Tagged: crystal chronicles

Multiplayer mayhem with Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures (Gamecube)

So many games, so little time. Despite not being active on the blog, there’s been no shortage of new games at home. There’ve been some hits and some misses, and thanks to my recent peripheral obsession I now possess a vast array of Gamecube accessories including a pair of bongos and a microphone on top of the Gamecube to GBA cables I got for this game! (Updates on those forthcoming.)

One big hit I’ve been dying to write about and get out of my system is the Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures. Wow, does this game capitalise on the potential of the Gamecube-GBA connectivity. It makes for a startling contrast with Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, which has a basic 2D map on the GBA screen, much like Wind Waker’s Tingle Tuner. Four Swords Adventures moves the action to the GBA screen whenever you enter a house or cave, and not only are the graphics, sounds and gameplay the same but it moves between the two screens utterly seamlessly. It’s a pleasant change to Crystal Chronicles, which despite a simple display manages to feel like it’s brushing up against the limits of the connection. Continue reading

Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles (GC) – why does a game with such beautiful water feel like a desert?

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This doesn’t do the water justice.

Crystal Chronicles is an undeniably beautiful game. The characters, the locations and the dungeons are all beautifully designed and expertly rendered. For me, this game is all about the water, the way it sparkles and shimmers and ripples. Unfortunately, the beautiful graphics only emphasizes the fact there is something fundamentally lacking. This is a tale about why expectations can be a bad thing. Rant mode on. Continue reading