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A Worthy Sequel

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 43 / 46
Date: September 03, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Chrono Cross, like its preddecessor Chrono Trigger, is a very original RPG that excels in almost every aspect; it's not nearly as cinema-intensive as Final Fantasy VIII, but in my oppinion, it's definately a better game. The game has overall better graphics then FFVIII; the soundtrack is one of the best I've ever heard; the story, while somewhat convoluted, is very well done (needless to say, it has some great plot twists); and, finally, the game has an incredible amount of replay (you can play through it three or four times and still not discover everything). Oh yeah, the translation is excellent too. This is one of those rare games where I can't really think of anything derogatory to say about it; everything is pretty much perfect. One word of caution though: while the game is great, if you're a more mainstream gamer looking for a more traditional type of RPG, you may not like this, as it eschews not only the usual styles of battle and experience, but also the usual style of storyline deliverance. But all in all, if this doesn't bother you, you should really enjoy this game.

PROS:

Excellent, original battle system

No random battles!

Challenging, but balanced

The best graphics on PS

Great soundtrack

44 [cool] characters!

9 endings

The most non-linear RPG I've ever played

Incredible replay value

Great story

[great] translation

Tons of sub quests

You can run instantly from any fight (bosses included)

CONS:

The hero's name kinda sucks (but you can change it, so who cares?)

The last boss music is lame (you'll understand once you get to it)

Chrono Cross.... WOW

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 29 / 31
Date: August 29, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Chrono Cross is the sequal to Chrono Trigger, one of the most popular RPGs ever, so people obviously expect a great game. And they certainly got it.

In my mind, the basis of an RPG is the story, and Chrono Cross has a great and original one, not just a repeat of CT. Serge, the hero, goes home after passing out on a beach to find that his village is different, and everyone claims he died ten years ago. I won't spoil anything else, but believe me, the story is great.

Even with an interesting story, an RPG has to have a solid battle system. And CC has an amazing one: No turns, no ATB (active time battle), the characters can attack at any time (as long as they have stamina points) with physical attacks and elements, which is CC's magic system. Also, the battles are avoidable as enemies appear on the field screen-no more random battles.

Graphically, Square has done what they always do (which is make an awesome looking game). The graphics are, I think, more akin to Legend of Dragoon than anything else, which is definitely a good thing, unless you actually prefer the deformed circus midget look of the old days.

On a final note, if you haven't played Chrono Trigger, CC's predecessor, and don't have an SNES, you haven't missed your chance. It's well worth it to download an emulator and play CT on your computer. So remember: Chrono Trigger=Really Good Game

The RPG you've been waiting for is here.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 28 / 30
Date: December 06, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Several years ago when Super Nintendo was king, there was released a game. This game featured superb graphics, sound, and storyline. This game was Chrono Trigger. Now 5 years later, we are treated to the release of the next in the series. This time around, it is Chrono Cross that is prepared to blow gamers away.

The facts:

* From the team that brought you Chrono Trigger * 2 CDs * 40+ playable characters * Excellent music * 11 possible endings

Gameplay:

Very good. The battle system used in this RPG is unique from any other. Each character has a grid, in which he places his elements. There are several different types of elements. Some are attacking, some healing, some defensive, some that make the other elements more powerful or weak. These elements can generally be used by any party member; you get to switch them around between battles. Each of these elements used is one of six colors, and each color is opposite another. Red is opposite Blue, Green opposite Yellow, and Black opposite White. Each character is one of these six colors. Take Serge, the main character, for example. His innate color is White, so therefore he can use the white elements more effectively than other colored elements. If he was fighting a boss who's innate color is Black, Serge's white attacks will work well against the boss, since Black is opposite of White. Conversely, though, the boss' Black attacks will also be very effective against White Serge.

Each character also has up to three special moves, specialized to that character. It may not seem like that many per character, but keep in mind that there are more than 40 playable characters, so that totals over 120 unique elements. Then toss in 9 double techs and 2 triple techs for a whopping total of around 150 (!) unique techs. Wow.

