Game Information


Basic information
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers
Developer: Square Enix PPD 2
Publisher: Square Enix
Expected: February 2010

Where to find more
Official Homepage
Wikipedia article

After first being announced way back at E3 2005, followed by years of virtual silence, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: the Crystal Bearers has been off the radar for some time. However, it is finally hitting U.S. store shelves on December 26th, with the European release set for early February 2010. The apparent lack of focus on the game’s development has taken much criticism, but hopefully the extended creation time has allowed it to be polished and prepared for anticipated gamers.

The story takes place a thousand years after the Great War, the premise of the first game in the series released on the GameCube. While other games bear the name Crystal Chronicles, Crystal Bearers would likely be classified as the sequel to the first game, tying in many story elements that follow the natural progression of its predecessor. While the game is chalk full of colourful and interesting characters, as is common in nearly every Final Fantasy, Crystal Bearers lacks the capacity to control an entire party. You take the reins of a single character named Layle, a Crystal Bearer from the Clavat tribe, one of the four clans which make up the world.

The progressive Lilty tribe defeated the dissident Yuke tribe during the Great War, shattering the Yuke Crystal and supposedly annihilating the Yukes. A theory in the game is that after its destruction, fragments from the Yuke Crystal attached themselves to individuals all across the globe, granting them special magical powers and thus labelling them as Crystal Bearers. This game’s timeline is more industrial, with machinery in the forefront, and magic seen as a taboo ability all but lost except by the few Crystal Bearers, who are feared and scorned by the public. Although young, Layle is a world renowned mercenary who has been hired by the Lilties to escort their newest airship called Alexis, a technological marvel and symbol of Lilty superiority. However, during its maiden voyage the airship comes under attack by monsters and Layle confronts a nemesis who was thought to have vanished.

Crystal Bearers combines gameplay elements of both the first Crystal Chronicles game and of traditional Final Fantasies, and yet is an original game in its own right. While you might think this to be a standard turn-based RPG, it is actually better classified as an action game with some platforming and even on-rails shooter facets. As Layle, you take control of his telekinetic powers, harnessing the ability to manipulate objects, enemies, and even townsfolk, often against their will. As you progress, you will learn new combinations and methods of using your powers, and obtain accessories to even further enhance them. In addition to defeating foes, you can use your abilities to shake chests, grab onto ledges, and seal enemy producing vortexes, among other things.

As expected, the controls for this game are unique, utilising the capabilities of the Wii remote to interact with the environment. The Nunchuck attachment is used to control Layle’s movement, while the Wii Remote is used to target and manipulate much of the world and its inhabitants. As the story unfolds and new obstacles emerge, players will discover new ways to use the gravity based magic. Since the Wii lends itself to more action based gameplay, Square Enix wanted to give as much freedom to the player as possible, allowing innumerable ways to dispatch enemies. So use your creativity, and enjoy the expansive and interactive world.

As mentioned before, Layle can purchase different accessories to increase his gravitational powers, but also to improve his defenses, and other upgrades such as expanding his reticule to influence a greater number of targets. Along with shops to purchase items, you can also collect materials from defeated enemies and other sources, and take them to the workshop to create your own rings, amulets and earrings. This allows a nice level of customization for Layle, to tailor his abilities to the player’s liking.

Although the graphics will never be as awe-inspiring as in Final Fantasy XIII for the PS3 and Xbox 360, this game definitely looks gorgeous, and is quite possibly the most beautiful-looking game for the Wii thus far. The characters are full of detail and expressions, and the world is colourful and inviting. It will be interesting to see after playing the game how the camera will react to Layle’s movements, and how well the frame rate is when combating multiple enemies.

The musical score sounds great, and it is refreshing to finally have the script voiced on a Nintendo console, rather than the typical “subtitles with grunts”. However, from the trailers and videos viewed, the script and voice acting seem to be of moderate quality, but I will reserve that judgment for the full review.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers looks to give a fresh take on the venerable series; much like the Wii did for the video game industry. With a gamut of interesting characters, a huge world to explore, and a (so far) engaging storyline, Crystal Bearers is on track to revitalise Square Enix’s audience of Wii owners. Be sure to check back in the coming weeks for the full review.

