5 is the masterpiece in the series from a gameplay standpoint, only 10 and 13 compare. 3 finally resembled 4 and onward and I consider 3 a great game even today. FF2 was much better than 1 thanks to having a strong narrative and the gameplay was unique. FF1 was all grind fest and no story and I hated it. FFIV was shorter and harder than 6 (yes, the easytype version) but it was convincing and I enjoyed it. If I look at my own starts into various series, I started FF with 6 (also because it was highly praised in reviews) and then worked myself through the previous games. I guess the fan translation did generate some interest with a new audience. Normally most of the people interested in the third game of a series would have played the ones before it. I think it is remarkable that the third game in a series apparently was played by so many people who weren't interested in the series before. I still remember the beginning of Mother 3 when I won't comment on the cast as I am still early on in the game, but in terms of narrative the game is hardly engaging at all. This is strange as in Mother 3 frogs were placed in the right places to make sure that players wouldn't get burnt out.

This can get really annoying as you clear out a whole labyrith and are about to fight a boss just to die and redo everything again. As of where I am now, I can't save wherever I want. You can almost never run away while in battle, and once your player dies you have to refight all of the enemies all over again. Battles are impossible to avoid and aren't fun at all. There are two things that contribute to this. The game is paced horribly, I mean it is just so boring. It is like everything that made Mother 3 so good is absent here. What I ended up getting was.a very mediocre game. Unlike most that have played Mother 3, I have never played Earthbound, so I was ready for another incredible gaming experience. So when I saw that Earthbound was available for purchase with my Club Nintendo reward points I was excited. There was never really a dull moment for the game. The game is brilliantly paced, contained a great cast, and an engaging narrative. I listed it on my number 2 spot in Gaf's Essential RPG thread. I widely consider Mother 3 to be one of the best games I have ever played.

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