System: DS
Dev: Square Enix
Pub: Square Enix
Release: Nov. 14, 2006
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E 10+
Review by Cole Smith

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Review Rating Legend
1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid
2.0 - 2.4 = Poor
2.5 - 2.9 = Average
3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
3.5 - 3.9 = Good
4.0 - 4.4 = Great
4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
5.0 = The Best

Battles are turn-based. You don't have the option of the Active Time Battle which was used in the 1994 version of FF3. Keep in mind this is the Japanese version. The American version of FF3 was actually the sixth version in the Japanese series. Confused? In any case, the battles are slow and tedious. There are tons of them and they can last for up to half-a-minute. You issue commands on the interface and then watch as your sprite carries them out. The more experience you gain, the more attacks and magic spells you will be able to wield.

Jobs determine each character's attributes. There are 20 different jobs, each with their own skills. You can distribute these jobs to the various characters but you can't share or borrow skills and attributes from other jobs. Some of these jobs include soldier, scholar, mage, and warrior. There is a lot of freedom in how you choose to level-up each character's skills. That may seem like a given compared to today's games but keep in mind this game is almost 20-years old. It's a classic that has been heavily borrowed from, if not outright stolen from, since its debut on the SNES.

Overall, the game is a little bit slower paced than I remember it. There are lots of invisible walls to keep you on the right path but at least it doesn't feel linear. There are tons of places to explore and plenty of side quests that will extend the replay value to more hours than are in a workweek. The Wi-fi mode allows you to exchange letters with friends to acquire cool items.

Yes, the gameplay can get tedious. Yes, the traveling can be slow at times. Yes, it can be difficult and require plenty of trial and error. But if you're a RPG warrior, all these challenges comes with the territory.

By Cole Smith
CCC Senior Writer

Features:

The REAL Final Fantasy III is coming to America. by Cole Smith

May 10, 2006 - This is the first time that Final Fantasy III will be available exclusively for the English-speaking market. The original Japanese version was anything but a cakewalk for FF fans that dared to navigate the import. Those who played FFIII on the SNES should already know that that version was actually FFVI in Japan. So there is a darn good chance you haven't played this game before.

What you can expect is the unexpected. This is not a port of Final Fantasy III, it's been entirely overhauled and will be presented in glorious 3D.

The cutscenes are fantastic. So fantastic as to actually be a detriment to the in-game graphics, which by comparison look as though they were ported from the GBA. The cutscenes have an epic feel. They set the tone of the story as incredibly huge airships dwarf the characters.

The characters are easy to pick out. They display simple but effective facial expressions and are recognizable by their costumes and colors. It should be easy enough to pick out the black or white mage.

The scenes we were shown exhibited plenty of action with huge monsters in strange lands. A range of interesting weapons and magic were seen but require more explanation as to their exact functions. It's also not clear how the game will implement the touch screen controls but since this is Final Fantasy, you can bet that we'll be in for few surprises.

By Cole Smith
CCC Senior Writer