Final Fantasy III DS

[Gerudo]

suprised there aren't any topics about this yet.

we all know it's a 3D remake and whatnot, and i am loving it so far. (i hadn't played the original).

anyone else pick this up?

[Warlock]

Picked it up last night and played it for a couple hours:

Pros:
-Extremely hard, which I think is good. They did not puss out and water it down to match modern FF games. I mean, I actually died really early in the game for exploring an area I shouldn't have. Items are 100% necessary. It actually takes some skill to play this game and you have to think your moves ahead. I like that :D
-Job system = always good. I don't fully understand how leveling works (it's not as strait-forward as FFV) but I like it so far.
-Reminds me of what a FF game on the N64 would have probably looked like if they didn't jump ship for PSX :D
-Awesome FMVs :D

Cons:
-Extra screen is not used very well. IGN complained about this in their review. I sort of agree, but at the same time I sort of disagree. For the map, I really like it. But personally I really think they should have used it for at least a status screen - to see your current HP (and MP perhaps?), job, xp, etc. The blank screen in some areas doesn't really bother me (saves batteries I guess) but it seems like they could have at least found something to do with it.
-For a game that doesn't really use the touch screen (you *can* use it but you don't have to), I wish there was an option to swap screens. I'd rather have most of the action on the top screen. It's easier to see (and this is where my GBA titles go :P)
-Menu is accessed via R button instead of Start.. WTF? This is annoyingly unnecessary and at the very least I'd have liked an option to setup my controls so I could assign it to Start. Or it should have been both - Start does *nothing*.
-Pace is a little slow.. and by that I mean, there is no ATB system first off. So you assign the turns of all four guys. Then you watch them play out in whatever order the game decides they are supposed to be in. Then once you win, you have to sit through one of those slow victory cheering things while it tabulates your XP, Gil, level-ups, etc. And there's no way to button press your way through that fast, which is why it slows down a bit.
-I don't really like the L-button camera zoom, if only because it's forced upon you. There are little sparkles that mean there's an item in a pot, or there s a switch that opens a secret passage. These only show up when you zoom in all the way (and it's annoying to move around zoomed in). So you have to constantly do it whenever you think there *might* be sparkles in a room. It's tedium that's not needed. At least *show* the sparkles zoomed-out and rely on my eagle eye to spot them.. don't force me to zoom in every two seconds.
-Graphics are a little underwhelming. I can't tell if it's so much of a hardware issue or what. I realize it's basically N64 hardware, so I don't fault it for that. But textures seem incredibly pixelated. When you zoom in especially, it looks like they almost use 2d sprites for a lot of stuff (think trees in Mario Kart 64) and when you do a zoom on those they get SUPER pixelated. The main character (first one you get) also has like a retarded grin on his face all the time when they show him up close. He looks kind of stupid :P

Anyways, those are my impressions. Don't let all the negatives fool you though, the game is awesome. A lot of those are nitpicky things that bugged me. But they won't stop me from enjoying the game.

[ZTC]

I'm thinking of buying a DS and FFIII this weekend just for that game. I want to see how different it is from the translated Famicom version, too. ^_^;

[gdorf]

I am picking it up tonight, I can't wait.

This is my first experience with the game. :D

[*b*]

I got it yesterday, and I love it. It's so much better than the other games for the GBA (FFI&II, IV, haven't tried V yet) with the menu systems. They're so smooth, and it's actually pretty quick with loading areas and battles, which is good

I also like how they made all the enemies in 3D, as well as the characters. Also that they gave different models for each job for each character. That rocks

And Warlock, pretty much everything IS 2D. The only things I noticed that aren't, so far, is the ground, characters, enemies, and walls. Even the houses in towns are 2D, which suprised me, but the 2D objects are very convincing as far as I'm concerned

[Daarkseid]

I also like how they made all the enemies in 3D, as well as the characters. Also that they gave different models for each job for each character. That rocks


Whats really cool about the enemies in 3D, is that their models are directly based on the 2d, 8-bit enemies in the famicom version. The carbuncles, eye fangs and wisps look exactly as they did in the Famicom version, except now animated and 3d. Very cool indeed.

[KJAZZ]

I bought this recently, but haven't really gotten a chance to play it yet. Been playing Super Robot Taisen OG2, and I plan to play this right after I finish that. I think it's a bit much for me to play FF5 and then launch right into another FF that involves the job system...:spin:

[Daarkseid]

I don't really like the L-button camera zoom, if only because it's forced upon you. There are little sparkles that mean there's an item in a pot, or there s a switch that opens a secret passage. These only show up when you zoom in all the way (and it's annoying to move around zoomed in). So you have to constantly do it whenever you think there *might* be sparkles in a room. It's tedium that's not needed. At least *show* the sparkles zoomed-out and rely on my eagle eye to spot them.. don't force me to zoom in every two seconds.