Also important in the battle system are stamina points. You start of with seven points. Depending on the strength of the attacks chosen, your stamina will go down, while the grid lights up more and more with possible elements you can use. When your character is not fighting, the stamina recovers. There also other interesting features of the intricate battle system. It is impossible to mention them all. It sounds very confusing, all of this, and at first it is. But as you play through the game and make yourself comfortable with the system, you will appreciate it as a masterpiece. As for the gameplay outside of the battles, it is perfectly satisfactory. Everything you need, even a little you don't.

Graphics:

Typical to above average, as far as Playstation games go. At times, though, the graphics really shine. The elements are eye candy, and the cinema scenes are always fun to watch. Sound:

Indulge yourself. There is an absolute plethora of tracks, all wonderful. There are even a few remakes of some of the tracks from Chrono Trigger, which veterans of the game will love to hear. All of the music is appropriately placed, and there are lots of nice little sound effects to complement it.

Comments:

This game is great. An excellent storyline sets up multiple excellent endings (depending on when and how you beat the game), and the ride is quite something. Fans of the original Chrono Trigger will definitely want to check it out, as there are so, so many references back to the prequel. Mentioned and/ or seen in the game are Chrono, Lucca, Marle, Epoch, Belthasar, Prometheus (Robo), Ayla, Janus, Schala, Zeal, Glenn, Gaurdia Kingdom, and Lavos. And others. It's great. Don't worry though; the story is still understandable even if you have not played through Chrono Trigger. The game is also very poetic, and the prose is very enjoyable to read.

You won't be disappointed. Although not overly challenging, the game is engrossing and fun, and that's what great games are all about.

Buy it.

PLay this game. Now.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 20 / 20
Date: August 23, 2000
Author: Amazon User

First, I must admit that I am not an avid video gamer, though I have seen others play plenty. I have played very few RPGs and even fewer held my interest. However, when I played Chrono Trigger on an SNES emulator, I was enthralled, finishing it within a week. When I discovered its semi-sequel was coming out, I could hardly wait the ten months for it to be released in the US. I ordered it in advance in April, received it the Wednesday it came out, and played it nearly straight through to finish by Friday evening. 60 hours of gameplay and about 15 hours of sleep. To say the least--it was all worth it.

First, gameplay-- It is one of the best battle systems that I have seen. It may seem complicated to begin with, but one becomes quickly accostumed to the strategies and nuances of the idea. In a game of chess, the rules are simple but the possibilities are endless. The same goes for Chrono Cross' element system. In addition, being able to see your enemies on screen allows you to fight when and where you want. This is a big advantage if you want to avoid them (if you don't want to fight piddling monsters) or find them (to retrieve extra spells and items). Cross pulls this off even better than its predecessor, Chrono Trigger.

Leveling-- I considered this such an important aspect of the game that I gave it its own category! The reason: you can advance through the entire game avoiding nearly all monsters and still beat the game. Not only is the focus on strategy (the types of spells, colors, and balance between physical attacks) in order to defeat bosses, but you only gain stat bonuses during about five fights between each boss. Continuing to fight others can help with items and extra spells, but does no good to "level up" your characters. I thought this a terrific idea. Your characters still become extremely strong towards the end, but not because of experience. It doesn't exist. Cross is plot-driven, not level-driven.

Storyline-- Speaking of plot, Cross' is pretty good. It can get convoluted at times, and having played Trigger is helpful, though not necessary. Characters are surprisingly three-dimensional and everything fits together if you think about it for long enough. The major ending(s) though, can be dissapointing and because of the plethora of characters, very few of their pasts and conflicts can be resolved. But, all in all, you will enjoy it as mystery after mystery is solved while other take their places. Like a good book, it's difficult to find a place to put the controller down--you want to keep going.

Music-- Outstanding. Better than many movie soundtracks I've heard, both in quality of composition and sound. I highly reccomend buying the soundtrack to listen to during the day, unless you want to leave your Playstation running while doing the dishes. Of course, it would be worth it to do that, too. It's that good.

Graphics-- The people that made the FMV sequences were the same who did those FFVIII. The graphics ares similar to those of FFVIII, in battle sequences, exploration, and the movies--but even better. The colors and attention to detail make the entire game simply . . . beautiful. Let the game run and stare at it if you have to, it can be the only way to appreciate the artwork. Plus, the spells have their own elegantly simple quality. No spell is too long or extravagent, letting battles to continue smoothly. And the detail! When a character pulls something from her pocket, the movements are very human and real. They leave footprints on the beach and the environment casts shadows as you walk through a dark cave or brightened room. Every detail draws you further into the Chrono Cross world.

