Before playing FF3 myself I had watched you play it on the stream during your marathon and I was puzzled why I barely remembered the game. My memories of it are so vague that I started to doubt I had actually watched it. Now, after having recently finished it I understand why my memories of it are so faint. While FF3 doesn't actively punish you for exploring like FF2 did or force you to chose between saving and buying items like FF1 did, it also lacks the explorative element of FF1 and the characterization element of FF2. At no point in the entirety of FF3 do you gain the ability to fly around the whole map. The entire time the game is teasing you with this concept of total exploration without ever actually allowing you to do so. Over on the characterization side, while the characters' backstories and reasons for being a part of the adventure are adequate, almost nothing is done with them once they've started their journey. By the end of the game, with the one exception of Ingus, the rest of the party members go about their lives like nothing happened. Arc is still a cowardly push-over, Refia is still being forced into a life she never cared about by an over-protective father, and Ingus has functioned without much of a personality or characterization to begin with. Even Ingus's only real change is that he enters a relationship with Sara, which, while it makes sense, doesn't actually tie into any growth he may have experienced over the course of the game. As far as the job system goes, while I like that it's included I do not like that a certain job (namely the white mage) is required instead of optional due to gimmicks repeated throughout the entire game. This severely limited my ability to experiment with combinations with the job system until I eventually settled on making everyone warriors except for Arc and just left him as a white mage the entire time for no reason other than those gimmic sections. After all this complaining you're probably getting the impression that I think it is a bad game, and I would if not for one very important factor: it's setting. Unlike the previous two FFs, FF3 actually had multiple events in its history, not to mention the difference of perspectives between the floating continent and the one below, as well as introduced us to an alternate dimension that changed the way we viewed the entire story, shifting it from a light vs dark story to a story about balance and order vs chaos. The way the finale is constructed is very indicative of the setting being the focus of the game rather than the characters when we are introduced to the warriors of darkness. They get no names or unique personalities. In fact they all look exactly the same because the characters aren't the point. The point is that the forces of darkness and light, the defining factions of the entire setting, are joining forces to repel something that is threatening the entire universe. Not just the planet the game is taking place on, mind you, but the entire setting. This is the point of FF3, and what it does, it does very well. It just doesn't focus on much beyond that. The reason my memories of the game aren't that strong is not because it is a bad game, but because it is simply not a memorable one. The good and the bad manage to equal themselves out into a perfect stand-off so that I don't actually feel much of anything for the game as a whole. I'd be intrigued to find out more about the setting but that's basically it. Now, the question arises as to whether or not I would say this game is superior to it's predecessors. While I can't really compare FF3 to FF1 because of the fact that FF1 is so open to interpretation it's practically an unfinished game from a story perspective, honestly, and this may sound shocking, I prefer FF2 to FF3 in terms of gameplay, plot, characterization, and character growth. Heck, even the setting in FF2 is pretty decent, meanwhile FF3 is a one trick pony with a very interesting setting and not much else to speak of.
Hey man, I've just found your "ruminations" about final fantasy series... I mean, you're amazing, you keep alive my desire to play again those beautiful games and you're the only one that is able to fully dive into those fantastic worlds and analize with so much carefulness and love... huge thanks from an italian guy
A matter of preference honestly, I do personally prefer the remade OST in many cases but the original has its charm (I'm a fan of 8-bit music in general).
oh and by the way... i just want to thank you, for your reviews in general and specifically for your review of dragon age (origins). i tried that game about a year ago, and didnt like it. just couldnt get into it. but after watching your vid i desided to give it another go. and now i love it. ...so thanks
Thanks to your amazing review I am now playing ffiii for the 1st time on my android phone. Quick question, I'm a fan of ff music and I was wondering if I should get the original ost or redone one?
Not per se, but for a similar symbol that does show a "this vs that, and the space between", look up the symbol of Crossgen Comics. The godlike First belong either to the selfless House Dexter (gold) or the selfish House Sinister (red), but then the whole universe is invaded by the Negation, which is led by an even more godly being named Charon, and his blue symbol fits perfectly between the comma-shaped Dexter and Sinister icons to form a complete symbol. It's one of my favorite bits of iconography in all of fiction, right up there with the pentagram of Magic the Gathering's five colors of mana.