Sean

Labels: Final Fantasy, Hype Train, Preview, Sean, Sean Engemann, Square Enix, Wii

It’s the game that’s been on everyone’s lips but not quite in the ‘hypescape’ for a while now. Since it was first announced at E3 last year, details on Zipper Interactive’s ‘Massive Action Game’ or MAG have been pretty thin on the ground. That is, until there’s a massive leak of images on Flickr.

That’s right; famous image-hosting site has played host to some of the screenshots which every gamer this side of Christendom has been searching for. Like gold dust, leaked shots always turn up in the least likely of places. And, like gold dust, they always cause a bit of a stir (understatement, much?).

Here’s the gist of it. MAG is an MMO shooter from Zipper, the same lovely people who brought you the SOCOM series. Squad and faction based, MAG will play host to – wait for it – 256-player, ongoing online matches, which is sure to make for some manic Saturday-night matches. “256-player deathmatch, anyone?”.

I have it on good confidence (in other words, extensive late-night forum browsing, screenshot hunting and general rumour gathering) that the gameplay will be the classic FPS genre. Players will be divided up into 8-player squads, many of which make up the three factions which will be at conflict in the game. Each squad will be led (yep, a full command structure) by a player who has advanced through the game’s ranking structure. Each basic battle will make up part of an ongoing campaign mode for each of the three factions.

For those fond of polygons, MAG is shaping up to be a rather sleek and stylish production. From leaked screenshots, textures seem very realistic, weaponry is shiny enough to pass as looking nice, and cloud and smoke effects are gorgeous. My only criticism is in the bullet trails – they just look like lines. However, I’m sure that, by the time MAG releases late this year, they’ll have the graphics absolutely spot on.

Online is bound to be epic. With a full command system, matches will have some sort of feeling of organisation and tactic to them. Furthermore, 8-player squads will make organising offences much easier to handle for those in charge.

If the original E3 trailer is anything to go by, MAG will feature huge landscapes, vehicles (apparently there’ll be tanks, APCs and planes) and parachute troops. Also, it has been said that the game will feature many classes for players to specialise in, from demolitions experts to field medics.

MAG is currently slated to hit shelves late this year.

Linford

Editor’s Note: Please bear in mind that screenshots shown here are not only very early alpha testing shots, but are also leaked shots. As such, they may not be in any way representative of the finished product. You can find the full Flickr screenshots set here.

Labels: Hype Train, MAG, Massive Action Game, MMO

When you hear the words ‘the future of gaming’, what instantly springs to mind? The PlayStation 4? The Xbox 720 (or whatever the hell it’ll be called)? Whatever you think, I doubt you’ve ever thought that gaming in the next decade was entirely void of disks, did you?

Me neither. Turns out that I was wrong. I would like to introduce you, with a great sense of pride, to what is being tagged as the killer of consoles – OnLive.

How it managed to remain under the radar for so many years of stealth development, I’ll never know. OnLive is a gaming service. Obviously. However, it’s unlike any you’ve ever seen before. OnLive users connect to the servers using either an entry-level PC or Mac, or a ‘console-style’ box plugged into the TV to find and play on almost any game imaginable. Streamed from the internet. I know, that’s what I was like.

Announced at GDC last month, OnLive will apparently run on broadband connections of as little speeds as 1.5Mbit/s, although speeds between 1.5 and 4Mbit/s will reduce the image quality to that of the Wii, in order to preserve speed and allow users with slow connections to still access the service with relative ease. 4Mbit/s and higher will provide users with 720p, 60fps HD visuals.

The innovation, apart from the fact that ‘FFS, It’s on-demand gaming!’, lies in OnLive’s image compression methods. For the ultra-geeky, like me, OnLive will provide the HD visuals at only a 1ms latency. For the much less geeky, this means that visuals will be sent across the internet at blazingly-fast speeds and displayed on your monitor almost immediately. Which means literally no lag.

