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I really liked the original game on the GCN, as unaccessible as it may have been. It was my favorite little Final Fantasy-themed dungeon crawler. Seems like it's pretty much done now, though. Sad face.
If the series were to continue, how would you like it to do so?
Seeing how it spanned six games on three different platforms, I wouldn't say its dead. Hell, I'm betting money that the "Final Fantasy" title SE pledged for the 3DS will most likely be the next installment in the series. :)
...I've been wondering this myself.
After how poorly The Crystal Bearers sold and was received (it was a truly awful game and the only FFCC I haven't finished), I was not surprised to not hear of any new FFCC games in the pipeline. I thought for sure that FFCC was dead as a series.
But then there was a silly rumor just a couple weeks before e3 that said one of the launch titles for "Project Cafe" was "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Project Cafe" (which was obviously intended to be a working title).
Neither Squeenix nor Nintendo mentioned anything of the sort, so it was clearly just a silly rumor.
But I can't help thinking that it would be the perfect platform for such a game.
Many people found fault with the first game (for the GameCube) for having a very uninvolving story. Really, the story only seemed to kick into gear a couple dungeons before the final boss. There was also a complete lack of characterization for the main characters, because they were meant to be clean slates that you customize completely. People also criticized it for requiring each player have a GBA. While I can see why this may have frustrated some people, I have to point out that my three friends and I had zero qualms with this and accepted it as neccessary. How else could you possibly access all of your personal items and so on without completely cluttering the screen or freezing gameplay each time each person wanted to check their inventory? The GBA requirements were a godsend.
And this is why I think a Wii U version would be optimal. One person could play on the TV with a Wiimote and the other person could play on the Wii U controller. A third and fourth could play on a secondary Wii U controller or 3DS. Or, like the first game, each person would be required to play via a Wii U controller or 3DS for viewing their inventories and maps and such but all watch the gameplay on the tv screen.
I really feel that the first game did a fantastic job at the party multiplayer atomosphere and all the games since have failed miserably at reinventing that aspect. Ring of Fates was abysmal at the mulitplayer aspect. It completely removed ALL story and turned the multiplayer into a dungeon crawler. Echoes of Time was quite a bit better, but utilized the Ring of Fates engine which I feel was inferior to the original game's engine.
I feel like the Wii U would be the perfect chance to present the perfect version of FFCC: the gorgeous graphics of the first game, the involving story of Rings and Echoes but with an interface more akin to the first game but using the Wii U controllers or 3DSs.
I hope Squeenix doesn't let CC die. It was a nobel attempt at another AARPG spinoff (after Mana became its own thing). I hope they give it another go on the Wii U.
Crystal Chronicles had some fresh ideas going for it. I think it would succeed a lot more if it ditched FF from the title and just cruised as Crystal Chronicles though. I have one of the DS ones and it's pretty neat.
Don't get me wrong, the DS ones are certainly enjoyable as single player experiences, but the original GameCube game was soooooo much better. I would really rather see a return to that style for a future 3DS/Wii U game.
And while FFCC is a mouthfull and they would have been smarter to go with "Final Fantasy Adventure 2" for the first CC game, they can't ditch the FF part because it really is rooted in FF-ness. All the monsters and items and spells are completely FF. And the "Final Fantasy" name sells copies. :D