"You're on a Mission of Hope."

[rainless]

Final Fantasy III sucks.

I've said it before... but it's time to re-emphasize.

I just made it through the second mission of Phoenix Wright: And Justice For All... so I stopped to ask myself:

"Wasn't I just in the middle of another DS game... What the hell was it..."

I couldn't remember...

I unlocked the Dark Magacian in Yu Gi Oh 2007... but it wasn't that. Before that, I finished the first Phoenix Wright...

Ahhh! Final Fantasy III...

The game I was quoted as saying: "I put it down one day, and never felt like picking it up again."

Why is that?

First of all: I never even knew what the hell I was supposed to be doing in the game! Some strange crystal tells me: "You're on a mission of hope!"

WHAT THE F**K DOES THAT MEAN?!?!

There's no "enemy" so to speak. But... worse than that... there's no YOU!

Often times you're forced to switch "Jobs" for your character in the middle of the game, and your main character has little or no individuality at all. You have absolutely no mission. The whole game (not that I ever want to see all of it) seems composed of a series of side quests that will ultimately lead to...

...well I don't really care where they'll lead anymore.

The Phoenix Wright series does an EXCELLENT job of foreshadowing events. There are constantly flashbacks of things that happened in the pasts and small hints of things that will happen in the future. It's accomplished with a remarkable subtlety that draws the player into the character.

This, of course, only makes Final Fantasy more insulting.

At the very least I didn't pay the full $39.99 price tag (I bought it during Target's WONDERFUL $24 DS Easter sale) and it made for a wonderful 2 hour distraction...

Here we see the difference between "distraction" and "entertainment."

[hUMANbEATbOX]

wow, a rainless thread with no responses.

I'M HERE FOR YA RAIN!!!

[FudgeNuggets]

I never was a fan of ANY of the Final Fantasy games, but I'm not a fan of RPGs escpecially turn based ones in general.

Word was just released that they're bringing Phoenix Wright III to the US. Phoenix Wright 4 is coming soon in Japan, but has all new characters.

Phoenix Wright is a GREAT game, it's just a little odd when a 9 year old girl suddenly turns into a dead woman with gigantic knockers. ;)

[hUMANbEATbOX]

t's just a little odd when a 9 year old girl suddenly turns into a dead woman with gigantic knockers. ;)

*runs out to buy a DS*

oh wait...did you say dead?? eww...

[rainless]

wow, a rainless thread with no responses.

I'M HERE FOR YA RAIN!!!

One thing about my threads... I usually do get a hell of a lot of responses. Thanks for chiming in beat! :beer:

@Fudge

Yeah Phoenix Wright is superbly well done. You can't pick up Final Fantasy III after playing through a Phoenix Wright game... It's just... NOT WORTHY.

How much did you say you got on a trade in for DS games? I'm thinking of trading Final Fantasy III and using the cash to get Ghost Rider for the GBA. Supposed to be a good beat-em-up.

[shard]

I never was a fan of ANY of the Final Fantasy games, but I'm not a fan of RPGs escpecially turn based ones in general.

Word was just released that they're bringing Phoenix Wright III to the US. Phoenix Wright 4 is coming soon in Japan, but has all new characters.

Phoenix Wright is a GREAT game, it's just a little odd when a 9 year old girl suddenly turns into a dead woman with gigantic knockers. ;)


Most of the time FF seems to be a cult following due to pressure by other fans, and no one is daring enough to jump up in front of them and shout that they really dont like the games. I find most of the them mind numbingly redundant and repetetive. I like dynamic and interesting games. Tales of Symphonia, or Rogue Galaxy is what I would say are far more fun. That and they have a by far a battle system that is actually..... FUN! Wow thats amazing to have in a console /jap RPG.

