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Final Fantasy - Crystal Chronicles GC Details

Posted by simoniker on from the we-lived-to-see-the-day dept.

An anonymous reader points out Gaming Age have a transcript of last night's Square Enix Japanese conference call regarding the forthcoming Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles for Nintendo Gamecube. Revelations? The game is more arcade-like than conventional Final Fantasy titles, and can be played by up to 4 people simultaneously. Also, the Gameboy Advance can be used as a controller, with added secret/personalized information appearing on the GBA's screen during play. And most obvious of all, it's a new Final Fantasy game.. for Nintendo.

35 comments

  1. Outlook by Otik2 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    It seems pretty good, but not great. I remember when I first heard the news that Square was developing for Nintendo again I was ecstatic, but I guess I was hoping more for remakes of the older games (my favorites) or dual-development of the mainstream games (FF XI, etc). The mutliplayers could be really interesting, though. I've always wanted a good multiplayer console RPG. And of course action is always fun. But I always played Square games for the story, and "this game doesn't have the story and dramatic sequences that a typical Final Fantasy might have." I don't really care about the lack of CGs, but the best part by far of the older FFs was the story (well, and the music). Still, the GBA connection could be very interesting as well, and since it's Square I'm sure the game will be good. What do you think?

    1. Re:Outlook by bmorton · · Score: 1

      Square games aren't just good for story. If you haven't, you should try Legend of Mana. Great game. It has a plot but it's not really plot driven.

      I suggest this because I somewhat see this game being a bit like it.

      Just a thought. :) *shrug*

  2. nice touch of the gba controller.. by gl4ss · · Score: 1


    sounds very similar to the way the vmu is used in some dreamcast games(sonic shuffles), the little lcd displays information that you only should see. pretty nifty, and makes it possible to have 'secrets' on a game thats played on one screen by everyone..

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    world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
  3. noooo by Joe+the+Lesser · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Magic also seems to work in a fashion similar to FF VIII's 'Draw' system,

    I hated the Draw system. I spent so many hours just drawing over and over again, getting 2-5 spells a draw, until I maxed out a spell. I couldn't stand it, it was so lame.

    Give me magic points or give me death!

    --
    "I only speak the truth"
    Karma: null(Mostly affected by an unassigned variable)
    1. Re:noooo by Stephen+Williams · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The FFVIII magic system wasn't so bad once you'd acquired enough consumable items to refine into magic. You could take a half-hour break from the story, play cards against NPCs, refine the cards you won into items, and refine the items into magic. Random battle draw-a-thons were still sometimes necessary, but the alternative methods of acquiring magic broke up the monotony somewhat.

      I've got no complaints with a return to the draw system if there are other ways to acquire magic besides drawing.

      Incidentally: when I first heard about FF:CC's use of magic crystals/stones which could be combined to alter their effects, the first thing that came to mind was FFVII's Materia system.

      -Stephen

    2. Re:noooo by bmorton · · Score: 1

      The draw system really wasn't terrible. For one, it wasn't really that necessary to max out your spells. Not until, perhaps the end. It did get overbearing fairly quickly. Especially when you got all the characters.

      It was a neat idea. It definately could've used work though.

    3. Re:noooo by ShecoDu · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The thing I never liked about FFVIII is that the whole point of the game is to avoid leveling up, that is, winning fights... just follow the trick of draw,draw,draw... and escape until you are 50 times stronger than any normal enemy and 20 times stronger than any boss. That kind of took away the thrill of having to win some battles to be able to take on some tough boss. I didn't like running away all the time, but that's the way the game wanted you to play since.. every experience point you get, is an experience point the enemies get, that's lame.

