Is FFIII the most under-appreciated entry?

[Wolf Kanno]

I mean seriously, it just seems like people either have a low or no opinion on this game. While it is understandable that it was an antiquated game that got released nearly 20 years after it's debut, considering how much Japan loves this game and how often it gets referenced in the series, you would think Westerners would appreciate it more. So do you feel FFIII is the most under-appreciated game that get's forgotten all the time or do you feel it hasn't aged well and just gets easily lost in the swarm of better games in the franchise?

[VeloZer0]

and just gets easily lost in the swarm of better games in the franchise?

This. If you rank all the games some have to invariably be shoved down to the bottom. I really enjoy FF3, but just not more than FF 4, 5, 6, or 7. (or 9, depending on my mood).

[Elpizo]

I most definately do and it's all because it never got released here when it was new and earth-shatteringly ahead of its time. That we had to wait twenty years for it in the west and getting every title from IV to XII before we ever could play III meant that it had no chance here from the start. I take some solace in the fact that it is so wonderfully tributed in Final Fantasy XIV, introducing a lot of players to the wonders of the Crystal Theme and Boss Theme, as well as the Crystal Tower. To this day I wonder if releasing the NES version for virtual consoles would improve people's opinion of this masterful, underrated gem.

[Rez09]

While I don't necessarily feel it has been pushed aside by 'better' games in the franchise, per se, I do think it has been forgotten largely because it fails to offer what a lot players today really want in their games.

The people I've recommended the game to, for instance, find the story lacking and that their characters don't garner much player investment -- both of which they see as major downsides -- and I often hear them say they get bored with the game for these reasons. Additionally, most of these same people don't seem to particularly care for/about the job system present in the game, which is one of the title's big selling points. This effectively means the game offers nothing for their tastes, and I don't suspect these people represent a small subset of the population.

Conversely, I enjoy the higher amount of time spent exploring dungeons and experimenting with different classes, relatively free of cut-scenes and dialogue. I can't count the number of times in this franchise I've found myself halfheartedly reading though text just looking for what to do next because I just don't give a damn about anything going on anymore, or, even worse, because my main character is either an idiot or utterly annoys me (though the unfortunate reality is usually a combination of both).

So, I don't think it was pushed aside because newer entries were better, so much as because newer entries have wider general appeal.

[Pumpkin]

It's a good game, don't get me wrong, its just forgettable to me compared to the other entries in the series. I never played the original, only the DS version, and I can barely remember anything about it.

[Lone Wolf Leonhart]

Honestly, I might put most under appreciated on Final Fantasy II.

At least with III post-2006, there was a resurgence of appreciation and the thought of "yeeessss, now I can finally play this game". It was "the one that finally came out years later" and it's hard to overlook that.

[Wolf Kanno]

Yeah but I feel III gets more of the shaft from players than FFII. I mean II is under-appreciated in the sense that it's a better game than people give it credit for and that kind of creates a sense of having a strong feeling for it but III is generally considered by most people to be a good game it's just ignored because it doesn't have the controversial elements of other under-appreciated titles in the series. People will at least bring up FFII in conversation whereas FFIII kind of gets looked over because beyond getting released decades past it's time, there isn't anything to really discuss for fans.

[Cloudane]

I like them all but my order of favouritism of the NES games goes

3 > 1 > 2

So I appreciate it! Maybe it's a combination of not having had an English release until recently and the original kind of went back to FF1 style roots and almost acted as an updated version of it, whilst FF2 - even though I'm not a fan of "fighting an empire" FFs myself - was at least a bit different by having named characters, and deviated slightly from the "warriors of Light with a capital L return Light to the crystals that are shedding their Light silently" BS that plagues the classic era

Also it doesn't have much of a story other than "wander from place to place helping people out" until towards the end. Then it has cool memorable characters like Unne and the really nice bit where everyone comes to save you because you've been kind to them along the way... but that's about it really. It's more of a gameplay based game as far as its merits go. Personally I love the job system but tastes vary.

[fat_moogle]

I played the Android version of this game. I completed it but I can't really say I enjoyed it that much, and it didn't leave any kind of lasting impression.

[Zelfina Ai'ada]

II is the black sheep, but III is definitely the most under-appreciated. It kind of bums me out, but I totally understand it. That being said, III is one of my favorites for some reason. In my opinion it was the title where Final Fantasy truly found its identity: it began the great job system (I don't count FFI since you merely choose at the start and that's it), introduced some of the greatest jobs still to this day, introduced summons, started moogles, etc. Also, I absolutely love the soundtrack and the oldschool feel to it, and when you really think about it, the fact that they were able to make the enemy sprites in the NES version look as good as they did was just insane.