The One And Only Final Fantasy: Crystal Cronicles

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All your Final Fantasy: Crystal Cronicles discussiony things go here.

 

I created this thread so we don't have everyone plauging the board with questions and that in other threads.

 

Myself, I just rented the game (just short on the cash to buy the game) and frankly I'm not sure if the GBA connectors were built with GBA SPs in mind. The hook up is slightly holding down my L+R buttons and hence I'm not sure if I can use it sufficently as a controller. Anyone know if the stupid connector affects playing at all?

 

Maybe I'll just let my dad have that one, so I can do all the killing with the GBA.

 

I'll have more for discussionary thoughts in about oh... Half an hour. Waiting for my mom's show to finish then I'll take the big screen tv and begin playing.

 

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The hook up is slightly holding down my L+R buttons and hence I'm not sure if I can use it sufficently as a controller.

Are you using a 3rd party cable?

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The hook up is slightly holding down my L+R buttons and hence I'm not sure if I can use it sufficently as a controller.

Are you using a 3rd party cable?

Yes. However, I was informed by Jay (my friend at Microplay) that it is the EXACT same with Nintendo ones.

 

The hookups aren't built for SPs people. If you want to hook one up, you have to carefully align it so that you fool it into thinking it is on all the way. While also trying not to knock it off.

 

Oh, and I just got through the first two dungeons. Please, don't consider that a feat of any kind. I'm just lucky I could keep myself alive long enough to heal my father, so that he could bash the bloody hades out of the end bosses.

 

Seriously people, not easy when you start adding people.

I really don't like running around like a chicken with my head cut off in a tiny little circle inbetween two flying incests and a Malboro.

(Highlight to read some spoilers.)

 

Must hunt down more GBAs, must get more people to play! FUN! Chaotic fun.

 

Haven't figured out what Alchemists do yet. Anyone know? I've got Blacksmith down pat so far (geez, I wonder why), but not too sure about Alchies.

 

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Ok... Well, I've almost got the single player mode wrapped up and I must say that the game is totally built for multi.

 

Single player just isn't worth while for this game. Sure, it is fun, but not as fun as multi.

 

Also, when playing the game (single player or multi) create eight characters. One for each family "legacy" (as I like to call it) there is.

 

Why? Because you get some cool things if you do so. You also should build up characters respectively (hence, use all eight, another reason multi makes it more fun, less time spent on doing so).

 

If you wish to level up your character, repeat a stage, get to the end, and select whichever treasure you wish to use to boost up your character you are using.

 

Also don't go thinking you'll be able to buy Mythril items quickly. Mythril costs 5000 gil a chunk... It took me most of the game time spent (which is six hours) to get up to 1000 gil. I haven't found any creature who drops it, so you most likely have to buy it. Which sucks.

 

In an interesting note about the game, you can't sell off equipment made for your character. This makes sense, since the equipment is built exactly for you.

 

Oh and Alchemists are the guys who basically discover new works like equipment, crafting materials, etc. I think. I haven't actually bothered to use my other characters for my single player mode.

 

Oh. Does anyone know how I can make quick cash in the game? I'm sitting on a freaking Master's Weapon, and I'd really would like to get it but of course, I need a Mythril... Which I no where enough cash to get that chunk of it.

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How is the game?

 

I've been weary of it for a few reasons.. I don't really care about the multi-player aspect since I usually only play RPG's on my own - though I do think it was pretty ghey of them to do this "only if you have a GBA" bullshit. The only thing that turns me off a bit is the look of the game. It looks more like the Zelda 64 titles than a Final Fantasy game. How's it play?

 

Maybe I'll give it a trial rental later this week.

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How is the game?

 

I've been weary of it for a few reasons.. I don't really care about the multi-player aspect since I usually only play RPG's on my own - though I do think it was pretty ghey of them to do this "only if you have a GBA" bullshit. The only thing that turns me off a bit is the look of the game. It looks more like the Zelda 64 titles than a Final Fantasy game. How's it play?

 

Maybe I'll give it a trial rental later this week.

...I just said the game was good.

 

Multi-player is simply fun. It is probably the best social experience you'll have playing a video game in a long time. You see, GBAs serve as not only your controllers, but also as your menus. So everything is on the fly. Need to change a command so that you have a Cure Materia (yes, Materia is back) in one of the slots, you have to hurry you ass off because a monster might glomp you at any moment. Just pray that your buddies have your back. You can pause the game at any point in multi-player, but it just stops the game from happening.

 

When in multi-player one person must carry the Crystal Chalice (in single player, Mog the Moogle will be more than happy to carry it for you, and bitch about how you should carry it when he's had enough), as it gives you a sphere of protection from Miasma (the deadly poison that covers the lands). Step out of this protection and you begin to lose your health rapidly. It's a good way to keep players together but at the same time, I get the feeling that they should've went the Secret of Mana route. Oh well.

