If you had asked me back in 2000, I would have without hesitation said that my favourite game of all time is Chrono Trigger. The story was grand and spanned millions of years, the characters were memorable, the villains were bad-ass, the visual style was great, it had multiple endings, it had the best soundtrack of any game in history, the main characters crossed time and space in a flying steampunk time machine I mean holy fucking shit right there, and oh yeah, the global threat to humanity managed to kill the main character halfway through the game spoiler warning.
I've played it all the way through several times over the years, and I completed it yet again just recently. I played until completion, even though I know by heart where everything is -- every secret location, every hidden item, every hidden bit of dialogue, every Easter Egg. I took my time with the game and with the story, and when it was all over...
Well, as a rational adult, how did I like it?
The story of Chrono Trigger is essentially about friends who, because of an experiment gone awry, are dragged through time, discover that the future of the world is one of destruction and a lasting darkness, and of their subsequent efforts - however futile they may turn out to be - in trying to prevent the impending disaster. The narrative spans millions of years, includes characters from multiple eras and time-lines, and makes good use of the device of time travel in solving problems. This use of time travel also paves the way for the coexistence of magic and advanced technology, and the overall theme of the game could be described as science fiction fantasy.
The cosmic entity known as Lavos is the being ultimately responsible for the destruction of the world, and its existence is the catalyst for all the events in the game. The first time Lavos is seen, it is in a recording played back on a dying computer screen amidst the crumbling ruins of civilization as it emerges from the earth and begins to tear the world asunder.
The characters are well-defined, their motivations are clear, and their back stories - revealed slowly over time - are often powerful and lend real weight to their actions. It's a huge story, ripe with premonitions and subtle twists that unfold over time, and it has generally great build-up and excellent pay-off.
And the first minute of the game features the main character Crono waking up in his bed, petting his cat, and going downstairs to his mom to collect his allowance.
...
Without the nostalgia goggles, Chrono Trigger is a Japanese RPG about teenagers saving the world. They pose their way through danger, acquire magic powers from a Furby, bring hope to the people of a dying future through sheer unbridled optimism, and battle an eldritch abomination. Oh, and the main character is a mute.
No, really. That's the core of this universally idolized video game.
Logically, I should hate this game. In most incarnations, I do: Final Fantasy past number seven are all pretty much that, and they are almost universally prime examples of the systematic assassination of subtlety, character development, literary quality, storytelling, and common sense. The stories are awful, the plot is ridiculous, and the main characters are bumbling schoolgirls and whiny, socially inept and temporally challenged morons who for the good of all mankind should be dumped on a secluded island teeming with ravenous mutant Chocobos. Think Jurassic Park with nothing but lawyers and T-Rexes.
What gets to me about Final Fantasy more than anything, though, is that these inept, bumbling, hormone-filled teenagers are the sole hope of the entire world. Really. This is the A team. These are our heroes. We can't have a team of ancient cyborg ninjas. Instead, make way for Justin-Bieber-haircut-boy and a cast of people who alternatively revere and ridicule him.
To be fair, Chrono Trigger never got bad in the story department, and the characters aren't complete dicks on toast, so maybe it's unfair to bring up some of the worst that JRPGs have to offer when making references to the story and overall theme. Actually, the story in Chrono Trigger is genuinely epic enough to warrant the use of the word, and while it does have its silly moments, it also has a lot of weight to it.
So I'm not saying the story is bad. I'm saying the premise should make it hard to take it seriously.
I'll step away from the actual game for a minute to talk generalities. The theme of young teenagers embarking - willingly or unwillingly - on a quest to save the world is a very common theme in many works of fiction, but it is especially prevalent in JRPGs. Young people just eat this stuff up, and this game was obviously no exception. When you're a teenager, the idea of an amazing, memorable adventure with amazingly kick-ass friends and your own robot is extremely appealing.
