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Wii

Crystal Bearers Gets a North American Release Date

by James Jones - September 14, 2009, 11:18 am EDT
Total comments: 26

The first major Final Fantasy title on the Wii is headed to retailers this December.

Today Square Enix announced the North American release date for Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers. It will be available December 26.

The Crystal Bearers is the first major Final Fantasy title for Wii (the recent Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time is a straightforward port of the DS game). The action-adventure is a departure from both previous Final Fantasy and Crystal Bearer titles, featuring motion control-based gameplay and combat, as well as third-person shooter stages. The game also allows other players to "jump in" when needed.

The Japanese release date for Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers has already been set for November 26. A European release date has yet to be announced.

FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: THE CRYSTAL BEARERS BRINGS ACTION

ADVENTURE TO Wii ON DECEMBER 26

First Major FINAL FANTASY Experience for Wii Available This

Holiday Season.

LOS ANGELES (September 14, 2009) - Square Enix, Inc., the

publisher of Square Enix® interactive entertainment products in North

America, announced today that FINAL FANTASY® CRYSTAL CHRONICLES®: THE

CRYSTAL BEARERS® for Wii™ will be available at North American

retailers on December 26, 2009.

This latest installment in the franchise offers a fresh take on the

beloved CRYSTAL CHRONICLES universe, launching the series into the

action-adventure genre and onto the Wii system. FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL

CHRONICLES: THE CRYSTAL BEARERS combines the storytelling depth,

immersive event scenes and graphical quality of the FINAL FANTASY

franchise with motion-driven gameplay and the ability to freely

explore the game world.

Enter a world where realistic gameplay and fantastical art direction

combine for a truly unique experience on Wii. Accessible for gamers of

all ages and levels of expertise, FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES:

THE CRYSTAL BEARERS invites players to embark on an unforgettable

adventure this holiday season.

STORY

A thousand years have passed since the events of the original FINAL

FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES. The destruction of the Yuke Crystal during

the Great War had at once brought the victorious Lilty Tribe

prosperity, the defeated Yuke Tribe apparent annihilation, and the

world a new age of science and reason. In this new era exists a rare

breed of powerful beings called “crystal bearers,” whose seemingly

magical abilities have led them to be feared and scorned by the

public. The young mercenary Layle is one such crystal bearer, who has

been hired to escort the new passenger airship Alexis, the pinnacle of

Lilty technology and a symbol of their current dominance. However,

when the Alexis is suddenly besieged by a horde of monsters, Layle

comes face-to-face with an adversary thought to have vanished from the

pages of history, on a quest that may threaten the future of the

world...

FEATURES

  • Enjoy a new chapter of the series that takes place a thousand

    years after the events of the original FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL

    CHRONICLES, where technology has advanced to its peak and magic is

    considered taboo

  • Encounter the first FINAL FANTASY game developed exclusively for

    Wii, complete with motion-driven gameplay and intuitive controls that

    are accessible for gamers of all levels. Enjoy a variety of actions

    and third-person shooter style gameplay

  • Step into the hero’s shoes and experience the action first-hand!

    Control Layle’s crystal bearer powers to battle adversaries, navigate

    through obstacles and move objects at will in a highly interactive

    environment

  • Traverse the terrain, swing from high places or take a swim in a

    world in which all areas are open for exploration

  • With an extra Wii Remote™, friends and family can jump in to

    assist the player in times of need

FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: THE CRYSTAL BEARERS is rated T

(Teen). Please visit the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)

website at www.esrb.org for more information about ratings. FINAL

FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: THE CRYSTAL BEARERS will be available for

Wii for $ 49.99. The official website can be found at

http://www.thecrystalbearers.com.

Talkback

Nick DiMolaNick DiMola, Staff AlumnusSeptember 14, 2009

That's a weird ass release date. I wonder if they are gunning for people to buy it with cash from returned Christmas presents.

vuduSeptember 14, 2009

Probably.  It would be dumb to release the game the week of Christmas because most people would have already bought presents by then.  And you risk people losing interest in the game when they look for a new purchase the following week because games age faster than strippers.  If you can't get the game out by early December it's best to wait until after the holiday.

TJ SpykeSeptember 14, 2009

Not sure of you would consider it major, but the Wii has also gotten Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon, a pretty tough game actually.

that Baby guySeptember 14, 2009

I think the "...developed exclusively for the Wii" bit is meant to say it's the first game that takes advantage of the Wii's unique capabilities, and that FF:CD could really have been done on anything, console-wise, perhaps?

