After the recent back-and-forth, is-it, isn't-it on the fate of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers, Game|Life's Chris Kohler sat down and did a little in-depth examination of the situation, and in his opinion, things aren't looking too great for Square Enix fans hoping for an epic SE experience on the Wii. While he grants that Square Enix stated outright that the game still exists and is still in development, he calls it vaporware and seems to doubt that the title will ever see a release. There's some interesting analysis of SE's press release that's worth looking at, as well as prior statements on rumors from Electronic Gaming Monthly.

Either this is going to be the best game ever, or something -- like Dragon Quest IX and Final Fantasy XIII? -- is diverting resources. Even SE can only make so many sprawling gaming experiences at a time. We diehards need to just settle back and wait for the dust from Final Fantasy XIII and co. to clear (if it ever does); after that, we'll probably get word on The Crystal Bearers. Chris Kohler may not agree, but if Square Enix says The Crystal Bearers are coming, well, we'll just believe they are. Someday, at least.