So far, this feature seems to be implemented as a replacement from the original version, where hidden items were found either by pressing A repeatedly when searching pots, or in the case of items hidden in grass, the telltale obstruction of your character's movement onto a grass square tips the player off.

As for other things like hidden switches, there were either NO signs of where they were or you had to go off an NPC's explanation of the switches location.

The zoom in feature I guess is a replacement of the tedious method of pressing A repeatedly on various objects, with the tedious method of zooming in.

EDIT: Hah hah! I'm loving this! -=SPOILER=-

EDIT.. again: X seems to activate the menu, just as it does in FFIV-VI for the SNES.

[gdorf]

Has anyone else noticed the insane difficulty in this game? Sofar, I've done each dungeon twice: one time to build my levels and the second time to fight the boss. I'm really enjoying the game, I was just surpirised at the difficulty compared to the other FF games I've played.

[Anthus]

If I had $10 more, I would have gotten it instead of Metroid Prime Hunters... Damn. I do want it though. I played the original "de-japed" NES ROM.

[vegeta1215]

If I had $10 more, I would have gotten it instead of Metroid Prime Hunters... Damn. I do want it though. I played the original "de-japed" NES ROM.

If you haven't opened it yet, take Metroid Prime Hunters back and save up a few more bucks for FFIII. Trust me when I say that Hunters is the worst Metroid game EVER. (unless you're in it solely for the online deathmatch)

[gdorf]

Just some advice for those of you who own this game, its possible to cast "cure" on all of your party members at once. This is something I just discovered and it has made my life a helluva lot easier.

Its surprising how different some of the mechanics of this game are from other final fantasy games. These things have surprised me (there are more I can't think of):

White Mages can cast "cure" on multiple members at a time
White Mages can cast black magic
Black Mages can cast white magic
Melee characters can hit up to 8 times per turn, initially.


I just haven't adjusted to the mechanics of the game and I still don't fully understand the job system.

Currently, my team is made up of: Warrior, Monk, White Mage, Black Mage. The monk started out pretty pathetic, but I heard it was worth it to train him and now that he has some job levels he can indeed dish out some hurt. My white (grey?) mage seems a little useless at the moment because the other mage can cast cure. I usually just have him use a fire/ice rod when he isn't healing. The black mage is surprising powerful early in the game, especially since most of the enemies are elemental at this point. Lastly, the warrior is probably my favorite character at the moment. The best items I've found so far have all been for a warrior so he is well stocked and deals a lot of damage. I use advance almost every turn and he never takes much damage due to his awesome armor.

Fortunately (or not..) I am about to unlock the next round of job classes. Which means I'll have to develop a new team. I'll feel bad ditching the classes I've been developing thus far but I think the benefits of the new classes will outweigh the lost experience.


Oh, and one last question:

Is there any way to revive characters if you have no phoenix downs and haven't learned "life" yet? I just used my last phoenix down and I am afraid of what will happen if one of my characters dies. :eek:

[Daarkseid]

Is there any way to revive characters if you have no phoenix downs and haven't learned "life" yet? I just used my last phoenix down and I am afraid of what will happen if one of my characters dies. :eek:

There are springs that when approached with the A button, will revive any dead characters. You may have already tried to use one and had the message "Nothing happens" or similar.
Theres one in the dwarf cave someplace.

Phoenix Downs need to be conserved early in the game, as they're necessary for dungeons.

[Archibaldo]

I picked up a copy of this game yesterday. A quick question, are there any jobs I should avoid completely and any that are reccomended?

[gdorf]

Personally I am avoiding the red mage. While his adaptability makes him appealing, I think he's a "Jack of all trades, master of none" and with four members you should be able to specialize more. I am hesistant to invest too much into a white mage either, because apparently they can't learn the highest level white-magic spells. I think its worth investing in a black mage early, because there are some points in the game where you'll need high MP and the only way to get it is through job experience.

I think you'll end up changing jobs later as they become available to you, so I wouldn't worry too much about it for now.


Edit: BTW: Geomancers ROCK. :)

[Daarkseid]

Its surprising how different some of the mechanics of this game are from other final fantasy games. These things have surprised me (there are more I can't think of):

White Mages can cast "cure" on multiple members at a time
White Mages can cast black magic
Black Mages can cast white magic
Melee characters can hit up to 8 times per turn, initially.


I think you've mistaken "cast" with "learn" there.

You can assign spells to characters with jobs that couldn't normally use those spells, like giving Cure to a black mage, or fire to a white mage.

When it comes to actually using those spells, however, they'll be greyed out and inaccessible; even if a black mage has Cure in his level 1 list, and spell points, he will not be able to cast it.

