-----------
Friend Codes
-----------
colinp: 506902 579323
AdamBot: 506902 506523
RevenantKioku: 077406 015781
-----------
Release Date
-----------
US: April 3 - $29.99
EU: May 2007
JP: Dec 14, 2006
-----------
Box Art
-----------
US | EU | JP
|
|
---
Informative PR sheet from Craig Harris (Courtesy IGN)
---
As the name suggests, Chocobo Tales follows a story from a Chocobo's perspective. In the tale, an evil book's been opened and nearly all the Chocobos have been sucked into the pages. I say nearly, because one was spared. And as this Chocobo, it's up to you to save your buddies from the storybook world by performing tasks and playing miniature challenges that move the story forward.
The "adventuring" part takes place in full 3D, with a style and visual appeal that's very close to what Square Enix did for Final Fantasy III last year. But when Chocobo gets whisked away into a book, the game takes on a very unique pop-up book style that's actually pretty impressive. Toshiyuki Itahana, the character designer from Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, offers up his style for this colorful adventure. Each of the stories in the game are based upon real fables from Aesop or the Brothers Grimm -- Jack and the Beanstalk, the Tortoise and the Hare, and Goldilocks are represented with a Final Fantasy twist.
There are several mini-games and micro-challenges to uncover, all of which use the Nintendo DS touch screen and/or microphone to play. There are races up a mountain and hide-and-seeks competitions, and defeating these challenges in the adventure will award you with a playing card. These cards can be collected and organized for Chocobo Tales' card battle design which will come into play in boss battles. Unlocked mini games can be played multiplayer locally, and the micro games can also be played for high score outside of the adventure.
The game also supports internet play. Using the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service, you can challenge your friends in the card battler to see who not only has the strongest deck, but who can also put it to use the most strategic way.
---
Screenshots (courtesy IGN)
---
---
Videos
---
Japanese Trailer on YouTube
GameTrailers Gameplay Videos
---
Dangerous Porno Pipeline's Postive Impressions from Japanese version (emphasis added)
---
"Chocobo to Mahou no Ehon is a game that I cannot recommend enough. For casual gamers, it has terribly addictive mini games. For RPG gamers, it has fun and easy to start card battling. For adventure gamers, it has a mix of gameplay that will keep you coming back, if only to see what the game throws at you next. The game is set to hit the United States next year, but for gamers in Japan, and import gamers too impatient to wait, the Japanese release is a must-get."
Clicky here for full impressions
---
jesusraz's Review of the Japanese version! - 9/10 (emphasis added)
---
The Nintendo DS is used fantastically by Square Enix, mixing 3D visuals that better those from Final Fantasy III with 2D hand-drawn ones that have a Paper Mario flat appearance and Yoshis Island sketchy look to them. Superb work!
...
People may look at this from a distance and mistake it for a simple mini-game collection, but Square Enix has finely crafted a title that mixes RPG fun with a great card battling system AND stuffed brilliant mini-games in for good measure as well. A pleasure to play through.
...
To say that this one blind-sided me would be an understatement. Chocobo & the Magic Picture Book was one of those games that looked like being fun, but limited. Instead it has turned out to be one of the best DS games of 2006, purely due to the expertise of the Square Enix team, masterfully piecing together various elements into one impressive little package.
Clicky here for full review
---
Reviews
---
IGN - 8.3
"The game might feel a bit "kiddy" in its focus, what with those great, big, cute Chocobo eyes peeking at you from the box art. But even though the idea might skew young, the product is surprisingly enjoyable for the older crowd. Don't expect a huge, elaborate "the world's gonna end and we're gonna die!" emo storyline in Chocobo Tales, because the only danger here is a diabetic coma from the sugary sweet overload. The mini-games are clever and fun, and the card battle actually offers something simple yet challenging, and significantly different from the Yu-Gi-Oh crowd. This game surprised me on how fun it was; even if you're not a Final Fantasy junky I think you'll like it too."
---
Slick Links
---
Official US Website
Official JP Website
Chocobo Wikipedia Entry
"The name comes from a Japanese confectionery that's a chocolate ball [choco-bo]."
Chocobo Heaven (rather disappointing, truth be told, given the name)
Chocobo Country Lite (similarly disappointing- games require dynamic HTML, which apparently Safari does not support)
Chocobo Matchmaker (future Heroes of the Web fodder?)
---
End
---
Brought to you by a Lego Chocobo:
Thanks jesusraz & Kazenone!
