Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Rated

Thanks to Planet GameCube for their report on how the newly released Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is faring in the Japanese press. This GameCube action RPG, which came out on August 7th in Japan, but is now delayed until February 2004 State-side, scored 32/40 and a Gold Award in the often strict Famitsu Weekly, and a Famitsu reviewer commented: "The one player mode feels a bit lonely as the gameplay tends to become routine. However, the game becomes more interesting in the multiplayer mode, where players can execute combination magic and work together to beat the boss. The fun factor is doubled." There's more info via hands-on impressions at IGN Cube, who seem to like the single-player campaign somewhat better.

Comments

Re:Multiplayer where it's at

[Snowspinner]

There's no system with every game being great. But if I take the list of NES games I own and consider worth owning, the list of SNES games, and the list of GC games I consider worth owning, the list gets smaller every console. (I exclude the N64 from this, due to my total hatred of the console)

Maybe if you took all three consoles, instead of just one, I'd find things to be different, but I consider having to pay $800 for the consoles to get as many good games in a generation a problem. But even if you take the PSX and the N64, there are not as many games I want to play as there are NES games in my collection that I still pick up.

I see the same trend in PC gaming. There are far more games I want to play on my 486 than there are on my brand new $3000 Gateway.

So, yeah, I think games have gone downhill.

Re:Captain Obvious?

[n0wak]

However, it is also quite obvious that while FF:CC may be a fun game to play by yourself, a 4-player co-op will be necessary to get the full enjoyment out of the game.

Define "full enjoyment", as that is a rather vague term. I found Secret of Mana to be thoroughly enjoyable as a single player game, but more so as a multiplayer co-op one. It's not that the game itself was any better, it was just the social aspects enriched it. So you didn't need two other players to get the "full enjoyment" of the game -- it's just that two extra players brought you the extra enjoyment of friendship and competition. I can't imagine FF:CC being any different.

Re:Multiplayer where it's at

[I(rispee_I(reme]

Overall I believe there is plenty of evidence showing that games have gotten better over the years, at least if you look at the ratio of crappy games: good games.

I propose that the ratio of good games to suck games remains constant. This explains why Playstation has many, many times the number of crappy games the N64 has, despite their both being sold during roughly the same time frame. (The Playstation's total library is much larger than the N64's.) Someone should do the math and determine what the ratio of good to suck games is, but I further propose that the subjective nature of the calculation would render it valueless to everyone but the calculator.

It's not Final Fantasy

[Cyhwuhx]

After playing it, I'd rather compare it to Secret of Mana/Seiken Densetsu 2. Note that the Crystal Candles in the game also need to be recharged by drops from a Mana Tree. I also honestly believe the game was simply meant as a Secret of Mana game (Chronicle of Mana?) at one point, but had it's title swapped to ensure more exposure/hype. That said, the game is a tremendous amount of fun in multiplayer. Pulling off a four-player magic combo gives a real sense of accomplishment.