Final Fantasy III & Rune Factory go head-to-head in Japan

On August 24, Final Fantasy III and Rune Factory: Shin Bokujou Monogatari (Harvest Moon spinoff) will be released in Japan fo DS. While FFIII certainly has the brand edge, both titles look to boost the DS's credibility as a viable RPG platform. Famitsu recently published its reviews for the two games, suggesting that FFIII is slightly superior:

• Final Fantasy III (Square Enix): 9/8/9/8 - 34/40*
• Rune Factory (Marvelous Interactive): 8/9/7/9 - 33/40

Keep in mind that, back in March, Children of Mana scored even higher than FFIII, earning a 36/40, and will be released in the US on October 30. FFIII will land stateside in November (hopefully). Rune Factory: Shin Bokujou Monogatari has not been confirmed for release outside of Japan, but Harvest Moon DS is scheduled for September 12.

*C3 News notes that Famitsu's score for the original FFIII (NES) was 35/40.