There are times where a game is released where you really want to know what happened, but you either can’t or don’t want to buy or play it. To help you out, Gamertell has a brand new feature called Spoiler Alert. We’ll play the games and tell you what happened so you don’t have to spend, or waste, your time on it. This week, we’re looking at Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers, the action-RPG Wii adventure from Square Enix.

So, prepare to be spoiled…

Good news for people who missed out on the $10 gift card Walmart was offering if you purchased Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers online, or the preorder deals from GameStop, Best Buy and Amazon. You can still get a good deal on the game! Well, provided you order Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers at Amazon today, January 27, 2010. It’s Amazon’s deal of the day today, and costs $32.98 instead of $49.99.

As always, the deal does have some limitations. First, it’s only going to be $32.98 today. Second, Amazon has a limited number of copies, and when the site runs out the deal’s over. That’s pretty much covers it. Since it’s over $25, it’ll even ship for free if you decide to get it.

I recommend at least trying Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers if you own a Wii…

Square Enix has just announced the preorder offers for Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers, which seems appropriate since the game will be out December 26, 2009. Like most companies, there isn’t going to be one set preorder deal. Depending on where you order your copy of the game, you may be privy to one of three different incentives.

If you’re looking to save a little money, the preorder at GameStop. You won’t get any special memorabilia, but you’ll pay $44.99 instead of $49.99. It’s a nice alternative if you’re low on cash.

People who love the music from the Final Fantasy series should head to Best Buy. You’ll pay full price for the game, but you’ll get a CD sampler that includes tracks from the game’s soundtrack. Since Square Enix hasn’t revealed yet if the soundtrack will be available on iTunes, this is a good way to guarantee you’ll get the music.

The final preorder deal is available through Amazon and may just be the best of the bunch…

As I began playing Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles My Life as a Darklord, I was faced with an overwhelming sense of deja-vu. Not from the gameplay. No, the way the tower defense title is executed is quite original and refreshing. It was the characters.

The bratty, teenage girl with delusions of grandeur and the cute, unassuming monster minions seemed familiar somehow. After I finished the tutorial, it hit me. Mira and her tonberry servants seemed eerily similar to Etna and her prinny servants, from NIS’ Disgaea and Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? games…

In Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King, players got to play a more relaxed game. You’d run around as King Leo, talking to citizens and building up a lavish town. There was no sense of urgency or desperation. The focus of the game was restoration and preservation of peace.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord is the exact opposite. You’re facing a constant onslaught of adventurers while on a world domination tour, and the only way to prove your superiority and become the darklord you aspire to be is to keep fighting, winning and moving…

At the 2009 Electronics Entertainment Expo, Square Enix debuted a playable demo of the latest chapter in its Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series titled The Crystal Bearers for Wii.

In the demo, I was able to experience Layle’s mysterious abilities in an assortment of different environments. During battles, players will utilize the WiiMote by moving it to collaborate with the onscreen targeting point and pushing the B button to commence its appropriate action. This could be anything from telekinetically controlling a Gatling gun to Swiss cheese oncoming avian enemies, to targeting chasing enemy Chocobo knights and tossing them from their steeds in an attempt to flee.

I recently was fortunate enough to stumble upon a cheap, used copy of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time for the DS at a local store that sells used dvds, cds and video games. Normally, I never play the Crystal Chronicles line of games, but since I have friends who invested in Echoes of Time and it was much cheaper than it would be at GameStop, I decided to splurge.

I was enthralled. I had no idea how entertaining this Final Fantasy offshoot could be. The character options and attire were delightful, the Wi-Fi multiplayer options were exceptional and a good time was had by all.

Until I needed to visit the aqueducts area outside of the game’s main town to retrieve a Buffasaur horn.

I had some “issues” taking down the boss alone, so I decided it was time to create some extra characters at the guild and take them along as human shields/backup. I created Yuke, Clavat and Lilty characters to complement my Selkie and went back into the sewers.

It was then that I realized that my computer controlled cohorts were total idiots…

Square Enix has combined an expected announcement with two unexpected ones. We all knew that the Final Fantasy IV cell phone game sequel, Final Fantasy IV: The After Years was headed to Wiiware. We’ve now learned it won’t be alone. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King’s sequel, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord will be joining it on Wiiware and the original NES Final Fantasy will be released on Virtual Console. I guess somebody’s going to have to start charging up Wii Points. All three games currently have a 2009 release window, with no exact release dates or prices mentioned.

It turns out North Americans aren’t going to have to wait that long to enjoy the multiplatform Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time. The DS and Wii game, which comes out in Japan on January 29, 2009, is going to be in stores on March 24, 2009. Both versions of the game will cost $39.99, so the buying decision will basically be up to which console you own or which one you think you’d play more.

Unfortunately, things are a bit uncertain in other regions. Both games are tenatively dated for March 2009 released for Australia, and don’t have any European release window yet.

Echoes of Time is unique in that it is designed to be a multiplayer and simultaneous multiplatform game where Wii and DS owners can play together, so no matter what system and version you own, you can be playing with people from the other version. The game’s also been crafted in such a way that you can immediately start playing a multiplayer game in the middle of a single player adventure. It sounds like an interesting experiment…