[gdorf]

Yeah, I noticed that a little after posting. I guess its nice being able to have the spells available when I change jobs though.

Daarkseid, what jobs are you using right now?

[Daarkseid]

My group is consisting of these now:

Luneth; Evoker
Arc; Monk
Refia; Dragoon
Ingus; Knight

Right now I'm prepping them to become an all mage party for a certain dungeon, but afterwards they'll probably be changed back. One of the next jobs I'll probably switch to is the Dark Knight though.

My favorite job I've used so far is the Ranger, because the damage output is sickening, and from the back row no less. Even more so using the elemental arrows on the appropriate targets. I'll probably wind up going back to using a ranger in the end.

[gdorf]

Dang, I haven't used a ranger at all. I tend to shy away from classes that require expendable items. From past experience it seems I always run out of the item I need right at the boss.

I just made Luneth a Dark Knight and it kicks ass. Souleater almost always wipes the entire party I'm fighting and only inflicts ~100hp damage against Luneth. Combined with the blood sword I have right equipped right now I can Souleater, then attack on the next group and regain my health through the vampiric effect.

[gdorf]

Double Post: I appear to be stuck, and I think it might be a glitch in the game. If any of you are a ways into the game, I'd appreciate some advice.

-=SPOILER=-


edit: AWESOME. I just spent some more time Googling my situation, and I definitely stumbled upon a glitch. Now I am stuck and will have to replay the last 3-4 hours of the game. Sweet. :(. Make sure you vary your save slots often guys. I am just glad I don't have to replay the whole game over.

[Archibaldo]

Is it possible to cast Cure on all party members when in battle or only out of battle?

[gdorf]

Both. If you are in battle repeatedly hit -> on the d-pad to select your entire party. If you are using the stylus, drag a box around your party.

[Gerudo]

honestly, i just keptLuneth as a Freelancer, and he does the most damage out of all my chars. Arc, my black mage, does suprising physical damage dual welding an ice staff and a fire staff.

i'm ready to go to the tower of owen, but i think there might be stuff i dont have. :/

[MottZilla]

-Graphics are a little underwhelming. I can't tell if it's so much of a hardware issue or what. I realize it's basically N64 hardware, so I don't fault it for that. But textures seem incredibly pixelated. When you zoom in especially, it looks like they almost use 2d sprites for a lot of stuff (think trees in Mario Kart 64) and when you do a zoom on those they get SUPER pixelated. The main character (first one you get) also has like a retarded grin on his face all the time when they show him up close. He looks kind of stupid :P


The Nintendo DS shares no relation to the N64 at all. The N64 actually was not very good at handling textures. It wasn't until late that Nintendo released the microcode tools to developers to get more out of the system. That's why Perfect Dark looks so much better than Goldeneye, not just the extra RAM from the expansion pack. The N64 stretched and blurred textures alot. The DS offers much more crisp renderings and seems to be more on par with PS1. Again considering it's the DS, and such a low resolution, don't expect much.

I'll try out FF3 pretty soon.

[Warlock]

The Nintendo DS shares no relation to the N64 at all. The N64 actually was not very good at handling textures. It wasn't until late that Nintendo released the microcode tools to developers to get more out of the system. That's why Perfect Dark looks so much better than Goldeneye, not just the extra RAM from the expansion pack. The N64 stretched and blurred textures alot. The DS offers much more crisp renderings and seems to be more on par with PS1. Again considering it's the DS, and such a low resolution, don't expect much.

I'll try out FF3 pretty soon.

I meant quality-wise, the hardware is just a small step above N64.

[MottZilla]

In some ways yes. In raw processing power, I've heard the N64 better than the DS. Afterall the N64 boasted a very nice 93mhz risc cpu. It actually can be made to run faster too. The main issues with the N64 were the slow cartridge bus, and the gpu's texture issues. The DS's issues... well I don't really think it has any, atleast not any that are like weaknesses that hold it back, the only thing holding it back is itself as a whole really.

[Archibaldo]

One more quick question about the game. Does moving your character to the rear do anything? I've tried it a few times with my casters and they still get attacked quite often. Also, is there a way to set it up so that there are some party members in the rear all the time with out having to use up one of your turn phases?

[Warlock]

One more quick question about the game. Does moving your character to the rear do anything? I've tried it a few times with my casters and they still get attacked quite often. Also, is there a way to set it up so that there are some party members in the rear all the time with out having to use up one of your turn phases?

Rear = half attack power, but half the damage from enemies. Spells and the Bow don't suffer the attack power problem though.

[Joshua Milton N]

Yeah I got this game and I haven't beaten it yet.

Man it's really awsome that they did this FF game in 3D.

With 2 characters in the front line dealling tons of damage and the other 2 characters in the rear to cast Magic and Summon Spells I have nothing to fear at all.