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Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers (TGS Trailer)

So we go from FFIX selling 5.3 million units to an incredibly underselling Crystal Chronicles series that can't sell shit even if Crystal Bearers is arguably the best looking game to bear the moniker.

I'm buying it anyways. I appreciate Itahana and his creative time more than any other at Square Enix.
 
Well we all know gaming in Japan has stagnated horribly..

We're going to prove that games like this can sell when it comes out over here... right guys? r-right?

But seriously if this is an action-adventure game where I can explore a huge world and constantly seek out new cool little things then this game is a dream come true.
 
HappyBivouac said:
Well we all know gaming in Japan has stagnated horribly..

We're going to prove that games like this can sell when it comes out over here... right guys? r-right?

But seriously if this is an action-adventure game where I can explore a huge world and constantly seek out new cool little things then this game is a dream come true.

The West is pretty much Itahana's only hope for not getting fired.:lol
 

CTLance

Member
I'm not so sure I can :lol at that prospect. :(

Oh well. Hope springs eternal. This thing will sell a gajillion units in the west.
It has to.
 
Could it be that Japanese gamers aren't buying this because it isn't an RPG with the usual mechanics and clichés? If I recall correctly, the last couple Crystal Chronicles games were RPGs at heart although I'm not sure about the first one on the Gamecube.
 
kiryogi said:
Depends on the player I guess. You'd still get a good ride with the main adventure, but like I said with the little details here and there. You can be kept busy for awhile if you're that type of player. I'm always exploring every nook and cranny. I'm also always trying to interact with whatever I can. If I see someone read a newspaper, you'll be damn sure that I'm going to snatch it up. If i see that an object can be interacted with, I'm going to toy around with it. If there are wanted posters, I'm going to tear them down. Actually one good example was when I found the dust chute in one of the towns. Once I figured out what it was, I tried tossing civilians in there. Low and behold, they come back all dirty and smelly. A bit later, messing with it triggers some garbage collecting moogles and suddenly makes all these bags of trash and recyclables show up. I take my time and try and dump every single one into the chute just to see if anything happens. This probably would explain the time difference between me and Bebpo tho. In fact, just found out he didn't there were enemies in a certain area. He thought it was just a town, But anyway yeah, it can be quite the experience type of game.

Yeah, it's more an adventure game if anything. As Bebpo put it, it's pretty close to Zelda.

Well thanks for your impression. Looks like the focus was on story and a strong sense of exploration :)
 

John Harker

Definitely doesn't make things up as he goes along.
I can't imagine not buying it. It just looks fun for what it is ::shrug::

Plus it's purdy.
I'd find out why it's releasing on Dec 26th, but my guy at SQUE USA hasnt been returning my calls :lol
 

Effect

Member
MattyGrovesOrMe said:
Some impressions on the game from Stephen Totilo at Kotaku (*MIGHT be some light SPOILERS for anyone not wanting to know some story/mythology details*)

http://kotaku.com/5408676/final-fan...l-bearers-impressions-the-day-after-christmas

Ugh. Feel like a true Final Fantasy game? That 75% mini-game aspect is a massive turn off for me. The whole day after Christmas thing has been getting to me as well and now this. Granted we aren't talking Mario Party mini-games as the impressions write says but still. WTF!? Nice screw job Square!
 
Effect said:
Ugh. Feel like a true Final Fantasy game? That 75% mini-game aspect is a massive turn off for me. The whole day after Christmas thing has been getting to me as well and now this. Granted we aren't talking Mario Party mini-games as the impressions write says but still. WTF!? Nice screw job Square!

Will just give us a good reason to get ran over while we're returning gifts we got on Xmas we aint want
 

ivysaur12

Banned
What I saw and played clarified things. I was shown Layle running through a farm, getting pulled into a challenge to pluck all of the vegetables from a field before a clock ran out. A scarecrow was the opponent, shooting at Layle to try to mess him up. So don't think of "mini-games" in terms of a Mario Party, I realized. Think of them is mid-game challenges.

Those sound more like what I'd expect of side-quests than mini-games.
 

sfried

Member
Effect said:
Ugh. Feel like a true Final Fantasy game? That 75% mini-game aspect is a massive turn off for me. The whole day after Christmas thing has been getting to me as well and now this. Granted we aren't talking Mario Party mini-games as the impressions write says but still. WTF!? Nice screw job Square!
So mini-games = Mario Party?
Kotaku said:
What I saw and played clarified things. I was shown Layle running through a farm, getting pulled into a challenge to pluck all of the vegetables from a field before a clock ran out. A scarecrow was the opponent, shooting at Layle to try to mess him up. So don't think of "mini-games" in terms of a Mario Party, I realized. Think of them is mid-game challenges.
People tend to create weird mental images over their heads. This is the reason why reading impressions don't do gameplay justice.
 

Effect

Member
sfried said:
So mini-games = Mario Party?

People tend to create weird mental images over their heads. This is the reason why reading impressions don't do gameplay justice.

True. You do have a point.

Don't get me wrong though. I don't mind mini games. I've had a lot of fun playing the Mario Party games over the years. However we are talking about a Final Fantasy game. To hear that 75% of the game is made up content like this or something that could very well be perceived as such is like getting punched in the gut for me. The Crystal Bearers was something I was looking forward to a lot. A 3rd person adventure Final Fantasy is something new. I had grown tired of the primary series around Final Fantasy X. In fact I never even bothered to finish FF12 in the end simply because it stopped being fun.

