The Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles rocks thread!

[Outlaw]

We just got done with a 3 hour playing session. I didn't expect them to have the game in until tomorrow but I thought I'd stop by and check to see and they did so I picked it up. I wasn't expecting much from the reviews but the game is much better than I was anticipating. It takes awhile to get started as you start out creating your character, names, and town, there's a lot of customization but its not overbearing. The combat is real-time like Secret of Mana or Dark Alliance but it plays great. The story seems pretty good so far, its not super complex but its not bad either and not imposing.

Anyway, I got a chance to play by myself for a little bit learning the controls, but my friends came over later and we played 3-player pretty much the whole time. It was funny because most of the time we were all learning how to play the game. However, the game requires a lot of teamwork and cooperation, not to mention communication between players, and talking to other people is a requirement, not an option. In case you haven't read, the world is covered by poisonous miasma but you are protected by a surrounding aura coming from a chalice (aka the bucket) that a player has to carry. When it was my turn to carry it I killed all my friends, it was hilarious (though unintentional) :lol:! "Go right!" me:"I'm going right!" "no your not!" "Hey get back here we're losing life!" "We're going diagonally right and up, not up and then right! me:"whoops, you guys just died."

"connectivity sucks blah blah." From someone who has played it, the GC-GBA connection portion is brilliantly done. This is the game that executes the connectiveness between the GC and GBA the way it should be done. What they have done is moved a lot of on screen commands off the screen and onto the GBA, so not to interrupt the flow of the game, but they also did a little more than that. You will thank them for this when you play with more players and in my opinion it was the right decision. This is important in spell fusions, which you have to do in real time. You can combine spells with other players to create stronger spells or different effects. Each player will also be assigned a sub task that they have to carry out. At the end of the mission each player is rated based on various criteria. Gamespot called it a social experiment and I'd agree. Its the definitive multiplayer experience.

The graphics are the best I've seen from Square-Enix. They rival FFX and FFX-2, which I considered the best previously, the static screenshots don't do the game justice. I haven't heard too much of the music yet but it is fitting and very nice sounding. But the gameplay is king in this game.

I haven't really found any problems yet, we've only played for a short while, but we're hooked, I'll get back to more later this week but wanted to post some impressions. Final Fantasy name or not, this is a high quality game and you can tell a lot of work went into it :). We have another friend coming over later this week to play 4 player.

If you have the means to play this game with other players, you should definitly pick it up, its an awesome experience! If you don't have a GBA to play multiplayer, I'm gonna go ahead and say that the unique experience this game provides is worth the price of admission. :)

[Superboy]

Ok, my roommate and i both have GBAs and i have a GCN, so we went in on this game together. Overall, we both agree that it's just OK, nothing spectacular. I don't mind the chalice or having to use the GBAs, but the biggest problem was outlined in Gamespy's review: you can't play on without your teammates or else you'll throw off the balance of the game. Eh. If you live with someone who will play it with you then get it, otherwise forget it.

[driv3]

im a huge fans of gba conectivity,..... zelda 4 swords was greattt
i got 4 gba's 1 cable..... so they re not a problem to me.... the only problem is i only got 2 players,.. me and my roomate, i have friends who are interested in this game but they lived far from my house, so it might be a problem for them to come by to my house everyday, at first i want to rent it and try it first,.... for $6 !! change my mind,.... now im waiting for a great deal and buy this game

btw.... got some question here how does the save/load works in this game ?? ..... what if i save the game and start it again the next day with different player ?

[young]

so, don't get it if you want to play solo?

[PixyJunket]

Originally posted by young
so, don't get it if you want to play solo? It's not a solo-player game, that's been a known fact since the game was announced.

[young]

well, it has a solo story and you can run around w/ a moogle as your partner. my question is, is that worth it?

[tomwaits]

In case anyone is about to buy, Best Buy will be getting the game in later this week, and they're giving a $10 gift card with purchase until Saturday.

[Outlaw]

Originally posted by young
so, don't get it if you want to play solo?

I haven't played the solo enough to answer that, maybe about 10 minutes or so. However, the game was designed from the ground up to be played with 3-4 players. I have seen some instances where it probably wouldn't be as fun if you were by yourself, but they did include the option to play solo.

