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Final Fantasy III (aka VI) (Nintendo SNES) discussion [game]
 
  Matthew T  
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!

To start, please add this game to your log, add it to your collection (if applicable), and (when you are ready) rate it using the link above!

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!

URL to share (right click and copy)
07/02/11, 01:12    Edited: 07/02/11, 01:15
 
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  GameDadGrant  
@ludist210

Cool, thanks for the info! Looking forward to getting some Espers to equip soon. They must come later in the game, because I've played (maybe?) halfway through in the past and I don't remember dealing with Espers before.

Alright, I guess I'll push through these caves and get to South Figaro then, and worry about grinding later.
04/10/13, 23:30   
  Smerd  
@GameDadGrant

Yeah..I'm there right now... South Figaro.
04/10/13, 23:32   
  GameDadGrant  
Played a bit more tonight. Got through the mountain area, fought a boss, and then made it to the entrance of the Returner's Hideout. Once I was there, I saved and quit for the evening. The going is slow, but steady. I'm using more Relics now, so my characters are pretty tough at the moment. Sabin's "Blitz" attacks are still annoying to pull off, though.

By the way, did I miss the chance to recruit Shadow? I "met" him at the bar, talked to everyone around him, but...nothing happened. I remember using him when I played the game before...but I can't recall how I got him to join me.

Oh, and that new translation? Regarding what kind of a man Shadow is? Edgar says that Shadow would "Kill his own best friend for the right price." So, while not quite as gruesome as slitting one's "momma's" throat (for a nickel!), I think the updated translation gets the point across fairly well. Shadow is a mercenary, and murder isn't something he's shy about.
04/11/13, 06:11   
  VofEscaflowne  
@GameDadGrant

You didn't. I believe there's only 2 instances where he joins your party optionally and they're a bit later.
04/11/13, 06:18   
  sirmastersephiroth  
@GameDadGrant They're much easier to perform in the SNES because of the D-Pad design. Shadow will appear later again. And he will leave at some point, and appear later again. It's really weird. There is one way to lose him or keep him permanently. I have to spoil a bit because, if I don't you'll lose him. When you're somewhere and you have the chance to wait for him do it, then leave. That's all I'll say.
04/11/13, 06:19   
  TriforceBun  
Yeah, don't worry too much about Shadow at the moment, you'll see him again for sure.

I generally like the GBA translation, although I think it lacks a little bit of the fun personality that the SNES one had (and they made Locke swear at one point; was that really necessary?). Mad props to the updated opera lyrics though. Gorgeous.

The GBA port is solid all-around, with some nifty new post-game features that add replayabilty. My only gripes are the chintzy GBA sound, which does my all-time favorite game OST a great disservice, and my opinion that FF6 is one of the "grandest" feeling games ever and deserves to be on the big screen!
04/11/13, 06:53   
  X-pert74  
@r_hjort No, it's an NTSC copy of the game. It's been like that pretty much since my family got it around the time of its release. We used to have another copy which was more reliable, but due to circumstances I don't want to get into, we no longer have that one D:
04/11/13, 07:25   
  Smerd  
ok... so the story has split into three and I've completed one of them. This is where I have usually quit...after I complete the second of the three although I believe I have gone farther then that - it's been a long time.

I'm looking forward to playing in new territory.

Random battles - they still suck. However I'm starting to get into the story again and getting used to the gameplay. It took me awhile to get the timing right for the Blitz attacks but I can pull them off easily now..

MAC ROM (SNES) is great.. Original translation including violent sentences such as slitting mom's throat and scenes that include beating a female prisoner... They just create more of an impact in the story telling than what I'm hearing from some of the translation discrepencies in the portable version. You also can't go wrong with save states.
04/11/13, 08:00   
  X-pert74  
@Smerd Yeah, in retrospect it's surprising to see the "slit his momma's throat for a nickel" line in a North American Super NES game, prior to the ESRB's founding. There have been other cases where things surprisingly got past NOA's censorship though, like the ending to Bionic Commando
04/11/13, 10:21   
  r_hjort  
@X-pert74
Ah, OK, sad to hear it. I hope your copy gets a bit more reliable all of a sudden.
04/11/13, 14:08   
  GameDadGrant  
X-pert74 said:
@Smerd Yeah, in retrospect it's surprising to see the "slit his momma's throat for a nickel" line in a North American Super NES game, prior to the ESRB's founding.

Argh, I had a big post explaining stuff why I like the new translation better, but I hit a button and I lost the post! Grr!

Without re-typing it all, I like the new translation better because the original "slit his momma's throat" is corny and playing to fears of kids (who played the game at original release), and the original line that he'd do it "for a nickel" is dumb too because nickels don't exist in Final Fantasy. They use gil there.