What I consider masterful RPG's are Baldur's Gate (1&2) Planescape Torment, KOTOR (1 only, 2 was.... odd) NWN 1&2. Why are they held in such high regard with me? Because you are not a bloody bull being pulled around by a supposed 'Destiny' That no one told you about, and you are expected to accept as fact of life. I dunno, if someone told me it was my destiny, I would tell them to f*** off and go back to plowin my fields ;) But for a large part I never liked the FF series all that much. Though I do enjoy FF6, and FF12, not too bad. Also for the most part enjoyable.

But what I consider my all time fav game can also be considered a RPG too. Deus Ex :P The first one. It had it all right, and still had you guessing to the end. Also the masterful way that they tied in all the major and minor conspiracies was awesomet too.

But cheer up rain, its just a dumb FF game (/me cringes as he hears the horde coming)

[zexmarquies01]

in regards to you shard, about FF fans not wanting to say anything bad about the FF series....wow, way off base there.

Most of us KNOW that the final fantasy series is starting to suck ( well, FF12 is pretty good ). Its just that we hope, and wish, and pray that square gets their act together, and finally makes another GOOD...TURN BASED final fantasy game.

personally, i really liked them up to 7 and 8. But then 9 was the down-fall for me. 10 was....bleh, 10-2 was garbage, 11 is online only and you can't friggin solo. ( i hate FF10-2 the most, then FF9, then FF11 ).

we just keep hoping they redeem themselfs again.....

~sigh~ doubt that will happen though.

[hUMANbEATbOX]

Most of us KNOW that the final fantasy series is starting to suck

starting to suck? i thought this thread was about how FF3 sucks...didn't that originally come out a LOOOONG time ago?

p.s. this post is brought to you by a person who has never really played any FF games for any amount of quantifiable time. :D

[FudgeNuggets]

How much did you say you got on a trade in for DS games? I'm thinking of trading Final Fantasy III and using the cash to get Ghost Rider for the GBA. Supposed to be a good beat-em-up.

Depends on the game. I got a good trade in Value for Mario Kart, like $15 when I bought it used for $20, but then I paid $30 new for Hotel Dusk and only got $15 in trade for it 2 weeks later and it is supposed to be a "hot" game.

[shard]

in regards to you shard, about FF fans not wanting to say anything bad about the FF series....wow, way off base there.

Most of us KNOW that the final fantasy series is starting to suck ( well, FF12 is pretty good ). Its just that we hope, and wish, and pray that square gets their act together, and finally makes another GOOD...TURN BASED final fantasy game.

personally, i really liked them up to 7 and 8. But then 9 was the down-fall for me. 10 was....bleh, 10-2 was garbage, 11 is online only and you can't friggin solo. ( i hate FF10-2 the most, then FF9, then FF11 ).

we just keep hoping they redeem themselfs again.....

~sigh~ doubt that will happen though.


There are real fans, you, that are not part of what I was describing, but as a large chunk of the FF fans around here, and many other places, its pressure from each other. Same goes with alot of anime and music out there too. Its pressure from other fans that further the fan base of alot of this stuff (read:trash) But all in all, my opinion largely, is the fact that due to the exposure of FF nowdays, its been brought out to what it really is. Being while FF7 was yes a landmark, all in all it was just that. I got rather bored by it, unlike many of the stuff that comes for bioware and black isle (long live BI :D) I always felt riveted to and there was a large dynamic to it. Such as conversations, not narrations ;)

