Dungeon crawlers can be very intriguing. They will keep goofing up with their way out and at the same time will pull off something that will invariably take them to them next echelon. The Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time (DS) for the Nintendo DS lodges one such character which is all set to enthral audiences, veterans and beginners. Monsters are a constant show up where as puzzles keep loitering around the gamer which adds that extra bit of chutzpah to the whole process. One can also call it a plot to divert the attention of the gamer away from the main tasks, but then its absence will only deprive the gamer of that requisite attention which the game deserves. The Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time (DS) game from Square Enix takes off by the protagonist celebrating his 16th birth anniversary. The gamer has to choose a tribe and gender and is then packed off to the village outskirts. This is the place where some mysterious creatures need to be slaughtered and the gamer is bestowed with a small crystal.

Dark shadows are cast over the village and a villager falls seriously ill. That is where the game really picks up steam as it tackles the gamer into a voyage which requires him to venture into the world of crystals and unravel many secrets. The rest of the game is about the gamer reaching his quest and learning a lot of hidden truths about his own past. The Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time DS game is exciting enough for the gamer to start playing and only keeps getting better as the game progresses. The graphics are scintillating and the most surprising part is the storyline which stays active throughout the course of the game. This is something which is missing from most of the adventure based games and its absence ends up killing the interest of the gamer. The pricing is reasonable for the new concept initiated and playing it will only ensure a chill of adrenaline. That is what real gamers like!

Fifteen years ago this masterpiece took the world by storm. The new version for the Nintendo DS is a completely revamped version that re-masters the original Square Enix game and integrates updated graphics and detailed environments to recreate the franchise in form of the Final Fantasy IV.

The plot does away with the redundant story of battling the evil emperor to save the world. The characters are exposed to far more complex emotions and issues. Love, honour, hate, duty and betrayal are some of the aspects that have been etched into the game. Move through the Final Fantasy IV DS story as Cecil, a man weighed down by conflicting interests. Burdened by the aspects of right and wrong Cecil the Lord Captain of the Red Wings of Baron, now questions the crimes he has to commit in the name of his king. He is removed from his position and sent to the village of mist where his fate is shown to him. In the quest Cecil is joined by many captivating characters like Rosa his love, Tellah a sage consumed by revenge and Rydia a summoner with magical abilities. He has to face the menacing Golbez and his four lieutenants. Among these elemental henchmen is Rubicante who persists on healing you and then fighting you so that may face him with all your ability. The new customising option gives you the ability to augment your characters powers. These augments are placed throughout the game and if you seek hard enough you might be able to equip your character with dark powers like Cagnazzo’s tsunami attack. New cinematic cutscenes have been included along with full voice acting by the characters. However these dialogues are the weakest link in this formidable game and prove to be quite irksome.

This classic 3D version ups the graphical interface, improves the design, introduces new gameplay and in with an array of characters that have more depth transforms itself to emerge as an outstanding edition of the Final Fantasy franchise.

Echoes of Time play well on both the Nintendo Wii and on the DS. Both versions come with four player options. In this wonderful role playing game from Square Enix, you as a player start by creating your own characters and naming them. There are four different tribes you choose from namely the Lilty, Selkie, Clavat and Yuke. You can also choose from the two gender variations. Yuke here is a humanoid who is winged as well as masked and the other three are adorable warrior children with cherub like features.

Characters themselves come with various special attributes. Yuke comes equipped with amazing magic skills and Lilties are extremely good wielders of spear. Theme of the story is similar in line to the usual Final Fantasy series specialty, coming-of-age. As you turn 16, you are considered to be old enough to be sent on your first quest. Here you get a taste of the real life combat system of the game. User friendly controls add to the fun as you just use four primary buttons namely pick up objects, jump, attack and cast spells.

When you return successfully after your first quest, you find one of your villagers’ ill attacked by crystal sickness, a mysterious disease. A freshly returned hero, you venture finding a cure for this disease taking you from your small little village to a bigger and busier town. In Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time you heroically go around offering various services and collecting a crew of adventurers. With the help of a researcher in the local library, you are again sent on a quest to find a solution to the disease and there is a lot of excitement and fun along the way.

The legendary Final Fantasy series has been one of PlayStation’s most successful franchises. So why shouldn’t it also be a hit on Sony’s arch nemesis Nintendo’s DS Lite? The latest Final Fantasy DS Lite game is known as Final Fantasy VI: the Warring Triad.

The warring triads, in the game, are stone sculptures that contain the power of the three goddesses Demon, Fiend and goddess. These warring triads are also called statues. These three goddesses were relentlessly in conflict to prove who was the most powerful among them. Their conflict led to the creation of a few unstable magical beings which later ruined the whole world.

The game has an interesting plot with many excellent animated playable characters. It involves everything from plotting to fighting with the enemies over the magical powers the statues possess, and the excitement is sure to make your heart race. The gameplay is very similar to other DS Lite Final Fantasy titles, such as Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings. But one thing in the story is very important: make sure the statues do not lose their balance, for if the statues are ever moved out of their balance the result would change the face of the world.

Final Fantasy VI: the Warring Triad finally brings the exciting Final Fantasy experience to the DS Lite and does so very well.

XPlay’s Adam Sessler reviews Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicle: Ring of Fates DS. This is a very good 3D dungeon crawler adventure game with a good story and lots of loot. On the down side it doesn’t have online play and the controls are a bit tricky. Overall they give it a 4 out of 5 stars.

GTTV reviews Final Fantasy 3 for the Nintendo DS Lite.  They give Final Fantasy 3 a 7.6 for story, 8.1 for design, 8.3 for gameplay and an overall score of 8.2.