      FFI, a classic, but not oh so great, but still love it.
      FFII, really annoying.. too cheatable (hit your own party to grow your HP, for example)
      FFIII, Great! I love class switching.
      FFVI, nice, but I don't really like beeing stuck with the same classes.
      FFV. awesome! the best SNES FF game, lots of different classes and combinations.
      FFVI, this one is another classic, it's incredible you can role play your characters via status raising espers, that's nice.
      FFVII was really cool, nice ability system, I'd love to be able to be able to do more combos like slots connected to 2 or more other slots.
      FFVIII, already talked about that, this one is bad! buy I enjoyed it, though.
      FFIX... really nice, learning abilities when using weapons is nice, but it isn't really customizable.
      FFX... now this one is amazing in high levels, the battle arena rules... you can grow your chars to demigod by fighting really though monsters.
      I still have to play the others :)

    4. Re:noooo by Stephen+Williams · · Score: 2, Informative

      I see what you're saying about the FFVIII levelling-up system; thing is, I'm a comuplsive leveller-upper, so I finished with two characters on L100 and the others on L98/L99 anyway. (And the only reason they weren't on L100 was to avoid getting splattered by the L5 Death spell). Even with highest-level enemies, the outrageous stat gains provided by the Junction system made the game too easy. Oh, and the Aura spell (providing limit breaks on demand) is cheap beyond belief. Renzokuken!

      FFI, a classic, but not oh so great, but still love it.

      I'm playing it at the moment; got the FF Origins compilation a few weeks ago. It's interesting as a history lesson, but kinda lacking compared with the later FFs due to the almost total lack of story and characters. Twenty-twenty hindsight is a wonderful thing, I know; it was revolutionary when it first came out.

      Haven't played FFII or FFIII, so can't comment on those.

      FFVI, nice, but I don't really like beeing stuck with the same classes.

      Having come to the FF series late in life, the thing that struck me about IV was the difficulty. It's a shock to the system after the likes of FFVII. Nevertheless, it taught me the value of taking time out to level up, which was a good preparation for FFI (which I am playing on "normal" mode, not "easy"). Though FFIV is quite a few people's favourite, I wasn't so impressed with it; again, this is a result of coming to it wih hindsight, knowing what the FF series would develop into.

      FFV. awesome! the best SNES FF game, lots of different classes and combinations.

      I love the job system! That's what carries this game, IMO. A lot of people say this is the least good SNES-gen FF, and I don't know why; the story and characters are no worse than FFIV's, and the job system makes it a far more fun and strategic game to play. I was dreading the final battle, as I'd heard that X-Death was the toughest FF final boss, but he really didn't give me any trouble; I think that you just have to pick your job classes and abilities sensibly. Zeromus and Kefka were both tougher than X-Death, IMHO.

      FFVI, this one is another classic, it's incredible you can role play your characters via status raising espers, that's nice.

      This is my favourite SNES-gen FF. The characters are wonderfully developed (Celes is one of my top three favourite FF characters, along with Aeris and Vivi), the story is fairly simple, but interesting, and very nicely told (making it possibly the best FF story of all), and Ted Woolsey's script is a treat. The Esper system is good because it ties directly into the storyline; the summoned monsters have a reason for being there, unlike (say) FFVII, where they're just "there", and don't make a great deal of sense.

      FFVII was really cool, nice ability system, I'd love to be able to be able to do more combos like slots connected to 2 or more other slots.

      I feel almost blasphemous saying anything bad about FFVII, given its now-legendary status in the history of gaming. Still, here goes: the story is good, but overcomplicated, and the whole techno-dystopia thing leaves me a bit cold; and the characters are less well-developed than FFVI's, with the exceptions of Cloud and Aeris. Even Tifa, cool as she is, serves only to help us understand Cloud's backstory. It's nonetheless a fun game to play; the Materia system is almost as good as the job system, though it's a bit too easy to create godlike characters (just load everyone up with HP Plus and MP Plus, and watch the fireworks).

      FFVIII, already talked about that, this one is bad!

      Nah, it's not bad; it's just different :-)

      FFIX... really nice, learning abilities when using weapons is nice, but it isn't really customizable.

      It has the least convoluted story of any of the PSX-gen FFs, despite going a bit loopy towards the end (a little more plot than it needed), and the most sympathetic characters. Zid

  4. Come on, guys by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No one's linked to the approparited Penny Arcade yet? You guys are letting me down.