Friend Codes
-----------
colinp: 506902 579323
AdamBot: 506902 506523
RevenantKioku: 077406 015781
-----------
Release Date
-----------
US: April 3 - $29.99
EU: May 2007
JP: Dec 14, 2006
-----------
Box Art
-----------
US | EU | JP
---
Informative PR sheet from Craig Harris (Courtesy IGN)
---
As the name suggests, Chocobo Tales follows a story from a Chocobo's perspective. In the tale, an evil book's been opened and nearly all the Chocobos have been sucked into the pages. I say nearly, because one was spared. And as this Chocobo, it's up to you to save your buddies from the storybook world by performing tasks and playing miniature challenges that move the story forward.
The "adventuring" part takes place in full 3D, with a style and visual appeal that's very close to what Square Enix did for Final Fantasy III last year. But when Chocobo gets whisked away into a book, the game takes on a very unique pop-up book style that's actually pretty impressive. Toshiyuki Itahana, the character designer from Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, offers up his style for this colorful adventure. Each of the stories in the game are based upon real fables from Aesop or the Brothers Grimm -- Jack and the Beanstalk, the Tortoise and the Hare, and Goldilocks are represented with a Final Fantasy twist.
There are several mini-games and micro-challenges to uncover, all of which use the Nintendo DS touch screen and/or microphone to play. There are races up a mountain and hide-and-seeks competitions, and defeating these challenges in the adventure will award you with a playing card. These cards can be collected and organized for Chocobo Tales' card battle design which will come into play in boss battles. Unlocked mini games can be played multiplayer locally, and the micro games can also be played for high score outside of the adventure.
The game also supports internet play. Using the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service, you can challenge your friends in the card battler to see who not only has the strongest deck, but who can also put it to use the most strategic way.
---
Screenshots (courtesy IGN)
---
---
Videos
---
Japanese Trailer on YouTube
GameTrailers Gameplay Videos
---
Dangerous Porno Pipeline's Postive Impressions from Japanese version (emphasis added)
---
"Chocobo to Mahou no Ehon is a game that I cannot recommend enough. For casual gamers, it has terribly addictive mini games. For RPG gamers, it has fun and easy to start card battling. For adventure gamers, it has a mix of gameplay that will keep you coming back, if only to see what the game throws at you next. The game is set to hit the United States next year, but for gamers in Japan, and import gamers too impatient to wait, the Japanese release is a must-get."
Clicky here for full impressions
---
jesusraz's Review of the Japanese version! - 9/10 (emphasis added)
---
The Nintendo DS is used fantastically by Square Enix, mixing 3D visuals that better those from Final Fantasy III with 2D hand-drawn ones that have a Paper Mario flat appearance and Yoshis Island sketchy look to them. Superb work!
...
People may look at this from a distance and mistake it for a simple mini-game collection, but Square Enix has finely crafted a title that mixes RPG fun with a great card battling system AND stuffed brilliant mini-games in for good measure as well. A pleasure to play through.
...
To say that this one blind-sided me would be an understatement. Chocobo & the Magic Picture Book was one of those games that looked like being fun, but limited. Instead it has turned out to be one of the best DS games of 2006, purely due to the expertise of the Square Enix team, masterfully piecing together various elements into one impressive little package.
Clicky here for full review
---
Reviews
---
IGN - 8.3
"The game might feel a bit "kiddy" in its focus, what with those great, big, cute Chocobo eyes peeking at you from the box art. But even though the idea might skew young, the product is surprisingly enjoyable for the older crowd. Don't expect a huge, elaborate "the world's gonna end and we're gonna die!" emo storyline in Chocobo Tales, because the only danger here is a diabetic coma from the sugary sweet overload. The mini-games are clever and fun, and the card battle actually offers something simple yet challenging, and significantly different from the Yu-Gi-Oh crowd. This game surprised me on how fun it was; even if you're not a Final Fantasy junky I think you'll like it too."
---
Slick Links
---
Official US Website
Official JP Website
Chocobo Wikipedia Entry
"The name comes from a Japanese confectionery that's a chocolate ball [choco-bo]."
Chocobo Heaven (rather disappointing, truth be told, given the name)
Chocobo Country Lite (similarly disappointing- games require dynamic HTML, which apparently Safari does not support)
Chocobo Matchmaker (future Heroes of the Web fodder?)
---
End
---
Brought to you by a Lego Chocobo:
Thanks jesusraz & Kazenone!