Gamespot says: "Of course you're free to play through the entire thing by yourself, and will likely have a decent enough time doing it, but this sort of game is really made to be played cooperatively with friends--not to mention there's a raft of puzzles and areas you simply can't access on your own"

It sounds like it may be fine, but the joy we've been having from the game comes from the cooperation, getting things to work right (or not work right as the case may be), but we haven't really delved into the story that much yet. The game is fairly atypical of Final Fantasy, its more of a brand new original game in its own right, and hence has different defining aspects. The focus is definitly on the gameplay and not as much as the story, so it won't be as good playing solo, but I can't really say how much worse it would be yet. I'd say read the Gamespot review (http://www.gamespot.com/gamecube/rpg/finalfantasycrystalc/review.html) for an opinion of someone who's played both (although it sounds like he played more multiplayer than single). The IGN review doesn't really go into either very well and sounds a lot different from their usual reviews, like it was written by someone with a high school grade english level. Did they get someone new or something?

edit: whoops, wrong link, fixed.

[~~ PAL ~~]

Originally posted by tomwaits
In case anyone is about to buy, Best Buy will be getting the game in later this week, and they're giving a $10 gift card with purchase until Saturday.

But do you still get a GC/GBA cable for free from the pre-order deal?

[Edison]

Originally posted by ~~PAL~~<BR>But do you still get a GC/GBA cable for free from the pre-order deal?

I don't know about BB but at EB it was only on pre-orders now that its out you don't get the link cable anymore.

[Josh H]

Wal-mart had a promo stand up at the entrance saying the first so many copies got the link cable.

[happyday]

I am into the multi-player aspect of gaming, but I have no gameboy. The idea of going out and buying four is not very appealing. It sounds like the gameboy concept is an impoartant part of the gameplay. I am kind of bummed, because it sounds like it would be a cool experience. I dug Phantasy Star on the Dreamcast.

[darkside]

This is a very cool game. I'm playing it with my Son. We just beat the first boss at the Mushroom Forest. I'm extremely impressed with it as a multiplayer game. I would rather play this with him than Mario Party. I Like the way you have to cooperate and combo your spells. I'm hoping to get my wife involved as well so we can play three players.

This and Pac Man Vs. make the link cables well worth buying or getting for free as the case may be.

[spainlinx0]

Anybody in the Jersey area want to get together and play? :)

[tanman]

Originally posted by tomwaits
In case anyone is about to buy, Best Buy will be getting the game in later this week, and they're giving a $10 gift card with purchase until Saturday.


I posted this in the Metroid thread then saw this one. Sorry again for hijacking that one.


Does anyone know how BB does their Pre-orders? I ask because I pre-ordered Final Fantasy:CC at EB but saw the deal at BB where you get a $10 gift card. (which would make it $15 less). I was hoping to be able to pre-order it and get the cable but the people I talked to didn't know a thing about it. Oh well.

What should I do? I only payed $5 for the pre-order so I could just drop it and buy it at BB for effectively $15 less. I might try to ask EB if they will offer a similar offer. Hmmm....

Also if I do that does anyone know if pre-orders at EB are transferable? If I drop it maybe one of you guys can pick up the five bucks I used to pre-order.

[Corky Roxbury]

tanman, I do not know the anwser to your question about BB, but you can just swtich your preorder at EB to a different game

[Groucho]

I got a chance to play this a little last night (solo mode, I only have one GBA). While I can see how multiplay was the main focus of the game, the solo game is a lot of fun. It's not particularly ground-breaking, but the setting is interesting and the gameplay is fun. I give the solo game :thumbsup: so far!

[jediwicz]

I've been playing solo but I joined someone elses caravan to try multiplayer. Both ways of playing are great IMO. The single player is fun but the multiplayer is the way it was meant to be played (the GBA/connectivity works well and forces cooperation on many levels). So far I am completely impressed. Thank you Game Designers Studio/Square for bringing back FF to a Nintendo home console. Keep em coming.

[young]

i was just reading the ebgames catalog and the nintendo power mag article on the game and they both say that the solo game is fun.

thanks for the link, outlaw.

i'll probably pick it up once it hits my magic price point ;)

[RCL66]

Ok - playing it solo and it's alot of fun - but I must be doing something wrong because I made it to the first boss in the River Walk dungeon/area - the one that comes out of the waterfall - and I am getting my arse handed to me.. It seems I can't get close enough to damage him without getting hurt myself, and the spells I have used have not done any significant damage at all.

Any suggestions or hints please (besides play with more than 1 player).

[Groucho]

One tip I have is to have Mog put down the chalice. That way he will help you in combat, by fusing spells and attacks. Also, back off and cure yourself any time your health gets low.

