Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers Review: The Big Book Of FF Activities [Review]

The Crystal Chronicles continue on the Wii with Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers , the action-packed third installment of Nintendo’s personal Final Fantasy series. A thousand years after the original Crystal Chronicles the world has changed. The four races are three, with the now dominant plant-like Lilties having defeated the Yuke tribe of machine people in the Great War. Swords and spells have given way to guns and ammo, with magic outlawed and the few remaining practitioners – the Crystal Bearers – feared by normal society. Players take on the role of one such Crystal Bearer, the hero-for-hire Layle, as he embarks on a journey that will something something something fate of the world. It’s Final Fantasy. There’s always an epic quest that involves the fate of the world. This time there’s telekinesis. How’d that work out? Read on. Loved A Grand Adventure: At the core of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers is a compelling story that managed to keep my attention despite all of distractions Square Enix threw in my way in the form of mini-games and side quests. The characters are entertaining, even if the voice acting is sub-par and some of them have serious character flaws (the main character, Layle, is a bit of a jerk). My only issue with the story is that just as it was getting really good, the game ended. I’d say around 10 hours of my 18 hour play time was spent completing the story, which seems a little short to me, but could just be an indicator of how much I enjoyed it and hated to see it go. Everything Is Beautiful: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers is a very pretty game. The environments are lush and colorful, the characters attractive and expressive, and your enemies are varied and unique, while still maintaining a bit of that Final Fantasy flavor. It’s a little rough around the edges, but if you can look past some jaggies you’ll see one of the most gorgeous games the Wii has to offer. That’s Telekinesis, Holmes: Layle’s Crystal Bearer power is telekinesis, and I’ve not spent this much time picking things up and throwing them about since Konami released Elebits back in the early days of the Wii. You’ll open doors, catch fish, pull up plants, control trains, and fight with your telekinesis, and aside from some control issues, it’s a great deal of fun. Plus, if you get frustrated, you can always pick up an innocent civilian and fling them off a cliff. If you’re looking for a Wii title that makes good use of the Wii remote, then look no further. The Power To Movie Enemies: At first I was less than thrilled with the combat system in The Crystal Bearers. Picking up enemies and throwing them seemed a simplistic way to handle fighting in a game. It wasn’t until an encounter with a pair of beetles that I began to understand the true potential of the system. By stunning one beetle and throwing it at the second, the two monsters connected into a ball, which I could then fling about the battlefield, doing damage to everything in its path. Ah, now I see. To get the most out of combat in The Crystal Bearers you need to experiment with the enemies and objects scattered about the battlefield. Some enemies grant you special attacks when held, while some items will kill enemies faster than others. It’s a learning process, and with patience you’ll find there’s a great deal more to combat than simply picking things up and tossing them about. The Joy Of Discovery: Exploration is a major aspect of The Crystal Bearers. Every location is riddled with little nooks and crannies, filled with treasure chests, new challenges, and small details that help add character to the lovely world you’re playing in. One could spend hours simply running about discovering new things without advancing the story whatsoever. It’s The Little Things: The game is filled with little side quests and mini-games that can substantially increase the amount of time you spend playing the game. Activities like garden building and the always welcome chocobo races help keep the game from becoming too monotonous, while an extensive awards system will keep you exploring both the world and your options in combat, rewarding you with kudos for everything from catching certain fish to finding interesting new ways to dispatch your enemies. Hated There’s Never Enough Time: While the game’s battle system eventually grew on me, I never quite got used to the timed battles. Enemies appear in some areas during specific times of the day only, giving you a limited amount of time to dispatch your foes and earn the rewards for doing so before transitioning back to a more peaceful setting. Not only does it limit the amount of time you have to fool around with the telekinesis-powered combat system, it adds an element of frustration to the mix. Far too many times I found myself one enemy short of clearing an area, only to have the time shift occur, leaving me to either wait until the next shift or wander off to do other things. Control Issues: The Crystal Bearers relies heavily on the Wii remote for just about everything you do, so when the Wii and your hand don’t agree on which way you just flicked your wrist, the game suffers accordingly. This issue was particularly prevalent when the Wii remote was being flicked up or down, with a good 3 out of 10 strokes registering incorrectly. I also encountered some problems when trying to target enemies while holding a monster that shoots some sort of beam (fire, electricity, etc.). At times it seemed as if I was shooting behind character instead of in front of him. Square Enix does include options to adjust the sensitivity of the Wii remote, but I didn’t notice much of a difference on any setting. We Got Lost: A fair amount of my exploration was due to one simple fact – I was lost. There really isn’t a map function, other than a word map where you’re represented by a dot, and when your land and cityscapes are littered with those little nooks and crannies that make exploring so much fun, it’s quite easy to get turned around. While I enjoyed the various side quests and activities that Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers provided, I can’t shake the feeling that a lot of it is padding for a main adventure that isn’t quite complete. This mainly stems from the fact that nearly 50% of the time I spent playing the game didn’t involve the actual storyline. The feeling is deepened by the strange appearance of CGI cut scenes later in the game. The majority of the story is told using the in-game engine, but then suddenly there are two or three CGI scenes dropped in, giving me the impression that something was missing. Odd. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers comes off as more as a Final Fantasy activity book with a story running through it than a fully realized FF title, but the sights are lovely, the activities entertaining, and as long as you know what you’re getting into you should have a good time. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers was developed and published by Square Enix for the Wii on December 26th. Retails for $49.99 USD. A copy of the game was given to us by the publisher for reviewing purposes. Played through the story mode once. Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ .

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Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers Review: The Big Book Of FF Activities [Review]

Week in Games: Everybody Wants Some [New Releases]

The Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles saga continues with the Crystal Bearers, which makes its North American release the day after Christmas. Other highlights include Guitar Hero: Van Halen, for those who didn’t buy Guitar Hero 5 back in September. Another interesting release is 0-Day Attack on Earth, a downloadable title Square Enix is releasing to Xbox Live Arcade on Wednesday. This week’s count: three for DS and Wii, two for PC and Xbox 360, one each for PS2 and PS3. Monday (Dec. 21) myNotebook: Green (DS) Pallurikio (Wii) Tuesday (Dec. 21) Guitar Hero: Van Halen (PS2, PS3, Wii, 360) Supreme Ruler 2020 Global Crisis (PC) Twin Sector (PC) Wednesday (Dec. 23) 0 Day Attack on Earth (360) Thursday (Dec. 24) Savage Moon: The Hera Campaign (PSP) Friday (Dec. 25) AiRace (DS) AiRace: Tunnel (DS) Saturday (Dec. 26) Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers (Wii) Source: Gamespot

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Week in Games: Everybody Wants Some [New Releases]

Pokemon Sales Super Effective Against Zombies In Japan [Sales Get]

After being kicked around by Bayonetta and a pair of soccer sims from Sega and Konami , Nintendo’s Pokemon double team of Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver return to the top of Japan’s video game charts. This week’s tally from sales tracker Media Create pushes the newest Pokemon games past the 3 million mark. Its Nintendo DS compatriot, Tomodachi Collection, continues to sell almost as well. It grabs the number two spot with another 49,000 copies sold. Don’t be surprised to see the Mii collecting game push 2 million by spring of next year. A trio of games scored top ten debuts this week, including Valve’s Left 4 Dead 2, which sold just a little poorer than Namco Bandai’s newest Wii drumming game Taiko no Tatsujin Wii Dodoon to 2 Yome! but better than Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games for the Nintendo DS. For the rest of Japan’s bestselling games in handy list format, read on. 01. Pokemon Heart Gold/Soul Silver (DS) – 55,000 / 3,036,000 02. Tomodachi Collection (DS) – 49,000 / 1,689,000 03. Wii Fit Plus (Wii) – 43,000 / 946,000 04. Inazuma Eleven 2: Fire/Blizzard (DS) – 29,000 / 635,000 05. Taiko no Tatsujin Wii Dodoon to 2 Yome! (Wii) – 28,000 / NEW 06. Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox 360) – 28,000 / NEW 07. World Soccer Winning Eleven 2010 (PS3) – 24,000 / 291,000 08. J-League Pro Soccer Club o Tsukurou! 6: Pride of J (PSP) – 24,000 / 109,000 09. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (DS) – 23,000 / NEW 10. Dragon Ball Raging Blast (PS3) – 17,000 / 75,000 11. Dorabase 2: Nettou Urutorasu Tajiamu (DS) 12. Armored Core Portable: Silent Line (PSP) 13. Wii Sports Resort (Wii) 14. Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time (PS3) 15. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (Wii) 16. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers (Wii) 17. Persona 3 Portable (PSP) 18. Metal Fight Beyblade: Gachinko Stadium (Wii) 19. Hikari no 4 Senshi: Final Fantasy Gaiden (DS) 20. Tamagotchi no Narikiri Channeru (DS) 21. Bayonetta (PS3) 22. Dragon Quest IX (DS) 23. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (the Best) (PSP) 24. Mega Man Battle Network: Operating Shooting Star (DS) 25. Tekken 6 (PS3) 26. New Super Mario Bros. (DS) 27. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) 28. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Bargain Edition) (PS3) 29. Infamous (PS3) 30. Hexyz Force (PSP)

