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Spectral Force 3
Publisher: Atlus
Developer: Idea Factory
Genre: Strategy RPG
Release Date: July 29, 2008
Platform: Xbox 360
Reviewer: Eric
 Video games today are trying to wow the crowd over with amazing graphics.
Developers are starting to forget what makes a game fun. With more and more
games coming out that look great, but can be beaten in less than ten hours, can
a strategy role playing game like Spectral Force 3 survive for the win?
The amount of criticism this game is getting is uncalled for. Yes Spectral Force
3 looks like a Playstation 2 game on steroids, but doesn’t it matter how a game
plays rather than the graphics? More and more big time review websites are
starting to put down little games like this for no reason at all. Fans of Atlus
games know that the games they release need at least a few days to truly
understand what is about. Spectral Force 3 is one of those games that needs time
to appreciate it, once you put in a good couple of hours you will fall in love
with this game.
Spectral Force 3 plays just like your other favorite strategy RPGs, Shining
Force and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance are two games that come in mind. The
gameplay is pretty much the same, but Spectral Force offers a few new things
that enhance the game. You get to drag your character for its movement, letting
you visually see your character walk (looks realistic). There are a lot of
details in this game that make it a much more polished game that other recent
strategy RPGs.
One thing that this game is lacking is the different screens you have to manage.
I had a hard time trying to grasp all of the screens in this game. Spectral
Force 3 seems to be broken into two games in one, but at times I feel like the
one aspect is doing its own thing while I am stuck with the battles. Even trying
to maneuver through these screens is a chore; still to this day I still can’t
remember the button configurations. They just don’t seem right for this game.
 Battles in this game can also become a problem if you don’t play your cards
right. You have the opportunity to replay missions and do quests to build up
levels and earn items to upgrade your weapons. At times in this game it seems
like you are forced to play certain battles and if you don’t do it right then
you will loose over and over again. Proper strategy is a must in this game, you
only have six characters per stage and you’ll sometimes have to fight double
this amount. Don’t panic, these kind of games play a lot like chess games,
remember that.
The graphics in this game are not what you’d expect. I will admit that this game
looks like an enhanced Playstation 2 game, but you have to remember about the
details in this game. One thing that can not be explained is the music. Spectral
Force 3 has some of the worst music I’ve heard in a game this year. Once the
music is done it will literally stop and loop again. There is no need for
something like that when you are paying $59.99 for a video game.
 Another downer in this game is the story. I really can’t quite say what the
story is about. There are cut scenes in-between certain battles and ever after,
some of which don’t seem to really matter what is going on. When you see the
world map you are just treated to text that makes no sense. This game seems to
have the same story as Chaos Wars, which if you’ve played that game then you
know there wasn’t a huge story in that game either.
Spectral Force 3 is a long game, well over the thirty hour mark if you try to
complete everything in the first run. If you are trying to unlock everything in
this game then you have to start another game. There are at least two characters
that can only be unlocked with a second play through the game. It might be
redundant playing through this game again, but just remember that you can skip
the story.
Final Verdict
I really don’t think people should listen to the big shots when it comes to
reviews on this game. I’ve been playing this kind of games for years now and I
know that Spectral Force 3 is the story of game that gets better the more you
play it. I think the $59.99 asking price is way too much, but at the same time I
think you are getting enough game for your dollar.
Rating
7.75 out of 10
Spectral Force 3 Trailer
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