[Edison]

Originally posted by RCL66
Ok - playing it solo and it's alot of fun - but I must be doing something wrong because I made it to the first boss in the River Walk dungeon/area - the one that comes out of the waterfall - and I am getting my arse handed to me.. It seems I can't get close enough to damage him without getting hurt myself, and the spells I have used have not done any significant damage at all.

Any suggestions or hints please (besides play with more than 1 player).

Me too I did okay going through the level but that boss is tough, I'm going to try again today. I did read somewhere he's resistent to Thunder.

[Josh H]

Originally posted by young
i was just reading the ebgames catalog and the nintendo power mag article on the game and they both say that the solo game is fun.


Well, I'd say EB and Nintendo have an interest in people that won't play with a group of friends shelling out their $$$ for the game, so I'd take those articles with a huge grain of salt.

[Groucho]

Another tip: stick a feathered plume in one of your command slots. This will immediately revive you if you get killed (it works just like the bottled fairy in the Zelda games).

[tanman]

Sorry to keep posting about the acquisition of the game but I called EB and asked to speak with a manager and told him that I had a pre-order and that BB had a much better deal. After hearing the deal he politely said "I can do better than that. Do you have four games laying around that you aren't playing?" Of course I turned him down flat and called him an SOB for offering that as a "deal" (J/K). Those EB managers are so polite and sly. I guess they really prey on those who are ignorant/don't have the time to know a good deal. Even though that is underhanded I have to give them the fact that they actually care about doing their job.

Seems like it is off to BB.

[~~ PAL ~~]

Originally posted by tanman
Sorry to keep posting about the acquisition of the game but I called EB and asked to speak with a manager and told him that I had a pre-order and that BB had a much better deal. After hearing the deal he politely said "I can do better than that. Do you have four games laying around that you aren't playing?" Of course I turned him down flat and called him an SOB for offering that as a "deal" (J/K). Those EB managers are so polite and sly. I guess they really prey on those who are ignorant/don't have the time to know a good deal. Even though that is underhanded I have to give them the fact that they actually care about doing their job.

Seems like it is off to BB.

To be fair, it is sort of a deal if you have some REALLY BAD games to unload. Right now, EB will take just about any non-sports games as trade-ins. I unloaded an used copy of State of Emergency (paid $6 at BB), Treasure Planet (Free from Kellogg promo), Gungrave and Wipeout Fusion ($4.98 each during CC clearance). The guy just scanned all the games at $12.50 each and gave me a free link cable for the FF:CC pre-order as well. :)

But yes, it would be stupid to trade in any kind of decent titles at EB for this 4-for-1 deal.

[jediwicz]

There was a $10 mail in rebate through EB if you pre-ordered plus the free link cables. The coupon was in the Christmas catalog w/SOCOM on the cover. I mailed mine off long ago.

[darkside]

I did the free $10 rebate and cables deal at EB. Best deal at the time.

I'm through the first year and I'm very impressed with this game. By far the best looking Final Fantasy title ever. Very solid gameplay as well. Naming it a Mana title might have made more sense though considering how you play.

Definitely the perfect example of how GBA connectibility should work.

[driv3]

is there any good deal on this game ??
should i wait for a good deal ??? or just buy it right now !!!?

and also... can we play with just 3 player ... or 2 player only ?

[zero]

Got to play it today with three of my other friends, and DAMN I am liking this game :). I have to agree that it was made to be a 3 to 4 player game. The singple player is cool but theres just something about chaining magic and focus attacks that is just awesome!

[Groucho]

In the options menu, you can set your GBA as either "Standard" or "Enhanced." Anybody know what this option means? There's nothing in the manual.

[V-ism]

Picked this up at Fry's for 37.99 plus a free poster. Haven't really started playing it as I'm waiting to get another GBA so I can play with my brother.

[~~ PAL ~~]

So where are people getting their GC/GBA cables? Is the cheapest you can get them for still $9.99?

[young]

actually, i think i got a combo cable - by Pelican(?) - like $10. i think it is a gba/gc and a gba/gba combo cable.

i'm not sure b/c i have yet to use it... don't even know where i put it.

[~~ PAL ~~]

I ask because I only have one cable right now and will need to get a couple more. So far, the cheapest I've seen is $9.99 at Target (Nintendo 1st party). I also vaguely recall Wal-Mart might be selling these for $9.99 as well.

Places like EB and BB are selling the same cables for $14.99 each. Even if you can use the $5 coupon at BB it's still no cheaper than the other places...