However, some concerns have been voiced over OnLive’s concept. For one, due to all the data being kept on OnLive’s servers, the mod community would not be able to bring out homemade mods for any of the games. Also, if OnLive went under, it’d take all the games and access to the games with it.

Big developers and publishers are already sitting up and taking notice of what is bound to be the biggest event in the gaming industry since… well, ever. EA, Take Two Interactive, Ubisoft and Atari are amongst the ten gaming companies already signed up to have their games made available on the service. Which means that, when the service launches, games such as EndWar, the Battlefield series and GTA will be available for you to play to your heart’s content.

The idea is ambitious, even with seven years of development already behind it. However, the fact that the service is already in closed beta, with plans for an open beta this spring/summer shows to us just how optimistic and confident the developers are about this service.

The service is currently slated to launch towards the end of this year. GGTL will keep you up-to-date on all the latest developments and news as OnLive is gradually rolled out to an already-gagging public.

Linford

Labels: GDC, Hype Train, OnLive

Take New York. Then throw in a slice of San Fransisco. Sprinkle a few weapons into the mixture, and add just a dash of violence. Leave to set for half an hour, before adding the trilby hats and the sharp suits, and then finish off with just a tad of 1940's and 50's glamour. What do you have? Mafia II, of course.

Developed by 2K Games (2K Czech, to be absolutely precise), Mafia II is set in 'Empire City', a fictional city based on - you guessed it - New York and San Fransisco. The game chronicles the rise of Vito Scaletta. After joining the US military to avoid prison after a botched robbery, Vito quickly turns to crime. After joining a crime family, Vito becomes a 'made man', quickly turning to violence to solve disputes and crime to make a living. Sounds good, huh?

If the promotional trailers are anything to go by, Mafia II's graphics are going to be absolutely awe-inspiring. Imagine a New York church, surrounded by bright lights and cars. Then put it at night. Then, add some snow. Do you understand what I'm getting at? The graphics in the trailers have that bucketload of mid-1900s glamour to them; suits, hats, old cars - it's absolutley beautiful.

Currently slated to deliver 10 square miles of open-end world, the player will have no limits to what they can do from the very beginning. Which leaves the storyline very open. In fact, it leaves it so open you could skip the story altogether, and just run round on a killing spree, GTA-stylee.

Mafia II will be released sometime this autumn.

Linford

Labels: Hype Train, Mafia II

We've had a Chimeran invasion of Britain. It didn't work, fortunately for us. Another invasion took place in the United States, which also failed miserably. So why, oh why, do those pesky converted-human Chimera want to try another invasion?

The answer - they haven't failed in America. Well, not yet anyway. Enter Resistance Retribution. Set in the time between the end of Fall of Man and the beginning of Resistance 2, Retribution follows the storyline of fomer British Royal Marine, James Grayson in the weeks following the destruction of the Chimeran tower in London. After being forced to kill his brother inside a Chimeran conversion tower, James suffers a nervous breakdown and is imprisoned for desertion. However, the European resistance - the Maquis - enlist Grayson's help, and soon he is fighting against the Chimera in Europe.

Developed by Sony Bend, Resistance Retribution was first revealed at E3 2008, and since has enjoyed both it's own hype whilst also bathing in the hype of Resistance 2. And Bend have certainly gone to great lengths to make sure the first PSP incarnation of the Resistance series is a gaming experience to remember.

Retribution features some fantastic and innovative new features, the likes of which have never been seen on the PSP before. 'Infection' mode allows players with a copy of Resistance Retribution and Resistance 2 to connect their games and 'infect' their PSP, changing the game mode and giving new features such as a new player costume and look, new weapons and health regeneration. Retribution will also be one of the first games to feature a form of cross-platform processor sharing; players will be able to hook their PSP-2000 or -3000 up to a PS3 and use the Dualshock 3 to play their copy of Retribution on a big screen.

Graphically, Retribution impresses. For a PSP game the graphics are very good, and from the in-game visuals that I've seen, the game is unlikely to disappoint. Also, the graphics do not lose quality when played on a big screen, so players wishing to play at home on their 40" plasma will get just as much out of Retribution as on-the-road gamers will on the PSP's display.

