Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles vs Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is an RPG game from The Game Designers Studio (2003) while Final Fantasy VIII is a JRPG open-world game from Square (1999).
Quick answer: Final Fantasy VIII has the higher Metacritic, 90 to 80.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
What each one is
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is filed under RPG. In contrast, Final Fantasy VIII under JRPG and Open-World.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is an action role-playing video game developed by The Game Designers Studio for the GameCube. It was released in 2003 in Japan and 2004 in North America, Europe and Australia. A remastered version for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Android, and iOS was released in August 2020. A spin-off of the Final Fantasy series and beginning of the series of the same name, Crystal Chronicles was the first title in the franchise to be released for a Nintendo home console since Final Fantasy VI in 1994.
It is a time of war. Galbadia, a Global Superpower, has declared war on Dollet, a country whose training academy is home to two personalities: the hot-headed Seifer and the 'lone wolf', Squall Leonhart. Both are equally at conflict with each other as their country is with Galbadia; to others, Squall appears lacking in team spirit, while...
Story, characters and reception
Plot
Crystal Chronicles takes place in an unnamed fantasy world inhabited by four races. The player takes control of a caravan hailing from the village of Tipa, in which members of the world's four races come together to help its mission. One thousand years before the game's events, the world's sustaining Great Crystal was shattered by a meteorite carrying an alien lifeform called the Meteor Parasite. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu praised the game's fairytale aesthetic and unconventional treatment of the RPG genre; journalists Shane Bettenhausen, Jennifer Tsao and Kevin Gifford Electronic Gaming Monthly each gave the game high praise for its innovation in gameplay and graphical style. Eurogamer s Rob Fahey gave the game a near-perfect score, noting the clear production values and calling it "one of the best action RPGs" he played; his only… (Wikipedia)
Plot
Setting and characters Main article: Characters of Final Fantasy VIII Most of Final Fantasy VIII is set on an unnamed fantasy world. The setting is highly European in design and features a blend of modern and futuristic locales. The planet contains five major landmasses, with Esthar, the largest, covering most of the eastern portion of the map. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Final Fantasy VIII received critical acclaim. In general, the game was compared favorably to its predecessors. Though questioning the game's lack of voice overs for its characters, Game Revolution praised its storyline and ending. (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles | Final Fantasy VIII | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | — | 7.5/10 |
| Steam rating | — | Very Positive (88%, 9,497) |
| Critic aggregate | 80/100 | 90/100 |
| Price | Unknown | $11.99 |
| Install size | — | 4 GB |
| Steam Deck | Untested | playable |
| Released | 2003 | 1999 |
| Developer | The Game Designers Studio | Square |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles vs Final Fantasy VIII, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Final Fantasy Crystal ChroniclesRPG gameFinal Fantasy VIIIJRPG open-world gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Final Fantasy Crystal ChroniclesNo descriptive tagsFinal Fantasy VIIIJRPG, RPG, ClassicThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Final Fantasy Crystal ChroniclesMetacritic 80Final Fantasy VIII ✓Metacritic 90Metacritic's critic aggregate, from the game's Wikipedia reception where it was never on Steam.
Content and scale
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles—Final Fantasy VIII9,497 reviews · 4 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Final Fantasy Crystal ChroniclesUnknownFinal Fantasy VIII$11.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
Final Fantasy VIII takes 1 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The better reviewed of the two: Final Fantasy VIII (Metacritic 90)
Where they differ
JRPGRPGClassicSingleplayerGreat SoundtrackTurn-Based
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Final Fantasy VIII is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles | Final Fantasy VIII | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | — | DirectX 9.0c compatible card |
| Minimum CPU | — | 1Core CPU 2GHz |
| Minimum RAM | — | 1 GB |
| Install size | — | 4 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles · Final Fantasy VIII.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles and 2 for Final Fantasy VIII. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles and Final Fantasy VIII in scope?
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles lists little scope data. Final Fantasy VIII has drawn 9,497 Steam reviews and installs in 4 GB.
Is Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles or Final Fantasy VIII better?
Neither carries enough reviews for us to score it reliably, so we do not call a winner. The table above shows what each does have.
Which is cheaper, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles or Final Fantasy VIII?
One or both do not have a current listed price, so a straight comparison is not possible. See the table above.
Should I get Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles or Final Fantasy VIII?
Final Fantasy VIII has the higher Metacritic, 90 to 80. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
All comparisonsHow we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.