But back to what I was saying about exposure. FF has suffered ever since FF7, when I say suffer, I dont mean bad sales, or lack of fans. I mean the exact opposite. Its like a young child being smothered by a spoiled parent or relative. What I mean by that is originally FF was a good franchise, but small time for the most part. Never really building much steam, and never living off of itself. And then came FF7, was very small at first, and then about a couple months before it got to us here in the states, it went thermo-critical. The hype machine went to warp 11, and all of sudden the game was bigger then any publisher could have hoped, long before the release was even uppon us. After that a very large margin (60%+) of the current fanbase jumped on right there. And then came 8. Now mind you, square/square enix never had some grand plan for their next releases, they just wanted to release another FF game, plain and simple, its what they do, and they wanted to do it. And of course they get paid well, thats what happens when something gets big. Well, low and behold, the game in a vast sense sucked in many ways. Hell its considered to be one of the most hated FF ever made next to FF11. Now why is this said? And why have the subsequent releases also bombed in gamers eyes (not sales mind you)? This is why. The FF franchise got much bigger then what the actual fanbase could support, now what does that mean you ask? It means just this. As the fanbase rapidly exploded right after FF7's release, it build a single mind and single want from that day. It wanted more FF7. Which means only one thing. No matter what happens, a VERY large majority gamers and fans will NEVER settle for anything else then more FF7, because to them thats all the FF series ever was. Well excuse me, but last time I checked, FF7 was the SEVENTH release, not the first :P. And that is teh vicious cycle that plagues the fan base of all FF releases. If it aint FF7 it sucks, and if it is, its not as good as the original so it sucks.

Now I am not saying this as an overall generalization, but as a statement about a very large portion of fans, disgruntled fans of their own making. Now this disgruntlement is said to carry on into all walks of japanese game fandom. Not too sure the relevency there, but the same mentality can most certainly exist.


So to sum this all up, the moral of my story is that more then anything, the reason for FF games sucking is not entirely the developers fault, but more the fans fault for expecting so much out of something that isnt what they want it to be. FF is not a sequel based development. Its only relevence to each other is the developer and the owners. Its simply a franchise name :P



Oh well enough ranting for today :D Enjoy folks.

[Ebola]

Lots of FF hate here. I'll admit when there's a bad one but not everything is going downhill. Final Fantasy 2 was pretty crappy too on GBA. I think I decided to kill my own characters to level up. On the otherhand I'm a big fan of XII even with it's one major flaw (spawning treasures, uhg) but I didn't care for 9, X, or X2. There are a lot of FF games, not all of them can be winners.

[rainless]

Lots of FF hate here. I'll admit when there's a bad one but not everything is going downhill. Final Fantasy 2 was pretty crappy too on GBA. I think I decided to kill my own characters to level up. On the otherhand I'm a big fan of XII even with it's one major flaw (spawning treasures, uhg) but I didn't care for 9, X, or X2. There are a lot of FF games, not all of them can be winners.

The shocking thing though (so much for no posts on a Rainless thread :) ) is that Final Fantasy III is a VERY popular... and expensive... game on the DS. Maybe it's just popular among kids who don't know any better? Maybe it's got something to do with the weather? But it's truly the definition of a bad DS game.

It's almost senseless that the would release Final Fantasy THREE... not some numbering problem... but really a game that's almost twenty years old... for the DS, and release all the newer games for the GBA. It just doesn't make any sense. It doesn't add up... They just released VI for the GBA... and that was shortly after releasing V. And they're STILL stuck on III for the DS.

And that's the tickler... MANY games are released for GBA that are better than their DS counterparts (Ghost Rider, TMNT, and Final Fantasy to name a few.) Even Phoenix Wright was originally released on GBA. It's hard to make sense out of that...

(And Yu Gi Oh looks MUCH better on GBA.)

[OC Noob]

The shocking thing though (so much for no posts on a Rainless thread :) ) is that Final Fantasy III is a VERY popular... and expensive... game on the DS. Maybe it's just popular among kids who don't know any better? Maybe it's got something to do with the weather? But it's truly the definition of a bad DS game.

It's almost senseless that the would release Final Fantasy THREE... not some numbering problem... but really a game that's almost twenty years old... for the DS, and release all the newer games for the GBA. It just doesn't make any sense. It doesn't add up... They just released VI for the GBA... and that was shortly after releasing V. And they're STILL stuck on III for the DS.