As an adult, however, you start to question certain things, like "why the fuck are these people trusted to carry the Sword of a Thousand Truths?" I mean, Final Fantasy games universally take place in worlds inhabited by significantly powerful players who all sit back and leave the fate of the known universe in the obviously inept hands of a group of small-minded, fashionably-challenged, superfluous-to-the-story, awkwardly-flirting youths whose final plan for victory is believing really hard in love and friendship? Why does ANYONE think this is good storytelling?! WHY DO YOU PEOPLE LIKE THESE GAMES!?
FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUC
Still, in the case of Chrono Trigger, it's not about horrible characterization, never-ending ineptitude, or characters being obviously superfluous to the story. It's just that at no point in the game does the Old Man at the End of Time go, "You know what? This is getting a little too rough for you kids. Maybe we should find some ancient cyborg ninjas to battle the endless minions of evil. I mean, this is the fate of the entire world we're talking about, right? Hell, the mental stress alone must be overwhelming!"
But, no. There's no mental stress. The ancient cyborg ninjas aren't called in. But maybe that's for the best, as they would obviously lack the power of... friendship?
This kind of stuff usually takes me out of the story in a big way. I'm a big fan of that word immersion when talking about video games, and RPGs need a lot of it to be truly great. This whole teens saving the world stuff is illogical, and thus immersion-breaking, for rational adults.
But, here's the kicker. I wasn't a kid when I played this game. I was 18 years old. I was into adult and intelligent science fiction at the time. So why - if I didn't care before - am I bringing it up now?
I don't know. I guess I thought it deserved a mention, considering it's really the heart of the game. Maybe I willingly overlook it, or maybe the main character has sufficient room to mentally project myself into to the extent that it doesn't matter, or maybe I just thought it symbolised the childish innocence of the protagonist before he is thrust into a world with little time and little hope. The first imagery of a shattered world in 2300AD becomes particularly powerful when set against the vibrant life of 1000AD. It's a very effective literary device.
Or maybe I'm just making excuses.
In the end, I don't care. I admit it: Chrono Trigger is the exception for me, but I couldn't tell you why. I just know that the way the characters act and talk makes me like them instead of hate them, and I have a genuine desire to see them succeed. In the world of JRPGs, that's got to be worth a goddamned trophy or something.
I can't get through a topic on Chrono Trigger without mentioning the music at least once, and it deserves this mention.
A little history: Three high profile designers were present in the making of this game: Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Square's Final Fantasy series; Yuji Horii, creator of Dragon Quest; and Akira Toriyama, famed for his work on Dragon Ball. For their combined artistic excellence and achievement, and for what they accomplished in Chrono Trigger, Square dubbed this the Dream Team.
It is a shame that music composer Yasunori Mitsuda is not included in that list.
What strikes you immediately in the game, right alongside the visual art style, is the superbly atmospheric music. In fact, the music drives the game forward in a powerful way. There is only written dialogue, so emotion has to be conveyed through music alone. Mitsuda succeeded amazingly in this, but at great personal cost; he became physically ill due to overworking and stress, and contracted stomach ulcers. Final Fantasy composer Nobou Uematsu offered to compose the few remaining tracks for the game for Mitsuda, an offer he gratefully accepted.
I follow him on Twitter, even though I have no goddamned clue what he's saying
The end result is a work of freaking art. You play through this game once, you know the musical themes for life. I would happily play the soundtrack by itself, and in so doing I would remember every scene to which the music was set. That's the mark of a masterpiece.
In this regard, nothing has been lost to time. The visuals and the music are still as moving and as powerful as ever. Nostalgia goggles off, I still maintain to this day that it is the best soundtrack to any video game, ever, and it elevates the game to entirely new heights.
On the other hand, one of the protagonists is a talking frog.
Okay, that might sound weird, I'll admit, but some context should sort this out. After all, I'm getting ahead of myself; we have a good way to go before we get to the mighty warrior Frog (seriously). First, we have to locate the robot that eventually learns the power of friendship okay stop.
...
