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Final Fantasy III (aka VI) (Nintendo SNES) discussion [game]
 
Final Fantasy III (aka VI) on the SNES
9.54/10 from 54 user ratings

Welcome to the official discussion thread for Final Fantasy III (aka VI) on the SNES!

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Listen to this amazing orchestrated version of FF3's amazing main theme while reading!



1995's Chrono Trigger shares quite a few similarities with its older brother, 1994's Final Fantasy III (aka Final Fantasy VI). They both share the same translator/writer, Ted Woolsey, who gave Squaresoft's games of that era a particularly quirky voice. They both have similar plot structures, starting off fairly linear then gradually becoming quite open-ended. And they both represent some of the very finest in RPGs, shortly before the genre got drenched in anime cliches.

But if you're one of the many, many people who haven't played FF3 and have played CT, don't expect another CT. This is a Final Fantasy game through and through, and with that comes the staples of the series, for better or for worse: random battles, a rising imperial evil, and a somewhat slow opening chapter. CT has ridiculously good pacing, and FF3's merits are admittedly take a little more time to become evident. But rest assured this is an RPG worth playing.



So what do I like so much about FF3 that makes it worthy of being my favorite RPG (above EarthBound!?) and second-favorite game? EVERYTHING. The soundtrack is the best. The storyline is the best. The cast is the best. The battle system is deep and addictive, the main game is extremely long, involved, and--this word is extremely overused, but it's very fitting for a tale like this--epic. You're looking at a 60-hour goliath of a game with a massive, well-developed cast you'll fall in love with, and an infamous, psychotic villain that's deliciously evil. There's comedy, tragedy, drama, romance, twists, double-crossings, operas, colosseums, banquets and airships, all set to a timeless soundtrack and lovely hand-drawn 16-bit visuals. And the entire, enormous end sequence is the stuff of legends.

It also has a 2-player mode! You can set any of the four playable characters to P1 or P2, and use a second controller to go through the adventure with a buddy.

So in short, don't miss this work of art from the 90's. It's soooo good, you guyyyyyys. C'monnnn...!

And if you're playing it now, feel free to post your progress, etc, in this thread!

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07/02/11, 01:12    Edited: 07/02/11, 01:15
 
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I have the cart still, and up until recently I had the GBA game.

And I'll still be downloading this on Wii later today, lol.

I mean, I really can't add anything that hasn't already been said.

DEAR GOD, THE MUSIC IN THIS GAME IS INCREDIBLE. Some of my favorite music of all time, in any genre.

Rothwyn said:
Yeah, Final Fantasy VI is the best in the series. It and Chrono Trigger are pretty much eternally tied as my two favorite JRPGs of all time, and two of my three top games of the SNES/Genesis generation.The variety in characters, locales, stuff you can do, the scope of the conflict mixed with a great amount of more intimate character, and the just overall SIZE of the world is the damn benchmark that JRPGs have attempted (and failed) to live up to since it was released.

I'm not even sure I'd call the opening slow. From the opening of the game, you get access to a mech, escape soldiers with a thief, and before you know it you're evading an entire empire in a prince's mechanical marvel of a castle. I think the pacing of the game is great.

Now if only Square would give this game some love other than just slapping a port on the PSX and GBA - c'mon, who else wants a sprite-based remake with models as detailed and expressive as those in Chrono Trigger?

I guess I will add that I agree 100% with you on this Rothwyn.

Seriously, it seems like my mind changes on which of the two is better every time the question comes up. And as opposed as I can be to remakes at times, I would love love love a remake of this game, just to see a newer take on it if only to give myself an excuse to play through it yet again and be amazed.
07/02/11, 15:22   
RIP CID.
07/02/11, 17:25   
Is the SNES translation good? I've never played that version, but I'm very close to downloading it via the VC.
07/02/11, 17:56   
It's a very good translation, I'd say. Quite charming and funny, yet somber when it needs to be. If you've played CT, you know what to expect--they have a very similar "tone" in the writing.
07/02/11, 19:20   
"He'd slit his momma's throat for a nickel!"

Lines like that add so much more life to the dialog than the tamer GBA translations.
07/02/11, 20:01   
@nate38

Haha, what is the GBA version? "He's one bad dude!"
07/02/11, 21:36   
It was something like "He'd off his best friend for the right price..." Same general sentiment, not quite as punchy.