I'm upset I lost my original post. [grump_cat.gif]
04/11/13, 16:07   
  Smerd  
@GameDadGrant

Yeah..I hate it when that happens.. I just think Zero hires ninjas to do this every so often just so he can laugh at us

I looked for the portable version awhile back and it was hard to find and or expensive but I was happy that I have the VC version. I'm kinda playing this game in a more portable way as it's on the laptop but it's still the SNES game through and through.

What's his face will show up and speak in all that Thou Art Tounge soon.... If I remember right from peoples comments, that speak no longer exists in the GBA version correct?

yeah, the nickel comment actually slipped by me - didn't think about the currency that they use. It slipped by the testers too obviously.
04/11/13, 16:32   
  ludist210  
@Smerd

Yeah, Cyan's dialogue got changed a good bit in the GBA version from what I remember, but it didn't bother me since it basically kept the same meaning and didn't change his personality.

@GameDadGrant

Wait, what? That's one of the best lines in the game! It's not "corny" or "playing to fears of kids", it's describing Shadow's persona, which is exactly that. He's an assassin for hire that works for gil.

I will say this, make sure you "Wait" for Shadow later in the World of Balance so you can see his backstory later in the game. It explains a lot about him (and two other characters whom you have yet to meet).
04/11/13, 17:09   
  GameDadGrant  
@Smerd

Grr...Zero and his ninjas...!

I got to the part where the story splits in three this morning. I took the "Locke" route first, and rescued Celes. I saved once I got to the World Map. I think I'm supposed to...go to Narshe, now? For the Esper? Or was Locke's mission different?

@ludist210

Did you play this game when it originally came out?
04/11/13, 18:08   
  Smerd  
@GameDadGrant

I'm exactly where you are now... but I saved it at the choice screen with the moogle.

I'm not too familiar with the 'party of 3' choice as I don't believe I have done that too many times but I do believe you are supposed to go to Narshe. One thing I have noticed in this game is that I'm finding it hard to know where to go next sometimes. I never really had that issue with Chrono Trigger but with FFIII I have been caught wandering the world aimlessly and the Mode 7 slant of the overworld is a bit jarring. With my poor sense of direction, it makes it that much more difficult, especially when you keep getting interupted by random battles.. If/when I have taken a break from this game in the past, trying to get back into it is much much harder without a 'journal' of some sort or an objective.

Most, if not all RPG's of the past did not have these features (CT included), but because of the way FFIII is designed, I seem to miss those things that are featured in current RPG's more.

I believe the Sabin route is the one with the train..
04/11/13, 18:34   
  TriforceBun  
@GameDadGrant

Yeah, just go through the cave of South Figaro (which is northwest from the town), you're almost done with Locke's scenario.

I feel the older translation--while it takes some liberties--has simply got more personality and is more playful than the newer one, while still bringing the right amount of gravity to the situations that call for it. FF3 is one of the best games I can think of that balances levity with drama particularly well, when many RPGs afterwards would get too wrapped up in themselves.

That said, the later translation is actually quite good and a better adaptation than most attempts at rewriting dialogue for older games.
04/11/13, 18:52   
  ludist210  
@GameDadGrant

Yes, which put me right at the age of 13 (I'm 32 now). I've been playing RPGs since the original Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy came out on the NES. And I replayed (and beat it) on Virtual Console, PlayStation (the Anthology disc), and the GBA version.

@TriforceBun

Oh it's not a bad translation by any means. Probably one of the better rewrites, but I still prefer the original.
04/11/13, 19:04   
  GameDadGrant  
@Smerd

Yeah, I get lost quite easily in that Mode 7 map. It's confusing!

@TriforceBun, @ludist210

See, you guys played the game back when it originally came out, so I would guess that's why you guys might prefer the older script. Maybe not *necessarily* because it's better, but because that's what you "grew up" with. As a Chrono Trigger fan, the DS remake of that game's dialogue caught me off-guard at times, and I yearned for the original SNES translation. Still...I think they did a lot of things better with the DS game, such as removing Frog's dumb "medieval" accent, that really had no place in the game.

That's just me though, maybe I'm weird.
04/11/13, 19:46   
  GameDadGrant  
Finished up Locke's scenario. That Tunnel Armor was no match for me! I saved after I beat it...I think I'll do Sabin's part next.
04/11/13, 21:26   
  Mr_Mustache  
@GameDadGrant

Maybe a nickel is 5 gil...

@Smerd

HELL YEAH, IT IS! SUPLEX THAT MOTHERF'ER!
04/11/13, 21:28   
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