Me too, I was scared something bad happened :/ He really should have done an intro where he looks from the left to the right and says something profound :D
Before playing FF3 myself I had watched you play it on the stream during your marathon and I was puzzled why I barely remembered the game. My memories of it are so vague that I started to doubt I had actually watched it. Now, after having recently finished it I understand why my memories of it are so faint. While FF3 doesn't actively punish you for exploring like FF2 did or force you to chose between saving and buying items like FF1 did, it also lacks the explorative element of FF1 and the characterization element of FF2. At no point in the entirety of FF3 do you gain the ability to fly around the whole map. The entire time the game is teasing you with this concept of total exploration without ever actually allowing you to do so. Over on the characterization side, while the characters' backstories and reasons for being a part of the adventure are adequate, almost nothing is done with them once they've started their journey. By the end of the game, with the one exception of Ingus, the rest of the party members go about their lives like nothing happened. Arc is still a cowardly push-over, Refia is still being forced into a life she never cared about by an over-protective father, and Ingus has functioned without much of a personality or characterization to begin with. Even Ingus's only real change is that he enters a relationship with Sara, which, while it makes sense, doesn't actually tie into any growth he may have experienced over the course of the game. As far as the job system goes, while I like that it's included I do not like that a certain job (namely the white mage) is required instead of optional due to gimmicks repeated throughout the entire game. This severely limited my ability to experiment with combinations with the job system until I eventually settled on making everyone warriors except for Arc and just left him as a white mage the entire time for no reason other than those gimmic sections.
After all this complaining you're probably getting the impression that I think it is a bad game, and I would if not for one very important factor: it's setting. Unlike the previous two FFs, FF3 actually had multiple events in its history, not to mention the difference of perspectives between the floating continent and the one below, as well as introduced us to an alternate dimension that changed the way we viewed the entire story, shifting it from a light vs dark story to a story about balance and order vs chaos. The way the finale is constructed is very indicative of the setting being the focus of the game rather than the characters when we are introduced to the warriors of darkness. They get no names or unique personalities. In fact they all look exactly the same because the characters aren't the point. The point is that the forces of darkness and light, the defining factions of the entire setting, are joining forces to repel something that is threatening the entire universe. Not just the planet the game is taking place on, mind you, but the entire setting. This is the point of FF3, and what it does, it does very well. It just doesn't focus on much beyond that. The reason my memories of the game aren't that strong is not because it is a bad game, but because it is simply not a memorable one. The good and the bad manage to equal themselves out into a perfect stand-off so that I don't actually feel much of anything for the game as a whole. I'd be intrigued to find out more about the setting but that's basically it. Now, the question arises as to whether or not I would say this game is superior to it's predecessors. While I can't really compare FF3 to FF1 because of the fact that FF1 is so open to interpretation it's practically an unfinished game from a story perspective, honestly, and this may sound shocking, I prefer FF2 to FF3 in terms of gameplay, plot, characterization, and character growth. Heck, even the setting in FF2 is pretty decent, meanwhile FF3 is a one trick pony with a very interesting setting and not much else to speak of.
Hey man, I've just found your "ruminations" about final fantasy series... I mean, you're amazing, you keep alive my desire to play again those beautiful games and you're the only one that is able to fully dive into those fantastic worlds and analize with so much carefulness and love... huge thanks from an italian guy
Playing this on my PSP for the first time. Love it so far.
I wasn't blown away with Dragon's Dogma, but that last boss was just out of this world.
A matter of preference honestly, I do personally prefer the remade OST in many cases but the original has its charm (I'm a fan of 8-bit music in general).
I just found your channel and I LOVE your final fantasy retrospectives!! Thanks so much for all this content for the next few months
Your hair is awesome. It's like Sephiroth's!
Also, you speak VERY well about videogame topics. Great discussion.