I loved this game for its silly absurdities as much as its epic story, and they didn't feel out of place before. Has that changed at all over time? I swear my brain wants me to say yes. I mean, take Frog. His back-story reveals that his real name was Glenn, and that he was a squire under a great knight named Cyrus. Together, they stood against one of the recurring antagonists of the story, Magus. During the battle, Cyrus was brutally slain in front of a horrified Glenn. In a fit of rage and against Cyrus' dying wish, Glenn attacked Magus, but was easily cast aside. As punishment for his murderous intent, Magus turned Glenn into a frog and summarily threw his frail body off a waterfall.
Having survived his ordeal, Glenn now calls himself Frog, is a master swordsman, and fights to free his lands from darkness.
There are so many questions I should be raising about this, and it surprises even me to find that none of it matters because that story is just plain awesome. The fact that the back stories are presented in such a great fashion as they are also helps a lot, as does the fact that over the course of the game, Frog eventually finds closure with Cyrus. He stops blaming himself for the death of his friend, and makes peace with himself and the knowledge that he'll remain a frog forever. It's weirdly compelling.
Also, Frog finds the legendary Masamune and cuts an entire mountain in half. I'd have questions about that, too, if I didn't just fucking orgasm.
Robo the robot (seriously, just roll with it) is found and salvaged during the lead protagonists' adventures in the distant future, and he, too, is similarly built up over time, with a full back story culminating with fighting his best friend to the death, rebelling against his programming in order to side with his friends, and destroying the SHODAN-like Mother Brain. And again it's completely awesome and defines him as a character.
So, to recap: Three young teenagers are sucked through a time portal to the past where one of them is mistaken for the missing queen, then to the future where they race a jetbike against a robot named Johnny, help the remnants of humanity regain their hope for the future through sheer unbridled optimism, find another robot they cleverly call Robo who slowly learns the value of friendship, discover that the world will end in a cataclysmic event, travel to the End of Time where they learn magic from a Furby, then go back in time in order to defeat an evil wizard alongside a master swordsman named Frog who is an actual frog...
...and it's all kinds of awesome?
So you hit Magus with a frog until he falls over.
Sorry, I forgot to mention: Magus is the big evil wizard I was talking about. He was trying to summon Lavos so that he could nefariously defeat the cosmic monstrosity once and for all, thus saving the world and avenging his sis-- wait, what?
Yeah. Turns out Magus is from a technologically advanced and magically-inclined Atlantis-like civilization from 12,000 BC. Their rulers tried to harness the power of Lavos, which went about as well as you'd expect. Magus loses his sister and his home in the conflict, and is forever banished from his own time. Now a grown man of significant power, he - as the only being powerful enough to even attempt it - prepares to fight Lavos to the death for the sake of revenge and the salvation of mankind. To do this, he sacrifices countless innocent lives in conflict and strife to fuel his needs and draw the attention of Lavos.
So when you kick down his door and challenge him to honourable 3v1 single combat, summarily interrupting his ritual and banishment spell, things go to hell in a hand-basket, and you're spirited away to the past where you meet the badass female reptile-puncher Ayla, because apparently 65 million years ago humans and dinosaurs were taking turns beating the crap out of each other.
I told you this gets awesome.
This is also where you witness the arrival of Lavos on Earth first hand, in the form of a comet plummeting from the sky and burrowing deep into the earth, there to slumber for millions of years until the stars aid in its escape, and--
Wait. I think I got my mythoi confused.
So the game has you hopping from period to period, meeting new characters and solving Lavos-related problems along the way, until a chance occurrence drops you into 12,000 BC where you fail to stop the corrupt rulers of the land and LAVOS AWAKENS AND FUCKING KILLS YOU.
Where's your friendship now?
It's at this point that I look back on everything that's happened and realize it all sounds vaguely familiar. Specifically the part about the evil wizard and brooding anti-hero, the cosmic monstrosity from beyond time and space, the talking frog, the inventor friend, the robot that learns the meaning of friendship, the teenagers fighting to save the world, the army of darkness, the floating mountains, the ancient civilization, the Masamune, the post-apocalyptic future, and the bit about time travel. This vague sense of familiarity probably comes from having read anything ever.
