Final Fantasy III | 
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| From: Square Enix
Category: Video Games
Buy Used: $28.74
New (1) Used (37) from $28.74
Avg. Customer Rating:  45 reviews
Sales Rank: 2643
Platform: Super Nintendo
ESRB: Everyone 10+
Media: Video Game
Operating System: Nintendo Super NES
UPC: 094689141055
EAN: 0094689141055
ASIN: B000035Y4P
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Epic storylines combined with an intuitive control system will appeal to all fans of role-playing games. | | • | Countless weapons, magic spells, and special skills allow for a variety of strategies and attacks. | | • | Various side quests and hidden endings increase the replay value of the game. | | • | The unique "Esper" magic system allows characters to cast over ninety different magic spells. |
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Product Description
From the Manufacturer The first Final Fantasy game was released for the original NES in 1990, and Final Fantasy III stormed onto the Super NES scene in 1994. One of the most engrossing RPGs of its era, Final Fantasy III stands up well to the test of time and still intrigues RPG fans to this day. Known for its intriguing storylines, the Final Fantasy series has always been filled with imaginative plots and twisting storylines. In Final Fantasy III, magical beings called The Espers return from centuries past to destroy the rational and mechanized new world. An amazing adventure unfolds from there, filled with challenging battles and perplexing puzzles. Features: Epic storylines combined with an intuitive control system will appeal to all fans of the genre. Countless weapons, magic spells, and special skills allow for a variety of strategies and attacks. Various side quests and hidden endings increase the replay value of the games. The unique "Esper" magic system allows characters to cast over ninety different magic spells. A variety of optional "mini quests" add to the game's replay value.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 40 more reviews...
It is official... July 4, 2008
This is the greatest RPG for the Super NES, and one of the best games ever made. It beats out Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana, easily some of the closest competition that Square had. Final Fantasy III (technically, VI) fires on all cylinders in so many ways.
PROS:
+ Graphics. For the SNES, these graphics are some of the most amazing 2-D graphics I have ever seen. Colorful, vivid characters and lush, vast landscapes make for some truly epic gameplay.
+ Plotline. So deep, so well thought out, and so worth playing it over again because of this.
+ Soundtrack. Easily some of the best Nobuo has dished out in his tenure at Square, and probably the greatest soundtrack ever to be heard on a 16-bit platform. From majestic castles to dramatic battles to flying through the sky at breakneck speeds, this game has the soundtrack to fit it all.
+ Characters. Each of the 14 characters that the player can play as is highly unique and innovative.
+ Challenge. Good enough.
+ Sidequests. Plenty as usual.
CONS:
- Length. Compared to it's three immediate successors, this game is a children's book in size.
The positives truly outweigh the negatives here. By all means, buy this game as it is, or if you feel you must, pick up the Playstation package Final Fantasy Anthology to get a moderately enhanced version of this game with some extra CG's, plus the never-before-domestically-available FFV, which is decent, but nothing when compared to this masterpiece.
A Glorious Piece of SquareSoft Genius October 17, 2007
Oosh... where do you start with a game like this? It's amazing, truly. Final Fantasy VII is often touted as the greatest Final Fantasy title, but I have to refute that. Oh, VII is a great game, don't get me wrong. But for "the Best" I'm going to have to put my money on THIS. Final Fantasy III (VI on PSX and GBA).
The sheer scope of the game is astonishing: a walloping 14 permenant playable characters who all have separate and interesting personalities, abilities, and histories. And you can explore all of their stories, too. There are side quests that indulge the chronically curious. The epic storyline itself makes for a high replay-ablility, but add in these side quests, and you have days and days of incredible Final Fantasy goodness.
But anyway, the plot of the game is involved and well developed, interesting and possessing of every element of good story-telling. Romance, war, tragedy, betrayal, humour... Magic, of course, this IS Final Fantasy, afterall. The story also takes what you think is typical and changes it. The villain, for example is not dark and evil-looking (unless you're coulrophobic) rather, he more-or-less resembles a clown. Not exactly intimidating, but exceedingly disturbing when it becomes clear how deranged he truly is.
The music of FFIII/VI is some of my favourite game music to date. Composer Nobuo Uematsu- also responsible for the music of many other Final Fantasy titles- is, in my humble opinion, a genius. Each character has his or her own theme that reflects quite well his/her personality, circumstances, and emotions. The location music is also very stirring and lovely (personal favourites: Phantom Forest, The Gestahl Empire, Magitek Research Facility, Slam Shuffle...). And oh man, the opera scenes, anyone? Wow. I often find myself humming or whistling tunes from this game.
The battle system is typical Final Fantasy. Random battles take you into the battle screen, where you fight in a turn-based manner. Magic is equipped by equipping Magicite to characters (some characters have some spells in their arsenal, no Magicite required). Armour and relics help increase stats and confer status boosters and the like. Different characters have different special abilities, too. Some of these are: Dancing, Blitz, Steal, Paint, Imitate, Esper, Runic... You have 4 players in your team at a time, so choose wisely!
