The Shrine

So I have picked up FF3 DS. If you were a fan of the original, than this game is the perfect game for you. It has not strayed very far from the original in terms of story and gameplay. To some people this is a good thing, to others, it is a bad thing. An example of this debate would be the FF1 magic system, the hardcore fans obviously prefer the original (and feel the new system over-powers magic), though newer fans will prefer the new system. It is similar in this sense. Square bowed to the newer fans with Dawn of Souls, they REALLY made a treat for the hardcore fans in FF3DS. It's the same title, with more job systems, graphics that are really easy on the eyes, and the game does not lose the feeling of the original in any way. In other words, this time, Square only made improvements to the original game.

Bottom line, this is a must have game for all hardcore fans of the NES titles; I love it! For everyone else, this is a recommended title. If by the rare chance we have RPG newbies here (who have not played anything earlier than Chrono Trigger), I would say get the game, you'll likely find an appreciation for the older RPGs; this game will kick your ass (in the painful way).

In my mind, even before the improvements, this game was the best in the series until FF6. Some of the more hardcore fans will argue this is just simply the best in the series.

I've been tempted to play the Finaly Fantasy I and II remakes, and I was interested by this (although I don't have a DS, I might get one). But I just don't know if I can put up with random battles anymore. They really do annoy me that much.

Kupek wrote:I've been tempted to play the Finaly Fantasy I and II remakes, and I was interested by this (although I don't have a DS, I might get one). But I just don't know if I can put up with random battles anymore. They really do annoy me that much.

Well, you probably don't want to play NES FF games then =P

Though, random battles in those games are less annoying than others mainly due to the very fast turn based system. No excessive waiting periods (which animations and the ATB system in later FF games created).

If you really hate random battles, only FF8 and FF12 are suitable games.

Kupek wrote:I've been tempted to play the Finaly Fantasy I and II remakes, and I was interested by this (although I don't have a DS, I might get one). But I just don't know if I can put up with random battles anymore. They really do annoy me that much.

Yeah, I'm kinda in the same boat. There's really no reason for random battles anymore. So much story now they can just be scripted in and you can leave the additional battles to things like battle arenas or special side quests.

BTW, for all you Canadians out there, on Sunday, I got Final Fantasy 5 Advance from Futureshop for $14.58 plus tax. Brand new and not open box. And it just came out last week. Picked up two, one for me and one for my bud. In our local Walmart flyer here, they had it for $16.83 plus tax (or so) while at Futureshop it was $39.99. They price match plus take an additional 10% off the difference ($2.31 in this case). The deal is on for this week only, so check out your local Walmart flyer by Thursday and if it's the same deal, just take the flyer into Futureshop and get them to price match. Best Buy does the same thing if that's closer to you. This way, you'll get it right away and cheaper than used price in two years. If you already bought it from Futureshop or Best Buy, take the flyer and your receipt and you should be able to get them to price match. I think they'll do it within 30 days of purchase. Sorry, should of thought to tell you guys before instead of making you rush at the last minute. From now on, I'll post the deals I find right away, that way you don't miss out on them.

I ordered my copy of FFIII online and got it for $27 including shipping so I am just waiting for it to arrive. I'm glad it sounds good. I can't wait to play it.

I am actually a RPG newbie...Chrono Trigger was my earliest RPG

Unfortunately...I'm in the middle of FFXII and NWN2 so the chances of me getting into ANOTHER RPG right now is pretty slim.

Plus, as was said before...especially after experiencing a lack of random battles in both of the above mentioned new games...I can't go back to random battles anymore :\

You may or may not have a problem with them in this game. For the reason that they use a very quick and strait forward turn based battle system, older RPGs tend to be alright with random battles. It is when they began implementing things like the ATB, flashy animations, and the such, that random battles became a pain (like in FF9). FF10 had random battles too, but they didn't seem as much of an issue as they did in FF9; maybe it was just me.

Put about 10 hours into it so far. Kudos to Square for keeping much of the old school charm intact.

The DS is the perfect medium for NES era RPGs. I never really got very far into these games, even with an emulator, but the portability factor really helps. Random battles are still a pain, and like other RPGs of the time levelling is a must, but they're much more tolerable with features like Quicksave or the DS's sleep function. Now I can squeeze in a battle or two at red lights(not recomended, btw).