Gaming Final Fantasy III (DS)

[Sandy]

As some of you may know, Square-Enix in their rampage of remakes are bringing the longed [B]Final Fantasy III[/B] (as in the real third installation to the series, not the sixth) to Nintendo DS.

The game hasn't been released outside Japan before this, and apparently it never will be in it's original form, for FF III DS contains all-new graphics and it's assumed that many other things are changed as well.

The reason I started this thread today is that I've gotten a hold of a brand new scan of the game, released in the Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu.

[B][URL=http://img133.imagevenue.com/img.php?loc=loc177&image=41146_FF3_Jump0413.jpg]And here it is[/URL][/B]

The scan shows us characters made in the similar style as Nintendo GameCube's controversial Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles. They obviously haven't gone as far as ditching the job system from the original FF III, but it's promised that the characters are much more fleshed out in this version.

First of all, in the bottom corner of the scan you can see the spiffy new logo for the game, which stays true to the Amano-style of the other logos in the series (plus it's green, my favorite color!).

In the artwork included in the scan you can see the familiar jobs White Mage, Black Mage, Red Mage, and either Fighter or Thief (hard to tell) encircling a hovering crystal. Obviously at least some of the characters are female (although it's hard to tell as well with that style of design), as opposed to the four presumably male Onion Kids in the original.

In the screenshots next to the piece of art we see a Moogle Inn and a Chocobo Stable, confirming the return of our favorite critters.

The screenshots above the artwork show two battles, which [I]apparently[/I] are against Leviathan and Bahamut (but one can't be sure). The character classes in these shots seem to include White Mage, Monk, Samurai (?), Fighter, Red Mage, another white Mage, Ranger and Knight.

At the top of the scan there are three more screenshots: your obligatory lava dungeon, a common house with some character in front of it, and a piece of the world map. Nothing unexpected.

To summarize, it's obvious that despite all the changes (which I'd personally call upgrades and enhancements), this game is a true Final Fantasy.

What's your take on this? Have they changed the game too much? Would you have preferred a simple port in style of FF I & II: Dawn of Souls or FF IV Advance?

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082]I really liked the graphics in FFCC, so I think this is great. And I'd be willing to bet that the gameplay in FFIII, like FFI and FFII, hasn't aged as well as the later games, so I also like that it's a full remake. (From what I've heard, FFIV was the first game in the series to get the level progression just right, so you don't have to sit around leveling or be completely underpowered. But I could be wrong.) I've been looking forward to FFIII ever since I heard it would be in full 3D and saw the first few screen shots released.[/color]

[Final Remix]

I've got to agree. After loving Crystal Chronicles, i've been waiting for another Nintendo-based FF game. Dawn of souls is great and all, but like Des said, it's way too easy to finish/lose a fight in one round if you wander around too often. I've taken to playing Tales of Phantasia in expectorate waiting until FFIII comes out. This is another title i'm looking forward to.

[Ellerby]

[color=#555555][FONT=Tahoma]Well, this looks good.

The idea of making it 3D is a great one. I always wished they would make the old-style Final Fantasy game three-dimensional. And here it is!

I also enjoy(ed) Crystal Chronicles very much, so that is another bonus. I'm not too happy about a few things, though. They changed the characters looks a tiny bit too much if you ask me. The Red mage should have long, white hair, not a short, blond, ponytail. And the White Mage's hood isn't on in the screen shots! They also made Black Mage female. I think they should've kept the Vivi look.

But these are just small things that I'll learn to ignore as I play along. The battle system looks promising, and the graphics are great for a DS game (I have to keep reminding myself it isn't for Gamecube). Thanks for the link, Sandster.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Ikeor]

So far I have been waiting for final fantasy III for the gameboy advance
it is sort of sad that we will never see it in its original form unless we go and learn another language :animecry: But it is good that they are updating some of the ff series
Just as so long they do not change ff 7 if they remake it :mad:

[Charles]

[quote name='Ikeor']Just as so long they do not change ff 7 if they remake it :mad:[/quote]

They had better. Otherwise it'll be a rehash instead of a remake.

[Sandy]

[QUOTE=White][color=#555555][FONT=Tahoma]They changed the characters looks a tiny bit too much if you ask me. The Red mage should have long, white hair, not a short, blond, ponytail. And the White Mage's hood isn't on in the screen shots! They also made Black Mage female. I think they should've kept the Vivi look.
[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]

Eh, you're forgetting that this new FF III has four individual characters (apparently of which two are females and two males) so their personal appearances will affect their job classes - just like in FF V, where e.g. Reina's Red Mage outfit looks different from Faris's.