And that's the tickler... MANY games are released for GBA that are better than their DS counterparts (Ghost Rider, TMNT, and Final Fantasy to name a few.) Even Phoenix Wright was originally released on GBA. It's hard to make sense out of that...

(And Yu Gi Oh looks MUCH better on GBA.)

They ported it for a reason, but I can't recall what it was...

Found it:

"FFIII was notorious for being the only early Final Fantasy title to never be remade or ported in any form, and also for being the only FF to never be released outside of Japan."

http://www.gamespot.com/ds/rpg/finalfantasyiii/news.html?sid=6110005

Not that it makes the game any better, but thats probably why they ported it to the DS.

[shard]

Lots of FF hate here. I'll admit when there's a bad one but not everything is going downhill. Final Fantasy 2 was pretty crappy too on GBA. I think I decided to kill my own characters to level up. On the otherhand I'm a big fan of XII even with it's one major flaw (spawning treasures, uhg) but I didn't care for 9, X, or X2. There are a lot of FF games, not all of them can be winners.



No, no hate, I have played most of the games, and granted they are pretty decent. But the fan following is rather disgusting. Right up there with many anime fans.

[rainless]

They ported it for a reason, but I can't recall what it was...

Found it:

"FFIII was notorious for being the only early Final Fantasy title to never be remade or ported in any form, and also for being the only FF to never be released outside of Japan."

http://www.gamespot.com/ds/rpg/finalfantasyiii/news.html?sid=6110005

Not that it makes the game any better, but thats probably why they ported it to the DS.

But still... Why the DS? Why not the GBA? Or even the Xbox Live Arcade? Or the ORIGINAL gameboy? There's a good reason why it was never ported... it's absolutely the worst game in the entire series. Worse than that! It's the worst RPG that I've ever played.

The entire idea behind an RPG is that you're supposed to build and improve a character... But you're building and improving a NON-character... who's a magician one minute, a kung-fu fighter the next, and occaisionally a theiving prostitute on the weekends.

But in reality your character is never any of these things. And if they are even a character at all, THAT fact would get lost because you also don't really have a quest!

What the hell is an RPG with neither a character or a quest?

You'll occaisionally run into real characters throughout the game and you might say to yourself: "Boy I wish I was HIM! He seems really cool." Unfortunately...

I'm going to stop there. Thinking about this game just makes me angrier.

[DumpALump]

The game I'd say isn't for people who started playing FF7 and on. It really is for people who played a lot of the old FF games. I started playing FF4 (FF2 US) back in 1992 and thats the game that got me hooked into console RPG type games. So even though FF3 is not exactly a great game by today's standards, for the time it definitely was a pretty good game. I grew up with games that did not have huge stories or were too complex especially on Dos. So this game is definitely fun for me.

Of course by today's standards people want graphics, hence the reason they make FF3 3D. Many believe pokemon is the holy grail of games. I don't know, I've tried to really enjoy pokemon, but for some reason it just doesn't have enough for me. Not that I am going to say pokemon sucks.

Every game appeals to some niche. So within that niche FF3 is a great game. There are some truely aweful games, but FF3 is definitely not one of them.

[rainless]

The game I'd say isn't for people who started playing FF7 and on. It really is for people who played a lot of the old FF games. I started playing FF4 (FF2 US) back in 1992 and thats the game that got me hooked into console RPG type games. So even though FF3 is not exactly a great game by today's standards, for the time it definitely was a pretty good game. I grew up with games that did not have huge stories or were too complex especially on Dos. So this game is definitely fun for me.

Of course by today's standards people want graphics, hence the reason they make FF3 3D. Many believe pokemon is the holy grail of games. I don't know, I've tried to really enjoy pokemon, but for some reason it just doesn't have enough for me. Not that I am going to say pokemon sucks.

Every game appeals to some niche. So within that niche FF3 is a great game. There are some truely aweful games, but FF3 is definitely not one of them.

