Hands-on With Final Fantasy III

Heres an excerpt:

For fans of Japanese publisher Square Enix, the Nintendo DS has turned into a gaming haven for this holiday season. Starting with Rocket Slime just a month back, and continuing with the delightful hack-n-slash adventure Children of Mana just days ago, the company is looking to ensure that any gamer looking for a role-playing or adventure experience is right at home on the Nintendo DS. Of course as we all know, Rocket Slime and Children of Mana - though they are superb titles - are just the warm-up for the RPG adventure everyone's been waiting for this year: Final Fantasy III. We've had a chance to play through (and beyond) the opening hours of the game, and are happy to bring our full impressions of just how strong this blend of old and new is turning out on DS.

As with any conversation about the Final Fantasy universe, we first have to make sure everyone on the same page. Is FFIII the American FFIII, which is actually FFVI? Is it FFIII from Japan, or did we screw up and put III when it's really II, which is Japan IV? Confusing, huh? Final Fantasy III for Nintendo DS is a re-make of sorts from the Japanese III, a game that hasn't seen the light of day in America yet, and is now making a new debut for DS gamers in its current form. The game mixes traditional gameplay and the same overarching story as it did in Japan, now complete with superb 3D visuals and added side-quests for the hardcore crowd. What you'll find in FFIII for DS is a total mix of old and new, and though the game may look mainstream and familiar - at least as far as Final Fantasy games go - this game can be very difficult, and doesn't play by the rules that most gamers have adopted over the last few years.

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im still waiting for a US release.