Spectral Force 3

by Atlus

Product Features

• One of the first strategy RPG's for the XBOX 360
• Recruit up to 40 playable characters each with individual sets of attacks
• Over 100 distinct missions
• Appealing art and cinematics for fans of anime
• A deep gauge system for executing combination attacks

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00122OBH8
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches ; 4.2 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: July 29, 2008
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,819 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com

Affect the rise and fall of nations

Neverland...A world where gods reside in Heaven, the dead in the Underworld, and humans, demons, and various other races struggle for dominance amongst each other on the earth. War was constant between the races, and as each conflict came to a close, the rulers would change.

Magic Era: 996. The ten kingdoms of the land, seizing the opportunity provided by Overlord Janus's death, are attempting to unify the continent under their own banners. This is the beginning of the Great Neverland War. In order to bolster their defenses, kingdoms have begun hiring mercenary units. As new members of the Norius Mercenaries, you and your friend Diaz are eager to prove yourselves. When the squad's commander Judo is mortally wounded in battle, the mantle of leadership is entrusted to you, and so the adventure begins.

Key Features Strategy RPG for Xbox 360-True strategy role-playing for the Xbox 360. For those who can master it, a deep gauge system allows you to execute devastating combination attacks and contextual menus provide an array of strategic options at your fingertips. Affect the rise and fall of nations-As a mercenary group, you can choose to aid one master, or aid them all. The course of the Neverland War will be irrevocably changed by your actions. Incredible gameplay value-Recruit up to 40 playable characters, each with individual sets of attacks. Gather components to build a vast assortment of equipment to cater to your personal strategies. Spectral Force 3 lets you battle through 100 distinct missions.

Many options with this strategy RPG View larger image Avenge the innocent View larger image

Product Description

Magic Era 996. The ten kingdoms of the land, seizing the opportunity provided by Overlord Janus's death, are attempting to unify the continent under their own banners. This is the beginning of the Great Neverland War. In order to bolster their defenses, kingdoms have begun hiring mercenary units. As new members of the Norius Mercenaries, you and your friend Diaz are eager to prove yourselves. When the squad's commander Judo is mortally wounded in battle, the mantle of leadership is entrusted to you, so the adventure begins.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Other Side Of The Discussion..., July 14, 2009

By 

Sedina - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Spectral Force 3 (Video Game)

I really, really enjoyed this game.

Let me preface this first by saying I am not a fan of JRPGs; the linear storyline ("interactive movie") doesn't appeal to me. And I confess I am a fan of strategy games. Simple strategy with lots of applications really interests me. I'm an avid chess player as well, though, so take my review with a grain of salt.

I loved this game.

Spectral Force 3 breaks a lot of conventions. Its non-linear storyline will keep you interested for replay after replay. Its character customization will put the burden of power on you. Its completely open-ended gameplay will frustrate you, and reward you.

The storyline is fairly basic - you're a boy, given control of a mercenary unit, and told to save the world. However, what "save the world" means can differ significantly from replay to replay. You have the option to ally with any one of the nine (!) kingdoms, or none of them. You can switch alliances mid-game. You, alone, decide which kingdom wins the ultimate battle - and, therefore, saves the world.

The gameplay is actually simple, and, like all good strategy games, can quickly add up to some fairly deep turn movement. Much of your turn will be used deciding which character to "teamwork" in to the turn. You'll also have to consider placement, status effects, and weapon types. There ends up being a surprising amount of complexity for a simple system.

I admit the graphics are fairly weak, although not as horrible as other people have made them out to be. The budget's been spent on animating movement, rather than cut scenes (and, lord, those cut scenes are horrible). But what animation exists is very tight. Archer units step back and brace themselves for a shot. Spear units lunge forward and strike solidly. Enjoy the bits of animation, and (please) ignore the awful cut scenes.

Finally, the instruction book is bad. Bad. Horrible. Bad. I can't-- there aren't enough words in the English language that I can call here to properly give you an idea of how bad the instruction book is. Throw it out; that's my advice.

Keep at it, though. It took me about four hours to really understand the battle system and the various implements I can bring to bear on the combat. If you persevere, you'll be rewarded with a shockingly good game.

I know it's not for everyone. I know it's difficult, and picky, and suffers from the anime-cliche. I know, furthermore, that the instructions are nothing short of a biblical atrocity. I know that this game won't sell very well. I know.

But Spectral Force 3 is good for gamers who want a choice; gamers who enjoy pitting strategy against a computer. If you're looking to get the powerup and win the game, this isn't necessarily the game for you.

If, however, you're looking for a surprisingly innovative and deep set of challenges with high replay value, this is a good game to pick up.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very underrated game, May 7, 2009

By 

G. Vaness (Chandler, Az) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Spectral Force 3 (Video Game)

Spectral Force 3 slipped under my radar for quite a while because of the horrid ratings it got accross the board. I finally gave it a try, and I'm sure glad I did.

The 360 is lacking solid tactical rpgs, this is a great addition to a very under popluated genre.

Yes, it has a steep learning curve. The instruction manual is horrid and not helpful, but with guide sites up all over the place, five minutes online will get you everything you need to know to get rolling.

So, if you love Tactics games, give this a try. (Although it can be found for $20 new several places now.)

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A solid SRPG, October 26, 2009

By 

Isackson "Reader/Gamer" (WA) - See all my reviews

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Spectral Force 3 (Video Game)

This game left me with a pretty nasty first impression, so I can understand the bad reviews. The cutscenes are pretty annoying, you're given pretty much no direction on how to use the fairly complex battle system and my game froze up during a post battle cutscene less then 2 hours into the game (I restarted my 360, replayed the mission and skipped the post battle cutscene the second time around.)

However if you can get past the initial first impression this is a pretty good, tougher then average SRPG with quite a bit of depth, alot of battles, characters and customization. Many of the battles are serious battles of attrition where just when you think you've won hordes of new enemies will appear. If you're a newbie to SRPGs this game will probably be pretty frustrating considering the lack of direction and difficult battles that hit you fairly early in the game.

For the cheap price tag this game is currently going for give it a shot if you're looking for a challenging SRPG. If you're looking for something a little more user friendly however I would probably recommend trying Operation Darkness (Also for 360) or one of the Disgaea titles for PS2/PS3.