Gameplay looks excellent, especially for a PSP shooter. Sony Bend have learnt from the mistakes of shooters which have gone before, and as such have not attempted to make a game with an advanced, home-console thesis. In fact, Bend have developed a game which is designed for PSP through-and-through - this is evident from the new 'aim assist' option, which counters the problem of not having two analog sticks on the PSP whilst making gameplay more fluid.

Retribution is the first Resistance game to feature a common shooter concept - a cover system. Players will be able to take cover automatically when they are near it, making for a (hopefully) much more tactical feel to the game. In addition to the non-replenishing life bar the game will feature, Retribution is sure to have a less run-and-gun feel that it's PSP brothers.

Resistance Retribution is due for release in North America on 17 March, and whilst Europe is still waiting for a release date, if you really want this game you can pre-order from Amazon, Gamestop or any other good retailer.

Linford

Labels: Hype Train, PSP, Resistance Retribution

Originally I was going to post Lord of the Rings: Conquest as my most anticipated game of the year but seems as though it's already released in America and will be relaed here in just three days, it didn't seem worth it. So, here's my numbr one game to look forward to this year.

Labels: Halo, Halo Wars, Hype Train

Labels: 360, Fallout, Hype Train, PC, PS3

It’s been a while since we saw a Star Wars game released on anything other than hand-helds, in fact The Force Unleashed will be the first to be released on the next-gen consoles. LucasArts is being very secretive with TFU and little information has been released until recently.

The game engine to be used is one developed by LucasArts: Ronin. It integrates the Havoc, Euphoria and Digital Molecule Matter psychics engines. This gives characters exceptional bio-mechanical AI. Say you force push a storm trooper; in previous Star Wars game the storm trooper would be pushed away, but in TFU he can grab onto his surroundings to stop himself. Finally, evil minions have the will to live.

The story follows Darth Vader’s apprentice, Jacob Nion or “Starkiller” as Vadar affectionately refers to him as. Starkiller is taken by Darth Vader and trained to become a Sith, given missions to hunt down the last of the Jedi after the Great Jedi Purge at the end of Episode III.

It has been rumoured that, like the Knights of the Old Republic series, your actions will affect whether you stay with the Sith or seek redemption and turn to the Jedi. This will be a difficult feat to pull off successfully, as it will mean LucasArts will need to develop two completely separate main story lines. After all, a good Jedi couldn’t be an apprentice to a Sith. KotOR managed this as the story could be completed as Sith or Jedi. If your alignment can change, this promises to be a very open-ended game.

Unlike other Star Wars games your character will begin Force Adept, having already mastered basic force abilities and, instead of learning new ones from scratch, you improve the few you do have. Force Push improves from the ability to simply push an enemy away to allowing you to send enemies hurtling back as if they’ve just been hit by a bus.

Force Grab allows you to pick up enemies and dangle them upside down, shake the life outta them or use them as bowling balls, the choice is yours. However, as with force push they don’t like being used as human projectiles and will try to grab a hold of anything to get their feet back on the ground.

The final confirmed force power is the stereotypical Sith power, Force Lightening. As with the other two force powers you can do more than just one thing: charge an enemy full of electricity then send him at a distant target as a human bomb, use Force Lightening on your lightsaber to add extra power or zap a power generator to overcharge it, creating a satisfying boom.

The Force Unleashed is due for release on September 16^th for both North America and the UK and will be available on the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, DS and PS2. However only the 360 and PS3 versions will have access to the Ronin engine.

The Force Unleashed looks like an exceptionally strong game and LucasArts will be expecting it to do well, but with the release of other eagerly awaited games like Gears of War 2 around the same time, could TFU end up having its Force Lightening stolen?

Lewis

Labels: 360, Hype Train, PS3, Star Wars, The Force Unleashed, Wii

Go to Berlin today, and you'll find a relatively pleasant city with a large population. Take a trip there this November, however, and you'll find a war-torn city filled with ruins and bomb sites. Because Treyarch's latest masterpiece is set to catapult us back into the midst of the Second World War.