Do not rent this game--you should definitely buy it. The developers of Chrono Cross claim it can be beaten in 35 hours. They're lying. It took me 67 hours total, including the few times I had to go back to an old save point. And that does not include the amount of time I will spend in the future finding the multiple endings and other storyline branches. (They are a total of 6 different paths you can take, each very different and effecting the outcome of the game) Buy this amazing title for your Playstation and give Square a hand. Or even bow. They deserve all the respect you can give for this fine game.

-Jeremy Tollefson

Its no Chrono Trigger...but still an amazing, beautiful game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 17 / 17
Date: April 27, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I finally played this game recently, quite a few years after it's release. At first I had serious doubts about it, as there seemed little connection to Chrono Trigger (which I am a big fan of), and the gameplay and story just didn't seem to be nearly as good. However, once I gave it a chance I really started getting into it.
I think one of the big downfalls of this game is that it is a sequel to such a phenomenal old SNES game, and everyone wanted it to be as good or better, which would have been a hard thing to achieve. In it's own right, this is an amazing game, regardless of it being a sequel or not.
It is a true sequel, and the story does tie in directly to the events in Chrono Trigger, however, that's about it...the story. If you want to see the characters or environments of Chrono Trigger, you're out of luck, as this game has all different characters and takes place in the El Nido archipelago, in the same world as Chrono Trigger but never explored in that game.
The other thing this game has in relation to Chrono Trigger is just the over all feel of the game...you can tell the same people made it.
The graphics of the game are incredibly beautiful, and though already quite dated, they still stand up well (they are comparable to say...Final Fantasy IX). The environments range from beautiful tropical regions to complex castles and dungeons, and all areas are very well thought out, fun to explore, and interesting. I'm glad they kept the overland map the same as in Chrono Trigger, making it fast and easy to get around. The music is wonderful as well, and while I would have liked to have heard a few more Chrono Trigger classics, I really can't complain...the music is beautiful and very well done.
The story is twisting and complex, and it's actually quite hard to keep straight what's going on sometimes and what world you are in, as the game takes place in two different dimensions of the same world as opposed to different time periods. The two different dimensions are very similar and it can be hard to keep straight what world you are in. Still, the story was very good, keeps you involved, and does end up having a lot of direct and very interesting tie-ins to Chrono Trigger. There is also a plethora of characters (near 40, I think), almost all of which have there own mini-stories.
That was one aspect of the game I have mixed feelings about. On one hand it's great and interesting to have so many unique characters to be able to use, each with their own unique abilities and personalities. But on the other hand, having so many characters makes it hard to really get into them, their stories end up being rather shallow, and you can never really power all of them up. You'll likely end up with a couple favorites of every color attribute that you use most often, which really isn't bad. Overall, they did a good job with the characters, and I like the system they used.
The gameplay is very fun, and although it is in most ways straight forward RPG, they do throw in some interesting twists to combat. Overall quite enjoyable.
There is an almost infinite amount of secret tidbits to unlock, so much that it would almost be impossible to find them all without the strategy guide. The direction of the game can change depending on choices you make, and conversations are always different depending on who is in your party. The game is incredibly open ended, and has multiple endings as well. This coupled with the fact that it has a new game + feature gives it incredible replay value. I just beat it the first time and I'm already replaying it again with all of my equipment, elements, and experience from the first play through to try and get a different ending.
Overall, I give this game five stars. It has excellent story, dialogue, graphics, sound, characters, and gameplay...every thing about it is great and it is a world you'll want to get lost in again and again. Alas, it is no Chrono Trigger, and a large part of me wishes they could have tied in some of the characters and places from that game a little more, but oh well. They did a different game in the same style as Chrono Trigger, and it's great fun. There are at least some fun little nostalgic elements, like at one point when you find an enertron and you can hop into it to fully revive your party, and when you get out you find "you're still hungry", along with the stomach growling straight from Chrono Trigger. Very fun stuff. Highly recommended to fans of Chrono Trigger, or just anyone who loves a good RPG with lots of replay value.