[darkside]

I bought a cable for $10 back when Animal Crossing came out and got the free one with Chronicles. Target is giving another free one with preorders of Pokemon Colosseum, so I will preorder that to get a third cable.

[jediwicz]

It's a shame those Nintendo/Motorola wireless adapters aren't out and compatible with Crystal Chronicles. They sold a million in Japan already. This game is so good anyway it's played. Miasma streams look Phendrana Drifts good-and I haven't seen anything yet (1 year in).

[Outlaw]

Yeah Target seems to be the place if they have the cables.

If you're lucky, you may find some at Blockbuster Video for $5.99 like I did.

If you are really lucky, and you have a KBToys thats closing near you, you can get one for 30-40% off as well.

You can also get used GBA's (non SP) for around $30-50 on eBay. Not as cool looking but if you're just going to use it for a controller its about the same price as regular controller anyway. One of my friends actualy got one just so he could play in our group.

The best deal is the $37 at Fry's with the poster. Or at Best Buy, use the $5 off coupon plus get an additional $10 GC this week.

This game is so much fun, its quickly become one of our favorites :D.

[jediwicz]

I tried "Blazin' Caravans" yesterday. Does anyone know what happens if you win a race? This game is amazing-and it gets better as you progress. Someone should start a poll about what races were chosen ie; Yuke, Liltie etc.

[darkside]

Picked up another free cable at Target today with the Pokemon preorder. Hopefully, Nintendo will give away one with the Zelda Four Swords preorder and I can get a fourth cable without spending any extra money.

[Outlaw]

Never before has a game caused so much chaos in one room :). This game is awesome! We've been playing 4 player. I'm playing as a Clavat, they seem to have good offense and magic capabilities, but we've got a female Selkie, Lilty, and Yuke playing in our party. The first few areas weren't that difficult but it gets harder later on. And it definitley gets really good as you progress.

We actually had a new player play with us, the first hour was a steep learning curve for her and everyone else to get oriented (especially when it was her turn to carry the bucket, some of the things she did you would not believe :)). But after working out some kinks and playing we started to come together as a party. And its an awesome feeling when things just work after trying multiple attempts. The cooperation aspect in this game is probably the most fun I've had in a long time. I am really liking the art also.

[tanman]

Originally posted by jediwicz
There was a $10 mail in rebate through EB if you pre-ordered plus the free link cables. The coupon was in the Christmas catalog w/SOCOM on the cover. I mailed mine off long ago.

OMG! I totally forgot about this! This was the whole reason why I pre-ordered it back in December. When do you have to send it off by? I have it around here somewhere I have to look.

Interesting story.
I ended up buying it at BB. The first time I bought this game signed up for the Rewards card and bought Zero mission and there was a line starting to pile up. I gave the coupons and paid but thought it was a little high. I went to customer service and found out he didn't apply the coupon. They wouldn't let me use it, one offer only kind of thing (and yes I was nice about it). I went to a different BB figuring that I would see If I could get another cashier to do both the gift card and the coupon. Low and behold she does. I'm still kicking my butt over what happened next. Unfortunately I got greedy and decided to return that copy with the old reciept. The cashier intercepted me and said here I'll void out the transaction. I try to return it with the other reciept which she then gets suspicious and long story short I didn't get the coupon applied. Oh well, thats what I get for getting greedy.

[keit2208]

I also purchased it at Best Buy but had much better luck. I got some clueless media employee to fill out a form to guarantee me a free link cable once they got in stock, used the $5 gamers gift card AND got the $10 gift card for purchasing the game last week. And to top it all off, for some reason the register declined to charge me tax! Here's how I've broken it down:

FF:CC $50
-5 Gamer Gift Card
-10 Free GC
-15 Free Link Cable
----------------
$20 + NO TAX!!

I also lucked out and picked up one of the flyers from Gamespot that advertises a Gameboy Advance e-reader Bundle for 39.99, pricematched it at ToysRUs, then sold the e-reader for 23.99, so I ended up with a Gameboy Advance for approximately $14 + tax.

Suffice it to say, last week was Goooooooooooood.

Anyways, I've been playing thru the game with a buddy. I'm a Clavat and he's a Yuke. I'm still getting the hang of it, we ended up giving away a Warriors Weapon blueprint we could have used for the Yuke's weapon but I figure we'll stumble across a Yuke-specific weapon soon. We're also unsure about whether we should run thru the stages we've already been thru to get some more stats before we enter our fourth year and the early trees start replinishing, kicking us to Cycle 2 or whether it's really that important. My Yuke buddy also chose to keep a Magic + 3 artifact instead of using the Blizzard ring to permanently give him the Blizzard spell. I wish there were better guides on Gamefaqs right now, I just get so anal when it comes to Final Fantasy games about getting the most out of everything.