 

Each GBA will be given a certain part of a map. One will actually have the map to get around, the next will be able to scope out the nearby baddies, another will be for treasure chests, and I actually forget the last one (I don't think I ever go it). So you need to relay what is happening vocally, so you need to tell your Caravaners that such and such treasure chest is up ahead; as the Caravaner to the right of you says there are three baddies by that treasure chest.

 

Each dungeon has special "treasures" (I prefer the term artifacts) that boost up your abilities. Yes, that's right. There is no leveling up of any kind! Yes, they used the Chrono Cross style of leveling up! Yes, this may suck balls, but it isn't as bad as in Chrono Cross. Actually, it works quite well in this one. Because of the implications that I'm about to tell you.

 

Now you might be wondering how does one choose what artifacts go to whom? Well, whenever you begin a Myrrh (that's what you collect in your Crystal Chalice) stage in multi-player below the map you are given, you will have a selected objective. It can range from "Don't pick up anything" (my father ended up with that one on the very first stage, I spent the whole stage carrying the Crystal Chalice, never found out till after we beat the boss why that was so), to "Take Magical Damage", to "Deal Out Physical Damage, to etc. There are many different ones, and at current time, I've had about 20 different ones. Some repeated, but there are at least 20 to deal with. Whoever has completed their objective as best as they can, gets first choice of artifacts to become theirs.

 

The artifacts range from "Main Gauge", which increases strength, to Arai Helm, which increases defense, to "Blizzard Ring", which is a Materia Ring that lets you cast Blizzard at any point you want as long as it is in your command list.

 

The game plays a lot like most action RPGs. It's hack and slash, with the neccessary spell thrown in to make some terrific bangs and booms, along with the occasional spell. When you get a group of people together to play, it goes from simple hack and slash to the Secret of Mana style of play. Seriously, it is much better in multi-player than in single. When in single player, the AI becomes noticably sketchy and inconsistant, whilst the AI in multi-player seems top notch and constantly trying to kill you.

 

Menus are easy to navigate and get around in. It'll take you awhile to get it to "easy" as there are a lot of menus to go through and you'll sometimes make the error of hitting a wrong menu (and subsequently dying). That's not to say the menus are clunky, but in multi-player, when you don't have a Life Materia and need to find that Plum of a Pheonix (Pheonix Down), you might in your haste, forget to equip it to your command list and instead use it from your item list (which casts it on yourself). Knowing your menus will make it easy to play.

 

In single player the game is only about 10 hours long (I'm at about 4 right now and mostly done, except I think I'll need to buff up my single player). It is your standard action game with RPG elements. Add the multi-player and the game jumps to 30 hours easily. Why? Becuase you need to bring everyone together (in-game).

 

Graphically, this game isn't your typical Final Fantasy. The game is all run on the same engine, so FMVs or cutscenes are all using the same engine. They made this game shine with the graphics as it is probably and I'm saying this without lie, the best graphical looking Final Fantasy to date. Yes, Final Fantasy X is second rate compared to the overal artisticness of this game. Everything is noticable, from the way the water ripples when you walk through it, to the spells, to every the swinging of your sword. I've spent a good couple of minutes enjoying towns and stuff because it looked so neat.

 

The only questionable factor is the story. It is not your typical story, nor does it all come at you in the great big chunks you'd expect of an RPG (hence, I prefer to call this an "Adventure" game). You are a Crystal Caravaner, writing in a book called the "Crystal Cronicles" (hence the name), about your adventures collecting Myrrh (dew of the Myrrh Trees). You travel from your hometown of Tipa (default name) to the Iron Deep Mines Region, to former throne of the world, Alfitharia (...spelling is so off) of the Lillities, to the magical city Shella of the Yukes, to practically everywhere. There isn't much of a story per se, just the tellings of the world and how it came to pass that Miasma covers the land and some other things that I'm not about to spoil you on. You can play the game to find those out.

 

Overall, I'd say this is a game that I had hopes for wouldn't end up being say... Mystic Quest like in that it really dumbed down or just was wishy washy (it still was a good game though). Instead, there is a great game here, that when played in multi-player, becomes an event that is a true meaning of the word "adventure".

 

***Note to those with SPs. In order for you to hook up your GBA SP with the Gamecube connector (offical or third party), you must "loosely" hook it up. You have to fool the Gamecue connector into thinking it is on all the way. As if you do hook it up all the way, it'll lock down on your L & R buttons and then you will not be able to play with the SP. This is because, at the time, Crystal Cronicles wasn't created with the SP in mind, so the connectors weren't either.***