If you look at the scan closer, you'll see that although in one screenshot a White Mage has the hood down (assumably a female character), in the second there's a White Mage with the hood up (a male character, I guess).

It only makes sense that with such advanced graphics we won't have four White Mages/Fighters/whatever that look exactly the same. ;D

[BlueYoshi]

[color=darkred]Wow, I'm surprised that I haven't commented here yet. I thought I already did. Since Animal Crossing Wild World came out FFIII DS has been at the top of my list. The new 3D lay out looks awesome, and what's more is that the dungeon maps are almost identical to those of the original, which is great because I haven't beaten FFIII yet; I've only gotten as far as what looks like a ghost town, which I forgot the name of.

I suppose the best thing about the new DS version, for me, is that there are no more ridiculous load times, which was a real pain in the original, especially when you wanted to access the menu. I was really pleased with how this problem was fixed in FFI&II Dawn of Souls.

It'll be interesting to see how the Wi-fi compatibility pans out, too. I never got into FFIX, so the whole "Mognet" thing will be new to me, and apart from FF:CC and FFTA, I've never interacted with outside players.[/color]

[Sandy]

Here you can find the official Japanese site to this game: [B][url]http://www.square-enix.co.jp/ff3[/url][/B].

As you can see by visiting the site, the four main characters are:
[B]Luneth[/B] - apparently the courageous leading character
[B]Ingus[/B] - blonde handsome guy who will probably have some sort of rivalry going on with Luneth
[B]Arc[/B] - wimpy bookworm type of guy, who I first thought was a girl (for some reason, there aren't much of these type of characters in the series)
[B]Refia[/B] - token female character who looks to be one sassy redhead (hopefully she doesn't act as a love interest to any of the boys, though, as at least in the original they're all adopted siblings)

There has also been screenshots about the NPCs who were all aboard in the original version as well: princess [B]Sarah[/B], [B]Desh[/B], [B]Cid[/B], [B]Dorga[/B], [B]Unne[/B] and [B]Elia[/B] the mermaid.

The jobs are mostly familiar from the original as well, but I think there's a few new ones thrown in. The magical jobs are: [B]Black Mage, White Mage, Red Mage, Invoker, Magus, Devout, Scholar, Summoner, Geomancer, Sage[/B]. The physical jobs are: [B]Warrior, Thief, Monk, Knight, Dark Knight, Viking, Dragoon, Bard, Ranger, Ninja, Martial Artist[/B]. So there appears to be a total of 21 different jobs available for all four characters.

Sigh, maybe I'll one day own a DS and will be able to play this game... [B]*returns to his [I]ancient[/I] GBA SP with FF IV Advance*[/B]

[BlueYoshi]

[color=darkred]Yeah, I also read something about Freelancer being the default job class when you first start the game, though I don't know much about it. Apparently a few of the jobs have been altered a little so they're a little more balanced compared to the original, such as the Ninja, and most of them will be useful in some way or another throughout the course of the game, so I guess players will have to mix up their character line-up a bit.[/color]

[Ellerby]

[color=#555555][FONT=Tahoma][quote name='Sandy]The jobs are mostly familiar from the original as well, but I think there's a few new ones thrown in. The magical jobs are: [B]Black Mage, White Mage, Red Mage, Invoker, Magus, Devout, Scholar, Summoner, Geomancer, Sage[/B]. The physical jobs are: [B]Warrior, Thief, Monk, Knight, Dark Knight, Viking, Dragoon, Bard, Ranger, Ninja, Martial Artist[/B']. So there appears to be a total of 21 different jobs available for all four characters.[/quote]
Invoker, Magus, Devout, Scholar, Geomancer, Sage, Viking and Martial Artist are all new Final Fantasy jobs to me. And although they all seem pretty easy to guess what the jobs are, I'd like for someone to explain to me what these foreign classes are for.