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Pokemon Sales Super Effective Against Zombies In Japan [Sales Get]

Pokemon Sales Super Effective Against Zombies In Japan [Sales Get]

After being kicked around by Bayonetta and a pair of soccer sims from Sega and Konami , Nintendo’s Pokemon double team of Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver return to the top of Japan’s video game charts. This week’s tally from sales tracker Media Create pushes the newest Pokemon games past the 3 million mark. Its Nintendo DS compatriot, Tomodachi Collection, continues to sell almost as well. It grabs the number two spot with another 49,000 copies sold. Don’t be surprised to see the Mii collecting game push 2 million by spring of next year. A trio of games scored top ten debuts this week, including Valve’s Left 4 Dead 2, which sold just a little poorer than Namco Bandai’s newest Wii drumming game Taiko no Tatsujin Wii Dodoon to 2 Yome! but better than Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games for the Nintendo DS. For the rest of Japan’s bestselling games in handy list format, read on. 01. Pokemon Heart Gold/Soul Silver (DS) – 55,000 / 3,036,000 02. Tomodachi Collection (DS) – 49,000 / 1,689,000 03. Wii Fit Plus (Wii) – 43,000 / 946,000 04. Inazuma Eleven 2: Fire/Blizzard (DS) – 29,000 / 635,000 05. Taiko no Tatsujin Wii Dodoon to 2 Yome! (Wii) – 28,000 / NEW 06. Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox 360) – 28,000 / NEW 07. World Soccer Winning Eleven 2010 (PS3) – 24,000 / 291,000 08. J-League Pro Soccer Club o Tsukurou! 6: Pride of J (PSP) – 24,000 / 109,000 09. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (DS) – 23,000 / NEW 10. Dragon Ball Raging Blast (PS3) – 17,000 / 75,000 11. Dorabase 2: Nettou Urutorasu Tajiamu (DS) 12. Armored Core Portable: Silent Line (PSP) 13. Wii Sports Resort (Wii) 14. Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time (PS3) 15. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (Wii) 16. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers (Wii) 17. Persona 3 Portable (PSP) 18. Metal Fight Beyblade: Gachinko Stadium (Wii) 19. Hikari no 4 Senshi: Final Fantasy Gaiden (DS) 20. Tamagotchi no Narikiri Channeru (DS) 21. Bayonetta (PS3) 22. Dragon Quest IX (DS) 23. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (the Best) (PSP) 24. Mega Man Battle Network: Operating Shooting Star (DS) 25. Tekken 6 (PS3) 26. New Super Mario Bros. (DS) 27. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) 28. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Bargain Edition) (PS3) 29. Infamous (PS3) 30. Hexyz Force (PSP)

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Pokemon Sales Super Effective Against Zombies In Japan [Sales Get]

Pokemon Sales Super Effective Against Zombies In Japan [Sales Get]

