When Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles first appeared on the Nintendo Gamecube back in 2004 it was very well received. It allowed four people to take part in the action, but they had to play using Game Boy Advances, instead of Gamecube controllers. Despite these heavy requirements, the game still ended up selling well over 1 million units and Square Enix naturally thought they were on to a winner.
This lead to Square Enix making the game into a franchise, which started with a prequel in the form of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates. It appeared on the Nintendo DS, and like its predecessor, it allowed people to join together to play the game, this time using the Wi-Fi capabilities of the DS. However, its sales didn't manage to stack up to the original game, with it selling just over 600,000 units worldwide.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time was released earlier this year in Japan, and it had fairly mediocre sales, especially on the Wii. While the DS sales were a bit more admirable, many were unsure how it would perform when released in the Western world.
Estimated sales figures have since appeared following its release on the 24th of March and they aren't exactly great. According to VGChartz the DS version of the game sold approximately 25,000 units and the Wii version sold just under 16,000 units. This is a far-cry from the the Japanese sales, especially for the DS, which sold over 4 times less.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time is a sound concept in principle, as it helps to meld two of Nintendo's best selling consoles together; the DS and the Wii. However, everything Square Enix have done so far just makes it seem like the cross-compatibility is nothing but a cash-in. Clearly it was originally intended for the DS, as the Wii version is just a port, and its rise from relative obscurity until a few months before its release probably didn't help to endear itself to gamers.
The Crystal Chronicles brand has managed to gain a fond place in the hearts of Final Fantasy fans, after the original Gamecube version had its multiplayer option which utilised the Gameboy Advance. Its success saw some spinoffs, which actually did pretty well, so when Echoes of Time was released in Japan semi-big things were expected, especially since the Wii version and DS could be played together over the internet. It all worked in theory, but the Japanese people showed that they weren't overly impressed by Square Enix's botched job, as while the DS version sold with respectable figures, the Wii version sold terribly.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time was a first for Square Enix, as they decided to release the same game on both the Nintendo Wii and the Nintendo DS. It turned out that it literally was the same game, and not in a flattering way - Square Enix announced that the DS version would be ported to the Wii, not the other way around. They would also be sold for the same price and be completely cross-compatible.
The game was released last week, and the sales are certainly interesting with the DS version selling almost 5 times greater than the Wii version.
As far as things go, 2008 was actually quite a busy year for Final Fantasy, but the majority of the coverage took place on the handheld consoles. While this is great, Final Fantasy (especially the main series) has always been known for pushing the graphical boundaries, and while the PSP and DS are fine pieces of hardware, they can't really compete with the might of the PS3 and Xbox 360.
That's where 2009 comes in. It's time for the big boys to flex their muscles and hopefully they will be given licence to do that this year. That still remains to seen though, as the 360 might not get its chance to shine dependant on release dates, but here's hoping anyway.
We've outlined the Final Fantasy games you should be looking forward to this year, so check out the list after the jump.
Although Jump Festa doesn't have the same kind of worldwide recognition as the Tokyo Game Show (due to it primarily being a Manga Expo), it has still pulled a few surprises in the past. However, Square Enix are notorious for using this event to show off world exclusive material and with Jump Festa 2009 happening on the 20th and 21st of December, now is the perfect time to take a look at what we should expect from Square Enix at this year's event.
First off, Square Enix have only confirmed that they will be showing nine games at this year's event, and only two of them are Final Fantasy related. They are Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time. This was expected, but it's quite surprising that they aren't using the opportunity to plug Dissidia: Final Fantasy even more, despite all the promotion that they have been doing.
After its explosive announcement last month, things have been a bit quiet from Square Enix with regards to Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time. However, we have a new scan that was published a few days ago in Shonen Jump, which will hopefully be the first of many.
The Tokyo Game Show hits town at the end of next week, so I thought it would be the perfect time to talk about what Final Fantasy fans should be looking to expect from Japan's premier gaming expo.
The first glaring observation is that while there are 25 games (excluding Advent Children Complete) on show from Square Enix at the event, only 6 are Final Fantasy orientated, and one of them - Final Fantasy XI - isn't exactly a new kid on the block. Also, out of the 9 games that will be playable, only 2 are Final Fantasy tites - Dissidia: Final Fantasy for the PSP and Final Fantasy IV: The After for Mobile Phone devices. It seems slightly odd that Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time isn't even going to be displayed by Square Enix considering it is supposed to be released at the start of 2009, but given the fact it was only announced earlier this week, I guess it's to be expected.
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