*needs to play Tactics and actually beat it*
[quote name='Sandy]Sigh, maybe I'll one day own a DS and will be able to play this game... *returns to his [I]ancient[/I'] GBA SP with FF IV Advance*[/quote]
I know that feeling. *throws away his even more ancient GBA and plays Fluffers, his DS Lite*[/FONT][/COLOR]

[BlueYoshi]

[QUOTE=White][color=#555555][FONT=Tahoma]
Invoker, Magus, Devout, Scholar, Geomancer, Sage, Viking and Martial Artist are all new Final Fantasy jobs to me. And although they all seem pretty easy to guess what the jobs are, I'd like for someone to explain to me what these foreign classes are for.[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE]

[color=darkred]From that list, I'm only familiar with the Geomancer and Sage job classes from the Final Fantasy Tactics games. The Geomancer's attacks and abilities depend on the environment you're fighting in, so if you were to attack an enemy in a desert environment, the Geomancer would use quicksand, and so forth. Given the DS's graphical capabilities, it'll be interesting to see how far the Geomancer's attacks would stretch visually, because I'm looking forward to some awesome looking magic and summon spells overall.

Sages can use all kinds of magic -- black, white, and even summons -- though this has varied throughout past Final Fantasy games, but in Final Fantasy Tactics, their abilities depended on their statistics. As for the Martial Artist, I'd imagine that it's just another name for a Monk.[/color]

[Tatsubei Yagyu]

[COLOR=Navy][FONT=Comic Sans MS]Being the generous person I am, I shall share pics and videos I found...:cool:


These are comparing the original game to the way it's gonna look now.
[IMG]http://www.sighost.us/members/Nintendist/nesds_comparison.jpg[/IMG]

I have to say, that's pretty cool! :animeknow

This one's pretty big...sooooo:
[URL=http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/9084/455710200608132240310bigij8.jpg]Link! The Hero of Time![/URL]
It's a pic of the different jobs that are gonna be in the game.

[IMG]http://www.jeux-france.com/Webmasters/Images/45571020060718_131914_9_big.jpg[/IMG]
I really hope there are Samurai in this game...

[URL=http://www.jeux-france.com/images_4557.html?Nbr_images_pages=128]Site with pix, just push "Suite" for the next two pages.[/URL]

There are some videos, but you can like them on YouTube, so I won't post all the links:
[URL=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDh5L18VGig]Linkage[/URL]

The only thing that I can say I don't like is that they don't walk up and hit their enemies, but I love how when a random battle happens, that they get into battle position. Cool. :p

And lastly...
[IMG]http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/356/tatsugx2.jpg[/IMG]
Yeah. That's Tatsu. ;) [/FONT][/COLOR]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=Red]
EDIT: Oh... and I knda wish that they instead of being Freelancers were Onion Kids, like in the one before, but [I]I guess[/I] it's virtually the same thing... -_-[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Ellerby]

[quote name='Bombu][color=darkred']As for the Martial Artist, I'd imagine that it's just another name for a Monk.[/color][/quote]
[color=#555555][FONT=Tahoma]Except for Monk is also mentioned in the list of classes that Sandy posted. ^_~ Not sure if this is what you meant, but Martial Artist is probably just like an advanced Monk or something. Like Thief and Assassin.

And thanks for the links, Tatsu. They've really got me excited.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[BlueYoshi]

[quote name='White][color=#555555][FONT=Tahoma]Except for Monk is also mentioned in the list of classes that Sandy posted. ^_~ Not sure if this is what you meant, but Martial Artist is probably just like an advanced Monk or something. Like Thief and Assassin.[/FONT'][/COLOR][/quote]

[color=darkred]Oh right, I didn't notice that. I can't think of what the difference between the two might be, but your guess is probably likely. And I thought Monks were powerful enough.[/color]

[Gavin]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting.

Having never played Crystal Chronicles on the Gamecube, I have to admit I'm very impressed with the graphics quality on something that is effectively only a small step up from the GBA. I may have to reconsider not buying a DS Lite until next year if this continues to look as interested as it's shaping up to be.[/SIZE]

[Desbreko]

[quote name='Gavin][SIZE=1']Having never played Crystal Chronicles on the Gamecube, I have to admit I'm very impressed with the graphics quality on something that is effectively only a small step up from the GBA.[/SIZE][/quote][color=#4B0082]:therock:

The DS is a small step up from the N64, not the GBA. The GBA was a small step up from the SNES.

Anyway. . . .

Those side-by-side comparison shots are great. The attention to all the little details (well, what details there were on the Famicom) is great. I thought that rock in the background of the first two shots, for example, was really neat. It almost makes me want to plan the Famicom version first.