That's probably also why I was able to deduce that the main character wasn't going to stay dead.
Not a bad feat of deduction, actually, considering I only had moments to come to this conclusion before I was given the "Chrono Trigger", an egg said to have the power to bring people back to life, but only if you believe really hard in love and friendsh--
This used to be so easy, you know? Just play a game and enjoy it for what it is. But then I played Planescape: Torment, which pretty much ruined gaming for me forever. I mean... damn. I'd write about that game, next, if I thought I'd be able to stop.
Meanwhile, I look at Chrono Trigger, and I can easily see why some people can't quite get past the premise. The story only works because it doesn't take itself too seriously, and it's full of absurdities and clichés. Some people just want more than that. I don't have to bring up my relationship with Final Fucking Fantasy again, do I?
You travel to the grim darkness of the future and give hope to a dying people -- clearly a vital act of humanitarianism before running off again to try to make sure the future never happens in the first place.
You travel to the End of Time, where a Furby teaches you magic so that you can go back in time to stop Magus from summoning Lavos, preventing all the time rifts in the first place.
Oh, and, Marle, your hot tomboy friend? Yeah, turns out she's your time's Princess Nadia, so when she is inadvertently dragged back in time a few hundred years, she is mistaken for that era's missing queen (her ancestor), but because everyone now thinks that the missing queen has been found they call off the search, which means that the real queen was never rescued, and since she was never rescued Marle no longer has an ancestor, and since Marle can no longer technically exist, she explodes.
What? She gets better.
But in fairness, even though you know the main character will probably be able to come back (because, you know, time travel), you do have to go to hell and back before you can even attempt it. During this time, you actually get some pretty heart-warming moments where your friends are really feeling your loss, Marle taking it particularly hard. That's why it's that much cooler that it's Marle who rallies everyone's spirits, and they vow to do whatever it takes to bring you back, even should the attempt ultimately prove futile.
Did I mention this game has multiple endings?
So you go through hell and back, banging your head against the monitor after losing one of the mini-games for the 5th fucking time in a row just so you can get a fucking Dopple doll, finally get everything ready, then traverse Death Peak, the only place in the world where the Chrono Trigger might conceivably be used, banging your head against the monitor some more when you get raped by the Lavos spawn, lose your way, and fall off the fucking mountain.
Finally, you make it to the top, activate the egg, and watch it shatter with no effect.
Wait.
What?
You mean we went through all that fucking work all this fucking time, getting the impossible fucking Dopple doll, climbing the hardest fucking mountain in the game, getting raped by fucking Bowser, enduring Marle's endless optimism, falling off the fucking windy cliffs, climbing back up again, and navigating this impossible fucking place, all for nothing?
Oh, of course not. Because (say it with me now) only then, when it seems like all is lost, the world shifts, and you are presented with a moment, frozen in time: the instant before Crono is vaporized by Lavos. As you replace him with the dummy replica, the world shifts back to Death Peak, and there - on the ground - is Crono, waking up as from a long sleep, tearfully reunited with his companions and god fucking damn it why are there tears in my eyes?, I mean the main character was obviously going to be all right, right, and oh great now they're hugging and oh what the fuck why am I smiling?! WHY AM I CRYING?!
god damn it son of a bitch i'm a grown man i swear to fucking god
So, that pretty much clinches it. The nostalgia goggles win, and I concede defeat at the hands of the spectacular set-up and amazing storytelling that got us to this point. Suddenly, even the thought of possible failure and inevitable doom is made less bitter, less final, because of this one moment in time, a moment that will endure through the destruction of the world and into the infinite void beyond.
