Advanced game thoughts of the day

Half Life 2:
Looking good. The original renewed my faith in the first-person shooter genre of computer games. Between this and Deus Ex 2, I'll about double the number of FPS games I've bothered to buy and play. ;)

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles:
You got action in my RPG! You got RP in my action game! Honestly, I don't know what to make of this. Screens thusfar look rather bright and colorful. They make me think Secret of Mana more than any FF game. The ability (with proper hardware) to play multiplayer sounds very interesting. I'd like to experience an FF game side-by-side with a friend. That sounds like a great idea, but doing so would require changes to my personal schedule. More importantly, I have lingering doubts about the game - I'm not convinced a good story will survive the inclusion of the action/multiplayer elements. Still, I don't know what else I'd be playing on my Gamecube this year.

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