FFIII may just manage to sneak ahead of the Wii on my "to buy" list. I've been saving my money, but this is tempting.[/color]

[Gavin]

[QUOTE=Desbreko][color=#4B0082]:therock:

The DS is a small step up from the N64, not the GBA. The GBA was a small step up from the SNES.[/color][/QUOTE]

[SIZE=1]Ah, I've not been following Nintendo related news for a while at this stage, and as I had thought originally the DS was not released as a sequel to the GBA but rather an expansion of the handheld market. Still the idea that you can pack all the tech of a 64 into a handheld console only a few years later is something to admire.[/SIZE]

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082]Nintendo said the DS wasn't supposed to replace the GBA, but I dunno. I don't think they have any games in development for the GBA anymore, and it also wasn't shown at all during the last E3. So, you know, a rose by any other name.

I'm still impressed with the graphics Square Enix is managing to squeeze out of the DS. From what I hear, there are times when one screen turns off so that both graphics processors can work together to output graphics on a single screen, such as during cutscenes. I usually don't care much about graphics, but I have to admit I'm really looking forward to seeing how far they can push the DS.[/color]

[Ellerby]

[quote name='Desbreko][color=#4B0082']Nintendo said the DS wasn't supposed to replace the GBA, but I dunno. I don't think they have any games in development for the GBA anymore, and it also wasn't shown at all during the last E3. So, you know, a rose by any other name.[/color][/quote][color=#555555][FONT=Tahoma]Well they couldn't have meant for it to replace the GBA since even while the DS was out in stores, the Gameboy Micro was launched. But I do think that they still mean for the DS to slowly overtake the GBA. The DS Lite was a way of saying "Get with the times".

But yeah, I too heard about one screen being blank at points in time, Des. This does not please me, however. Because this means that during battles, Square isn't even taking advantage of the dual screen. In fact I'm pretty sure that the only thing the top screen is used for is a map while walking around (which is pretty handy, actually).

Regardless, being able to use the stylus for selecting skills and magic and whatnot will make things a whole lot faster and easier.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082]For an RPG like this I don't really care if they make a whole lot of use of the two screens. I mean, there's really not a whole lot they [i]could[/i] do. Putting a map or menu on one screen while the action is on the other seems like about it.

I also mainly just care about being able to use the stylus to make menu selections, and probably only while out of battle. I still prefer the control cross and buttons for running around, and I probably will during fights as well. I'm so used to going through battle menus that way that it'll probably still be faster for me than using the stylus. It's just when there's a bunch of options to wade through, like on the party menu, that I like using the stylus.[/color]

[Ellerby]

[quote name='Desbreko][color=#4B0082]For an RPG like this I don't really care if they make a whole lot of use of the two screens. I mean, there's really not a whole lot they [i]could[/i'] do. Putting a map or menu on one screen while the action is on the other seems like about it.[/color][/quote]
[color=#555555][FONT=Tahoma]Are you kidding? lol

Final Fantasy is more than well known for their awesome spells and summons. Can you imagine having the spell animation for Ramuh's thunderbolt (lightning summon) or something coming down from the top screen and into the bottom screen? Or how about Meteo? You could do some really cool stuff using both screens.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082]I guess I should rephrase that: There's not a whole lot they could do outside of gimicks. Stretching a spell/summon animation across two screens. . . . Sorry, but that just doesn't impress me. About the only thing that does is make it so the camera doesn't have to move as much. With good camera work things can look plenty good on a single screen, especially when you're getting a higher polygon count because of it.[/color]

[Ellerby]

[quote name='Desbreko][color=#4B0082']I guess I should rephrase that: There's not a whole lot they could do outside of gimicks. Stretching a spell/summon animation across two screens. . . . Sorry, but that just doesn't impress me.[/color][/quote]
[color=#555555][FONT=Tahoma]It may not be impressive, but not a lot of games have done it. And besides, I'd rather have that then just a black screen.

About the camera, I don't really like the angles they've gone with during battles. While choosing attacks and such, the camera switches from the classic view to a behind the characters kind of view. It's nothing special, but it just bothers me. I geuss they did it so you get a better view of the front of the enemies.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082]That's true; Metroid Prime: Hunters is the only game that I can recall off hand. But I don't really think that's a good reason in itself to do something. I care more about the actual quality of an animation than the viewing space. If they can make it look awesome on one screen I'd rather have that than have it only look okay on two screens.

From what I've seen, the camera angles in battle look okay to me. While you're actually choosing actions the camera stays off to the side in the "classic" view. It's only when your party is actually attacking that the camera moves behind them. I do think I'd prefer that it remained off to the side, but it's not really annoying.

Take a look at [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlpllXbJL7I][u]this video[/u][/url] to see a couple battles. And it also shows that they are making some good use of the second screen.[/color]