Gaming Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles

[Semjaza]

[quote name='satan665']My problem with gamecube kinda goes back to what I mentioned way earlier. Playstation games I pretty much know what I'm getting into really well because PSM magazine is really good and they have great reviewers. I don't really like Gamepro or Nin. Power because I never feel I'm getting much out of them. My gamecube library is small but mostly I have can't misses like Zelda, Metroid and Res. Evil games. I need to fall back more on the rental system or something.[/quote]

Well, that's what gaming sites are for heh. You can always visit [url]www.gamerankings.com[/url] They usually have several various reviews from good sources posted up for a game before it is released.

Also, I figure that if you wait a few days after a game this big (mostly meaning non-obscure) comes out, someone would have some impressions or be able to answer your questions.

I've been finding that impulse purchases are not a good idea anymore heh. I make sure to at least read a couple previews from various sites first. $50 isn't easy to come by for me, though.

[satan665]

I pretty much live my life one impulse purchase at a time. Thats what grad school and loan deferments are all about. Its nice to finally get paid to go to school.

I'll scope out that site, I usually read magazines at Borders or something without buying them (besides PSM), I guess this "internet" thing could be useful though.

[Balinese]

I have to say, even without a multiplayer set-up, I'm enjoying Crystal Chronicles.

It may not be a typical Final Fantasy game, with an ending and a linear path, but I like the way you have the freedom to go where you like and to be who and what you like. I love the little tiny side things like sending letters to your family to make them happy and painting Mog different colors in the moogle nests.

I also like the real-time thing. I've always loved games that were real-time attack ([I]Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time[/i] and [i]Majora's Mask[/i] come to mind), and the fun for me is in chasing the enemies down or having them run up to me and smashing them ^_^

I agree with Zidargh though: the quality of Final Fantasy doesn't make it the God of RPGs, and some of the FF games have been pretty awful. It's all about making money, and Square Enix is doing it hand over fist.

[Guest ScirosDarkblade]

FFCC is cool, and I enjoyed playing it for some time. But for 2-player it's just not as fun for me as even Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. And single-player... well... only a hundred games are more fun. Of course I knew exactly what to expect when I bought FFCC. I've never been truly "disappointed" by any game other than Starfox Adventures and Metroid Prime, and that was due to my own personal tastes clashing with all reviews and with my friends' opinion.

FFCC is good, but I would say that it was a horrendous "first Square title on the Gamecube" because it's not going to lure any true "Final Fantasy fans" over to Nintendo at all. What Nintendo should've done is asked for FF XI on Gamecube and FFXII on Gamecube. FFCC is all nice and good, but it's not what Final Fantasy fans are looking for any more than they want Champions of Norrath (and I'm willing to be Champions of Norrath is better, but that's just me).

In addition, FFCC SHOULD have had the usual trappings and trimming of Final Fantasy, such as an "interesting story" (I don't think FF stories are good, but they're there at least) and certainly some of those gorgeous and expertly directed Square FMVs. That's what I like about FF games, and I bet it's what a lot of people found missing in FFCC.

[Akiya Debisu]

Hey! 'Kia here! Just wondering if any one else has played Final Fabatsy: Cyrstal Chronicles. If you have What do you think of it? It's different form most the FF games I've played, and I Love the fighting system, I give it 4 1/2 stars.

[center][color=indigo]- - - - - - - - - - - -[/color][/center]

Now that I'm finished being confused....I happen to be in LOVE with this game. The fighting style reminds me of Zelda and it different frome the regular FF series, wich is why I like it^^ The down point is that after awhile it gets dull, like I'n supposed to beat the end boos, but I don't want to so I'm going around doing the same things over again.....very dull...oh well. And I like the fact thatit's multi-player....the whole cahlice thing is annoying, but that's okay. I get to cream my frineds in the scoring :devil: Mwahahahahaha*cough cough* Sorry...got I bit excited.

[size=1][color=blue]Merged this with the FF: Crystal Chronicles thread. - Shinmaru[/size][/color]

[color=indigo]Combined the double post. - Desbreko[/color]

[armana]

Well, I've finally been able to get my hands on FFCC, so now I can comment in this thread.