Call of Duty: World at War follows two different campaigns, and there looks to be enough difference between the two to make it worthwhile. One follows the struggle between the US Marine Corps and the Japanese Imperial Army in the Pacific, and the other playing out the story of the Soviet Red Army's push on the Eastern Front towards the end of the war.

Based on an enhanced version of the CoD4 engine, the latest in the Call of Duty series allows players to experience the final climatic days of the Second World War. You play as either an American or Russian soldier, attempting to prevent the advance of Axis forces on multiple different fronts, which should give the game a real sense of intensity.

So far, three levels have been revealed, and they look to be shaping up nicely. One level, entitled Makin Raid, pictures an Allied prisoner of war being tortured and then murdered by the Japanese - while the player's character witnesses the whole grisly proceedings. Two other levels include machine-gunning on a PBY Catalina and attack against German troops under cover of a bombing raid.

Treyarch don't seem to be lacking in the multiplayer department either, with co-op play and online multiplayer packed into the same disk as the single-player campaign.

The latest gaming tour of WW2 features 2 player split-screen and up to 4 player online co-op modes, so you needn't play the game through feeling lonely. Players can complete unique challenges with their teammates, as well as playing the game through normally. The co-op also utilises the CoD4 perks system, so it should give an immersive experience.

Online is where it's all happening, though. World at War takes the CoD4 multiplayer engine and adds vehicles, which should make for some very exciting ranked matches. Of course, the classes, perks and player rankings are still there, so changeover from CoD4 should be easy for even the most die-hard Modern Warfare gamer.

The latest in this massively successful franchise looks like it's going to be one of the highlights of the gaming year. The revert back to WW2 may be sneered at by some, but I reckon that it could redefine the Second World War genre. I'll have to wait and see. November isn't long away.

Linford

Labels: Activision, Call of Duty, Hype Train, Preview, Treyarch, World at War

After the huge amount of Bond games being thrown at us around the millennium, there hasn't been much going on in the double-0 department recently. However, that's about to change big-time, with Treyarch developing the latest game to star the famous spy - Quantum of Solace.

Quantum of Solace follows the storylines of both Casino Royale and the title movie, and release of the game is set to coincide with the release of the upcoming movie. The developers had access to the scripters and actors from the film to try and make this latest Bond experience as genuine and well-done as it can be – and so far they seem to be making a decent job of it.

The game is based on an adapted version of the Call of Duty 4 engine, and that much is obvious just by looking at it – same sort of weapons, same targeting system, same basic controls. But that isn’t to say it’s a bad thing – if anything the basis on such a brilliantly developed engine will just add to the whole experience.

The graphics look very good indeed, although they’re still lacking a certain something to give them that real ‘wow’ factor – they’re still up there with some of the best though. The locations look fantastic - all soft lighting and grand décor – and really give the exotic feel that anything Bond-related should have.

The gameplay does look excellent. The weapons look like fun to fire, and nice little touches like firing at unknowing enemies around corners will make it that much more satisfying. The hand-to-hand combat looks brilliant too – Bond can sneak up on an unsuspecting guard and promptly throw them off a building, break their neck or smack ‘em round the face, and all with wince-inducing sound effects.

The best feature by far has to be the dual-cameras. The majority of the game plays out in classic first-person view, but at key points of the game the camera will switch to third-person to really make you think ‘oh yeah, I’m Bond’. This third-person camera will be used when Bond is taking cover – you can clearly see Daniel Craig’s rugged appearance as he shelters from oncoming bullets. Fantastic.

Activision have also confirmed that there will be a multiplayer mode of some sort for up to 12 players – but to be honest, I’d be content with just the single player. Quantum of Solace looks like it’s going to leave you shaken, not stirred.