The graphics aren't anything to drool over- no fancy CGI in most incarnations of this game (even the PSX remake is still on the low end of CG standards) but I personally find some nostalgia and simplistic aesthetic appreciation for the 2D sprites shown in the game. And somehow, these rather cute little figures manage to confer great emotion through their expressions and stances.
I will leave you with two things, the first being a loud and enthusiastic recommendation to buy this game in at least one of its forms, and the second is a quote in a book by Timothy J. Craig: "The very word 'game' tends to imply a shallow pastime, not a long, epic quest filled with grief, passion, and personal growth. Yet such a quest is exactly what Final Fantasy VI provides..."
And with that: Good Gaming!
This is the video game that defined fantasy as far as I'm concerned. April 15, 2006
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Words cannot describe how brilliant and wonderful this incredible game is. I unfortunately never got to buy this wonderful game when I was younger, even though I owned almost every other Super NES game. I also never owned Chrono Trigger either, but guess what! I now own a nice emulator that I got online, and I got FFIII, FFII, and CT. All three are probably the best games ever. I began playing both FFIII and CT and felt instantly the awesome feeling I got in the good old days from the original Super NES games that we'd always rent, but never got to buy. I actually did rent Chrono Trigger a long time ago but I'd forgotten all about until I played it and I became entranced in the wonderful music, intrigueing storyline, cool characters, and really sweet gameplay.
But as for Final Fantasy III, this game has now hooked me and it refuses to let go. I've spent the past five days playing nothing but FFIII, FFII, and CT. Final Fantasy III has a thoroughly complex storyline and an awesome cast of characters. I was actually on the verge of crying at certain scenes, they just were so sad. The game begins with only Terra, who is confused about herself and is being controlled by the empire to find the Espers, which are magical beings from a world that is only enterable through a cave deep in a mountain. Terra is rescued by Locke, who's a member of the Returners, and he is friends with Edgar, the king of the kingdom of Figaro. They then meet his brother Sabin, and then Locke rescues General Celes of the imperial army, who joins them because she doesn't believe in the evil deeds she is forced to do all the time, and because she reminds Locke of his lost girlfriend, Rachel. Soon, the game branches off into three different scenarios where you must guide each of the newfound characters back to Narshe, the city where the game begins. You soon meet several more characters, like Cyan, who might be my favorite character, and is a loyal knight of Doma, and who feels guilty about the death of his wife and child due to the poisoning of the castle's water system. There's also Gau, a boy who was raised from birth by wild animals in the woods, who is met fairly early in the game. In addition, there is also Shadow, a mercenary ninja who can be hired by the player at various points in the game until he is permenantly forced to join you, and when he seems to WANT to join you as well. You also meet Setzer, a world travelling gambler who owns a big airship called the Blackjack, and there's also Strago and his grand daughter Relm, who are magic experts who accompany you much later on. Aside from these main characters who form the storyline, there are also three others who must be found and placed in the party. There's Mog, a moogle, Umaro, who's a yeti, and Gogo, who's a mimic who never speaks.
One of the key characters in this story is the villain, who is hailed as one of the best in video game history or otherwise. His name is Kefka, and he has a fiery personality that soon engulfs the world in a war that was begun by his commander, Emperer Gestahl. But Kefka soon advances to being the true villain of the story and he says lines that have made me laugh for hours on end. "Son of a Submariner", "I shall build a monument to non-existence", and the famous, "You all sound like chapters in a self-help booklet!". These are only a few of the unusual things you'll hear from Kefka, and in my opinion, he makes a far better villain than Sephiroth. I think if Sephiroth were more like Kefka, he would be more effective. I never really cared as much for FFVII the way everyone else on earth did, and it seems that that game gets to a point where it becomes impossible to progress further. There are bosses who are simply too insanely hard to beat, and it really takes the fun out of the game, forcing you to have to spend weeks battling enemies on the field until you're halfway ready to fight the boss. Yep, that's FFVII. No, I shouldn't talk about it like it's bad. It's a good game. It just totally loses its epic feel once you leave the city of Midgar. It took me seven years of learning how to play FF properly before I ever managed to get past the battle at the end of the Shinra building. But anyway, getting back to FFIII, what I love about this game is not only the flawless, incredibly massive storyline, the loveable, great characters, the wonderful musical score, the interesting world map design (something I pay attention to in each FF game, just for grins), and the good graphics (I don't care if others don't like the graphics! They're good! They are!!! How can you honestly say they're bad?!), other than all that, what I really love about it is, you are very much free in this game to go virtually anywhere you want, especially when you get the airship.