I really like the game. I can also see why many people don't like it - No epic storyline, no dramatic FMVs, no turn-based fighting. I can see why some people would look at this and say "No, it's no good, it's not Final Fantasy," purely because it doesn't have any of those previously mentioned points. But I decided to consider what the game IS, not what it ISN'T, and I placed the disc in my GameCube in that state of mind.

What I found was a game with beautiful graphics, soothing music and something that most games nowdays don't have: a heart. The game never really sets out to impress anyone, it's just what it is. I think it's fun, if slightly repetitive, and I can't wait to try it out with some friends. And 24's about to start, so I better get going. But that's my opinion.

For those of you thinking of picking up the game, I think it's a try before you buy situation. Not everyone will like it.

[Desbreko]

[quote name='armana']But I decided to consider what the game IS, not what it ISN'T, and I placed the disc in my GameCube in that state of mind.[/quote]
[color=indigo]I couldn't have said it better myself; that's exactly how I look at the game. It's not a conventional Final Fantasy game, and it's by no means perfect, but it has its own good qualities that set it apart as a fun game nonetheless. I don't try to judge the game by comparing it to others, but I judge it entirely on how much fun I actually have while playing the game.

I'm glad there are more people out there that also see things the way I do. ^_^[/color]

[satan665]

Yeah, I'm pretty much the only person who thought it sucked, so maybe more people agreed with you than you're saying. I remember maybe only one other post on this thread that agreed with me.

[Guest ScirosDarkblade]

I think it's a pretty enjoyable game, despite its numerous and gigantic problems.

Pros:
1. decent co-op mode overall
2. nice, relaxing music
3. some cool graphical details here and there
4. the usual RPG appeal of building characters (and this time you can semi-build a whole town of people)
5. you never run out of a spell, so you can keep healing and reviving people as long as you please
6. if a boss kills you, you start right at the boss
7. the "on the way" cutscenes are sometimes pretty cool
8. the difficulty is not bad (not too easy, not too hard)

Cons:
1. having to use the GBA SP when you play multiplayer. This is a HUGE problem. Not only did it add jack to the gameplay (yeah, as if you look at your GBA screen all that much; a picture-in-picture menu would've been just as good), but it limited the control scheme to being extremely simplistic and non-analog. And let's face it: the GCN controller is one of the best out there in terms of comfort. The GBA SP is the worst. Then there's the problem of having to look at your GBA screen if you want to equip another phoenix down or something, meaning you have to look away from where the action is. This makes it kinda easy to die unless somebody is protecting you hardcore. It makes it a real bother if you're the one who mostly has to do the protecting.
2. The characters looking less intimidating than a chipmunk with an eyepatch. And I'm talking about the Selkies. The Clavats are even worse. And the Lilties? And Yukes!?!? I don't know about you guys, but there came a time in my life when I stopped wanting to play as a little "cuddly" warrior and started preferring to use someone who actually [i]looked[/i] like he means business. That time was 1991.
3. That worthless ball of hot air, Mog. I wish they let you carry a stick of dynamite around, because then I'd find the nearest moogle house, walk up to Mog, press "up" on the joystick, and let 'im have it. "Kupo!"
4. The fact that being a fisherman or farmer or rancher is similar to being a hobo, except you can't be a hobo.
5. The pow (those pig cow things) race. I'd rather watch the same Hitman 2 commercial six times in a row than sit through another one of these beauties. Was this someone's idea of a cruel joke?
6. Not enough item slots (and no "secondary storage")! When I have designs for tons of cool stuff, and random "rare" ingredients that I can't yet use, and I can't really part with any of it because recovering it would be a real bother, I end up with about 3 empty slots for "temporary items" to use in every level. It's highly inconvenient.
7. the "on the way" cutscenes are sometimes horrendous. When those turd Lilties run into me while chasing some cruddy goblin around the same bend of road for the 638th time, I get a bit pissed.