I'm forced to disagree (just my personal opinion.) I started out with Final Fantasy II on the SNES. It didn't have great graphics or anything... but it was AWESOME. And the reason WHY it was awesome was the individuality of the characters. Like there was that badass dude that had that attack where he would drop out of the sky. And everybody else on the team had their thing. FF3 sucks because there's no individuality... and the story really doesn't make sense... and I forget what the final straw was that made me sell it. (I was actually making progress.)

I can see someone liking the game. But I can't imagine it ever qualifying as "great." Even in the eyes of Final Fantasy Fanatics.

Which I suppose reiterates your point: It really isn't for everybody.

Final Fantasy II was for EVERYBODY. I had never touched a role-playing game before that. But that was a game that would make a believer out of anybody.

THAT was great.

[sulretal]

I know what you're saying, tons of FF fanboys out there. I've always stood by this, but the only Final Fantasies I ever enjoyed were Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy 8.

[zexmarquies01]

I know what you're saying, tons of FF fanboys out there. I've always stood by this, but the only Final Fantasies I ever enjoyed were Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy 8.


YAY, and FF8 fan!

i don't see why everyone hates FF8 so much....I think it was a GREAT game. DAMN good story, great characters that had a personality of their own. The Magic system was sweet, and the Junction system was GREAT.

and greatest of all about the game....TRIPLE TRIAD! God, i love that card game!

And Sulretal...yes, i agree Final Fantasy Tactics was a GREAT game. OMG the story in it was insane! one of my favorite games of all time! I can't wait for the Re-make on the PSP!

[SeasonalEclipse]

YAY, and FF8 fan!

i don't see why everyone hates FF8 so much....I think it was a GREAT game. DAMN good story, great characters that had a personality of their own. The Magic system was sweet, and the Junction system was GREAT.

and greatest of all about the game....TRIPLE TRIAD! God, i love that card game!

And Sulretal...yes, i agree Final Fantasy Tactics was a GREAT game. OMG the story in it was insane! one of my favorite games of all time! I can't wait for the Re-make on the PSP!


Amen!! FF8 was the best of them all to me. The story was far more dramatic and in depth then FF7 or any of the others. My one friend told me though that because of the battle system being so "messed up" that he refused to play it.. I dont call it messed up.. I found it to be a improvement of the others. It might take a while to get used to but once your used to it its great!

[Burninate]

Amen!! FF8 was the best of them all to me. The story was far more dramatic and in depth then FF7 or any of the others. My one friend told me though that because of the battle system being so "messed up" that he refused to play it.. I dont call it messed up.. I found it to be a improvement of the others. It might take a while to get used to but once your used to it its great!

The battle system was fine. I just didn't like the whole magic syphoning thing. I prefered the materia system from FF7. It seemed to work well and wasn't overly complicated.

I've played all the FF's except for 3 and 5, so I can't comment on this one in particular. But, I don't really like the FF's with the job system. I think it takes a bit out of the personality of the characters. On that note, I think they really got good with FF4 and they've all been pretty good since. Especially 7,8 and 9. the only part I didn't like about 8 was when the party splits into groups towards the end and you're forced to use party members you hadn't used all game (Similar to parts in FF6). X was pretty good, but X-2 was trash. 11, IMO, was too much time looking for groups to party with and shouldn't have been named FF11; it should have been FF Online or something like that. I didn't like the combat system in 12 (I felt like I had micro-manage it too much and had to alter it nearly every fight, it just got exhausting after awhile). The story was decent, though it got confusing toward the end. But, BY FAR, the worst FF game ever was crystal chronicles. That game was just strange (stranger than the other FF games) and not a whole lot of fun running around the with the crystal and everything. Tactics was ok, though extremely tough toward the end, but again, I don't really dig the job system. To the point, I think FF games have peaked with 7, 8 and 9. It's only going to be downhill from here :cry: .