Anyways, it's fun so far but I wish we had a third player so we could see where the treasure chests are located... this also ties into my anality about getting every item in every level.

[tanman]

Originally posted by keit2208
I also purchased it at Best Buy but had much better luck. I got some clueless media employee to fill out a form to guarantee me a free link cable once they got in stock, used the $5 gamers gift card AND got the $10 gift card for purchasing the game last week. And to top it all off, for some reason the register declined to charge me tax! Here's how I've broken it down:

FF:CC $50
-5 Gamer Gift Card
-10 Free GC
-15 Free Link Cable
----------------
$20 + NO TAX!!



I hate you.









: )

[Outlaw]

Whoa good deal I just found at to get link cables for $5

Go to Target and pre-order Pokemon Colloseum and get a preview dvd disc AND a coupon for $5 off the game and a free link cable. You don't have to pay for the full game just put down $5 for a pre-order on the game and forget about it. Walk back in the store and get your free cable. This one's for you tanman!



edit: Wrong store, fixed!

[~~ PAL ~~]

cool. :up:

[tanman]

Originally posted by Outlaw
Whoa good deal I just found at to get link cables for $5

Go to Target and pre-order Pokemon Colloseum and get a preview dvd disc AND a coupon for $5 off the game and a free link cable. You don't have to pay for the full game just put down $5 for a pre-order on the game and forget about it. Walk back in the store and get your free cable. This one's for you tanman!



edit: Wrong store, fixed!

Thanks Outlaw!

I went to the Target today and got the last link cable (I'm sure they'll get more in) I don't know if this is for this week only or if it is for the length of the pre-order. It might be a Target only kind of deal as well. The guy didn't really know what he was doing and almost didn't give me the bonus disc because he thought it was the actual game. I convinced him otherwise. Why don't they hire more geeks at these retailers?

[eatntae]

Target weekly ad says while supplies last, and the game is available March 24. When I was in the store a couple days ago (sold out of link cables so I didn't preorder), I think the preorder placeholder behind the glass said the game must be preordered by March 6 or something like that in order to get the free disc and link cable.

EDIT: Oops, I forgot to ask. Has anyone beaten FF:CC yet? If so, how long does it take? I'm not sure I want to buy this, but I really want to rent it to check it out.

[KrackerBox]

so... can I cancel the pre-order after I get the cable? Or, I guess I can just sell the game afterwards...

[eatntae]

Originally posted by KrackerBox
so... can I cancel the pre-order after I get the cable? Or, I guess I can just sell the game afterwards...

Just don't pay the remainder of the balance of the game. I'm going to preorder for the sole purpose of getting the link cable for $5, since I have no interest in pokemon. To my understanding, you pay $5, get a bonus disc and link cable, then come back with the receipt when the game comes out to pay the remainder of the balance.

[Outlaw]

Ok we've been playing this game a ton so I think I can report back in. I can safely say that I hold the same opinion I had of the game earlier, it rocks! There are a couple of reasons that I've noticed why this game doesn't suck.

First of all, they didn't half ass it. Square Enix went all out on this game and it shows. The graphics are incredible as is the gameplay. The cooperation aspect is something that I can't get enough of. There are few games in which you have to work as a team as much as this game.

Another reason it rocks is that they could have gone with a usual Final Fantasy game, but instead this is the first time they've tried something new with the series and focused on gameplay. And using the GBA as a versatile controller is great. Somehow they managed to implement it in a way that doesn't feel gimmicky but adds a new element to the gameplay experience.

Overall, I'm very satisfied with my purchase, 26 hours in so far with 4 players pretty much the whole time, and there's tons more stuff to do. Square Enix and Nintendo get big respect points from me for trying something unique and putting some backing effort behind it. After being hugely disappointed with FFX-2, its a reassuring to see that Square Enix can still make good games like this one.

[PixyJunket]

Outlaw, you're glowing love for this game has got me highly interested. I know for sure that my girlfriend and my gaming buddy will be all for this (and they both have GBAs and GC link cables already!)..

The fact that you mentioned that Square-Enix tried something different and focused on gameplay is my favorite part (although, Kingdom Hearts has lots og gameplay too and I love it!).

[~~ PAL ~~]

Originally posted by tanman
Thanks Outlaw!