Overall I'd say it's a decent game, and I do enjoy playing it. But it can stand SO MANY improvements that I can't say it's great. It's nowhere near great in my book. If I didn't win two free GBA SPs around the time I got FFCC, it'd never see the light of day (or the GCN, for that matter).

[armana]

Yes, FFCC is by no means a perfect product. The game seems to have been prevented from reaching its full potential by someone's idea of 'marketing genius'. The whole GBA controller thing is a complete mess.

I do like the character designs though, and the pow races had me in hysterics. But I never want to have to sit through one again...

[Desbreko]

[color=indigo]Yeesh. . . . That racing mini-game has to be the worst part of FFCC. My friend, being 1P, made me sit through two of the things. The first time my cart wouldn't ever go straight -- it was always veering off either to the left or right. This made me get dead last. Then on the second race, I got a cart that could actually turn well and manage to stay on a straight line, and I was way out ahead of everyone else. So not only is the mini-game boring, it's also unbalanced. :cross:[/color]

[Harusame]

Okay, since final fantsy crystal chronicles is the first ff game I've ever played I have to say it was pretty good. I also play one player and have lots of fun.

[armana]

Just an update on my experiences with the game.

I played my first multiplayer session today with Ganon6d9. Yeah, the game is much better in multiplayer mode. But this mode also highlights the GBA controller issues even more. Our first problem was actually getting G6d9's GBA to work, as his batteries kept running out, so my dvd and tv remotes ended up battery-less. Two controllers that cost more than the game itself, each with only six buttons (excluding the D-pad), that require batteries. All I can say is, "What?"

The only thing that the GBAs do to increase the level of gameplay is the secret objectives, but even they seemed pretty worthless. I never used the map in single player mode, and not being able to pause the action while you're setting up your command list is a real death trap. It's actually possible to play with the 'Cube controller in multiplayer mode (but you can't access the status screen or participate in most of the game's activities, walking is about the only thing you can do). It was then that I realised just how comfortable the GameCube's controller is. The GBA's D-pad was actually giving me thumb cramps.

So apart from this exremely dissapointing aspect of the game, I'd have to say that FFCC is by no means a bad title. It's actually one of my GameCube favourites. The multiplayer mode is definately the way to go, even if using a GBA does slightly hurt the overall experience. Even then, I'd probably still have bought the game for its single player mode.

[Desbreko]

[color=indigo]Ah, the joys of owning a GBA SP. . . . Batteries aren't an issue when you've got one, as long as you remember to keep the thing charged, heh. ^_^

Oh, and about the radar on the GBA screen, that's actually more helpful the more people you have playing. If you've got four people playing, one person will get a screen with full info on whatever enemy he/she is currently attacking, which is [i]very[/i] handy. You get the enemy's current/total HP, what they're weak to, what they'll drop when they die, as well as just general info about their attacks and whatnot. I absolutely loved having that when I got to play with three other friends one time.

And not being able to pause to do stuff in your menus is meant to incourage teamwork, heh. If you're in the middle of a fight and someone needs to equip something, the other player(s) will have to cover them while they do it. Personally, I think it's kind of cool. It makes you actually prepare before going into fights, and it makes you have to be quick with equiping and whatnot. You can't just pause in the middle of a huge fight and take as much time as you want. Actually, when I think about it, it's kind of like the ATB battle system found in most other FF games, only adapted for multiplayer and expanded to fit the action RPG style of FFCC.[/color]

[armana]

Yeah, I can see where you're coming from. It's just that with two players, confined in a small circle, with a huge boss constantly attacking you, it's hard to protect one another. But yes, it does promote teamwork - I can see how it would work with more players. The same could be said for the maps.

The game is still very fun, and worth the effort of lugging around GBAs and batteries (the DS must be heaven) and cables and everything else you need to fully enjoy the experience. I'm looking forward to the DS version, if it ever comes about, as it seems like the perfect home for a game of Crystal Chronicles' type.

On another note, I found the story to be quite interesting. Many reviewers have spoken about how there's hardly any story to speak of, but I'd have to disagree with that statement. There's nothing really epic about it, but still, it does a good job of pulling things together.