Granted I really should be waiting until more information is released but my outlook in regards to this game has pretty much dropped to the ground. I thought Square of all people wouldn't go in the mini game collection direction. However if 75% of the game is like that or challenges it gives off the impression, at least to me, that the rest of the game is a mask for what they might have really wanted to sell. A mini game collection. This is a pretty negative view of it but this is the feeling I'm getting.

Hmm. Perhaps this might be why it didn't have a strong start in Japan. FF fans might be waiting for FFXIII but that is still a few months off and this by outward appearances looked like a solid, story based game. Japanese gaming media most likely covered this bit of info long ago and it turned people off.
 
I'm a fan of the FFCC world and mythology (barebones as it is, it reminds me of oldschool jrpg narratives). Even though the game play is different here, I'll still be checking this out to see how my Selkies be progressin'. Word.
 
This game does not seem to be at all what I expected of it a year or two ago, but Sandbox Crystal Chronicles Elebits Adventures has its own appeal.
 
HAL_Laboratory said:
Looks pretty good, IMO... that music in the TGS 09 trailer is horrible. Is that really the game's music?

That's the battle theme for the desert area. There's a lot of variety in the music, even if you don't like something there should be some group of music that appeals to you.
 
Effect said:
Ugh. Feel like a true Final Fantasy game? That 75% mini-game aspect is a massive turn off for me. The whole day after Christmas thing has been getting to me as well and now this. Granted we aren't talking Mario Party mini-games as the impressions write says but still. WTF!? Nice screw job Square!

WTF @ 75% mini-game and no bosses??

Mini-game Bearers, confirmed?

I didn't want to hate this, but damn....
 
IGN has some hands on up:

http://wii.ign.com/articles/104/1047985p1.html

Apart from running around the world, getting into random battle zones where enemies warp on in, and progressing the story by moving from point to point, Crystal Bearers has plenty to see and do for those looking for a more open, freeform experience. The all new Medal system is the game's own version of achievements, with over 300 activities that all result in a medal for discovering or mastering them. Each time you earn a medal it's added to your menu screen on a gigantic chart -- similar to the skills chart from Final Fantasy XII, but less complex -- and the neighboring boxes of undiscovered medals become little hint boxes, telling you how to unlock further achievements within the chart.

It's a simple little mechanic, but considering the entire game is all about grabbing onto random items or discovering Easter eggs in the world, it's nice to be rewarded every time you do something unique. The first time you collect certain materials, figure out how to beat an enemy, or discover a secret within a town or dungeon, you'll most likely be rewarded with a medal for your hard work.

Speaking of materials, the entire game's upgrade system is based not only on cash, but also the merging of random items within the world. Shops often have a price to upgrade, but also a set of materials needed to do the upgrade, so while you can go from area to area and find plenty of cash -- treasure chests reset once you leave an area, so you can literally mine for cash as much as you want -- you'll need the proper drops to actually upgrade your gear.

Outside of random material gathering and plenty of medals to search for, Crystal Bearers also includes a huge list of mini-games to find. I've only come across a few so far, but they work great in fleshing out the world. In one of those "off the beaten path" areas, I found an old fisherman who was bored and looking for some competition. I jumped into the mini-game, pointed my telekinesis at fish, and started pulling them on in once I felt them tug via the Wii-mote's rumble feature. Sure enough, I was ranked, got a medal for fishing, but noticed there was a mysterious "?????" fish listed as well. I'd bet my bank roll in saying that pulling up that fish would not only give me some sort of item or cash bonus, but also another medal with further tips to other treasure down the line. I had to move on, but I'll be back for that fish.

final-fantasy-crystal-chronicles-crystal-bearers-20091119034334416-000.jpg
 
Bebpo said:
Not really tbh.

In the first 3/4ths of the game there is ONE boss at the end of the intro dungeon. That's it.

Demon wall, Bahamut, and the final boss(there has to be a final boss)?

So yeah, does that 75% they mention include the 15 hours minimum for the story?
 
Bebpo said:
Not really tbh.

In the first 3/4ths of the game there is ONE boss at the end of the intro dungeon. That's it.

Damn. Did not know this. Still gonna pick it up, but bosses are my favorite part of gaming. That sucks.
 

Bebpo

Banned
I'm gonna try to finish the game today and then I'll know what the final boss count is. Really loving the cutscenes. I feel the game is closest to an adventure game like Another Code except replace puzzles with mini-games and battles between cutscenes. It's true that if you want to just run around the world and mess around, there is a zelda-ish overworld and some things to do (like if you want to get 100% of the achievements). But that's all optional and if you just follow the story it's more an interactive anime/movie that's like 10-12 hours long. I'm fine with that because the movie part is so well done and I can't wait for the next cutscene each time. But I can see where some people might not be down with it.

I'd say if you:
1. Like cutscene heavy games with GOOD cutscenes/story
or
2. Like the idea of a GTA/Zelda-ish world without any actual missions and just being able to mess around with the NPCs/enemies.

You'll really like the game. If you fall into neither category you probably won't.

Fimbulvetr said:
Demon wall, Bahamut, and the final boss(there has to be a final boss)?

So yeah, does that 75% they mention include the 15 hours minimum for the story?

Demon Wall is not a boss. Well not in a lifebar/required-for-the-story sense. I beat him on my 2nd trip to that area and you just get an achievement.
 

Effect

Member
Bebpo said:
Not really tbh.

In the first 3/4ths of the game there is ONE boss at the end of the intro dungeon. That's it.

Oh this just keeps getting better and better. :(

As I said we might be learning why the game had low starting sales in Japan.
 
There was a time when the words minigames and sidequest mean something fun and awesome in RPG's and ARPG.
Now, it seems like when you add those things to those games it converts into silly minigame fest.
So fucking sad.

I will buy this game in a heartbeat.
 
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