This game seems like it's several different stories interwoven into one, which is pretty much what it is. There also really isn't a particular main character either. Certain ones seemed like they could've been at first, but then a new one comes along who seems to take that role. Usually the lead roles are considered to be Locke, Edgar, and Terra. They're only the ones you start with though. Locke is cool, but he isn't the actual main character. FFIX revolves around Zidane, and FFIV revolves around Cecil, for example. But this game has a different style. It revolves around all the characters, not just one. The actual main character could be a number of them. Celes, Terra, Cyan, Edgar, Sabin, Locke, and even Shadow seem like they could be THE main character. What's interesting is how you are put into a position in which it feels like you're looking through the eyes of the character you're controlling. It really feels real, to a certain extent. It's also very easy to become attached to the characters. I remember feeling very sad when I saw how Cyan felt, seeing his loved ones pass away. I also almost wanted to yell at Kefka when he killed General Leo. Kefka is just a very sinister villain who couldn't care less what happens to the world, or anyone besides himself. That's one thing that makes him very different than Sephiroth, who thought what he was doing was a good thing for the planet. Kefka thinks in reverse. He's actually very likeable, though. It's hard to explain. But my advice is, if you don't already own this game on Super NES, or the Playstation remake, download an emulator, at www.emuparadise.com, or this one other website where I got mine (sorry, can't remember what it's called...). I'm not gonna spoil any more of the game than I already have, so play it and find out why it's truly one of the three greatest video games ever created or concieved.
the best in the series March 30, 2006
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
this game is the best in the entire series...no other FF game has came close to the amount of emotional depth and charachter development. Each charachter has their own stories, their own chalenges, and their own demons...The storyline is nothing new and follows the story of "evil corporation seeks to take over the world"
Cyan--has to deal with the guilt of failing to protect the kingdom and feels responsible for the murder of his wife and child.
Locke--has to overcome the guilt of not protecting his wife and her death as a result.
Relm--Useful charachter with the ability to paint the mosters and use their attacks against them. No real depth in this charachter. hints in the game point to the fact that she is Shadow's daughter....not exlored enough though unfortunately
Celes--Alot of emotional/charachter depth, is the grand daughter of Cid. in the second half of the game, you decide whether to let him live or let him die.
Setzer--Not a very useful charachter, but has some emotional depth with him dealing with the death of his friend, Daryl.
Mog--Useful charachter with is dances, but no real depth
Umaro--I've finished this game dozens of times, I've used this charachter in only a dozen or so battles...a useless charachter
Sabin--good charachter development, has useful attacks simalure to a fighting game. Him and his brother both struggle to overcome the death of their father.
the old man (Forgot his name)---Grandfather of Relm...has to overcome a childhood challange of not defeating Hidon
Terra--struggles with finding love
GoGo--this charachter has no story or nothing. can mimic other attacks, also you can program his comands with commands from your entire party.
Shadow--has a mysterious past with only clues...is the father of Relm, it was a mistake not delving into this more in depth besides by dream sequences
Gau--Can learn monster attacks. he reconsiles with is father in the second half of the game.
The graphics and the soundtrack were incredible, for it's time. Umatsu is a musical genious. you can visit his website at Nobuo Uematsu.com for proof of his vast work in movies and videogames.
The only thing I have not been able to find is the Relic Ring
grab an emulator and play it...you will not be disappointed
http://www.emuparadise.com
I would have loved to have seen this made into a movie instead of the disastor of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
Everybody has a story to tell. Here's seventeen or so. March 16, 2006
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Meet Celes Chere, who at a young age was infused with ancient technology transforming her into a sorceress. She has never fallen in love, and wonders whether the two things are connected. Meet Sabin, the twin brother of the King of Figaro, at one point ironically referred to as "a puppet state." Sabin's contempt for power and those who use it was so great that he exiled himself from the kingdom after deliberately allowing his brother to cheat him out of the throne. And then there's Gau, abandoned at birth as a "demon child", who survives by running with packs of wild animals. And Shadow, the battle-hardened mercenary who has "killed his emotions" and takes the most profitable side of every conflict rather than thinking about which side is right. Or Madonna, who discovers a portal to a world beyond the human world, and upon discovering how unselfish its inhabitants are, never wants to leave.
These are just a few of the inhabitants of Final Fantasy VI, Square's 1994 epic, which at the time of its release was on the cutting edge of achievement for a narrative video game. Although the theme of the motley crew uniting to work towards a common cause has been abundant in Japanese storytelling since Hiroshima, in everything from Seven Samurai to Evangelion, Final Fantasy VI is unique in its love for its characters. While some of the characters' personalities are childishly overexaggerated (and accompanied by Wagnerian synth leitmotifs from series composer Nobuo Uematsu), never has eclecticism been made more plainly beautiful. This game is well-liked by children as well as adults, and fans of the game each have their favorite characters, including a renegade faction of fans devoted to the game's villain, a renegade imperial general named Kefka, who dresses like a clown and high-spiritedly spouts nihilist philosophy (think Nietzsche's "Beyond Good and Evil") as an excuse for... well, evil. "You sound like chapters from a self-help booklet." he tells the heroes, when they confront him with their individual reasons for wanting to defeat him. And only the most hardened realist will be able to play this game without becoming entranced by its many interlocking stories, however implausible each one may be, and wanting to defeat Kefka him/her self.
Have you ever wondered how the cast of Les Miserables would fare in a steampunk world where they were pitted against Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine? Play this very entertaining game and find out.
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