We've had our eye on Chocobo Tales for quite some time now, watching with fevered anticipation that the spin-off game would provide us with some more entertainment on our handheld system already populated by other highly-entertaining games. Now that the game has hit retail and been reviewed, we can finally see if the full NTSC version is for us. Not that imports aren't our thing, mind you, just we usually steer clear of the Square-Enix titles (lots of text, don'tchaknow).
So, what did the critics have to say? Let's check it out:
- IGN (83/100) doesn't want the presentation to fool you, the game is fun for older gamers: "The game might feel a bit "kiddy" in its focus, what with those great, big, cute Chocobo eyes peeking at you from the box art. But even though the idea might skew young, the product is surprisingly enjoyable for the older crowd."
- GamePro (80/100) finds the game to be a melting pot of good ideas: "Chocobo Tales is about quick and easy fun. The Crayola art style, pop-up book style graphics and fable stories may make it seem like a kiddie title and technically, it is. However, the game is fun enough that and packed with enough nods to diehard fans that Final Fantasy fans of all ages should give it a look."
- New York Times (75/100) has issues with the card system: "Tales has a ridiculously cumbersome system in which you can't easily swap one card for another or compare two cards; even finding a particular card in your collection requires a tedious search. The designers would find it challenging to come up with a worse system. This flaw is surprising in a game that is otherwise beautifully designed."
Update: Added the New York Times review.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-05-2007 @ 8:20PM
Reeve said...
Picked up a copy of Chocobo Tales today and can't wait to play it!
Reply
4-05-2007 @ 8:23PM
hvnlysoldr said...
discusses
Reply
4-05-2007 @ 9:01PM
BPM said...
[ahem]
NTSC is incorrect to use when it comes to portables.
NTSC is a type of video signal transmitted to TVs, ya know (North America and Japan are pretty fond of this signal). PAL is another signal, which Europe and Australia like with their TVs.
But, since handhelds do not transmit video signals (well, MOST handhelds...), there is no NTSC, PAL, SECAM, etc. when it comes to them...
Sorry... Just something that bugs me...
Reply
4-06-2007 @ 1:38AM
chris said...
Yeah, BPM I came to comment only to call out on that too. Come on guys, we're fanboys right? Let's get the little stuff right.
Reply
4-06-2007 @ 8:41AM
Dead_Prophet said...
And, incidentally, since Japan uses NTSC as well, saying "NTSC version" even as you intended it wouldn't really make much sense.
Reply
4-06-2007 @ 9:09AM
ELUNO said...
@5
Well, he did say "English NTSC version"
Reply
4-06-2007 @ 9:14AM
Szu said...
I want the chick in the picture. Preferably the one on the right.
Reply
4-09-2007 @ 3:11PM
Jen said...
All(most) done. Two more cards to go. Thought it was a pretty fun, but short game. I can see the online/multiplayer functions extending the game, but it's not much more than a portable TCG after you're done.
My review:
http://www.nowtoronto.com/blog/view_post.cfm?post=138
Reply