I've always liked this game, but some stumbling blocks prevented me from finishing it. But what makes FFCC interesting is that the game's best and worst features are the same.

FFCC is one of those Gamecube era games that came out when Nintendo was really pushing GBA connectivity. It's a shame that it never took off, because FFCC and Legend of Zelda: Four Swords adventures were some of the most fun games I've played.

It's the social aspect. And it's so very different from online play. I think that a lot of companies that create games with online co-op play are missing the point - it's infinitely more fun to play with people you know (and I don't mean friend codes). Being in the same room as someone is invaluable in adding to the social experience. If you're alone in your living room, that's not really social, is it? Is instant messenging someone social? Sure, a little bit. But it's not the same.

Even with MMO's, you're not really being social. You're just talking while you accomplish highly specific goals.

At any rate, the reason why FFCC is different is because if you can get 4 people (and the requisite hardware) together to play this game, it's unbelievably fun. Letting ad-hoc roles form based on progress and conversation works better and more naturally than any AI.

Red: Who has the Life magicite?
Green: I picked it up, I think.
Blue: I got hammered again by this stupid yeti. Raise me!
Green: The stupid lighting bugs keep paralyzing me. Yellow, will you freeze these guys so I can raise Blue?
Yellow: I don't have Blizzard, I've just got Cure.
Red: I've got Blizzard - just keep healing me for a moment.

And there it is. Read it out loud, and time it - that's the length of time it takes for roles to change naturally, and the game never stops. Now, imagine you're controlling all four characters, and 3 of them have user determined AI. You have to stop the action, find the menu, and make the changes, which may or may not involve canceling back to a different menu to see who has what equipped.

Or imagine that this is an MMO, and you're playing with 3 other people you know. If you've got voice chat, the process is about the same, but MMOs have a habit of locking characters into a certain role due to business model necessities.

FFCC didn't sell particularly well, despite being incredibly well designed and an absolutely gorgeous game that still looks good next to modern graphical titans. I suspect the reason for this was the additional hardware requirement. Which is a shame.

Of course, Nintendo's big push wasn't to espouse the idea of connectivity, but to sell hardware, and that was their failure, one that was passed along to the developers. People will buy a plastic guitar so they can rock out in their own homes. However, selling what amounts to a $20 "cord" will chafe most gamers fiercely.

It seems that the Wii and DS have this problem firmly dealt with - they both have built in wireless, the DS provides a screen (or two) that can display information pertinent to a single player without cluttering the main screen (a problem Dungeons & Dragons Heroes for Xbox highlighted). So why haven't we seen a literal or spiritual successor to Crystal Chronicles?

I really have no idea. I know plenty of people with DSs. So far, I'm the only person on earth with 4 GBA-Gamecube cables.