Review
Spectral Force 3 (Xbox 360)
You’d Need to Pay Me to Play More of This
by Coop
Name: Spectral Force 3
Genre: Tactical RPG
Platform: Xbox 360
As a fan of tactical RPGs it is easy to find yourself saddened by the current state of games. Some, like Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced 2, attempt to reinvigorate the slowly dying genre, while others, like Spectral Force 3, pinch the I.V. cord and hope for a quick death. I was genuinely excited when I picked up Spectral Force 3, hoping for something to bridge the gap in-between FFTA2 and Disgaea 3, but found nothing but disappointment around every bend.
The game's story, which has all the plot depth of Madden 2009, has very little going for it. The story follows a mercenary group who sort of gets involved in a big war. That’s about it. Their involvement never bubbles up to a huge level and the war never becomes more important than getting more jobs to pay the bills. This could have been handled in a more dynamic way, but it wasn’t, and the game feels worse for it. Although I criticized Final Fantasy Tactics A2 for not focusing deeply enough on a story I feel like it suffered less than Spectral Force 3 did – at least it had some things going for it.
Nothing in the game really works out like it should. The combat is somewhat entertaining but the battles are overly punishing. This leads to repeating certain missions over and over for success. It might take three or four tries to complete any one battle simply because you missed more than you hit, or didn’t run to a specific point quickly enough, or, more likely, haven’t grinded up your characters enough. There is very little tactical strategy going on, and when certain missions end with nearly perfect records, and others leave your party in shambles by the second turn, there is a huge problem with the game. There is a combat tutorial mission, but none that explain how other aspects of the game work; it’s simply trial and error from the onset.
It seems like it would be easy to translate the traditionally handheld experience to the console, taking advantage of the graphics to bring fantastic battles to heights that the Nintendo DS and PSP can’t handle. Visualizations of different armors and weapons, which go back as far as the original Diablo for PCs, could also take the gameplay experience further. Sadly, Spectral Force 3 doesn’t actually do any of that.
Nearly every aspect of the game is completely counterintuitive and the game digresses from the slow evolutionary track that tactical RPGs have been set on for the past ten years. Basic gameplay components, like a well developed shop or inventory screen, are instead handled with the care given to an NES title, and the graphics, despite being High Def, could have easily been handled on the PlayStation 2, if not the PSX.
There might be some gleaming light beyond the inch-deep layer of grime and poor design, but it isn’t worth looking for. If you’re a fan of tactical RPGs there are plenty better options worth pursuing, and even if you played through those options give them another go before picking this up. There is nothing in Spectral Force 3 that will keep you hooked, literally NOTHING, and every step you take towards the game’s finale is one you will regret not spending playing anything else.
Related Articles:
First Impressions: Operation Darkness
Spectral Force 3 Gets U.S. Release Date
Comments
well this is very sad as i was very excited about this game, though i would have never got a chance to play it anyway.
I'm almost 10 hours into the game now, and the game does get a lot better later on. And strategy is indeed involved into it, you need to workout the Support & Teamwork feature, and the Geo laylines too. (You also need to learn how to use Diaz efficiently)
It's a shame, Operation Darkness was even better than this game, and that was a flawed game. I really wanted this game to be good, but Atlus should maybe stick to the PS2 and PSP until they learn to utilize the 360 properly.
i heard Operation Darkness was flat out terrible.. this is worse than that?
Atlus is def. having a rough go on the 360, I wonder if this is why they have shied away from the PS3 and stuck with the PS2 for now.
I must admit that I didn't read the article because I trust that when Coop says it's a "5" and to "Trash It" he means "Don't pick this up, don't rent it, and if one of your friends picked it up slap them in the face!"
That's the translation that I got from just scanning the review. The anime cut-scene quality looks good, though.
To be fair, atlus didn't develop any of those games ;) only localized. And I think they got decent reviews in japan, hence why they brought them over.
Guess the american taste in gaming is simply too different.
Haven't played O.D. , but I'm rather enjoying SF3, it's just very very slow to pick up
You'd need to pay me to read more of this reviewers attempts at game journalism. If you are a true fan of strategy RPG's believe me you will love this game!