I went to the Target today and got the last link cable (I'm sure they'll get more in) I don't know if this is for this week only or if it is for the length of the pre-order. It might be a Target only kind of deal as well. The guy didn't really know what he was doing and almost didn't give me the bonus disc because he thought it was the actual game. I convinced him otherwise. Why don't they hire more geeks at these retailers?

This is becoming a huge bargain that might deserve it's own thread now... ;)

I went to two different Targets yesterday. The first Target did not have the Pokemon bonus discs at all, I decided that I really didn't need the bonus disc and placed an "order" anyway. So I was charged $5.40 and got the link cable for free. And to compensate for not having the bonus disc, the guy gave me a Dragonball Z bonus DVD for free...

The second Target had both the bonus disc and the cables, so I placed another pre-order. The guy maning the cashier didn't really seem to know what he's doing, and had to get help from a supervisor to finalize the transaction. So I got my bonus disc and cable after some minor hassles...

But here's the interesting part... There are two coupons on the back of the Pokemon pre-order certificate, one for $5 off Pokemon when you pick up the game (already paid for), and the other is the coupon for the free link cable. The guy in the first Target voided the second coupon, but the second Target guy did not. So, I could realistically take that coupon back to Target and pick up yet another cable for free. These coupons expires on 5/1/04.

[Outlaw]

Originally posted by PixyJunket
Outlaw, you're glowing love for this game has got me highly interested. I know for sure that my girlfriend and my gaming buddy will be all for this (and they both have GBAs and GC link cables already!)..

The fact that you mentioned that Square-Enix tried something different and focused on gameplay is my favorite part (although, Kingdom Hearts has lots og gameplay too and I love it!).

Yeah we've been having fun with it. But don't get "too" hyped up for it, I don't want to get you so hyped up only to be let down if it doesn't cause the ocean to split in two :).

[Outlaw]

Originally posted by ~~ PAL ~~
But here's the interesting part...

ahahaha :lol:, you discovered the secret! :D I was wondering when someone was gonna pick up on that.

I figured anyone's who's interested in this game is also interested in getting link cables.

[jediwicz]

A group of us are almost done and none of us want to beat it. I'm having fun joining weaker parties and helping them out. Did everyone check out the Jegon when it was dry? Game of the Year so far IMO.

[eatntae]

Originally posted by jediwicz
A group of us are almost done and none of us want to beat it. I'm having fun joining weaker parties and helping them out. Did everyone check out the Jegon when it was dry? Game of the Year so far IMO.

Almost done, eh? How long did it take you to get there? I'm thinking about picking this up, but I would like to know how long it will last.

[jediwicz]

I'm a little over 25 hours (sixth year) in and still have the three longest dungeons and final boss battle(s) plus I still want to get more artifacts/items and finish a bunch of storylines. I'll probably keep playing till year 10 and I still don't know if I want to finish it. With Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes coming soon I'm torn.

The replay value of this game is insane, you can go back and forth between dungeons anytime and different events happen during different years-it's constantly changing. Play it.

[keit2208]

I'm on the sixth year also and we're having a fun time. Probably around 25 hours put in as well. Jediwicz, what do you mean about joining weaker parties? Other friends of yours not in your group have their own caravans going?

The only complaint I have is how long and involved some of the dungeons are (goblin cave, anyone?). I could happily revisit something like the Mansion several times over since it's short and sweet but it takes about an hour running through the more complicated dungeons and all you get is one artifact and the occassional useful scroll or material.

We're about to see if we can revitalize the Jegon river and loot the area, then we should be nearing the end.

I read somewhere that it is necessary to do quite a bit of leveling near the end to be able to survive the final years, does anyone know if this is true? So far my partner and I have only made a couple of leveling runs (going to a place that hasn't replenished its myrrh). Also, Jediwicz, are you sure that you can continue adventuring past the 8th year?

[jediwicz]

I'm pretty sure you can keep going for many years if you don't beat the final level/boss. I work at EB and always have people coming in with their SP's and memory cards wanting to play (a bunch are not as far as I am-that's what I meant by weaker parties).
I did Gurdy's Lynari Desert puzzle to get the ? before I did Conall Curach and Rebena. I wanted to get the sluice going first. Now I can go wherever at any time...nice.

[tanman]

Originally posted by Outlaw
ahahaha :lol:, you discovered the secret! :D I was wondering when someone was gonna pick up on that.

I figured anyone's who's interested in this game is also interested in getting link cables.

Umm....I didn't get any of those coupons. Should I have? The guy really didn't know what he was doing.

[tanman]

I have a couple of basic questions.

One is how do you level up? I know you get the different artifacts and can only keep one but can you go back and play the level again before the myrhh has replenished and still keep the artifacts? Can I do this with one member of the group (my gf can't play with us all the time) and get them caught up with the rest of the party?

Also what should I do about the letters? I respond and since my family are alchemists I sent them some designs but then I can't make them later on.

What do the different jobs do anyways?

So far I am really loving it. I'm only in the second year though I haven't been able to play it much since I am away a few days of the week but it is really rocking. I still feel like I don't really know what is going on. I just go to the next level and lay the smackdown on some mosters.

[~~ PAL ~~]

Originally posted by tanman
Umm....I didn't get any of those coupons. Should I have? The guy really didn't know what he was doing.

You should take your pre-order receipt back to Target and demand for the coupons then. But technically, if you got the free GC/GBA cable during the pre-order you've already redeemed the second coupon. The first coupon is for $5 off Pokemon Colliseum when you pick the game up (which you've pre-paid.)

But if you have no intentions of going back to get the pre-order for Pokemon, then you don't really need to worry about it.

Essentially, the "little secret" is that you could double dip on the GC/GBA cable when you pre-order Pokemon. You can potentially pick up one for free when you pre-order, then if the cashier gave you the coupons that came with the pre-order certificate you can use the second coupon to get yet ANOTHER free GC/GBA cable.

[Outlaw]

Yeah its a YMMV for getting extra free link cables but this time there's a better chance of you getting in on it if you did it last week perhaps. The guy didn't know what he was doing when I did it, he gave me back the coupon without voiding it. But even if you didn't get in on it, $5 for a link cable is a hot deal!

[eatntae]

My friend has been wanting to by a GBA SP, but was reluctant to pay $100 for one. On Sunday I told him they were on sale for $88 at Target this week, so Monday he calls me to go with him to buy it. Our friend that works at Target also went with us, and he used his 10% discount to get the GBA SP for about $83 after tax. Then he said he wanted to go to Walmart to get a game. I wondered why he just didn't get it at Target, but when we get to Walmart I found out that he wanted to get FF:CC and it came with a free link cable.

So we get back to my house to start playing four players. We only got to play about two hours worth because two of us had class. We picked it back up today, and played for countless hours. Altogether, we have three GBA SPs and two GBAs. One GBA has an AC adaptor, so that's constantly plugged in, and the other three players use an SP. We played for so long, that we'd have to sub in one regular GBA so that we could recharge one of the SPs. Outlaw was right, this game causes so much chaos in the room. Whenever we get into a new area, all of us instinctively yell out "I have the map/I can see enemies/I can see where the treasures are/I have the enemy weakness thing" depending on who has what. It's funny when we try to combine our magic spells. We'll sit there and count to three so we can all release our buttons, and we yell at each other when it doesn't work right.

Now that I have actually played the game, I'm wishing I would have gotten it sooner. I was just afraid that I wouldn't be able to find three other players to join me. In any case, I'm glad I finally got to experience this game, and I can't wait to play some more.

[tanman]

Nice to know that people are really getting into this. My brother sister and I have been playing this and we love it. Even if we can only get together a couple times a week.

In fact I spent $15 on the guide just for this game. Between Nintendo Power subscriptions and Best Buy penny guides do you know how ridiculous it is for me to do that? Oh well, we're having a blast.

[jediwicz]

Hell I'm 35 hours in and still year seven (buy choice). I've been playing single player a lot and I barely figured out that you can fuse three spells-the whole time I thought two was the limit. I'm still missing a heart pendant and a command slot so I keep redoing dungeons trying to rack up the bonus points (if I don't like the bonus criteria I exit to World Map and try again-that way I get better artifacts next time through).

[tanman]

Don't forget to go to the (something) La Sluice, next to Shella. The waters are only down between year five and eight.


I just learned that you can enter a dungeon when the tree isn't ready to be tapped and level up that way.

[keit2208]

I'm on year 11 now and I don't really want the game to end. I'm starting to have a lot of trouble finding any decent artifacts and I'm about to pull my hair out looking for an "ancient potion" so I can make my legendary weapon. The guides I've looked at says you can find them in Kilanda but I've been through Kilanda about 5 times with absolutely no luck. My guess is that they're probably located in Rebena Te Ra instead but I'll have to wait til I have some help to search the place again.