After being kicked around by Bayonetta and a pair of soccer sims from Sega and Konami , Nintendo’s Pokemon double team of Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver return to the top of Japan’s video game charts. This week’s tally from sales tracker Media Create pushes the newest Pokemon games past the 3 million mark. Its Nintendo DS compatriot, Tomodachi Collection, continues to sell almost as well. It grabs the number two spot with another 49,000 copies sold. Don’t be surprised to see the Mii collecting game push 2 million by spring of next year. A trio of games scored top ten debuts this week, including Valve’s Left 4 Dead 2, which sold just a little poorer than Namco Bandai’s newest Wii drumming game Taiko no Tatsujin Wii Dodoon to 2 Yome! but better than Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games for the Nintendo DS. For the rest of Japan’s bestselling games in handy list format, read on. 01. Pokemon Heart Gold/Soul Silver (DS) – 55,000 / 3,036,000 02. Tomodachi Collection (DS) – 49,000 / 1,689,000 03. Wii Fit Plus (Wii) – 43,000 / 946,000 04. Inazuma Eleven 2: Fire/Blizzard (DS) – 29,000 / 635,000 05. Taiko no Tatsujin Wii Dodoon to 2 Yome! (Wii) – 28,000 / NEW 06. Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox 360) – 28,000 / NEW 07. World Soccer Winning Eleven 2010 (PS3) – 24,000 / 291,000 08. J-League Pro Soccer Club o Tsukurou! 6: Pride of J (PSP) – 24,000 / 109,000 09. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (DS) – 23,000 / NEW 10. Dragon Ball Raging Blast (PS3) – 17,000 / 75,000 11. Dorabase 2: Nettou Urutorasu Tajiamu (DS) 12. Armored Core Portable: Silent Line (PSP) 13. Wii Sports Resort (Wii) 14. Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time (PS3) 15. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (Wii) 16. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers (Wii) 17. Persona 3 Portable (PSP) 18. Metal Fight Beyblade: Gachinko Stadium (Wii) 19. Hikari no 4 Senshi: Final Fantasy Gaiden (DS) 20. Tamagotchi no Narikiri Channeru (DS) 21. Bayonetta (PS3) 22. Dragon Quest IX (DS) 23. Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (the Best) (PSP) 24. Mega Man Battle Network: Operating Shooting Star (DS) 25. Tekken 6 (PS3) 26. New Super Mario Bros. (DS) 27. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) 28. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Bargain Edition) (PS3) 29. Infamous (PS3) 30. Hexyz Force (PSP)

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Pokemon Sales Super Effective Against Zombies In Japan [Sales Get]

Day Note: The Party Starts Now [Note]

To: Ashcraft From: McWhertor Re: Your Missing Night Note Not sure if you heard, way over there in Japanland, but Big Boss Crecente’s spending his evening at the Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom, looking to unload some loot and raise some money in the name of Child’s Play. Sounds like Kind Of A Big Deal, what with all the roadies, sound wranglers and video game industry folks rolling into town for the event. Charitable though it all may be, the sting of shipping off my Uncharted 2: Among Thieve Fortune Hunters Edition to Crecente is still a little sore. You know how I love possessions! As you can see, the “Kotaku Benefit” is worthy of marquee space at Cervantes. Glad we weren’t billed below “Puppet Show” or some other such humiliation. Anyway, long time no talk. How’s the swine flu treating you? You going to Texas for Xmas this year? Need to book my own travel to Florida and a few PSP and DS games for the trip. Here’s What You Missed Sony Outlines Gaming Turnaround, Sees PS3 Profitability in 2011 Sony To Upgrade PS3 Consoles To 3D Return To Ostagar With New Dragon Age DLC At Least One Twist, One Upgrade For Kane & Lynch 2 Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers Impressions: The Day After Christmas Brad Pitt Attached To Dark Void Movie LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues Review: Nuke The Mini-fig

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Day Note: The Party Starts Now [Note]

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers Impressions: The Day After Christmas [Wii]

