Topic: Should Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles really use GBA connectivity??

[Gohan_Chaos]

   A lot of you guys really don't like the idea abot GCN/GBA connectivity, heck I personally agree myself about FF:CC having this crappy system, so here's my idea, maybe you could make a petition to stop this crazy menace from happening, I think the game would be better off with using the Gamecube controller, cuz then people who buy the the game and dont have a GBA( I have GBA SP but not the link cable for the GCN/GBA) are going to BUY the GBA and then spend an extra $10.00 bucks on the link cable just to have some multiplayer fun, from what I've heard and read, Square-Enix is making this game, just because they want to get closer to the GBA, I think that the Square-Enix games for GBA are a whole lot better than this 1 Square-Enix game that's going to come out for the Gamecube, it would be a waste of money to just get Final Fantasy:Crystal Chronicles because of this system/idea, u could download the video at one of these 2 web sites: 1. www.n-philes.com or 2. www.cube-europe.com, well thanks

[KnowsNothing]

Petitions are not allowed on this forum.

[Michael8983]

GBA connectivity is absolutely essential to the game's multiplayer mode. It was designed around it. Square couldn't just change things at the last moment and make it so it just uses Gamecube controllers. That would require them to completely alter the foundation of the game which would delay it a long, LONG time and it would suck 99% of the innovation out of the game too.
Anyway, the game is mostly aimed at Japan where EVERYONE owns a GBA and I've heard it's packaged with a link-cable too. So it won't be much of an issue over there. A good portion of people in the US and Europe shouldn't have a problem rounding up some friends with GBAs either (and the link-cables are cheap for just ten bucks and might even go down in price), the rest will have to settle for the 1P mode which, based on the reviews and impressions I've read, doesn't sound nearly as bad as people are assuming it is.

The game is being made because the developers were genuinely interested in the innovative things the connectivity would allow. The game isn't just something they threw together to be allowed to develope for the GBA.
 

[kennyb27]

Excellent reply, Michael8983,  covers basically all the bases.  And to add a point, the single-player experience does not require a GBA like the multi-player does.  

And, Gohan_Chaos, if you think the GBA games are much better then obviously you have a GBA and therefore you need not worry about the game using GBA link-up.  And if that's not it, then just don't buy the game and get the GBA games.

[Gohan_Chaos]

thanks for the corrections

[Gohan_Chaos]

 I'm still getting it though, I was just trying to prove a point thank u very much and I like Gamecube and GBA games equally, so there's no problem with that

[Grey Ninja]

I feel like I am bashing my head into a wall.  Why is it so offensive that Square added an extra feature in the game that allows 4 player simultaneous play with GBAs?  Why didn't you guys get all upset when SSBM came out?  Because it allowed 4 player simulataneous play too!

[DRJ]

I dont like the idea of forcing people to buy expensive equipment to play a game. Especially when that equipment is more expensive than the game itself. I personally think that this decision will hurt sales of the game since not everyone that wants the game will gave a GBA already.

You can play it alone with a regular controller which is good.

I have enough GBA so this is not a problem for me, but other people will pass on this game because of the requirments.

Only time will tell if this is a good decision.

[KnowsNothing]

They're not forcing you to buy anything.  If you want to play multiplayer, it's your own choice.  

Also, it seems like alot of people are saying that it's not a problem for them, but for other people.  Why worry about the other people?  If everyone says that it's a problem for other people, than it's not a problem at all, is it?

The equipment is more expensive than the game itself, but buying the equipment gives you the ability to experience all of the great GBA games, and all of the other link-able games.

Nintendo knows that the Gamecube was only a moderate success, and they're not going to put all of there money into advertising and making the Gamecube better now.  So it doesn't matter if this game doesn't sell too well.  Games like this will expand the GBA userbase, which Nintendo wants because of the newly announced PSP.  Nintendo wants the largest GBA userbase as possible, so if there next console does poorly, they're still raking in the dough.  

[Ian Sane]

My main beef with FF: CC's GBA connectivity is that judging by everything I've read about it, the feature was not needed and was only really added because connectivity was part of Nintendo's deal with Square.  As far as I can figure the "innovative idea" that requires the use of a GBA is that certain info (that would be available to everyone in a "normal" game) is only shown to certain people thus requiring them to "communicate".  Yeah.  Sounds like a total afterthought to me in order to fulfill Nintendo's stupid hardware requirement.