And THEN you get a MOTHERFUCKING FLYING STEAMPUNK TIME MACHINE
YOU USE IT TO TRAVERSE SPACE AND TIME TO SOLVE PROBLEMS WHILE YOU PREPARE FOR THE FINAL SHOWDOWN WITH THE COSMIC HORROR IN THE FLOATING FUCKING SPACE FORTRESS
AM I GETTING THROUGH TO YOU PEOPLE AT ALL
And so, in conceding defeat, I love it all, every last absurd and completely awesome minute of it. I love the tomboy princess. I love the robot that learns emotions. I love the brooding anti-hero. I love the floating mountains. I love the frog and his back-story. I love the epic goddamned music. I love the motherfucking flying steampunk time machine and the final showdown with the cosmic horror in the floating space fortress. There was not a moment, not a single instant during my entire recent play-through where I felt removed from the experience through any of the game's faults, aware of them though I am. I had only memories of playing this game for the first time that cold Norwegian winter morning and being blown away, and re-living those moments again under the spell of such nostalgia was an experience I wish I could share with everyone.
Of course you end up saving the world, and are rewarded with the bitter-sweet ending where all your companions are forced to return to their own time before the portals close forever. You say your goodbyes, you watch them leave, and you remain with your memories. Roll credits.
As an old man, I am aware of this game's faults.
As an old man, I still love it unconditionally.
Final thoughts. I started by saying that, in 2000, I would not even hesitate in saying that Chrono Trigger is my favourite game of all time. So, then, as a rational adult, what's my favourite game now?
It's harder to answer, and usually involves disclaimer phrases like "in terms of storytelling" and "in this particular genre". Planescape: Torment is mind-blowing in terms of scope, story, and characterization. Team Fortress 2 is the game I play on and off the most. Eternal Darkness is there because I'm a sucker for Lovecraftian horror. Silent Hill 2 in terms of storytelling (see?). The Elder Scrolls games are great gaming experiences and remain my favourite games in their genre (told you). StarCraft remains the greatest and most exciting exhibition of skill in the world of eSports.
But whenever I don my rose-tinted spectacles, it's an easy question to answer.
You get a motherfucking flying steampunk time machine.
Author's day-after note:
Holy shit, this got spotlighted.
To everyone who replied with enthusiasm: You guys are awesome, and I'm really happy that so many of you found this to be a worthwhile read. You also completely broke my Dropbox account where I stored all the audio files for this article! TeamLiquid, you just owned my 250GB/day bandwidth cap. And that's awesome.
Real talk, the music is pretty good and fits well, the sprites and overall graphics presentation still hold up well, the dungeon/map layout and scenario planning is not bad, it doesn't have random encounters, and the ATB battle system with dual/triple techs is fun (though too easy).
The plot is what it is, and like most games of the era, it didn't try to take itself too seriously and generate really-super-long cutscenes with painful dialogue and/or voice acting. That's a plus for sure.
loved this game as a kid, and i'm sure if i actually had time to play through a rpg these days nothing will have changed. definitely one of the my favorite games.
Honestly when I first played Chrono Trigger back in ~2001 I hated it. It wasn't until I went back to play it much later that I realized how good this game is.
I recall playing it for the first time when I was I guess like 13-14 years old. I remember getting stuck in Robo's era and quit playing after already putting in quite some hours (I actually thought that I was nearing the end of the game.. When I had barely started)
Downloaded it again few years later and played the shit out of it, was so awesome to realize I hadn't even scratched the surface just going to Robo's era.
This used to be so easy, you know? Just play a game and enjoy it for what it is. But then I played Planescape: Torment, which pretty much ruined gaming for me forever. I mean... damn. I'd write about that game, next, if I thought I'd be able to stop.
Please do it. God, this whole thing had me nodding the whole way.
Fantastic read, easily my favorite game of all time with one of the best soundtracks ever produced. Those guys took a platform and pushed it to the limits with how well they could immerse you into the story telling. Gonna go replay now!
I played this like 2-3 years ago (so at the age of ~25) and... well... I just wasn't that impressed?