We're about 25-30 hours in and the game is a lot of fun. Not sure I could really recommend it for single player and prepare to be frustrated if you have some teammates and they aren't available to play very often. When my buddy isn't around I sometimes try to pick up a few missing artifacts or equipment I need and it's frustrating since you can't spell fusion or activate switches when playing only one person in a multiplayer game. I'm sure Mog helps out a little if you play single-player mode but I can't imagine it being as fun because the teamwork really makes this game. I would give this game huge bonus points if Square would have combined the two modes so your multiplayer character isn't useless whenever you don't have some other warm bodies to join in the fight.

Anyhow, if you have some friends (preferably with their own GBAs), I'd definitely pick up Crystal Chronicles. It's a lot of fun and definitely different from any prior Final Fantasy game.

[jediwicz]

I've now clocked in over 40 hours of gameplay and I'm year eight. I'll keep replaying levels to gather artifacts-right now I have 43. My Yuke is mid-60's stat wise but I still need a heart pendant and a "pocket". This is all I've been playing since it came out (until MGS: TTS arrives). A truly amazing game.

[keit2208]

Finished the game today... ending is a little disappointing and boring. I wouldn't recommend leveling up your character to insane amounts... go til you get bored of revisiting the same areas then see if you're strong enough to take on the final area.

I'm also not quite sure why some of you are staying on low years to level? From as far as I can tell, you can keep letting the years update as much as you want. You don't have to limit the places you go artifact-hunting to the ones without myrhh. You're actually probably better off beating any stage that you come across because with all stages on the third cycle you have access to EVERY artifact. Nothing's going to be gone permanently if you don't happen to get it during the first or second cycle. You might as well keep completing years so your parents get better at their job. Additionally, there are certain quests that you can only complete by revisiting year after year (i.e. Carbuncles)

For the life of me I still can't find the 'ancient potion' to complete my legendary weapon. Maybe someday in the future when I've exhausted my collection of unplayed video games I'll revisit Crystal Chronicles in single-player mode (or continue my multiplayer quest if I can convince my friend to keep playing a game we've already beaten just to up our stats a li'l.).

Overall impression: 9/10... it was fun while it lasted but I really can't recommend sticking around and leveling up forever unless you have endless patience and free time.

[tanman]

Once its over is it over?

Or can you continue to go to dungeons and level up or whatever.

[~~ PAL ~~]

Originally posted by keit2208
I would give this game huge bonus points if Square would have combined the two modes so your multiplayer character isn't useless whenever you don't have some other warm bodies to join in the fight.

I don't have the game right now (loaned it to sister-in-law), but didn't the manual mention that it is possible to transfer your character from multiplayer to single player and vise versa?

[keit2208]

Once you beat the end boss it goes to a "The End" screen until you reset the console. You can always continue adventuring on forever from your last save point tho.

[tanman]

Thanks. I think I could beat it now. I already got the fifth Crystal element but I don't want it to end just yet.

[keit2208]

I am getting pissed off at all the websites reviewing this game. Are they actually playing it past a year or so? Basically every website says the game is over after 5,6,7, or 8 years but I have no idea where they are getting this from. Somewhere around year 7 the old people in your village stop giving you well-wishes as you leave each year, but at least up til year 11 the story that comes up in the "Today we finished our year ??, blah blah blah" is still continuing. I don't think it's even possible for your parents to reach their max profession level that quickly.

Does anyone know where this year limit propaganda came from?

Here's a review that says its over in 5(!) years and you're only meant to go to each area once! http://www.gamingworldx.com/gcn/FinalFantasyCrystalChronic.shtml
I'd hate to see how weak my caravan was going into the final area with only cycle 1 artifacts and items.

[tanman]

Originally posted by keit2208

For the life of me I still can't find the 'ancient potion' to complete my legendary weapon. Maybe someday in the future when I've exhausted my collection of unplayed video games I'll revisit Crystal Chronicles in single-player mode (or continue my multiplayer quest if I can convince my friend to keep playing a game we've already beaten just to up our stats a li'l.).


I found an ancient potion. You get it from Armstrong in Vale. If you are playing by yourself by the third cycle he will drop one if you score less than 155 points. You can pick one up on the second cycle but only if you get more than 193 points.

[bigsoos]

what do you do at the 3 stones in the desert of Leuda (sp)?

[jediwicz]

It's part of the quest for the ? element. If you've already activated the other objects, cast blizzard from smallest to largest. If not, follow Gurdy's poem...

[bigsoos]

where's the mushroom that you have to cast fire located?