Crystal Defenders Classification

Working on badges (as I tend to do) I thought, "Oh I can easily get the Phoenix Down badge by knocking out Crystal Defenders." Playing it, it's fun, then today I am looking through the badges and I realize that this game is NOT classified under the Final Fantasy series. Maybe that's intentional, but I'll make my case anyways..

1. Crystal Defenders is tower defense version of Final Fantasy Tactics.
2. The game is set in Invalice, the setting for the FF XII games.
3. All the classes and monsters are from Final Fantasy

Now if the badge is specifically for a 'proper' numbered Final Fantasy game, that's cool, I can adjust, but I think this one should be included in the FF series even though it doesn't carry the FF name.

It even has the FF looking picture but I think that it is for only the retail games. Eric deals with the badges so it be best for him to answer but going by what you say and the way the game looks it should be included in the series.

It even has the FF looking picture but I think that it is for only the retail games. Eric deals with the badges so it be best for him to answer but going by what you say and the way the game looks it should be included in the series.

Originally Posted by chaotikilla

Yeah ultimately someone is going to make the call, I just need to know if I should finish this game or go back to FFXIII :hugegrin:

Finish it just for the completion if not the badge then go back to FFXIII

I mentioned this recently when someone was talking about Gotham City Imposters not being included in the Batman badge. Now that I came across this thread again, I see that I never got a staff response.

Can I just say no?

Can I just say no?

Originally Posted by Fshguy

That's between you and Eric I guess. If your concern is it's an instant badge for me, it's not. I think I only have 70 points in this game. I would like to see my points addressed, but if the answer is, "It's only for proper #ed Final Fantasy titles", that's cool.

Support. (yeah I've played it and want badge)

That's between you and Eric I guess. If your concern is it's an instant badge for me, it's not. I think I only have 70 points in this game. I would like to see my points addressed, but if the answer is, "It's only for proper #ed Final Fantasy titles", that's cool.

Originally Posted by Kaens

Mostly cause it's not a clear cut decision. It's more like this game is a third cousin to the Final Fantasy series which means they could probably get married in some states. Based on the reviews and descriptions of the game, it's kind of like a Smash Bros or a Lego game.

Honestly, I'm not well suited for these decisions, I don't care enough about the taxonomy of these to be a good judge.

Maybe I can nudge Eric a little and see if we can get that badge/game genre group to slice and dice these things.

It's nothing like Smash Bros or Lego game, not sure where you got that from. That sounds almost like Chrystal Chronicles which came out for the Gamecube. It's a straight up tower defense game like Defense Grid. Example...

It's nothing like Smash Bros or Lego game, not sure where you got that from. That sounds almost like Chrystal Chronicles which came out for the Gamecube. It's a straight up tower defense game like Defense Grid. Example...

Originally Posted by Kaens

What I mean is, it's a tower defense game, that uses the skins from FF. Like those other games that take characters from other games, but that doesn't make the game a whatever game.

What I mean is, it's a tower defense game, that uses the skins from FF. Like those other games that take characters from other games, but that doesn't make the game a whatever game.

Originally Posted by Fshguy

AHHH.... well I guess that makes sense.

AHHH.... well I guess that makes sense.

Originally Posted by Kaens

I doubt it...

Fsh's point makes sense to me. Smash Bros has Link and Zelda, and battlefields in Hyrule, but in no way would anyone argue that they are Legend of Zelda games...

Fsh's point makes sense to me. Smash Bros has Link and Zelda, and battlefields in Hyrule, but in no way would anyone argue that they are Legend of Zelda games...

Originally Posted by futiles

The precedent has already been set, and set here. The Halo series has multiple genres in the badge series that are unrelated to the mainline FPS games. Halo Wars is an RTS and Spartan Assaults are twin stick shooters. Crystal Defenders is a tower defense game set in the Final Fantasy universe. It's the exact same and should count.

The problem with the Smash Bros example because that is a character appearance in another game. Sorta like DoA4 isn't a Halo games despite this..

The precedent has already been set, and set here. The Halo series has multiple genres in the badge series that are unrelated to the mainline FPS games. Halo Wars is an RTS and Spartan Assaults are twin stick shooters. Crystal Defenders is a tower defense game set in the Final Fantasy universe. It's the exact same and should count.

The problem with the Smash Bros example because that is a character appearance in another game. Sorta like DoA4 isn't a Halo games despite this..

Originally Posted by Kaens

Except, they are called Halo Wars and Halo: Spartan Assault...

Is it called Final Fantasy: Crystal Defenders? (This is a serious question, I don't play any of them)

The precedent has already been set, and set here. The Halo series has multiple genres in the badge series that are unrelated to the mainline FPS games. Halo Wars is an RTS and Spartan Assaults are twin stick shooters. Crystal Defenders is a tower defense game set in the Final Fantasy universe. It's the exact same and should count.

The problem with the Smash Bros example because that is a character appearance in another game. Sorta like DoA4 isn't a Halo games despite this..

Originally Posted by Kaens

The other thing counting against it when you use those examples is there is plenty tying those games to the Halo universe, especially a story line.

The other thing counting against it when you use those examples is there is plenty tying those games to the Halo universe, especially a story line.

Originally Posted by Fshguy

I've played both of those games and to say there is a storyline is on the level of 8th grade book report. Crystal Defenders has almost as lame ignorable storyline, as Tower Defense games often do.

To answer futiles question, I was going to go into a long explanation about Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series and then land on this game, but in an effort to not make any mistakes a looked it up and got a better idea. If anyone thinks this is NOT a FF game, just visit the Final Fantasy wiki...

http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Crystal_Defenders

Game series, and thus their badges, are not limited to mainline games. Sorry the first example I thought of had Halo in the titles, I'm positive if I look around I can find examples that don't. Crystal Defenders is absolutely a Final Fantasy game in my mind and I see no good reason to not be, just a lot of questions of people who don't play any other these games asking how they are related.

Edit: Okay it was actually harder (still only few mins) then I thought to find an example. It seems that most games are like Halo and want to capitalize on the franchise name so they almost always use it. That said, I give you the Deathspank Series, which has "The Baconing" in the series, but anyone playing those games knows it's 100% a Deathspank game.

So, I don't care if Crystal Defenders is included or not, and would be in favor of it if it really belongs there. (I hate Final Fantasy, the last one I enjoyed was on the NES) So, I cannot compare one to the other, but, I do follow the Batman games and the discussion that started with Gotham City Imposters.

Since, in The Baconing, you play as DeathSpank, the obviousness of it being included it a bit apparent. Since, in Final Fantasy, you rarely play as the same character from game-to-game, it gets a bit more clouded. DeathSpank is to The Baconing as Batman is to The Dark Knight Rises (neither has the franchise/character name in the title, but, it is clear). I would say, if the people that like Final Fantasy say, "Yes, include it." Then I would go with them.

My desire would be for this to not be presented as evidence in favor of Gotham City Imposters joining a Batman genre.


EDIT: (DeathSpank/DeathSpank:Thong of Virtue/The Baconing also are not exactly apple-to-apples for your comparison since all 3 are the same genre [dungeon crawl], making the inclusion of them into a single group a bit more obvious, too.)

So, my primary goal was to give a staff response...