Yes, the debate for worst looking Wii game is over. It’s Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes Of Time, which wins by default for having the look of a DS game — quite intentionally too. Okay, it’s actually still Cruis’n, but how many times can we kick that dog?

We’re still trying to wrap our noodles around this whole playable on the Nintendo DS and Wii thing, online and off, but it certainly sounds interesting. We’ll re-read the press release one more time to try and hope that we understand what Square Enix is doing before it ships the game on both of Nintendo’s platforms early next year.

Wii and Nintendo DS Owners Unite! Square Enix Announces FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Echoes of Time for North America

The Latest in the Franchise Breaks Down the Walls between Handheld and Console Platforms

LOS ANGELES (December 1, 2008) – Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix® interactive entertainment products in North America, announced today that FINAL FANTASY® CRYSTAL CHRONICLES®: Echoes of Time™ will be released for both Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ in Spring 2009.

Players can choose to play alone or with friends, whenever and however they like in FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Echoes of Time. Arriving simultaneously on both Wii and DS, this latest entry in the FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES series introduces a new concept in multiplayer gaming, enabling users of either Nintendo platform to adventure alongside each other for the first time.

Maintaining the intuitive control scheme of FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Ring of Fates® and enhancing the gameplay experience with an integrated system that allows players to switch between the single and multiplayer modes in-game, FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Echoes of Time is set to take multiplayer gaming to new heights as it brings together Wii and DS users from around the world next spring.

Story

A triumphant return from a monster-infested forest marks the completion of the 16-year-old hero’s coming-of-age ceremony. However, the hero’s joy is short-lived as a young village girl is found to be afflicted by a mysterious illness known as “crystal sickness.” Determined to obtain the cure, the hero steps out of the secluded village for the first time, only to discover a world in which crystals are merely artifacts of the past and no longer exist…

Features

* Play anytime, anywhere with anyone! Multiplayer connectivity reaches new heights in FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Echoes of Time, where players can team up or compete with friends and players around the world!
* The intuitive control scheme introduced in FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Ring of Fates returns, now adapted to Wii for double the action
* Players can switch between single and multiplayer modes within the gameworld itself, giving them two great gaming options in one integrated experience
* A personalised hero can be generated from a choice of the four familiar races of the series; Clavats, Lilties, Selkies or Yukes. Players joining from the Wii can also introduce their Miis to the world of FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES
* Create and customise materials, armour and equipment for characters with tailored appearances and abilities — no two heroes will be the same!
* A vast selection of quests provides hours of fun, even after completion of the main adventure

FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Echoes of Time is rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and older). Please visit the Entertainment Software Rating Board website at www.esrb.org for more information about ratings. The official website can be found at http://na.square-enix.com/ffcceot.

About Square Enix Co., Ltd. and Square Enix, Inc.

Square Enix Co., Ltd. (Square Enix), with headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, develops, publishes and distributes entertainment content including interactive entertainment software and publications in Asia, North America, and Europe. Square Enix brings two of Japan’s best-selling franchises — FINAL FANTASY, which has sold over 85 million units worldwide, and DRAGON QUEST®, which has sold over 46 million units worldwide — under one roof. Square Enix is one of the most influential providers of digital entertainment content in the world and continues to push the boundaries of creativity and innovation.

Square Enix, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd. with offices in Los Angeles, California. It handles operations in North America, including development, localisation, marketing and publishing of Square Enix titles. More information on Square Enix can be found on the Internet at http://www.square-enix.com.

You’d think it’d be hard for Square Enix, whose titles are known for their size and spectacle, to make such a comparatively teeny game. Was it? Says Shiraishi:

“It actually wasn’t that difficult. I think we designed the game to fit in the memory space. It wasn’t so much that we had a game and had to squeeze it down. If anything, I think the size restriction helped us. I don’t think we would’ve had this game design idea if we didn’t have the memory restriction to begin with.”

Once we had the restriction, we had… all our artists are veterans, so if you tell them the size, they’ll hit it right on. And once we started making it, in the beginning, a lot of people didn’t think we could fit this game in the given size, but we were actually quite a bit under. It uses a little bit of compression, and a little bit of techniques. You can fit a lot of game in a small size.”

Also, ActRaiser fans? Shiraishi won’t say no to a sequel:

“I’d like to make an ActRaiser sequel. That would be kind of fun.”

Content Kings: Square Enix’s Shiraishi And Tsuchida On WiiWare And Risk [Gamasutra]

* Three Races Pack (800 points): All three new races in one slightly discounted set.
* Lilty House, Selkie House, Yuke House (300 points each): Houses that produce new adventurers of the other three races in the Crystal Chronicles world.
* King’s Change of Clothes (100 points): Crazy eyepatch pirate outfit for the King.
* Chime’s Dress-Up (100 points): A new outfit for your assistant Chime.
* Sacred Shrine (200 points): A shrine that lets warriors temporarily buff themselves up.
* Gorgeous House (100 points): A big house that many different people can live in.

The game’s DLC interface seems painless enough. The pricing, though, very painful.
Oh God, I Bought [Game|Life]

Nintendo Fall Conference Live Blog [Gemaga]
Nintendo Fall Conference Live Blog [Famitsu]