Sure, it was good, parts were very good... But I just did not see what set this apart from other "good" JRPGS (so FF10 and fucking Tidus stay pls outside and cut yourself) except iirc that the difficulty scaling in Chrono Trigger seemed really good (it was by no means hard, but you couldn't cruise thru it on autopilot ).
I'm sure if I would have played this when it was "fresh" I would have loved it... But now, I just don't see what sets this apart from Breath of Fire 2, the old Final Fantasies or "other" good SNES JRPG's...
Btw: I played Secret of Mana 2 also "recently" and aside from the grind with the Manabeasts, which made me stop playing, I felt it was the better game.
brings to mind Umberto Eco giving a glowing review of the Harry Potter series (sketchy translation careful)
they have achieved continual success because the author - and I'm not sure if she educated herself highly with this intention, or simply has prodigious instincts - was able to stage some truly archetypal narrative situations.
You seem to have forgotten that just because elements like friendship power or the misfit protagonist are common to essentially bad games like the last several iterations of Final Fantasy doesn't mean they're what's fucking things up. How many awful fantasy novels were built with the same components that made up Harry Potter? Take your criticism to the next level bro, and recognize that you can build a great game out of all these things you say you hate. Set a beautiful diamond badly and you've got an ugly ring.
On November 14 2011 18:15 UniversalSnip wrote: brings to mind Umberto Eco giving a glowing review of the Harry Potter series (sketchy translation careful)
they have achieved continual success because the author - and I'm not sure if she educated herself highly with this intention, or simply has prodigious instincts - was able to stage some truly archetypal narrative situations.
You seem to have forgotten that just because elements like friendship power or the misfit protagonist are common to essentially bad games like the last several iterations of Final Fantasy doesn't mean they're what's fucking things up. How many awful fantasy novels were built with the same components that made up Harry Potter? Take your criticism to the next level bro, and recognize that you can build a great game out of all these things you say you hate. Set a beautiful diamond badly and you've got an ugly ring.
Dude.
I watch My Little Pony.
Trust me. It's not the Friendship Power or misfit protagonists I have a problem with.
If it was, why would I love Chrono Trigger?
Final Fantasy past number seven are all pretty much that, and they are almost universally prime examples of the systematic assassination of subtlety, character development, literary quality, storytelling, and common sense. The stories are awful, the plot is ridiculous, and the main characters are bumbling schoolgirls and whiny, socially inept and temporally challenged morons...
I then made the point that Chrono Trigger's story is good, and completely awesome in places, and said that I genuinely like these characters. Which makes me ask... did you even read my post at all?
Edit: In other news, Dropbox just complained about excessive traffic on the music.
Well, that sucks.
Edit 2: Oh well, I wanted to upgrade my account anyway. Fixed.
On November 14 2011 18:15 UniversalSnip wrote: brings to mind Umberto Eco giving a glowing review of the Harry Potter series (sketchy translation careful)
they have achieved continual success because the author - and I'm not sure if she educated herself highly with this intention, or simply has prodigious instincts - was able to stage some truly archetypal narrative situations.
You seem to have forgotten that just because elements like friendship power or the misfit protagonist are common to essentially bad games like the last several iterations of Final Fantasy doesn't mean they're what's fucking things up. How many awful fantasy novels were built with the same components that made up Harry Potter? Take your criticism to the next level bro, and recognize that you can build a great game out of all these things you say you hate. Set a beautiful diamond badly and you've got an ugly ring.
Dude.
I watch My Little Pony.
Trust me. It's not the Friendship Power or misfit protagonists I have a problem with.
Final Fantasy past number seven are all pretty much that, and they are almost universally prime examples of the systematic assassination of subtlety, character development, literary quality, storytelling, and common sense. The stories are awful, the plot is ridiculous, and the main characters are bumbling schoolgirls and whiny, socially inept and temporally challenged morons...
So... did you read my post at all?
I might ask the same question of you. I mean, the whole theme of your review is how inexplicably good this game is despite these things. I guess that's not what you actually think, it's just a literary pose, so I won't argue with you anymore.