By FAR the best game I've ever played!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 31 / 41
Date: December 22, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This game is so amazingly wonderful! I totally thought I was going to hate it when I first turned it on. It looked too complicated and I assumed the learning curve would be high. However, within minutes I was hooked. And I played it for several months. This game is a two disc game and the first disc lasts FOREVER! The second disc is a bit disappointing, length-wise, but the game overall is phenomenal. Now I have got to get my hands on the original Super Nintendo game. The story line in Chrono Cross is so intricate and well thought out, I assume a great deal of it connects to Chrono Trigger as well. I am so blown away by this game there are not even enough words to describe it. I am sure every game I play from here on out will pale in comparison. I wish I could play this game forever! If you are an RPG lover, you have got to play this game. It can not be missed! And you will not be disappointed.

Chrono Cross is the greatest game in history

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 29 / 41
Date: July 27, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I played the Japanese version of this game and I am also an old fan of Chrono Trigger for SNES and I'm telling you that this game is a must-buy if you value your sanity. The graphics are outstanding and the battles are fun just like in CT. The story is also outstanding and you'll feel all nostalgic when you hear references from CT in CC (the Masamune sword and Magus's sister Schala just to name a few of the returning faces). This game also features about 40 characters to play and the hottest Squaresoft heroine ever, Kid (yeah, she's even hotter than Ayla from CT). Overall this game rocks, so just shut up and buy it if you know what's good for you.

This Game Has No Equal

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 13
Date: November 20, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Chrono Cross is the sequel to one of the greatest RPG's of all time, Chrono Trigger. I played Chrono Trigger on the Super Nintendo five years ago and I have been waiting for the sequel ever since. I hadn't owned a playstation and I had no intentions of buying one, until I played this game at a friends house. I knew immediately that I had to buy it. It was just that good! If your a fan of RPG's, or even if you don't know what an RPG is, you will love this game. Considering the fact that it was made for a 32 bit system, which is now becoming extinct, this game has spectacular graphics and fmv sequences. It has 40 playable characters, it spans 2 dimensions and different time periods, and it has a unique battle system that lets you make combos, use magical attacks, some of which are unique to each character, or even team up your characters for double or triple techs. The greatest thing about this game is that it has about a dozen endings, and a number of different paths to take to reach those endings, which gives it replay value that is out of this world. In fact, playing it a second time is a necessity. The bottom line is, this game is a must have and is well worth every penny you pay for it. Even with the 128 bit Playstation 2 coming out, I don't think that they will be able to top this game for at least a few more years. If you don't believe me, rent it, what have you got to lose.

Very Fun!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 17 / 22
Date: June 23, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I have played the Japanese version a little, And even though I didn't understand what they were saying, the game was a blast! If you liked either Crono Trigger, or Xenogears, You'll love Crono Cross! Square Soft dose not disapoint with this sequel, nor is it just the same as the first game, with different maps and better graphics(but yes, the graphics are spectacular!) This game is fresh looking. Square Soft has taken the best parts of all of there previous games and melded them togeather into something unique! This game is a definite buy!

I Can't Believe I Took Time Off To Write This Review

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: August 22, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This game is great! ... BUY IT! The graphics and CG scences are absolutly spectacular and the music and sound effects really at times can, by itself, give an adreline rush, but at other times really touch your heart. The intro is fabulously done and gives a great preview of what to expect in the game. Chrono Cross' world is extremly colorful and looks splendid. The battle system may seem a little complicated in the beginning, but once you get done the basics, you will WANT to fight, especially if you have special moves itching to be pulled off. Even you don't want to fight for some bizarre reason, you can just avoid the enemies. I am not critcizing Final Fantasy or anything, but this is a real godsend for those who play deep into the night and are sleepy and don't feel like fighting till tomorrow. The New Game+ is another bright innovation. The 40+ characters and over 10 endings are another giant leap in the RPG genre. Depending on who you pick and the choices that you make, will lead you to a different ending each time. There are multitudes of paths that you can chose so the replay value automatically skyrockets. In conclusion, this game is definitly worth buying because you will fall in love almost instanteously with it. Forget renting, just BUY BUY BUY!

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