equipment shop until you get it, just in case.
| ATE | Description |
|---|---|
| Vivi, Confused | -- |
| Dagger Tries | -- |
| Cat’s Eye | -- |
| Cat’s Eye 2 | Requires Cat’s Eye first |
| Dagger Tries Harder | Avoid shop and keep going between areas until it triggers; Requires Dagger Tries first |
| Queen Brahne’s Steiner | Automatic |
Lindblum (First Visit)¶
You’ll get your third, and final, Teach Me, Mogster! ATE here, which doesn’t count towards this trophy/achievement. There’s really nothing that stands out with your first visit to Lindblum, so you don’t have to go out of your way in doing anything.
| ATE | Description |
|---|---|
| Small Town Knight in a Big City | -- |
| Vivi’s Shopping | Automatic |
| Steam Engine | -- |
| What Can I Do? | Automatic |
| Baku and His Crew | -- |
Treno (First Visit)¶
Welcome to your first instance of a town where ATEs can be a nuisance, since you will want to follow a set path, in order to get them all. Make sure you do the ATEs in the table below in the following order, as you might miss out on one.
| ATE | Description |
|---|---|
| Treno Tradition | Pick this one at the beginning |
| Pursuit | Head left after previous one and view this one |
| Confusion | Head down the stairs after previous one |
| Ambition | Head south after the previous one |
| Meeting Place | Backtrack to entrance and go up stairs on the right for this one |
| Unexpected Visitor | Go north after previous ATE |
| Crime and Punishment | Return to Treno after visiting Tot’s tower |
Cleyra¶
You will need Quina here to view two of the four ATEs, so if you didn’t pick him/her up after completing the events at Lindblum, you won’t see them. Other than that, explore the town before advancing the story to make sure you have all four of the ATEs.
| ATE | Description |
|---|---|
| No Yummy-Yummies! | -- |
| There a Mushroom! | -- |
| Don’t Hate Me | -- |
| I-I Haven’t Hurt Anyone | -- |
Alexandria Castle (Second Visit)¶
There’s only one ATE here and it happens automatically, after the boss fight in the basement, so you can’t miss it.
| ATE | Description |
|---|---|
| Friendship | Automatic |
Lindblum (Second Visit)¶
There are only three ATEs here and two will happen automatically, with the one you have to trigger being easy to find.
| ATE | Description |
|---|---|
| The Third Jewel | -- |
| Brahne’s Fleet Arrives | Automatic |
| <Gwok-gwok!> How infuriating! | Automatic |
Conde Petie (First Visit)¶
You will want to be careful with roaming about Conde Petie, as visiting some places before you’re meant to will cause you to miss the ATEs. Follow the list below for the first four, then don’t worry too much about the final one.
| ATE | Description |
|---|---|
| Vivi and the Couple | Watch this one first |
| Quina Accused | Go left after watching previous ATE |
| Quina Can’t Communicate | Pass through either of other two doors after previous ATE |
| Dagger and William | Return to entrance and go east one room |
| Hungry Bryan | After speaking with Vivi after he runs away |
Black Mage Village (First Visit)¶
The Black Mage Village is another of those areas where it can be very easy to miss an ATE or two, particularly the Gourmand’s Nose one. This is another area where you will want to follow the list of ATEs below as a walkthrough.
| ATE | Description |
|---|---|
| Everyday Life | Pick this at the beginning |
| Life On The Run | After previous ATE, go right one screen (not far right path) |
| Gourmand’s Nose | Pass through back door of item shop, then out the normal exit to get this one to appear |
| Different Language | Return to beginning of village and take far right path |
| Visitor, Not Invader | Ignoring any buildings, go to far left of village and enter graveyard via left exit |
| Life Cycle | Enter synthesis shop and final one will pop when Dagger leaves |
Conde Petie (Second Visit)¶
On your second visit to Conde Petie, there is only a single ATE, but it is possible to miss it if you don’t pay attention to a response you have to give. After the ceremony with Dagger and Zidane is over, answer the question to Vivi/Quina with “Why don’t you guys get married, too?” The ATE will automatically trigger during the following scene.
| ATE | Description |
|---|---|
| Nuptial Joy | Automatic after answering with “Why don’t you guys get married, too?” |
Madain Sari (First Visit)¶
It’s not entirely sure if you need to do the specific stuff during the ATEs here to have the other ATEs show up, but it might be needed, so that will be listed. There is a slight order to the ATEs here, so you might as well follow the table below.
