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Fun Fantasy but not Final Fantasy

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: February 23, 2004
Author: Amazon User

First, this is not a Final Fantasy game. That is not a criticism it is a fact. I like this game. I like Final Fantasy. I like pizza and comic books but they are not the same thing. Put the title "Pizza" on a comic book and you still couldn't eat it. Ignore the name and move on.

Second, the game is designed for multi-player and most of the reviews that I have read assume multi-player participation. I do not. Even if you can find 3 friends with GBA's and link cables, getting them together for more than a few hours at a time, will be problematic at best. I think that all RPG's need a multi-player (especially 2 player) option but this game's multi-player is designed for a "party" of players. That will be difficult for most Cube owners to manage.

I begin with the assumption that, like me, you'll be playing "Crystal Chronicles" solo.

This is an action game. You move from area to area trying to clear levels. More like a 3D fighting game in structure than an RPG. The closest thing I can compare it to on the Cube is: "Gauntlet, Dark Legacy". That being said, the game does have a little more depth than "Dark Legacy" and will keep you coming back, that is if the action fighting aspect doesn't put you off immediately.

After you complete 3 levels (areas) the game year ends. This provides the structure for the "story" in the game. As you move from area to area on the "world map" your journey will be interrupted by random encounters, but not combat encounters. These are story snippets, little pieces of information that move the game's "plot" along. They are random, and sometimes they repeat. But, key segments change from year to year so that the longer you play, the more of the story is revealed.

You do not discover the story by running around and interacting with the in game characters, very little of this sort of thing is required at all. The story plays out for you as you go along and you get to watch it happen, but you don't make it happen.

The story bits are beautiful to behold, as are the levels. This is the prettiest game I have ever seen. And, at first this was the only thing that kept me coming back. Eventually, however, I did find myself committed to the growth of my character and interested in seeing what the story would show me next.

Even playing solo, I found that I could build my character enough to manage all the levels (and I am NOT a dexterous gamer). You build up your character by getting money and buying better equipment, there are no class levels at all. But your equipment can be improved even early in the game. I do enjoy this game very much. It is playable for a solo gamer and the story bits are entertaining.

I have clocked just over 20 hours on the game and feel that it is money well spent, however the game had to, "grow on me." At first I didn't like the game. I'm an RPG game fan - this game isn't that. I'm a Final Fantasy fan. This game isn't that.

The game is a 3D version of a fighting side scroller of old. You work your way from area to area and are rewarded with items and bits of story. The game play is good, the graphics great! I am going to play the game through again using a different character type. Fun Fantasy but not Final Fantasy.

Boring.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: January 02, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I preordered this game and took it back a week after I got it. The story is contrived and the gameplay is unfriendly. My friends swore it was better when you played with others, but I found myself just as bored. I especially didn't like using the Gameboy Advance with it; the GameCube controller is much more comfortable. On the plus-side, the sound and graphics are decent, but that doesn't make a game, however.

Was really looking forward to playing this game

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: February 19, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I love Final Fantasy and have played all of them. The gameplay in CC is complicated, especially if you're used to the other FF games. I love the graphics and how cute the characters look, but the fighting system is difficult! You have to hold down the button in order to power up your spell or attack and then move a targeting circle over to the enemy. By the time you do this, if the enemy hits you, you have to power up all over again.

Also, when you die you are given the option to continue playing or going to the title screen. If you are fighting a boss, you are placed back at the boss location again and keep on fighting and fighting, even when you've gone through all your healing items. If you choose to go back to the title screen, it doesn't save your previous progress. So, in my case, the new character I created was gone.

I didn't like the fact that there was no on-screen map to show where I was going. I think that is what the GBA hook-up is supposed to be for, but I didn't feel like spending extra to buy a cable to hook my GBA up to the console.

I want to play this game so badly, but getting past the first boss on the first stop along the way, is very hard to do. It's frustrating. This game seems to be made more for those who like either this sort of open battle system or for multi-players. FF is supposed to be a one on one gaming RPG. I am trying so hard to give it more chances, but my initial impression was dissapointment. I'll probably give it another chance later.

Save the money for something else!!!!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 10
Date: July 23, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game is LAME!!! It should be called Final Fantasy: the Crystal Losers Chronicles. all the final fantasy fans, expected a big game, and because Square Enix begins again making games for Nintendo, got all of the Final Fantasy Fans excited. The game is totally lame, has a serious lack of story!!! Seriously!!!!! You get to pick the name of your town, your character, gender, etc, and then, your on your own, you meet other caravans(but nothing big) and you fight monsters, and when you fight the Final Boss, you discover that it's all based on memories, and the end is a big piece of crap!

The multiplayer version, it's the same, but you can play with your friends, and it's almost impossible to play, cause every player needs a nintendo advance, to play, and to do the spells is very hard!!

I just hope that the sequel isn't as lame as this one!!

I wouldnt know

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 5
Date: March 17, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I love this game. I dont look at comparison to other games, because, well, I've never played another FF game. Nontheless, it is great. But the editor reviews here stink! The games plot is the deepest Ive ever seen. And you should look at the game, not others.
If you do youll just see flaws. Overal, buy it!

Pretty to look at but a lot of little problems 3.5 stars

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: March 31, 2004
Author: Amazon User

After being away from Nintendo for a decade the Final Fantasy Series finally comes back to Nintendo game consoles. Crystal Chronicles is nice for some FF fans but not all. More over it has more of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance kind of way to battle rather than the old style turn-based.