[Neural Net]

I will never buy a FF game, ever. Stupid storylines, rubbish gameplay, annoying characters, and a diehard following make me want to... well... break things. The fanatical fanboyism must end. :p

[benbaked]

I always felt the Mana games were superior to anything else Square made. I never got into FF much (I rented FF2 once), but I had a lot of fun playing through the Secret of Mana.

The last DS game I bought was the Children of Mana, and its a terrific game. I've almost beat it with the main warrior/adventurer character, and after that there's three other characters, each with slightly differing storylines, to use through the game again. Pretty good replay value for like $30. :thup:

[-maddog-]

I generally don't mind turn based combat as long as it isn't "true turnbased" (where the game literally stops while you choose what to do).

[John G]

The first FF game really worth playing by today's standards is FF2 that was released on the SNES (FF4 in Japan).

The first game on NES was great for its time, but it was very primitive in almost every way. Storyline is very light...characters are completely generic. The best thing it had was freedom in the world and in party creation...certainly nothing special now-a-days. It seems that the next two FF games that did not get released in US in their own time mostly expanded making the mechanics of the game more complex rather than things like plot line and character depth.

FF2 on SNES was a reversal of this trend. Mechanics were left relatively simplified and instead static characters were given, character depth created, plot-line added...the game had less freedom, but was a terrific experience far beyond anything previous. The game is still very fun to play, even today. The success marked a shift in how they make their games that has stuck through permanently. (Ingoring the MMO as not counting.) FF7 was very well made and marked the series becoming much more main-stream in the US...interestingly, I think it simultaneously marked the decline of the series with the influx of modern japanese culture permeating the game compromising solid artistic technique. Since then, FF9 is the best game they have made in my mind because they largely returned to their roots and the basics of what made their games great. Strangely enough, it may have partially worked against them because much of the FF bandwagon joined with FF7 and to them this return to roots was strange and not what they hoped for in the next FF game.

Anyway...yeah, your game is kinda lame, Rainless. :D If it didn't have the FF name on it, it would be a joke. It's more likely buying a piece of history.

[Fr3@k3r]

Rainless doesnt deserve a respone, cause he doesnt love me anymore :(

[DumpALump]

I always felt the Mana games were superior to anything else Square made. I never got into FF much (I rented FF2 once), but I had a lot of fun playing through the Secret of Mana.

Sort of a small detour. Have you played seiken densetsu 3? If you haven't, I'd recommend getting an emulator and a translated patch. Definitely a fun little gem.

[rainless]

Rainless doesnt deserve a respone, cause he doesnt love me anymore :(

Aww... You know I love ya Fr3@kbaby!

Daddy's gotta WORK these days though...

And look at this thread revival! I'm packing 'em in! :beer:

[Tyranos]

Thats wierd, most of the "die hard fanatics" claim ff6 was the best of all, and that 7 was crap. I personally liked 7 over the previous release because of atmosphere. 8 was decent as well, but I didn't like the main character, Squall. He was an ahole character that I just couldn't identify with. (kind of important with an rpg).

[zexmarquies01]

Thats wierd, most of the "die hard fanatics" claim ff6 was the best of all, and that 7 was crap. I personally liked 7 over the previous release because of atmosphere. 8 was decent as well, but I didn't like the main character, Squall. He was an ahole character that I just couldn't identify with. (kind of important with an rpg).


well, the old-school FF fans consider FF6 to be the best. only the newer generation considers FF7 to be the holy grail.

AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, ITS WEIRD, NOT WIERD!!!!!!! :bang head ( just playin around...i have a friend who's drilled that into my head SOOO much...it kinda became a thing that i have to point out ) :p

[benbaked]

Sort of a small detour. Have you played seiken densetsu 3? If you haven't, I'd recommend getting an emulator and a translated patch. Definitely a fun little gem.

I remember a friend of mine playing that on an emulator with his computer years ago, it was like the direct sequel to SOM, and he recommended it too. It looked pretty fun. :thup: