Crystal-Bearers
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Amazon discounts Crystal Bearers, other Square Enix oddities
At a $20 price point, we'd have no problem recommending Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers to any Wii owner looking for a totally unique new experience. Luckily, Amazon has dropped Square Enix's telekinetic adventure to just that price as part of its Deal of the Day. In addition, Amazon is selling another starkly non-traditional Final Fantasy game, the PSP's Dissidia: Final Fantasy, at a special one-day price of $14.99. It's normally $20 in stores and on PSN -- which means that you should probably buy it along with something else to qualify for free shipping, or you're not really saving anything. Also, Nier for PS3 is on sale.
Swag Sunday: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers (Wii) [update]
Update: We've chosen a winner, closed the comments, and started the ceremonial "choose a winner" dance. We'll have an email out to them shortly, so check those inboxes! We're no strangers to the occasional strange Wii game giveaway here at Joystiq, but you must understand that someone needs to find a loving home for these niche gems. We have to imagine that, somewhere, there's a Wii-owning airship pilot to-be aching for their chance to shine. That time is now! For a chance to win one copy of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers, all you have to do is tell us what you would name your very own airship (an explanation of 'why' would be nice too). As is always the case, please keep it clean and keep your eye on your email over the next few days to see if you've won. You've got 24 hours, folks -- get to it! Leave a comment telling us what you would name your very own airship (an explanation of 'why' would be nice too). You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec, partially based on our feelings about the Battle of Quebec in 1775). Limit 1 entry per person per day. This entry period ends at 5:31PM ET on Monday, February 15. At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive one copy of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers for Nintendo Wii ($49.99 ARV). For a list of complete rules, click here. %Gallery-70584% What is Joyswag? Since we don't keep the games and merchandise we receive for review or promotional purposes, it becomes "Joyswag," which is passed along to our readers. Please note that Joyswag may be in "used" condition. For more info on our policy, click here.
Amazon pulls $17 off of Crystal Bearers' price
Today, you can get a copy of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers for a price much more befitting the bizarre, experimental game it is. Just one month (and one day) after its North American release, Amazon marked the telekinetic action game down to $32.98. Now you can experience the lovely graphics, oddly compelling tossing-stuff-based gameplay and irritating bosses for yourself! If you miss out on this deal, online retailer Tronix sells Crystal Bearers for $40 all the time. Either way, you don't have to pay full price for the thrill of tossing garbage bags at slime monsters.
Snap Judgment: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers
When we review a game without finishing it, we call it a Snap Judgment. Read why here. Time played: 10 hours Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers is a game with seemingly no built-in audience. There aren't any Final Fantasy fans, that I can imagine, who love the series but hate all that role-playing and complexity, and there's likely a very small portion of the fanbase that love the Crystal Chronicles universe, but hate multiplayer. Because of that, because of the current climate for third-party Wii games, and because of the sizeable budget and long development time that went into this project, Crystal Bearers is a bold experiment that's unlikely to be repeated. Which is a shame, because I've really enjoyed what I've played so far, and I feel like some small tweaks in a sequel could make a truly great game out of what is currently an interesting, flawed (and very, very strange) game.
New Crystal Bearers trailer is exciting, a little mean
Square Enix has created a thrilling, cinematic trailer for Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers -- and it didn't even have to lean on the Bon Jovi crutch! The latest trailer for the Wii action title makes it look kind of like a Final Fantasy take on the Indiana Jones style of adventure story -- complete with the hero being a total jerk. Instead of a whip and years of archaeological study, however, Layle has the ability to lift stuff with his mind. We always feel compelled to remind everyone about this game, especially since it's tucked away the day after Christmas. So here it is. Once again, that's Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers.
Crystal Bearers also has a ballroom dancing minigame
Famitsu revealed two "event" minigames in Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers. We knew about the vaguely embarrassing pool float minigame, and we've actually seen hints of the other minigame in the trailer: ballroom dancing. This seems to take place in the scene in which Layle steals some guy's tuxedo to sneak into an event, and involves rotating the Wiimote and Nunchuk to simulate dancing movements.In the E3 demo, the game was full of diverting events like this. A rail shooter segment opened the game, followed by an airship piloting segment. The main enemy-tossing game will be broken up by events like this one, which finally fulfills the promise of Final Fantasy VIII's most famous scene.
Bear witness to these Crystal Bearers images
GAME Watch has rounded up the known details of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers's story and setting, including the disappearance of the Yukes and the existence of the Crystal Bearers, a few people with mysterious psychic powers. There's also apparently one crystal "idol" for each species. There's a lot more in the writeup, but after TGS, we're hoping to take a short break from squinting at Japanese text really hard.Luckily, the really relevant part of the article is the huge assortment of screenshots, along with concept art like the piece seen here. Crystal Bearers is out November 12 in Japan and December 26 in North America.
TGS 2009: Hands-on: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers
Seeing that everyone around me was playing the same introductory sequence of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers that I had seen at E3, I loaded up a random save, fairly confident it would place me in another carefully chosen demo location. (Or at least that it would be some other part of the game.) Whether intentional or not, I hit demo paydirt with a sequence of the game that involved combat, exploration and heavy use of the game's telekinetic grappling hook.%Gallery-70584%
FFCC: Crystal Bearers now bears a Japanese release date
Four years after it was first revealed, Square Enix has finally announced a Japanese release date for Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers: November 26. That makes us doubt it'll be out Stateside before the end of the year, but at least it's actually being released. Actually, for a long time we perceived Crystal Bearers as in trouble or delayed, but four years for a Final Fantasy game seems about right! Square Enix also revealed the box art (posted in full after the break), which is both nice-looking on its own merits and evidence that Square Enix is getting around to finally putting this thing into boxes![Via GAME Watch]
Interview: Square Enix's Akitoshi Kawazu on Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers
Square Enix's Akitoshi Kawazu was the very first person to diverge from Final Fantasy's formula, while simultaneously inventing it. Following the success of the original game, Kawazu created Final Fantasy II, which set precedent by lacking continuity with the world of the first game, but which also added named characters to the game, and removed the experience point system. Kawazu went on to create the SaGa series, which is most closely associated with the producer, as well as the Crystal Chronicles series. In a group interview with Joystiq, 1UP, and Gametrailers, Kawazu spoke about the game that is now breaking away from the Crystal Chronicles formula -- the Wii-exclusive single-player action RPG Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers.%Gallery-3302%
Hands-on: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers
Of all the shocks out of Nintendo's E3 presentation, perhaps nothing was as shocking as the revelation that Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers is still happening, and even happening in North America. Well, not really. But we must admit that even when we saw the demo station in Nintendo's booth, we didn't really ... believe it was real. And they even let us play it. Really. We played Crystal Bearers. Have a look at some new screens and then check out our impressions after the break.%Gallery-3302%
Square Enix admits to slow production pace
Eidos won't be releasing games before they're finished just to hit deadlines, according to Square Enix president Yoichi Wada. Wada told GamesIndustry.biz that alleviating worries like that was "what I hope to achieve for the entire group." However, he noted that Eidos's new parent company must also address a scheduling issue. "But we at Square Enix also have a problem - it takes too long for us to produce a game..."Final Fantasy XIII, which just saw the release of its first demo, was announced at E3 2006. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers was announced at E3 2005, with details only now starting to be released.Square Enix's problem seems to be based on conflicts between management and developers. "I personally believe that having a good cost performance and having a good quality game can co-exist - I think that this relationship is actually a positive one," Wada said. "But when you look to the creators they tend to think that if they're asked to pursue a better cost performance, they have to sacrifice quality."
Watch (and understand!) the Crystal Bearers intro
There's good reason to be excited over the upcoming Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers (wow, what a mouthful!). The production values of this upcoming adventure easily surpass anything we've seen from Square Enix on the Wii. Voice acting, cutscenes, great graphics, rocket launchers, and massive open-world gameplay -- this is the kind of stuff we've wanted to see on the Wii.The game's intro has been released on the web, and GoNintendo discovered a subtitled version for us to enjoy and understand. Check it out after the break.
Crystal Bearers site bears new content
The Japanese Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers site has opened in earnest, free from all the teasing nonsense. The new site features new screens, character portraits (the Yuke, Amadetelion, doesn't look nearly as comical as Yukes used to!), cool video clips that play when you load any page, and a statement from producer Akitoshi Kawazu.According to a translation from NeoGAFfer RPGn, Kawazu draws a line between the very first Final Fantasy and Crystal Bearers, saying that as he initially thought Final Fantasy was "the way you make an RPG." He hopes Crystal Bearers will end up being as iconic for Wii. Or something like that.Along with the site announcement, Famitsu posted some gorgeous screens of the open-world-ish RPG.
Finally, some details on FFCC: Crystal Bearers
The latest issue of Famitsu has a pretty extensive preview for the upcoming Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Crystal Bearers, a game that we've only recently seen in action. There's no denying it: Crystal Bearers doesn't look like your average Final Fantasy game, let alone your average Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles game. That's because we now know it's set in a uniquely futuristic world that has traded in swords for guns. It's a world where magic has been forgotten and where the Yukes have fought a long, vicious war with the Lilties and lost (as in, like, every Yuke). The Lilties are still around, though, and now use the crystals to help people. Enter Layle, the person who has been all over the trailers and art for the game (and in the image above this very post!). As a Crystal Bearer of the Clavat race, he has some unique abilities that allow him to manipulate gravity (not everyone forgot magic, we suppose). The story of the game revolves around him and his run-in with one of the supposedly extinct Yukes.We won't go into the story any more than that in case you're trying to remain pure, but know that the game plans to use the Wiimote in some interesting ways. Since Layle can manipulate gravity, he can do a variety of different things to the environment around him and the objects in it. He can grab demons and toss them at other demons, kind of like a basic attack (though the Famitsu article says Layle will have different options depending on the demon he grabs). If he tries to grab something heavy or stationary (the example given is a ceiling lamp), then it will send him flying toward that object like he's using a grappling hook.If you want to read IGN's summary of the Famitsu piece, then go ahead and give this a click. For those of you that want to look at the pictures, a scan has found its way online here. Oh, and in case you were wondering why it's taken so long to get details on the game, know that it's due to Square Enix not even having started development on it when it announced the title. Smooth move, Square Enix!