  5. Oh Great by Rayonic · · Score: 0

    We all know how wonderful Square action games always turn out.

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    1. Re:Oh Great by CNERD · · Score: 1

      We all know how wonderful Square action games always turn out.

      Yeah. Kingdom Hearts was a real falure, wasn't it?

    2. Re:Oh Great by Daetrin · · Score: 1

      Yeah, Secret of Mana and Seiken Densetsu 3 sucked so bad, it's just my masochistic streak that makes me keep wanting to play them.

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  6. Maybe It'll be like Secret of Mana by brave1 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Secret of Mana for the Super Nintendo is one of my all time favorite games. I still dust off the SNES sometimes to play it. (As long as the battery backup holds out...) I like 'action-oriented' RPGs. I especially like the multiplayer aspect. There's nothing like a good boss battle with some buddies:

    "Don't stand there!"
    "Watch out! You're gonna get smushed!"
    "Aaarrrgh! I got smushed!"
    "Hurry up and bring me back to life!"
    "Heal me! Heal me!"

    I have been trying to resist buying a GameCube, but I've run out of good (non-racing) games to play on my XBox.

    --
    - http://www.braveterry.com/
  7. single player? by Hadlock · · Score: 1

    i was planning on buying a game cube solely for this game, and the sonic the hedgehog anthology game. looks like FF:CC will end up more like PSO, which isn't really my kind of game. *sigh*

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    moox. for a new generation.
  8. Player one? by Apreche · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I've got a question that still hasn't been answered. I know that 4 people will be able to play this game simultaneously. And I know the GBA can be used instead of a controller. But judging from the games I have that use the GBA link it seems that in order for it to work the GBA has to be player 2-4 and player 1 always has to be a normal cube controller. Does this mean player one in FFCC can't use a GBA? I want to see 4 GBAs with me as player 1 and 3 of my friends.

    And despite lack of plot I personally can't wait. It's on the "must buy" list

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    1. Re:Player one? by Rudy+Rodarte · · Score: 1

      I was thinking the same thing. Maybe they'll come up with some sort of adapter? I would suck if by buddies didnt have their own "secret screen" with them. But, It sounds good!

      --
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    2. Re:Player one? by snubber1 · · Score: 1

      Are you for real? The only reason they tell you port 2-4 is because you still need the primary controller to operate the game. All the gameports on the cube are identical, it is just programming that decides what goes where.

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    3. Re:Player one? by Lazyhound · · Score: 1


      The point is that two of the four ports would be tied up with GBAs, limiting the number of players.

    4. Re:Player one? by snubber1 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Or if you *read* the article, you would have noticed they intend multiplay to use 4 gameboys exclusively.

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      I don't really mind double posts on //..
  9. You don't have to Draw... by Soul+Brother+#1 · · Score: 1

    That's what VIII's item refinement system was for.

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    1. Re:You don't have to Draw... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It helped, but I didn't see any refinement for the better spells, just the spells I had already maxed out before I got the refine items. (and I'm not the type to buy cheat books to find everything.)

      Anyway, I think FFVI's system was the best with learning the Espers' and such.

  10. Multiplayer Console RPGs by roberto0 · · Score: 1

    I've always wanted a good multiplayer console RPG


    Don't tell me you've forgotten about The Secret of Mana!?

    Noe that was an awesome game!

    --
    Those who can, do. Those who can't, simulate.
  11. My opinions by Guppy06 · · Score: 1
    1. The story sounds a lot like FF IX. Heck, one of the characters looks a lot like Zidane, even
    2. "Action oriented" this, "action oriented" that... It sounds like they may as well just call it "Seiken Densetsu" and be done with it. Or are they just going to milk the phrase "Final Fantasy" like the cash cow it is?
    1. Re:My opinions by lightspawn · · Score: 1

      Or are they just going to milk the phrase "Final Fantasy" like the cash cow it is?

      Yes, they are. FF is a brand, not a series. Remember all those games that had nothing to do with FF but had FF tacked onto the name to move more units?