This doesn't compare to something like Super Smash Bros multiplayer because the cost of three extra controllers is nowhere near the cost of four GBA's with four connection cables.  Plus people have comfirmed that the game was playable with multiplayer using controllers at E3.  Therefore the game CAN be played without GBAs and therefore having the GBA as a requirement for multiplayer instead of an option is a ripoff.  They could have made GBA multiplayer optional on the final release because they already had it working.

And don't give me this "multiplayer itself in an option, you can one player" BS.  Multiplayer is a BIG part of the game and there's no real excuse for not having the option to play multiplayer with both controllers or GBAs.  That would be a true option and would make the game more accessible to everyone.  That way if someone wanted to get their full experience they could use the GBA, but regular Cube owners could get to play multiplayer as well.

If Sony or Microsoft did the same thing everyone on this forum would be totally slamming them for ripping off the consumer.  But since it's Nintendo it's okay.

[DRJ]

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So it doesn't matter if this game doesn't sell too well

What are the chances of us getting another Final Fantasy game if this one sells like crap?

I dont even like the idea of having to buy the extra connectors for the GBA to play. I have one so I will need to buy 3 more. If the game ships with one, I will still need two more. That just bugs me. Especially when the bonusses for having the GBA seem negligable. Oooh I get secret messages, and nobody will see my stats. So nobody will know when I am poisonned. Big deal, just make my character turn a greenish color and every will know to heal me up.

I do like the GBA connectivety, but I like it for added features. In Wind Waker you got some nice features, but you didnt have to have a GBA to play the game. It just made the game that much better if you took advantage of it. I just dont like the idea of being forced to do anything. And dont say your not forced to get the game, or play multiplayer 'cause that is BS. If I want the game I should be able to get it no strings attached.

And like Ian Sane said, if anyone else tried this we would all be slamming the hell out of them. What would you say if Sony said here is our all new GTA. You get to kill everything, blood everywhere, umm but if you want to play it you have to buy a PSone and hook it up to the PS2. Then you get a seperate LCD screen for the PSone and it will display unique message like how many people you kill and how much ammo you have left. This way there is more room on the main tv screen for more blood. It maysound stupid, but atleast buying a PSone and a LCD screen would be cheaper than buying a GBA/GBA-SP and a connector.

[PIAC]

Quote
Originally posted by: DRJ
It maysound stupid, but atleast buying a PSone and a LCD screen would be cheaper than buying a GBA/GBA-SP and a connector.

no it wouldn't PSone = $50 -$80, LCD screen = $200 - $300 (ludicrously (sp?) expensive)

[KnowsNothing]

Here in the states, buying a GBA SP and a connector would be 40$ cheaper than just the LCD screen

[Michael8983]

"My main beef with FF: CC's GBA connectivity is that judging by everything I've read about it, the feature was not needed and was only really added because connectivity was part of Nintendo's deal with Square"

Seems like everything I've read recently suggests the exact opposite. That there's just no way the game could possibly work with just regular controllers.
Maybe you've just been reading impressions from the stripped-down E3 demo which had just about all the communication features disabled.
The connectivity feature wasn't just a stipulation in a contract. It's the entire reason the game exists. It's what inspired the developers to create it in the first place and the main selling point of the game is the innovation the feature allows. I think when people finally get to play the game, they'll realize asking for it to be multiplayer without GBAs is like asking Smash Bros to be multiplayer without multiple controllers or for a game to be online without a modem. It's crazy.

"As far as I can figure the "innovative idea" that requires the use of a GBA is that certain info (that would be available to everyone in a "normal" game) is only shown to certain people thus requiring them to "communicate"."

There's a lot more to it than that. Go read more about the game.

"This doesn't compare to something like Super Smash Bros multiplayer because the cost of three extra controllers is nowhere near the cost of four GBA's with four connection cables."

Nintendo doesn't expect everyone who buys the game to buy all those things with it.
It has this crazy idea that gamers actually have friends who have their own GBAs.
The ones who don't will just have to settle for playing it alone. As popular as the GBA is, people who don't have any friends who own one probably don't have many friends anyway so not being able to play it with multiple, standard Gamecube controllers shouldn't be that heart-breaking for them. As for the connection cables. I've heard the game is being packed with one and the rest are very inexpensive and I'm betting Nintendo will even be nice enough to drop their price soon.

"Plus people have comfirmed that the game was playable with multiplayer using controllers at E3."

Like I said, it was a stripped-down version with most everything disabled.
I suppose Nintendo could just discard the rest of the game and limit it to nothing but the tiny E3 demo but that would also be crazy.






WARNING: The following is lengthy rant. Read at your own risk.