| ATE | Description |
|---|---|
| Vivi’s Feelings | Pick this at the beginning |
| Dagger’s Feelings | After previous, go north and then back to fountain area |
| Eiko’s Feelings | Go north, talk to moogle to make Quina appear, then back to fountain; Chimomo (fishing), Mocha (potatoes), Momatose (kitchen) |
| Eiko’s Kitchen | Automatic; 11 people, No oglop, Lend a hand |
| Eiko’s Kitchen 2 | Ask Quina for advice |
Alexandria on Disc 3¶
The ATEs here, when controlling Vivi, shouldn’t be too troublesome to get. Just follow the table below, in case.
| ATE | Description |
|---|---|
| It’s So Big! | Go right of the bar |
| Long Time No See! | Return to the bar and go left once |
| To Fly High | Return to the bar for this one |
| Artemicion | Go to the main square |
| I Forgot! | Should trigger after walking out of bar with Zidane |
| Clowns on a Dark Night | Automatic |
Treno on Disc 3¶
Treno on the third disc can be a big trouble spot, since this is where one ATE could be missable. During the second ATE here, How He Ended Up Here, you have to choice to either send Vivi back home or let him stay in Treno. Letting him stay will have an ATE that you can trigger later on during your visit, while sending him home will also have another ATE you can trigger later. If you send him home, under no circumstances should you go to Quan’s Dwelling until you finish your first card game in the tournament, as that is when you can trigger Home Sweet Home. You will also want to make sure you pick “I’m interested” when given the choice during Good Old Days, as you won’t get the second ATE if you don’t.
| ATE | Description |
|---|---|
| Eiko Talks Life | Will pop when you first gain control |
| How He Ended Up Here | Either let Vivi visit home or have him stay in Treno (will miss one ATE here) |
| Hippo’s Prize | Can trigger outside of Tot’s tower (only if Vivi stays in Treno) |
| Memories By The Water | Triggers outside of Tot’s tower; Can go to another screen if pick Hippo’s Prize first |
| City People | Outside of card stadium |
| Good Old Days | After the first card game (pick this and its subsequent ATE first before Home Sweet Home, if Vivi went home); Choose “I’m interested” when given the option |
| Lessons of Life | Only available after picking “I’m interested” during previous ATE |
| Home Sweet Home | Pick after the previous two ATEs (only if Vivi visited his home) |
| Hallucination | After the second card game |
| Premonition | After the second card game |
Lindblum on Disc 3¶
This should be the last trouble spot for ATEs in the game, as there are a few tricky ones here. First and foremost, when you talk with Blank in the guest room at the beginning, make sure you ask him about Dagger, as you won’t get My Bad later. Also, if you didn’t watch Hallucination during your previous trip to Treno, then you won’t get Something Washed Ashore. The last tricky spot here is the final two ATEs. Before you go back to Cid with the three potions, make sure you spend all of your money and it’s below 50 Gil. During the No Free Lunch ATE, Zidane will forfeit the rest of his money, then you’ll get Give Me My Money! once you board the Blue Narciss.
| ATE | Description |
|---|---|
| Something Washed Ashore | Won’t trigger if you didn’t watch Hallucination in Lindblum |
| My Bad | Must have picked “Where’s Dagger?” when speaking with Blank in the guest room |
| Self-Reproach | Automatic |
| Deep Anger | Automatic |
| My Hammer | -- |
| The Rally | Should trigger if you met Wei and Kal in Burmecia |
| No Free Lunch | Make sure you have less than 50 Gil on you before viewing this |
| Give Me My Money! | Automatic; Only triggers if you have less than 50 Gil before watching No Free Lunch |
Lindblum on Disc 3 (2)¶
Both ATEs here are automatic, so there’s nothing to worry about with them.
| ATE | Description |
|---|---|
| Team | Automatic |
| Recovery | Automatic |
Bran Bal¶
All four of the ATEs here will trigger when you’re in control of Eiko.
| ATE | Description |
|---|---|
| Place to Call Home | Should trigger when you gain control of Eiko |
| Where the Heart Is | Upon exiting the inn |
| Came into this World | Go to the right of the inn |
| The Truth | Inside the north building, where a bunch of NPCs are located |
Pandemonium¶
The final ATE is in Pandemonium, at the elevator section. In order to get it, though, you will have to perform a series of tasks. To begin, set the standard heading to zero, then head into the room on the left. While in here, try to jump from all three accessible ledges, only to be blocked. Return to the controls and change the heading to 2, then do the same thing as above. Upon going back to the controls one more time, there will be a scene and returning to the left room will allow you to activate The Elevator ATE.
| ATE | Description |
|---|---|
| The Elevator | Read above for what to do |
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