I enjoyed the game a lot the only real problem I had with it was Spoiler Warning! Highlight to read: [It killed off everyone from CT] I loved the music, visual themes and graphics, and though most characters were not fleshed out, many struck my interest. The plot did keep me entranced when I first played it, even with said issue. Though, I have never really felt like picking it up again.

What crappiness are you referring to?

I think it may have aged poorly. Though I'm not sure why it would.

When I played it, I loved the hell out of this game. I'm sure I played it through at least four or five times to pick up everything. To this day I still have trouble understanding why people dislike it.

Especially since people's problems are detailed as "crappiness". As for your issue, Nels, I really don't see how it is relevant. Your expectations for Chrono Cross may have colored your disapproval of that particular decision, but from a context of the game world it was a concession that the point was even addressed.

Of course, Spoiler Warning! Highlight to read: [I could always argue that the ghosts of the CT crew who appear are not actually the original CT cast. They appear rather young, after all--the Chrono Trigger party was in its teens (or hundreds, in the case of Robo; thirties in the case of Frog and Ayla). One could easily put forth an argument suggesting that those spirits are a facet of the parallel universe which was destroyed along with Lavos.]

Last edited by Ziyad on March 09, 2008

More spoiler discussion: Spoiler Warning! Highlight to read: [It isn't relevant to a review of the game. It was the only thing that I ended up being displeased with later. When I finished the game, I thought: wow that was awesome. All the twists involving FATE dazzled me. The use of the CT characters really got me hooked. But about year after beating it, the use just didn't sit very well with me anymore. Might mean I need to replay it, to sort out the confusion. Time travel is all ways a tricky business.]

Weeeelll, maybe I overreacted a little bit. It's just that I recently beat Chrono Trigger for the 124921th time and it's probably my favourite Square title of all time.
It has it own very special magical thing to it, and I feel like C. Cross is missing that magic. Big time.
The characters are o_O, the battle (system, graphics, design) just plain sucks and somehow the story feels like it was written by a 5-year old C. Trigger fanboy.
But anyhow, thanks to your spoiler-filled-responses, I will give this game a second (actually third) chance. :)

Last edited by tiamat on March 10, 2008

Did anyone who went into this game expecting Chrono Trigger II come out of it with appreciation!?

Chrono Trigger was a unique experience that will probably never again be emulated (though they may try...). Even if the original team reunited, and this is practically impossible given how many are in different places now, can even these people rekindle the fires they originally wrought? If this is what they were attempting with Blue Dragon, they failed (I hear); Xenogears didn't come close to capturing Chrono Trigger's whimsy and finesse... what else...? A few months ago I mentioned how Final Fantasy X-2 was argued as the closest thing to Chrono Trigger, though I never played FFX-2 so I couldn't agree.

I am surprised you say the graphics suck. You must be spoiled by our new fangled gaming systems, because Chrono Cross literally had the best graphics the PS could offer.

I meant the graphics, design and animation (and MUSIC!) IN BATTLES suck. The rest of the game is full of rich colours and beautiful graphics, no doubt. And yeah, the newest gaming system I have is the psx.

Wow, seriously? Not a fan of Mitsuda? I still listen to that soundtrack regularly.

No actually I am a fan. And most of the C. Cross soundtrack is decent or awesome. But the battle theme is horrible imo..

Hello, I am back.

Yes, I agree the Chrono Cross regular battle music is hard to appreciate because it's so high pitched. I prefer battle music to take a low key profile given that you have to listen to it so often. The boss battle music does a much better job in that regard.

Actually, I like Chrono Cross, the story line was different, a huge variety of characters, multiple endings, replayability, and good graphics. Yeah there were issues but still it was enjoyable.

In all my years of trolling Chrono Cross, I've come to the conclusion that its a decent -unfinished- game that becomes mediocre when compared to Chrono Trigger.

The music is fantastic though, the only weak theme being the battle song.

It doesn't help that compared to Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross plays out in a relentlessly bleak and humorless way (referring to previous comment about CT's whimsy and finesse).

I also consider "changing fate through time travel" a more appealing trope (kind of a slam dunk for CT as I do not recall any other SNES/SFC RPG utilizing it)... well one less opaque than "resisting FATE across parallel dimensions."

Chrono Cross is a really good game. I agree it is sort of annoying at times, but it is a great story line, it didn't go off to much from Chrono trigger and it has a great Soundtrack.