"If Sony or Microsoft did the same thing everyone on this forum would be totally slamming them for ripping off the consumer. But since it's Nintendo it's okay."

If Sony was doing it, Sony fans would think it was the greatest idea ever. If MS was doing it, MS fans would hail it as the future of gaming.
Though, strangely, when Nintendo does it, many Nintendo fans think it's stupid and a rip-off which I think says a lot about what's wrong with many Nintendo fans. The ones who actually do think "it's okay" appear to be the minority.
Go to any XBox or PS2 forum and you'll hear people raving about how much they love their console. Go to a Gamecube forum and you'll hear "Nintendo is a stupid company that's made ANOTHER mistake", "Nintendo is ripping us off", "Nintendo is going to die soon". All from Nintendo fans, too. Nintendo fans more than anyone else are the ones calling Nintendo "kiddy" these days. And anyone who thinks all that doesn't hurt sales in this age where EVERYONE is online is fooling themselves.
Nintendo would be a lot better off and its console would be selling a lot better if its "fans" would just lighten up and not attack Nintendo over every little thing.
People who don't approve of what FFCC entails should simply not buy the game and let that be the end of it.
But instead they're relentlessly attacking it and Nintendo which, sadly, is preventing the game from getting the hype it deserves and may keep it from selling as well as it could.

[DRJ]

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no it wouldn't  PSone = $50 -$80, LCD screen = $200 - $300 (ludicrously (sp?) expensive)

I think you're missing the point.

[DRJ]

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Nintendo fans need to be more like MS fans

I know you didnt just say that.

Unlike XBox of PS2 fanboys I do not automatically like everything Nintendo does just because they did it. And I do not hate everything that M$ or Sony does just because they did it. Nintendo is my favorite gaming company, but if they do something that I think is stupid I will be the first person to say so. If they make a good game I will be first in line to buy it and if they make a crappy one I wont let them off the hook easily.

I just think that this is a bad idea. Nobody expects anyone to go out and spend hundreds of dollars for equipment to play this game, and isnt that the point. If you dont have the equipment you wont bother getting the game. If they made the connectivity optional then it wouldnt matter, but this way we are stuck. Of course it doesnt matter what any of us think since Nintendo is going to do whatever they want anyways.

[Ian Sane]

Mike that's hardly a lengthy rant.  Maybe a lengthy mini-rant but as a full on rant it's quite compact.

I somewhat agree with your point about the difference between Nintendo fans and MS and Sony fans.  I think a big difference is that longtime Nintendo fans have had better (NES and SNES) and thus are a little cheesed with how Nintendo has not only not recovered from the N64 but seem to have no desire to.  We know what Nintendo is capable of and I think many of us feel that they aren't reaching their full potential.  MS and Sony fans however have never experienced anything different from the way things are now.  Both companies have strived to be number one from the get-go and have grown while Nintendo has been going backwards, from complete domination downwards.  You're comparing the fans of companies that are going up to one that seemingly is going down.

Besides I don't want Nintendo fans to be nearly as fanboyish as MS fans.  Literally every website dedicated exclusively to Xbox content gives nearly EVERY game great reviews and basically loves absolutely everything that MS does.  Even IGN Xbox which is supposedly a "professional" site gives nearly every damn game released a Player's Choice award and a score in the 9s.  I much prefer a fanbase that can admit fault with their console of choice and doesn't slobber over everything like some brainwashed idiot.

Oddly enough with FF: CC I have found that there are typically more fans that support the GBA reguirement than there are those who complain about it.  In this thread there is only like two people against it.

If FF: CC truly does require the use of a GBA then I don't really have a problem with it.  I've just never read any indication that suggests that the concept realistically needs it.  Maybe I just haven't read the right articles.

[Michael8983]

"I know you didnt just say that."

I realize it's a horrible thing to say but I'll stick by it.
If the game was on the XBox, MS fans would be tripping over themselves with anticipation.
Not only do most Nintendo fans seem to not care for the game but they actually actively hate it. If I had a penny for every time I've heard a Nintendo "fan" proclaim the game is a rip-off and will bomb badly, I actually could go out and buy four gameboys and four link cables along with them

"Unlike XBox of PS2 fanboys I do not automatically like everything Nintendo does just because they did it."

I'm not asking for Nintendo fans to biased towards Nintendo. Just to stop crucifying it over every little thing. Like I said, people who don't approve of the game should just not buy and, even better, not even talk about it.
This is like the Zelda thing all over again. The people who didn't like the cel-shaded graphics could have just decided against buying the game but instead they chose to raise all hell over it.

