It has its share of problems, but Crystal Chronicles is one of the best, most unique multiplayer experiences out there.
The Bad: No voice acting, except for a lame part you can skip; the chalice sucks; there's a lot to do, but it still gets repetitive before you're ready for the final boss; the chalice sucks; character development is nonexistant because of the creation system; all the equipment necessary for the full experience cost around $570 at the time of release; THE CHALICE SUCKS.
Square returned to Nintendo's side of the fence at long last for the first time in 2003. The last titles they produced, Final Fantasy VI (III in America), Chrono Trigger, and Super Mario RPG remained some of the most magnificent games on the SNES after they'd gone. Nintendo's decision to use cartridges for the N64 was what spurred them to go over to PlayStation, and the numbered Final Fantasy titles haven't come back to Nintendo since.
Tactics Advance, a game barely connected to the first Tactics on PS1, was the first to arrive. It was huge, but not particularly original, and, to me, a bit overcomplicated.
Enter a Final Fantasy title that's slowly spawning a franchise only for Nintendo, and provided some truly unique gameplay that isn't appreciated nearly as much as it deserves: Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles.
It's unfortunate that it takes four GBA's, four GBA connectors, the game, and the Gamecube to produce the best experience in the game, as that took a lot of money when the game was released. Now, admittedly, you wouldn't be spending $570. It'd be $540 ish if you want to play it on a Wii, and more like $340 if you want to play on a Gamecube. So regardless, it's expensive if you haven't already invested in the hardware.
That's not to say that there's not a great experience to be had with Crystal Chronicles. Note that for the upcoming Final Fantasy XIII, you're expected to have paid a total of about $560, so I guess it's not such a big deal after all.
Anyway... Anyone from your little sister to your high school friends can get into Final Fantasy with this title. It really is a great choice for a Nintendo system, not because Nintendo's designed for little kids, but for everyone. It doesn't require a lot of buttons (after all, it's controlled by GBA), and yet the upgrade system and character design is as intelligent as any Final Fantasy.
There are a total of 32 characters to pick from, which is nice, and you have choices between tribes and hair styles as such. It's unfortunate that character development is lost because of this though, especially because it's Final Fantasy. Again you still have a lot of options with your parents jobs, and girls have just as many options as guys.
The production values, however, are not lost on this Final Fantasy. As ever with Square, the graphics and music are wonderful. It's very easy to like, maybe even love this game, partially because it's so open to every audience. It may be 'cutesy' for the kids, but there's plenty of RPG strategy to the game.
The battle system is somewhat simplistic, but it's plenty of fun. You'll be hitting the A button a lot, but that allows for magic, battle combos (which work better if timed right), and charged attacks. Equipment is hard to come by because you'll need materials, money and designs for them, but items get exponentially better with each upgrade to make up for that.
There are quite a few levels, and those last for at least eight years (in game, which is three levels a year), but after that most of them get old and simplistic. You'll run through without even worrying about dying once in the most fun levels, leaving the most tedious one remaining for the most part.
That's a major disappointment, because it really cuts short a game that, before then, was shaping up extremely well. One could imagine early on the game lasting you as long as you want, upgrading your characters for endless hours with your friends. The ultimate party game next to Smash Bros.? Almost, actually.
That said, there's tons of fun in there, and if you don't mind the big levels (one of which doesn't even give you the LIfe magic power), you'll find a lot to love in Crystal Chronicles.
There are only a couple major issues all game, really, that keep the score down at an 8.5. The cost, which was infamously high; the chalice, which slows down gameplay a great deal, and is completely unnecessary; the aformentioned lack of character development; and to use a menu, the game doesn't pause, and can cause your death.
That sounds like a lot of issues, but battling through an RPG with friends remains a spectacular experience that has rarely been attempted. It's difficult and yet welcoming and enjoyable, a feat games can rarely achieve. The production values are magnificent the way only Final Fantasy can do it, and you'll just be wishing for more in the little areas.
The control system is spectacular, and the good outweighs the bad the whole way through. The flaws really hold this one back from being truly spectacular. It's far more than the sum of its parts.
In fact, even though I'm writing this in 2008, I'd still suggest picking this guy up if you've run out of things to play on Wii and wanna know what good stuff was on the Gamecube. Especially if you still have a couple GBA's lying around, and some other friends into games.
Do yourself a favor and pick it up before you listen to people talking crap about it. There's a long, highly enjoyable multiplayer campaign to be had here. In terms of Square's work on Nintendo systems after the falling out, I'd say it's better than Tactics Advance. By a lot. In fact, one of the better Gamecube titles of '04. Top two or three. There was real care put into it everywhere, and it's noticeable.
We can only hope, despite the (from what I hear) extremely disappointing other Crystal Chronicles titles, this franchise can improve even over the first in the series and produce games worthy, like this one, of the title Final Fantasy.