@Lorerunner, will you ever do a rumination for Final Fantasy Dissidia? I would love to see it one day.
Ah.. god mode hair. Quite good. Lmao. I'm glad you've managed to continue making vids. Keep up the great epic work.
FF3 is a very good FF game, thought the concept of its story was very intriguing.
Excellent review.
oh and by the way... i just want to thank you, for your reviews in general and specifically for your review of dragon age (origins). i tried that game about a year ago, and didnt like it. just couldnt get into it. but after watching your vid i desided to give it another go. and now i love it.
...so thanks
Thank you for making these reviews, I can tell you put massive amounts of times in these reviews and I want to say thank you.
Thanks to your amazing review I am now playing ffiii for the 1st time on my android phone. Quick question, I'm a fan of ff music and I was wondering if I should get the original ost or redone one?
Back then, FFIX killed my PS1 as well lol
Can't wait until you get to FF8 and 9, they've always been my favorites. Interested in your take on them.
I was so disappointed when you didn't go in the "different layers thing" :(
In order to turn super saiyan you need to experience a traumatic event.... oh yeah he beat Mass Effect 3. Congrats Archengeia!!!
I was watching Harry Potter COS a few minutes before watching this video, I clicked on it and now all I can hear is "You lost me my servant!"
It's Legolas cousin.........sorry, another good video :)
Thanks for the reply. Any tips/advice on jobs to concentrate on as I progress through the game?
Ninjas are awesome.
I would argue that Dragon Quest did he multiple overworld maps first. DQ3 has 2 world maps and that game was released 2 years before FF3
That's what I thought!! I was like "Archengeia shaved his head!!!! D:"
I love these reviews. grtz
In the newer Ff dimensions you get to play as the warriors of darkness! You should look into it!
your videos are so inspireing
Even us aliens watch them too.
dude...i fear your hair might be one of the signs of the apocalypse.
YOU HAVE DOOMED US ALL! :)
Ugh. That neck crack at 05:30 looks real scary.
Oh my god, it's Ben Reilly!
The story form III reminds me a lot of Shining Force.... and not in a great way.
Wow the hair was a surprise. Not saying its bad though
*Takes off glasses* Mother of god...
AH! from the thumbnail I thought you'd shaved your head!
NOoooo! come back!
Cool hair. It will take some getting used to though
Can't wait for you to review FFXIII. Yes, I love it. Btw, no offense my man, but stick to black hair :P
There is an in between yin and yang?
Not per se, but for a similar symbol that does show a "this vs that, and the space between", look up the symbol of Crossgen Comics. The godlike First belong either to the selfless House Dexter (gold) or the selfish House Sinister (red), but then the whole universe is invaded by the Negation, which is led by an even more godly being named Charon, and his blue symbol fits perfectly between the comma-shaped Dexter and Sinister icons to form a complete symbol. It's one of my favorite bits of iconography in all of fiction, right up there with the pentagram of Magic the Gathering's five colors of mana.
Here is a TV that looks like an apple.
Well hey there handsome new hair XD
Thats what i thought.
a person often changes their appearance after committing a serious crime...may u hide well!
Mother of GOD.
Nah, not SSJ3, but Ken from Street Fighter 2
O.o.............!
cool hair
SSJ3 Archengeia!!
lawl
Me too, I was scared something bad happened :/ He really should have done an intro where he looks from the left to the right and says something profound :D
hair!
Google "Super Saiyan Goku image". You're brothers :)
SLIM SHADY
LOOOOL, dude your hair HAHAHA!
Jesus, nobody in the comments has anything to say about the game, with like two exceptions total. All anyone can talk about is Arche's hair. 🙄
wow you died your hair!
Dude, your hair...it's in a ponytail.
Looks like someone lost a bet...
:p
WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED TO YOUR HAIR!!!! Ok what bet did you lose....
Must have lost a bet.
heh Blond hair now.
holly hell the hair..........it just doesnt look right Blond.
i think that most post will be OMG the hair for about the next 5 or so vids :P
CWR
please review your hair
Final Fantasy Reviews i don't care anymore. Make a review of your hair.