FFCC: Crystal Bearers website demands more visits for more videos
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers is coming out. Seriously, it is. If the trailer above looks familiar it's because you've already seen it. It was released in Japan before being removed by Square Enix's evil grasp, only to reemerge on The Crystal Bearers' new global gateway. Square promises new videos are on the way but gamers will have to work to get them.In a diabolical move, Square Enix has decided to unlock two additional trailers for Crystal Bearers at an undisclosed time, presumably when an unknown amount of visitors check the site. Put simply, more visits equal more movies. Shenanigans! Smart shenanigans ... but shenanigans nonetheless. Everyone start clicking!
New Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Crystal Bearers trailer! Really!
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time is out in Japan this week, bringing a delightful bonus along: the promised Crystal Bearers trailer, which a helpful YouTube friend has uploaded (though with a watermark to forever remind us of his helpfulness). Head past the break to see the new footage.We haven't seen footage of this game since May 2007, and it wasn't really enough to get a good idea of gameplay. But this trailer features entire, sumptuous minutes of in-game footage, revealing one of the weirdest Final Fantasy games ever -- and that's even if we ignore the incongruous soundtrack! It appears to be an action game in which players pick up items and monsters with a sort of telekinetic power, and toss them. We very much hope that it turns out to be better than Square Enix's other recent physics (and tossing-stuff)-based action game, Dawn of Mana. Unfortunately, the trailer doesn't offer new information about any release plans, but its very inclusion suggests it's coming soon![Via NeoGAF]
Rumor Roundup: LittleBigPlanet PSP in 2009 and more from December's EGM
Another day, another hint at LittleBigPlanet coming to PSP. The latest rumor mongering comes from EGM (via NeoGAF), whose December issue suggests a PSP version will debut in 2009 -- supposedly, it'll be "fantastically ambitious and will further flesh out the PS3 LBP experience." What it won't have, it seems, is Media Molecule at the helm, as the developer is rumored to be working on an online RPG (in addition to a LBP sequel?). Previous mutterings pointed the finger at Sony's Studio Liverpool (WipEout Pulse) being the developer.Other juicy gossip from the 'zine: Square Enix has quietly canceled Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers (gasp!), Capcom is bringing 1980s side-scrolling shooter Forgotten Worlds to Xbox Live and PlayStation Network (more gasps!) and Silicon Knight's unannounced Sega title is now looking for a new publisher. December's EGM should soon be on newsstands everywhere. Update: As noted in the comments section (thanks ... Fer-nan-do), Square Enix has released a statement denying the cancellation of Crystal Bearer. The publisher "has every intention of releasing it" but no date is currently known.
Crystal Bearers finally gone forever? [update]
Update: Huzzah! Square Enix says the game is still on.Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers is more than just a long title -- it's also a questionable game with a sketchy history. It's a history that may finally have come to a close, however: after back-and-forth rumors of the game's continuation and demise, apparently the latest issue of EGM points toward the game's cancellation. While the EGM rumor may be off track, we're certainly not surprised if it does turn out to be the truth. We've been considering it gone for some time, and only now, as we are reminded of what could have been, are we saddened again. Lament with us in the comments, if you wish.[Via GoNintendo]
Crystal Bearers continued development possibly confirmed
We've been greatly concerned with the fate of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers for the Wii, considering the system needs more RPGs, and certainly a Final Fantasy game (outside of Wii Ware). There have been rumors, however, that the game was canceled, and we've been biting our nails and waiting for news. It looks like we've finally got some, though from an unlikely source: an interview about the latest DS games in the franchise.The staff at Kikizo recently sat down with some of the creative forces behind Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates, and in the course of the discussion, the possibility of connectivity between the Wii and DS Crystal Chronicles games came up. Ring of Fates director Mitsuru Kamiyama indicated that the Wii title is, in fact, still in development. We are so very relieved.There's just one problem that sheds a little doubt on the Crystal Bearers reference -- either the Kikizo staff wasn't too familiar with the DS titles, or this is an old interview. There are questions asked about well-known features of both DS games (such as the lack of inclusion of Wi-Fi multiplayer), and we're forced to take the whole thing with a grain or two of salt. However, we're willing to hope that we've just been thrown the tiniest of bones reassuring us that we have a Final Fantasy experience to look forward to beyond what's coming on Wii Ware.[Via GoNintendo]