Linford

Labels: 007, Activision, Bond, Call of Duty, Hype Train, Preview, PS3, Quantum of Solace, Treyarch

With a Prince of Persia: Sands of Time the Movie on the horizon and the first PoP game to be released on a next-gen console due for release towards the end of this year, Ubisoft are really getting as much as they can out of the title. In the new Prince of Persia you no longer play the Prince of Persia (kinda defeats the object of calling it Prince of Persia but you know, whatever) from the recent trilogy but an adventurer who has been designed with the influence of other adventurers such as Sinbad, Han Solo and Aragorn.

Ubisoft have built heavily on the acrobatic skills of the protagonist and the “prince” is now able to jump huge distances and bend the rules of gravity. The other addition to the title is the introduction of the support character Elika whom Ubisoft seem to be very pleased with. Support AI are nothing new but, as Ben Mattes (producer) said at E3 this year “It’s been done, and I don’t mean to take anything away from the games that have support characters because some of them are among my favourite games of all time, but really it’s never been done well.” Ubisoft believe Elika will be the first well working support character that won’t get themselves killed or go wondering off during a fight. She will help with puzzle solving, special moves and acrobatics. The designers have also developed an “Elika button”, press it and she will intelligently figure out what you need a hand with. Again this is nothing new but will give Ubisoft many ways to prove Elika will actually help rather than interpret your plea for help as an order to run off a cliff or something.

It seems the support will end up being either yet another disappointment or work superbly but as Ubisoft seem to be using Elika as the main selling point for PoP, with any luck they’ll have put enough effort into it to make it work.

Lewis

Labels: Hype Train, Prince of Persia

If hype for Insomniac’s upcoming shooter wasn’t high enough already, Sony’s ultra-revealing E3 conference certainly added fuel to the Resistance fire. With a brand-spanking new trailer, new information and an upcoming PSP spin-off title revealed, Sony’s press department have been hard at work to ensure that the latest Resistance games are well advertised before release.

Sony’s couldn’t have started their E3 staging much better than this. Actual in-game footage of Resistance: Fall of Man 2 was displayed to the amazement of watching crowds at the L.A. Shrine Theater – and amazement is the right word. Even at this stage, it looks absolutely fantastic and a definite step up from the original.

The sequel is set in America during the year 1953. Set in an alternate universe where WW2 never happened, the Chimera have broken US borders and are converting villages full of people to Chimeran forces, thus spreading the virus.

You play as Lieutenant Nathan Hale of the US Army, who has been infected with the Chimeran virus and is fighting it – as well as the Chimera themselves. The storyline continues from the plot of the original.

At the moment, the graphics and gameplay look absolutely amazing. Revealed at E3 was a huge monstrous leviathan, taller than most of the buildings. That’s what the original was missing, and what’s going to make this sequel absolutely brilliant. The game looks to play exactly like the original, but with added extras like being able to walk along building constructions. The weapons are similar to the original, but added to and tweaked slightly, so it still feels original.

The graphics look spectacular. Seriously, the explosions and fire effects are really impressive, and the monsters look exactly how they should – huge, frightening and hideous. The buildings look really realistic and the glass effects – as with the original – are amazing. Gun models also look more detailed than in Resistance: Fall of Man.

The multiplayer looks great too – 8 player online co-op and 60p online battles make this multiplayer very attractive. There is also news of squad-based skirmishes online, which should give a much-needed tactical aspect to the game.

I am really looking forward to Resistance 2 – hopefully it will be one of the best games this year graphically, online and gameplay-wise. I only hope Insomniac can deliver on what they have promised.

Linford

Labels: E3, Hype Train, Preview, R:Fom, Resistance 2

Labels: E3, fl0wer, Hype Train, Matthew, Matthew Meadows

As a Tolkien fan I have been frustrated at the lack of Middle-Earth titles available on next-gen consoles as games on the PC and earlier consoles from Tolkien’s universe have been so popular. So, when I heard of this up-and-coming title I began combing websites, gaming magazines, the lot.

Labels: Conquest, Hype Train, LotR

Global warming is now one of the top agendas to tackle for the dominating countries in the world. Day 1 Studios take us into the future, into the year 2161 when global warming has caused a split in the United States causing a civil war between two opposing factions.

Labels: Fracture, Hype Train