I'll be picking up this game solely based on the legacy of the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles legacy.  Any of the games in this line I've played, I have enjoyed, though some more than others, the most recent two, the DS/Wii one, as well as My Life as a Dark Lord have been very fun games.

I wonder, though, how they're handling the assistance play in the game.  I'm actually a pretty big fan of co-op, as well as two-people navigating a single-player experience together, so once again, assist play is pretty much up my alley.  Hopefully, if the engine works out, though, we'll see some multiplayer offerings utilizing it and more FFCC dungeon crawling and massive-boss fighting.

StogiSeptember 14, 2009

This was one game I was truly looking forward too.

The shame...

AVSeptember 14, 2009

Quote from: Nick

That's a weird ass release date. I wonder if they are gunning for people to buy it with cash from returned Christmas presents.

Gift cards to the rescue !!

after so long, after assuming it was dead. i am still shocked to actually see it THIS YEAR.

NWR_pap64Pedro Hernandez, Contributing WriterSeptember 14, 2009

This wouldn't be the first time Square has released a major Final Fantasy game near Christmas or after it. Final Fantasy X received a surprise Christmas release when it had a vague winter 2002 date.

EnnerSeptember 14, 2009

Oh wow. Anyone else here felt that this game was going to be out next year or something? This is a surprise for me.

This game is sounding more and more like something I might like.

CalibanSeptember 14, 2009

WTF! What a weird release date.

KDR_11kSeptember 15, 2009

I think I heard that S-E actually considers it more major than FF13.

BwrJim!September 15, 2009

Didnt you know, black friday is second only to the day of sales after Christmas..

So, if they can actually advertise it. (which kleenex is good for) then they should be able to capture all those lost sales.

So its actually a good release date..  To bad for the kids wishlist though..

NinGurl69 *hugglesSeptember 15, 2009

They should just wish for cold hard empty filthy cash to buy this game with.

The day after Christmas is one of the biggest shopping day of the year.

Luigi DudeSeptember 16, 2009

Quote from: KDR_11k

I think I heard that S-E actually considers it more major than FF13.

That's because unlike FF13, Crystal Bearers actually has a chance of making a profit.

NinGurl69 *hugglesSeptember 16, 2009

And being released this gen.

TJ SpykeSeptember 16, 2009

Quote from: Crimm

The day after Christmas is one of the biggest shopping day of the year.

Actually, not it's not. From 1995-2002 the biggest shopping day of the year was the Saturday before Christmas and in 1993/4 it was December 23 (due to Christmas being on the weekend). The interesting thing is that in that 10 year period, Black Friday never got higher than 4th busiest shopping day.

KDR_11kSeptember 17, 2009

"one of"

NinGurl69 *hugglesSeptember 17, 2009

Friday is one of the longest days of the year.

that Baby guySeptember 17, 2009

Huh, I thought it was tied in seventh place.

But what would I know, I'm only the third smartest poster of this board.

BlackNMild2k1September 17, 2009

Quote from: thatguy

Huh, I thought it was tied in seventh place.

But what would I know, I'm only the third smartest poster of this board.

Who are the first two?

that Baby guySeptember 17, 2009

You wouldn't understand.

Quote from: TJ

Quote from: Crimm

The day after Christmas is one of the biggest shopping day of the year.

Actually, not it's not. From 1995-2002 the biggest shopping day of the year was the Saturday before Christmas and in 1993/4 it was December 23 (due to Christmas being on the weekend). The interesting thing is that in that 10 year period, Black Friday never got higher than 4th busiest shopping day.

"One of"

Reading skills to the rescue.

vuduSeptember 17, 2009

Quote from: BlackNMild2k1

Quote from: thatguy

Huh, I thought it was tied in seventh place.

But what would I know, I'm only the third smartest poster of this board.

Who are the first two?

I believe thatguy's confused.  I think he's trying to make a joke about the upcoming solstice.  But the longest day is actually the summer solstice, which takes place in June, not the fall equinox which is next week.  But maybe I'm completely off and just missed the joke.

The secret longest day of the year is actually the first Sunday of November.

that Baby guySeptember 17, 2009

I'm pretty sure that that Sunday is actually tied for 365th, at least on non-leap years.  I'm basing my days one how long it takes the Earth to rotate one time, naturally.

vuduSeptember 17, 2009

I'm basing mine on Daylight Savings Time.

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