On November 14 2011 17:35 ZaplinG wrote: ever play chrono cross?
Alas, no! Which is strange, I guess, but I just never got around to. It seems to be alternately loved or hated by fans of CT, though. What did you think of it?
On November 14 2011 17:50 MrHoon wrote: up to this day, there has never been a game music more memorable to me than the 500 ad overworld song
I've met some people who disliked Chrono Trigger, but I have yet met one man or woman who claimed Chrono Trigger had bad music.
Same here. The soundtrack is just that phenomenal!
On November 14 2011 18:36 UniversalSnip wrote: I might ask the same question of you. I mean, the whole theme of your review is how inexplicably good this game is despite these things. I guess that's not what you actually think, it's just a literary pose, so I won't argue with you anymore.
If you think that, then I failed in my writing and I should work on that. My point was that the game is really good despite incidentally having elements that are typically a solid indication of it being crap. Moreover, logic failure is always a good way to take me out of the game, read:
"Without the nostalgia goggles, Chrono Trigger is a Japanese RPG about teenagers saving the world. They pose their way through danger, acquire magic powers from a Furby, bring hope to the people of a dying future through sheer unbridled optimism, and battle an eldritch abomination. Oh, and the main character is a mute."
and
"Still, in the case of Chrono Trigger, it's not about horrible characterization, never-ending ineptitude, or characters being obviously superfluous to the story. It's just that at no point in the game does the Old Man at the End of Time go, "You know what? This is getting a little too rough for you kids. Maybe we should find some ancient cyborg ninjas to battle the endless minions of evil. I mean, this is the fate of the entire world we're talking about, right? Hell, the mental stress alone must be overwhelming!""
That was the point. And then I made the point that, while I logically have a problem with this, it didn't detract from the experience for me, be it because of nostalgia or because the characters are simply entertaining (which I claimed, going against your argument that I think these elements are always horrible).
The tirade against Final Fantasy was because of the horrible characterization, endless logic failures, and all the other stuff I complained about in my retrospective.
If you took something else from it, sufficient to attack me out of an erroneous belief that I think these elements are always terrible (they aren't, but it heavily depends on the genre), then you either misread or I was unclear.
Thanks for the comments and compliments, everyone. I'm really glad you liked my little retrospective. This obviously wasn't a review, but rather a writing exercise, spotlighting one of my favourite gaming experiences without going into too much detail. Hopefully it was worth the read despite its length. =)
CHRONO FUCKING TRIGGER <3 YES. YES YES. you got it! I wanted to do a CT blog because I haven't seen one yet, wow man I am proud of this and read word to word. FUCK YEAH. THE MUSIC man THE MUSIC so good that they performed an orchestral version of the theme song!
ultra long blog, though reminded me of my time with the game, it was a really fun and i grinded it to death after beating it 4-5 times (not endings but complete runthroughs)
On November 14 2011 16:22 Myrmidon wrote: Real talk, the music is pretty good and fits well, the sprites and overall graphics presentation still hold up well, the dungeon/map layout and scenario planning is not bad, it doesn't have random encounters, and the ATB battle system with dual/triple techs is fun (though too easy).
The plot is what it is, and like most games of the era, it didn't try to take itself too seriously and generate really-super-long cutscenes with painful dialogue and/or voice acting. That's a plus for sure.
100% agreed with this post, the difficulty was too easy even skimping on levels but the battle system was simple, plot was great and entertaining and had lots of awesome endings, and great music too
it's too bad that square-enix just churns out whatever crap they have for final fantasies, i feel like they try to draw off of gimmicky cut scenes, fashion, voice acting, and what not which dont make a great game at all.
yea ive had a love affair with chrono trigger for the majority of my life. and Ive ratned about it on multiple occasions with my friends and most of them go back and play it on rom and are lik wtf? game so short and not much going on. I stepped back and realized that they were right. but i still fucking loved the game unconditionally. its just so amazing for me and I have no idea why.
