A bit of an odd coincidence

Phantasy Star III is known for having more of a medieval feel to it. But this sudden change in an angle becomes stranger. Considering it was released the day after the original Fire Emblem and the game was rushed in production.

So you think that someone at Sega might have had the thought trying to compete directly with Fire Emblem by having their own medieval themed game at the same time? I suppose it's possible, but I think Phantasy Star III's emphasis on fantasy over science fiction would have been decided very early on.

As I recall, Phantasy Star I was also released the day after a game that was similar to it (Dragon Quest, I think?). Seems like a pattern for Sega.

Phantasy Star I came out two days after the original Final Fantasy. Though Phantasy Star III wasn't originally Phantasy Star III to start with remember?

It wasn't originally PSIII? What do you mean by that? I haven't heard of that story....

Shinuzzo wrote:

Phantasy Star III is known for having more of a medieval feel to it. But this sudden change in an angle becomes stranger. Considering it was released the day after the original Fire Emblem and the game was rushed in production.

Hmmmm, that actually is a good point. The game does have a medieval feel to it, though I still consider PSIII more science-fiction. The only strong medieval qualities the game has, however, is the armor-knight style of clothing the Orakians wear, the dragon-knights found with Lyle (and possibly Ryan), and the chivalrous attitudes of the men in the game who also rescue the damsels in distress (although I prefer the tougher gals like Lena, Sari, and Gwyn, but I digress).

Hmmm, I wonder if Sega was trying to net the fans of more traditional RPGs with PSIII? It could all be just a coincidence that it was released so soon after FE. In fact, it probably was.

Rune_Walsh wrote:

The only strong medieval qualities the game has, however,...

Don't forget the look of the towns. They're definitely more rustic than the dome houses of Phantasy Star or the hi-tech look of PSII. Plus all the castles.

Shinuzzo wrote:

Phantasy Star I came out two days after the original Final Fantasy. Though Phantasy Star III wasn't originally Phantasy Star III to start with remember?

Um...what do you mean?
As far has the gaming world has known and Sega has known Phantasy Star III has always been Phantasy Star III.

I gotta go with coincidence on this one even though it's a good theory. It's been well over 10 years since I worked video game retail but from what I remember release dates weren't entirely random.

The game publishers, the good ones at least, put a lot of research into figuring out when games should come out. They look at past sales and seasonal trends - similar to how movie studios pick release dates, If two came up with roughly the same date to release an RPG it wouldn't be surprising.

Forgive me if this is off the current topic, but I find it more of an odd Coincidence that Diaz and Claude from Star Ocean 2, look and act almost exactly like Rune and Chaz from PS4.