Pick your selling point for the next Final Fantasy on Wii: (Primarily) single-player with a deep story? Sort of is 75% mini-games? Can lift cow and use udders over character’s head to shoot enemies? The last notable game of 2009? I was introduced to Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers last week, discovering quickly that this was not the kind of Crystal Chronicles game I had expected. It is, you see, a single-player game, the first in a splinter line of Final Fantasy games made for Wii platforms and previously designed for four players. The Crystal Bearers is different, set 1000 years after Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles and putting the player in control of a single hero, a mercenary named Layle. The series’ dwarf race, the Lilty Tribe, have risen to power. The mechanical race, the Yuke, have seemingly been wiped out. I was told by a Square-Enix representative that this game would feel like a “true Final Fantasy” for the Wii. It will have a deep storyline. But it also has real-time combat and was described to me as 75% mini-games. 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. Next, I was shown some combat. Layle ventured to a dusty desert area and enemies attacked. The game is played with a Wii Remote and Nunchuk. The control stick moves the character. The Remote’s pointer is used for telekinesis, to pick up objects and enemies, then toss them. The d-pad on the Remote is used to swivel the camera, the only element of the controls I found hard to handle in the few minutes I played the game. I was told that conversations with non-player-characters will be less than typical for an FF game. Instead, the interactions the player tries to get are “reactions.” You get these from enemies by encountering them. For example, out in that desert area, Layle fought some dog enemies. Once he had a Reaction associated with them, he could get them to stop fighting, run over and, uh, urinate on him. Other Reactions are equally comical, sending enemies into a daze because they’ve had their heads knocked off, for example. It’s all cartoony, done for laughs. Also, somehow, some way, you can take a cow, hold it over Layle’s head, and shoot enemies with its udders. I’m a sucker for the absurd in my games, so, as little as I saw of the Crystal Bearers, I was encouraged. It’s hard to see it as being a “true” Final Fantasy game, but only a longer play session that presents more of the story can verify that claim. I was told that Crystal Bearers does support a co-op mode that allows a second player to use the Remote as an assist, similar to Co-Star mode in Super Mario Galaxy. The game plays swiftly, action-first. It is colorful and has fun visuals, as you can see in these shots. Crystal Bearers may be off some people’s radar, but it will indeed be out this year in North America, the day after Christmas, for the Wii.

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Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers Impressions: The Day After Christmas [Wii]

This Final Fantasy Crystal Bearers Attack Is Udderly Ridiculous [Clips]

On the fence about upcoming Wii title Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, The Crystal Bearers? Not sure if you should pick up the game and worried that Square Enix is simply milking the franchise. Here’s at least one reason why the game is worth a closer look — make that four reason: laser shooting teats.

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This Final Fantasy Crystal Bearers Attack Is Udderly Ridiculous [Clips]

Bon Jovi To Help Shill Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles In Japan [What]

Upcoming Wii release Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers will get a taste of Jersey for its Japanese release. Rock band Bon Jovi will be lending its flavor of rock to the game’s overseas TV advertising. Bon Jovi, a band four years older than the Final Fantasy series itself, will be co-promoting Crystal Bearers for Square Enix with the song “We Weren’t Born To Follow” from the group’s upcoming album The Circle. That album is due to drop one day prior to Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers’ Japanese release on Wii. That’s what we call synergy, kids. If only for the fact that protagonist Layle and Jon Bon Jovi have near identical haircuts. The rest is simply a happy coincidence. スクエニ、Wii「FFCC クリスタルベアラー」CMソングにボン・ジョヴィの楽曲を採用 [Game Watch via AndriaSang ]

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Bon Jovi To Help Shill Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles In Japan [What]

NieR Developer Calls The Wii’s Graphics "Harsh", Wants HD Wii [Cavia]

Taro Yoko from Tokyo-based developer Cavia is hard at work on upcoming Square Enix published title NieR Gestalt and NieR Replicant. While at this year’s Tokyo Game Show, Yoko blogs, he caught some of the trailers at the Square Enix booth, including Final Fantasy Crystal Bearers for the Wii. “Honestly,” he writes, “Crystal Bearer’s graphics were harsh.” That’s not to say he thinks the graphics themselves weren’t done well — he thinks they were. Rather, it’s the Wii’s standard def graphics that are to blame. “There’s nothing you can do about it,” he writes, “because that’s the limit of the hardware.” Yoko goes on to point out how the standard definition images take a hit when hooked up to high definition televisions — something that is getting more and more prevelant as more and more switch over to HD televisions. According to Yoko, the graphics for Monster Hunter 3 looked harsh or rough as well for the very same reasons. Yoko wants Nintendo to use all the money it’s earned to churn out an HD Wii. But doesn’t everyone at this point? Get in line, buddy! ベアラー／ＳＤ／永嶋さん／ＦＦコスプレ [ヨコオタロウの日記 via はちま起稿 ]

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NieR Developer Calls The Wii’s Graphics "Harsh", Wants HD Wii [Cavia]

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