      FF adventure was really the prequel to the Secret of Mana.
      FF legend 1-3 were really the first 3 SaGa games.

      Did I miss anything? I think FF mystic quest was actually a FF game.

    2. Re:My opinions by Guppy06 · · Score: 1

      "Yes, they are. FF is a brand, not a series."

      Ehhh... I'm not sure I would go that far. Aside from the silly recurring names and objects in the games (Cid, Bahamut, etc.) there are some general underlying themes to the stories that all games have in common.

      "FF adventure was really the prequel to the Secret of Mana."

      Only in the US. "Final Fantasy Adventure" and "Secret of Mana" were both released in Japan as "Seiken Densetsu" ("Legendary Sword," I believe) and "Seiken Densetsu 2," respectively. "Legend of Mana" for the PlayStation is "Seiken Densetsu 4."

      The thing is, to my knowledge this is the first time Square is so blatently milking the name in both Japan as well as North America.

      "I think FF mystic quest was actually a FF game."

      It got released in Japan later as "Final Fantasy USA," confirming the belief in Japan that US gamers are idiots. I'd say it was more of a fluke than a decided marketing strategy, though (poor Japan couldn't live with itself knowing that there was a "Final Fantasy" in North America that wasn't in Japan).

  12. Square can do no wrong ... except .. umm ... by Kleedrac2 · · Score: 1

    Well ... I've been a long time fan of the Final Fantasy series. I've beaten every game except 10 multiple times. I bought FF: Anthologies, 9, Cronicles, and Origins and I don't own a PSX ... I emulate it. I own FF: 7 & 8 for PC. I even bought a GB for Final Fantasy Adventures 1,2,&3!! But I didn't really like Mystic Quest ... I'll probably end up buying it and emulating a GameCube, but Unless the 4 players is something we can do while drinking (Hey I'm Canadian, it's our national pasttime!) I don't know if it will require me to buy a GameCube or not. And the Draw system was/is horrible ... just bad ... and evil ... and was probably some mentally handicapped child's dying wish.

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    1. Re:Square can do no wrong ... except .. umm ... by Senjutsu · · Score: 1

      I'll probably end up buying it and emulating a GameCube, but Unless the 4 players is something we can do while drinking (Hey I'm Canadian, it's our national pasttime!) I don't know if it will require me to buy a GameCube or not.

      That will be a neat trick. You have a mini-dvd drive that will read the proprietary format of GCN games, do you? And you know of an actual emulator for the GameCube?

    2. Re:Square can do no wrong ... except .. umm ... by Kleedrac2 · · Score: 1

      Not yet ... but come on ... it's only a matter of time. We all know this ... no matter how hard they (Nintendo, Sony, M$, etc.) strive against emulation, it just delays the inevitable. Give it a couple of months.

      Kleedrac

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      Sure we wang, can.
    3. Re:Square can do no wrong ... except .. umm ... by kesuki · · Score: 1

      they already have a mod-hack and mini DVD-r backups (for NGC long time ago they first came out already).
      Emulators can't be that far behind that kind of effort. BTW Every DVD-rom has this 'magical' proprietory ability to read 80mm DVDs... It's the encryption on the disk that requires violation of the DMCA to perform software emulation.

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      https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html
  13. Old news by Artificer · · Score: 1

    All of that info on simultaneous play and using the GBA's as controllers was released last October actually on GameForms.

  14. Not Sure? by Daetrin · · Score: 1
    "A moment ago I referred to the stones as crystals, but we're not actually sure if they'll be referred to as crystals at this point."

    Here's a news flash guys, "Final Fantasy: Stone Chronicles" doesn't sound like a great idea for a title.

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  15. Ummm, what? by devnull17 · · Score: 1

    You mean like Seiken Densetsu? I can't think of any really bad ones off the top of my head--The Bouncer was developed by Dream Factory (although I suppose Square had some involvement, as Nomura did the character designs), and the Parasite Eve series, which is about as close to action as Square gets, was developed at Square USA in Hawaii. And I liked Brave Fencer Musashiden and Dewprism, dammit.