Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicals
Review By Ian
Console: Nintendo GameCube ()


FF:CC for the GameCube is an amazing RPG. It shows fantastic graphics and effects, great use of the GCN to GBA connection, a deep and innovative story and fresh, new enjoyable gameplay. Square Enix's new journey through the Final Fantasy universe will take you to glowing rivers, orc infested caverns, volcanic islands, and an Ogre's mansion. It'll toss you into brawls with ghost dragons, iron giants, mutant houses and a pertrifing destert beast. You can choose between 4 races, each with their own avaliable weapons, personal abilities and starter stats which can be changed throughout the game by collecting artifacts. You can also pick out of 4 different attires for each, but this has no effect on how the game turns out. Litlies a short, baby looking people who start out with the most strength and lest magic. They can gain alot of armor and a variety of weapons. Clavats are the happy, gentle group. They are pretty well rounded and can get different swords, blade and shields. Selkies are slick, agile and self reliable race. Their focus attacks (attacks used when holding the A button, which is nore powerfull then if you just pressed A) charge up fast than any other race, and this is one of the few attributes that cannot be changed. They, too, have a variety of weapons and well rounded stats. The last race is the Yukes, a mysterious magical people, starting off with the most magic and lest strength. Being the wise group that they are, Yukes have faster spell casting than the other races, another ability that cant be changed. They can gain different forms of hammers, but not alot of armor.

I am not hear to be a story spoiler, so I will only tell you the main plot, not the indepth, slighty confusing yet interesting story that comes later in the game. The world that you are running around in is covered in this poisonous fog called miasma. Your ony defense against is the magical crystals in you town and in you crystal chalice. This source of protect is limited, so every year, the town sends out the caravan (you and you group) to gather the dew off of the myrrth trees. Myrrth is the magic water that gives the crystals the ability to repel the fog. You hav eto go to 3 trees each year to last your town another year. Don't worry, this isnt a time keeping game, so if you leave your game alone for months, your town will not die. Once you collect 3 trees' dew then one year has passed. The trees are located in senic, and convenently for the players, dangerous areas complete with lots of monsters and one boss at the end. You can fuse different spells together and make more powerful or more worthy effects of a spell. For example, you can fuse 2 Thunder spells to make Thundara. You can also make Slow when you combine Life and a black magic spell, and then with another black magic spell, you can make Stop. If you have a friend, you can like up your GBAs to have maps, find monsters, find monster's stats and find tresures. However, you do need GBAs and GCN-GBA link cables if you want to play multiplayer, but if your friends already have both, you definatly should try it out. You can also us you GBA to have the same special features that they have for multiplayer when you are plying single player. The level design is impecable and the fun seems to go on forever.

The game does get challenging once you get into the father points of the game which can get frustrating, but makes you all the more happier once you have accomplished your goal. Square really has a winner here.

Presentation- 8.5 Many people don't like the new look, but the art style is grate and Square knows what they are doing.

Sound- 8.0 Good music and overall sound, but none of the voice acting we are used to seeing in Final Fantasy. Graphics- 9.0 Great lighting, scenery and detail.

Gameplay- 8.5 Creative game that hopefully will make a continuing genre for Square Enix.

Long term- 8.5 Even if you are stuck on a level and have to play it for a while to beat it, the fun still lasts, though it is some times frustrating at times.

Final Score- 8.5 (overall)