The general consensus is that the GBA translation was slightly clearer and more faithful to the original JPN script, but the SNES translation generally had more flair and style, for lack of better words. I'd say both had their strengths though--I particularly liked the new translation during the opera house sequence.
07/02/11, 21:43   
I like being able to play the game on the big screen. My first experience was the GBA title and while it was good, this just feels more right.
07/02/11, 21:53   
I'll definitely get to this game sooner or later. I've played way too few Final Fantasy games....
07/02/11, 21:57   
Question:

How long are game save batteries usually good for?

I hadn't been re-buying games that I already owned on cartridge, but I popped in my copy of Tecmo Super Bowl III: Final Edition yesterday and found my old season completely wiped. Will the same fate befall Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy III??
07/02/11, 22:25   
It sort of depends on the cartridge. My All-Stars + SMW cart deletes itself all the time, and Lufia 2 is extremely touchy as well. But most of my other RPGs like EarthBound, Chrono Trigger and FF3 have been pretty solid. I imagine they won't last forever, though.
07/02/11, 22:33   
I'm gonna play some more. I recently tried to sorta playthrough it a bit on ZSNES but now I'm doing it for real. This will be the first time I've truly played the game in over a decade. Gonna play some more now.
07/03/11, 01:30   
My copy of Final Fantasy VI is kind of messy. Sometimes all the data gets erased, but then it might come back later if you're lucky. I decided to save in all three slots the last time I played, which worked out because near the very end, the first two slots were erased, but I still had my third slot's data, which was so fortunate phew
07/03/11, 01:44   
I will try my very best to get through this game.... but I have Zelda to play etc too.... but at last I have it. I will play it... if only for you TB.

Signed

A Chrono Trigger fan
07/03/11, 04:41   
So, I've decided to actually play through this game. Finally. Mostly due to the Negative World Community's recommendations, but especially to @Xbob42's urging.

I've not done much in the game so far. Met Kefka for the first time, saw Figaro Castle dive into the sand, and now I'm in some caves, en route to South Figaro. I kinda hung around in there for a while, since it was an easy place to grind and stock up on supplies, cash, and of course experience. Fights are pretty easy here (as it should be, I suppose - its the beginning of the game) but man. Edgar's "Auto Crossbow" makes things stupid-easy. Ah well, I'm gaining tons of EXP, so who am I to complain?

I'll update my progress as I make...um....progress. Hopefully I can count on some Final Fantasy VI buffs here to help me out if I get stumped someplace?
04/10/13, 16:20   
Edited: 04/10/13, 16:21
@GameDadGrant

He gets more useful tools as the game goes on, and the Auto-Crossbow somewhat loses its effectiveness once enemies get stronger.

Also, I'd wait to grind until you get some Espers...you'll learn magic and get some level-up bonuses with the right ones equipped.

Which version are you playing? The VC version or the GBA version?
04/10/13, 20:17   
@ludist210

Espers, eh? Are they like attaching Materia like in Final Fantasy 7, or is that like equipping Summon Monsters in Final Fantasy 8?

I'm playing the GBA version, naturally.
04/10/13, 21:50   
@X-pert74
Are you playing it through a converter to circumvent the region lock? I know the data disappearing is a known issue when playing the game with some converters. My converter (playing a US copy on a PAL SNES) doesn't have that issue, thankfully, but it doesn't let me watch the whole credits instead.

Of course, saves disappearing could be a sign of the battery dying too, but then they wouldn't come back, I suppose.

EDIT: I just stumbled upon someone saying that their copy of A Link to the Past, with a dying battery, sometimes gives them the saves back as well. Well whaddyaknow.
04/10/13, 21:55   
Edited: 04/10/13, 23:06
@GameDadGrant

They're what Materia should have been, and they also function as a summon you can use once per battle (so up to four summons per battle). After battle, you get AP. Each AP is applied to the spells that your Esper is capable of teaching you. Once your Esper teaches you the spell, you learn it forever (none of that remove the materia, forget the spell garbage that FFVII pulled).

Plus most Espers have a level up bonus. Something like Stamina + 1, HP + 10%, etc. So even once you max one out, you may keep it on a character before passing it onto another if you want to beef up a skill.
04/10/13, 22:04   
Edited: 04/10/13, 23:34
@GameDadGrant

I'm with ya man!

That's right.. With Xenoblade done, I'm starting this game for like..the 6th time (never finished it...maybe got 6-10hrs in) I have it on VC and ROM PC but I just downloaded the ROM to the MAC laptop (using a SNES style controller) where I can then play it more easily..

I'm at the first 'castle' now....

Random battles...here I come.. *sigh*

Lets do this..

S
04/10/13, 23:29   
Edited: 04/10/13, 23:31
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