The story in Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is one to honor for it's creativeness. A large, dark, poisonous miasma covers the world and can only be controlled by the magical large crystals. These Crystals repel the pwer of the miasma The thing is though, the Crystals lose power after a year. So it's up to your character to find the Myrth to recharge these crystals that are at the center of every town. It's a creative story, but it lacks the story-telling that Final Fantasy has become famous for over the years.

You start off by selecting your character and customizing him or her the way you want them to be. This seems good but it actually makes the game lack the other portion of what FF is famous for. It's characters aren't that loveable or developed. You don't feel anything for these characters.

That's not to say Crystal Chronicles isn't a pretty game. The character models and landscapes are INCREDIBLE to look at. The monsters and everything in this game are quite simply astonishing. The boss designs are even more amazing to look at. So the graphics are incredible in this game.

The gameplay is actually where Crystal Chronicles begins to faulter. It's great to hook up with your friends and go running around. Executing attacks and the control scheme are brilliantly done. It's the connectivity and the lack of actually playing the game. First, in order to play multiplayer you MUST hook up a Gameboy Advance. If you want to play multiplayer you CAN'T do it without a GBA (which means if you don't have one you HAVE to get one to play multiplayer). Each time you're in the middle of action and someone has to stop and pause the game for whatever reason (equipment, healing and that sort) the gameplay for that character stops. In single player this is no problem, but in multiplayer it'll leave the character in the menu open to take damage.

This isn't all. Players also need to keep their eye on a bucket that covers about 4/5 of the screen. If characters step outside of this bucket they take damage. This forces you all to be huddled together on screen.

But the good news is that playing with your friends on multiplayer is a blast. The game is actually harder with four characters than it is with one, which helps the gameplay element. Of course, the other problem with connecting is that if someone's batteries in their GBA dies ummm...well that character is helpless.

As far as the sound and music go, it's not quite the same music is was before but the tunes are still memorable nonetheless. The sound effects aren't bad either so the game really hits high here.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, for what it's worth, isn't a bad game really. The multiplayer is fun but it suffers from quite a few little bugs. Great concept for the game... but it seems like the recipe was missing something.

The Good
+Amazing Graphics
+Great Gameplay on Multiplayer
+Good Music
+Creative story
+Nice Combat System
+Custom characters

The Bad
-You can only play Multiplayer with the GBA, so if you want multiplayer you have to BUY a GBA!
-When in the menu on the GBA your character is open to take damage
-The characters lack developement
-That bucket makes it so your characters have to be huddled together
-If someones batteries in their GBA dies then that character is ineffective

WOW the best

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: December 13, 2004
Author: Amazon User

WOW this game is so awesome ok I did not buy it yet but my freind had it and he spent the night and we play it so much my mom made you go outside. the game play is the best but if you don't have any one to play with this is not all that good but it ok just hard. FFCC is just a good game a must have if you have freind or bothers or some one to play with. I have 2 bothers and my freind was all playing it.

Over all if you have alot of poeple to play with the you must have this game.

Something strange about this game.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: July 16, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Fred's Review:
8/10 stars

What turns out from just saving your village turns out to be saving the World(I won't say that much). Miasma a poisonous gas that surrounds the world, so how do survive it? Every village/town/other things have a crystal that protects them from the miasma, but the crystal needs offerings of myrrh to insure the safety for another year. You get to choose from 4 player classes and choose male or female and choose your design. You travel around the world map going through the levels and fighting the bosses and collecting the myrrh. 3 drops of myrrh will fill the chalice and you'll go back to your hometown and the year will be over. You should always read your diary because in later parts you'll have to memorize some parts of a poem you heard to get past a level. This game is great for multiplayer but i find it very hard compared to the one player because if you need to put another item in your command slot you're open to attack and you could die. Other than that the game is pretty straight forward. The bad part is you don't gain levels to increase your stats, instead you get artifacts from boss fights and other things that increase your stats. But there are only a limited number of artifacts and you can only get once of each. I still have to beat a part of the final boss. But I realized if I beat him that means all the...(Right, can't ruin the plot.) After you you've seen the all the levels you'll get bored and stop playing it. I would not consider this a must buy game but i added it to the walkthrough and buyables section.

Cool idea, but there is a serious lack of story

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: August 28, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I think this was a mildly fun game. The idea of playing with 4 people sounded great at first, espeshilly w/ 2 brothers, until I found that one of them must carry the bucket, put it down, pick it up, put it down. The casting spells togeather looked fun too, but it was easier and more effective doing them separate. The music was great, different, but great. However, there was almost no story, which ultimatly led me to think that square was going crazy because all the final fantasy games are known for their story telling. Like a re-birth of square and its writors. Thus, it was a mildy fun game, playing by yourself that is, just have an open mind when you play, and dont compare it to some of squares other work.

What to make of it?

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 14
Date: January 09, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I have no doubts that FF:CC will be quite fun, but on the other hand, I'm sure that like myself, a lot of other people will be somewhat dissapointed by this offering. What I want to see on the GCN are traditional, menu driven RPGs, with sweeping plots and musical scores. Even if I somehow don't end up liking CC, I'll buy it if for no other reason than to encourage Square to give us a normal epic somewhere in the future.

For now anyway, the jury is still out.

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