Just picked up Chocobo Tales today, and what I had thought would turn out to be something that relied purely on novelty is turning out to be a robust, jam-packed adventure that's bursting with variety.  It's hard to categorize Chocobo Tales, but the gameplay is essentially light RPG overworld exploring, coupled with DS-centric-heavy minigames and card battle strategy, wrapped in an all-encompassing Final Fantasy skin.  Having just one of these elements alone likely wouldn't be much, but coming together as a complete package, it's definitely an enjoyable affair.

The graphics engine looks straight out of the DS FFIII, but the color palette is brighter, and the cute aesthetics style is more focused and just more fun to look at.  The majority of music is comprised of Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon and Final Fantasy pieces, and they're exceptionally well-arranged on the DS.  (I'm grinning from ear to ear, hearing the likes of FF1's City Theme, FF7's Fiddle de Chocobo, and FF6's Decisive Battle.)   The writing is particularly noteworthy; the localization is sharp, giving the cast of characters distinguishable personalities, while the story expertly intermingles classic Aesops fables with a Final Fantasy twist.

I'm still early on in the game, but this could very well end up being my sleeper hit of the year.  It's certainly one of Square-Enix's better efforts as of late.

And that's why I won't be getting it.  Still, it's good to hear that it's enjoyable for those who can tolerate the above.

Card battle strategy? Sigh... I *was* gonna get it, but after I read that...

I'm probably the least likely person you'll find on the card battling front, but Tales makes it surprisingly accessible and fun; especially if you're familiar with Final Fantasy, where you'll already have a natural understanding at how specific character attack/spell elements work. 

So long as the battles continue to be as engaging and diverse as they are, I may even place this on the same level as Triple Triad in terms of addiction.

Is it anything like the Baten Kaitos series's awesomely intuitive-beyond-all-possible-expectations card battle system?

I ask because few things in recent history have irritated me more than observing people dismiss those games simply because they feature the word "card" on their cases.

Using cards as the basis of battle gameplay has felt awkward outside of the context of an actual card game, like Yugioh.  The reliance on luck of the draw and acquiring cards tends to interfere with the gameplay.

I think I'll stick to actual card games.  SNK vs. Capcom Card Battle DS might be interesting.

I think IGN wrote up an import preview of this one back when it was released in Japan.  If memory serves, it wasn't very favorable.

Yes, I found the playtest review.  There is one fundamental flaw with the import that most other card games don't have, so I'll wait to see if the problem is still there.  Thanks.

Gotta disagree.  Up to this point, the card battles have been entirely optional or restricted to the mid and end-of-chapter boss battles - they almost feel like pseudo RPG boss fights, which feels about right for what can be considered a pseudo RPG.  Luck of the draw is a fundamental basis for any card game, naturally, but once you learn how to strategize and "match" properly, your odds improve greatly.  And the acquiring of the cards is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the game; earning the really good ones requires playing through the mini-games anyway, so I don't see how its integration could interfere with what is essentially the core gameplay.

Mm, couldn't say, having never played the Kaitos series.  I would imagine that Chocobo is leaner and more simplistic by comparison, but then, that's what I'm liking about it. ;)

No big deal.  The game doesn't necessarily appeal to everybody.  The gameplay structure is not my cup of tea.  If the game is discounted, I might get it.

I think he was referring to games with forced card systems in general. The most overt example is Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, which, IMO, would've been a much better (i.e., actually playable) game without the unnecessary card system.

Anyway, I just finished Chocobo Tales earlier today, and my favorite part about it was definitely the card system. Triple Triad or Tetra Master would indeed be apt comparisons, as the main focus is on the sides of the cards. For those who are wary of card battles, keep in mind that the game is theoretically aimed at kids, so it's not the most complex card battle system ever. Still, it's awfully addictive, and aside from the aforementioned Triple Triad and Tetra Master, one of the few card games I can stomach.

Now that I think about it, I would've preferred it if they made the card battles the meat of the game instead of the minigames and microgames. The minigames are reminiscent of Mario Party, but the long introductions and annoying countdowns make it a pain to replay them (which is necessary to get the better cards). Even worse are the extremely frustrating microgames. I can't begin to count the number of times I came 1 point or tenths of a second away from gold medals. If you're fine with not getting all of the cards, then this won't be a big deal.

As Angela mentioned, the graphics are bright and colorful, and the music is equally as appealing. Thankfully, a sound test is unlocked upon completion of the story, so I can listen to "Decisive Battle" and "Mt. Gulg" whenever I want ^_^

The writing is surprisingly witty for what's supposed to be a "kiddy" game. Even more surprising are the darker themes touched upon in the fables. Some of them are downright depressing!

I can't even begin to count the number of times I've wanted to throw my DS at the wall in frustration at myself for getting so close to a gold star in a minigame and fail.  Getting all the cards is kind of addicting in a way.... it's a reason I don't buy trading card games in reality.  But I really do enjoy this game, the cuteness factor rots my teeth.  heh

Yes, this is what I meant.  I've always felt games that use the card game mechanic to be superfluous to the game's pacing or theme (Baiten Kaitos is another example of a game that used cards).  It's just me, but I have not found a game where using cards made "sense" in the game.

It sounds like Animaniacs' writing: two layers of wording.  Kids read the obvious meaning, while adults can derive humor from subtlety.

I appreciate such writing...

Well after a solid 28 hours or so, I've finished the game and gotten 100% cardage!  Some of those minigames took awhile to get, but the oh so good feeling after getting gold ranks beats anything.  Now I hear there's supposed to be 5 extra promo cards that are dloadable from Gamestop/EB games...  I just hope they all come to Canada too.

Square Enix's best game of 2007 is getting a sequel.  Oh happy day!

http://gonintendo.com/?p=48798