[Michael8983]

"Mike that's hardly a lengthy rant. Maybe a lengthy mini-rant but as a full on rant it's quite compact. "

Well, by many standards, it's pretty bad

"You're comparing the fans of companies that are going up to one that seemingly is going down."

You have a point about that but I wish people would realize that what they say about Nintendo does have an effect on things. It reverberates a lot farther than they realize.
People who visit an XBox forum will want to buy an XBox. People who visit a Gamecube forum (not so much this one, but most others) will not only not want a Gamecube but will expect Nintendo to be out of business by the end of the year. Then of course, if someone asks them to recommend a console, they'll recommend an XBox. Then if someone asks the person who got the recommendation to recommend a console, they'll also recommend an XBox.
Nintendo fans always complain about Nintendo not being able to change people's opinion of it but they don't realize that they may be the reason it can't. How should we expect non-Nintendo fans to start liking Nintendo when Nintendo fans at least appear to not like it themselves. Sure, most people who harshly criticize Nintendo supposably to do out of love for the company but that's not always apparent to outside observers.

"Besides I don't want Nintendo fans to be nearly as fanboyish as MS fans. Literally every website dedicated exclusively to Xbox content gives nearly EVERY game great reviews and basically loves absolutely everything that MS does. Even IGN Xbox which is supposedly a "professional" site gives nearly every damn game released a Player's Choice award and a score in the 9s. I much prefer a fanbase that can admit fault with their console of choice and doesn't slobber over everything like some brainwashed idiot."

To me, it's a case of the lesser of two evils. It would be better if Nintendo fans were brainwashed idiots than over-dramatic doomsday-predicters who won't give Nintendo a break. At least the former would actually help Nintendo as a company. Of course, the best case scenario would be for them to be somewhere in between the two so maybe we should shoot for that

"Oddly enough with FF: CC I have found that there are typically more fans that support the GBA reguirement than there are those who complain about it. In this thread there is only like two people against it."

The PGC forum is different than most. My rant was more inspired by what I've seen on other forums. Just check out the n-philes forum and you'll see what I mean.

"If FF: CC truly does require the use of a GBA then I don't really have a problem with it. I've just never read any indication that suggests that the concept realistically needs it. Maybe I just haven't read the right articles."

It's probably those E3 impressions. I did read a few articles from people who assumed that just because the demo didn't require the GBAs, the entire game shouldn't have to but it's been confirmed that that's not the case. When the game is actually released and gets some real reviews, I think things will be cleared up.  

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

No one has to waste money on FFCC this year cuz it's not coming out this year.  It's due Feb. 9, 2004 in N. America.

[Round Eye]

Actually it could be pretty cool, from the sounds of it players would be using the GBA to conjure spells and such.  So for this game it would work very well.

On the other hand, I think this whole connectivity thing is pretty cheesy and a poor substitute for online capabilities.

Given the choice of having GBA connectivity versus Online, come on the choice is obvious.

Tingle power

[KnowsNothing]

This is not a substitiute for online.  Online isn't profitable at the time, because most people still have dial up connections, which would create haorrible lag problems, which would mean not fun, which would mean not many people buy.  This is something, that at the time, only Nintendo can do.  So why not do it?

[Flames_of_chaos]

True, if its viable and makes things interesting why not do it. And the secrect seperate invatory needed to be implemented cause the other players would be kinda pissed if you slowed them down if you had to pause to tinker with your invatory or whatever. I think people just take it too seriously with the steep requirement just buy the cables and let your friends come with their gba's and SPs and if you dont have friends with the GBA's then play by yourself. My point is people are sometimes too judgemental with Nintendo and think their doing bad business decisions like SEGA did.

[Michael8983]

"No one has to waste money on FFCC this year cuz it's not coming out this year. It's due Feb. 9, 2004 in N. America."

Are you sure? Last I checked (which was less than a week ago) it's supposed to come out in early November. Maybe it was just recently delayed but if it was, seems like PGC would have updated with the news.

[Michael8983]

Nevermind. I just saw the IGN update. It is delayed.
I suppose it's not a big deal though. The game is mostly targetted at the Japanese audience anyway. The good news is Pokemon Channel and 1080 are coming out this year. I'm not sure about 1080 but Pokemon Channel is bound to sell some Gamecubes.  

Actually, FFCC being delayed could be a good thing. Nintendo has always had the annoying habit of releasing all the big titles during the holiday season and leaving us to suffer with a massive post-Christmas drought. That tradition was broken this year with Wind Waker and FFCC should do it next year.