oh and the OST has to be one of the best in all of video game history. when I hear it I literally play through the game in my head. people make fun of it for being remixed so much on ocremix.org, but there is a reason why. when you are handed the best sample material ever, you just keep using it.
chrono trigger fans I know I cry a little inside everytime I hear this song and I hope you do too.
it was a really fun and i grinded it to death after beating it 4-5 times (not endings but complete runthroughs)
it makes me sad to think about all the times ive played through this game. pretty much since i first played it 12 years ago, Ive played it at least every 2 years and on multiple occasions multiple times through for probably around 20-25 times total. most of the time I am inspired by hearing the music to replay it again >_< seriously the music is just that good for me.
On November 14 2011 21:02 Aelonius wrote: People like you are the reason I come to TL. <3
On November 14 2011 18:15 UniversalSnip wrote: brings to mind Umberto Eco giving a glowing review of the Harry Potter series (sketchy translation careful)
they have achieved continual success because the author - and I'm not sure if she educated herself highly with this intention, or simply has prodigious instincts - was able to stage some truly archetypal narrative situations.
You seem to have forgotten that just because elements like friendship power or the misfit protagonist are common to essentially bad games like the last several iterations of Final Fantasy doesn't mean they're what's fucking things up. How many awful fantasy novels were built with the same components that made up Harry Potter? Take your criticism to the next level bro, and recognize that you can build a great game out of all these things you say you hate. Set a beautiful diamond badly and you've got an ugly ring.
Dude.
I watch My Little Pony.
Trust me. It's not the Friendship Power or misfit protagonists I have a problem with.
If it was, why would I love Chrono Trigger?
Final Fantasy past number seven are all pretty much that, and they are almost universally prime examples of the systematic assassination of subtlety, character development, literary quality, storytelling, and common sense. The stories are awful, the plot is ridiculous, and the main characters are bumbling schoolgirls and whiny, socially inept and temporally challenged morons...
So... did you read my post at all?
I might ask the same question of you. I mean, the whole theme of your review is how inexplicably good this game is despite these things. I guess that's not what you actually think, it's just a literary pose, so I won't argue with you anymore.
I also came away with this impression and had my confusion alleviated highly by reading the comments.
I got a copy of chrono trigger from Mr. Vargas, my grade 9 cooking teacher. My friend and I blitzed the game, playing 27 hours straight. I ended up fighting the end boss, and winning, while vastly underpowered. I then returned the game and never played it again. Something tells me that I should get this game and give it the time it deserves this christmas vacation.
Great blog. I think there is much to be said about how nostalgia romanticizes our view of things we liked in the past, but the reason we were so moved by them is because in the context of that era in gaming, Chrono Trigger was this incredibly high-end experience. It had older producers of games, newer guys, it was a huge collaborative effort unlike the routine programmings of Final Fantasies and Dragon Quests at the time for Japanese developers. It was a tremendous undertaking to create. The replay value was incredible, still is, most people can say they played through it again still enjoying it. I had 87 rainbow swords on my original save for Christ's sake.
This is how I view art, by it's limitations. People judge games now from the past, is a bit like putting on a different pair of goggles, and it isn't very fair.
It's like people that don't like Chiptunes music, they don't understand the beauty lies in the limitations the artist had to struggle with to make his vision fit the medium.
Thanks for spoiler warning. 2/5 for that, otherwise great read. Sadly I have had CT spoiled and will not be able to play it for 5 years when I forget this.
I fucking love this game. Its so classic and great. Not many people i talk to know of it but the ones that do, can swear is a game that stays with you for a bit. I remember beating that game like 3-4 times back in my middle and high school days. Damn frog and girl is pretty nasty also.
I remember when my friend of 3/4 years older was playing it at his house when Super Famicon was the thing of the day; i had no clue what it was about, but I knew I had to play. When I did, loved it!!
Final Fantasy 6 Chrono Trigger Breath of Fire 4 I have my fondest childhood memorys from those games. People can talk about nostalgia all they want,but those old games were so minimalistic in their visual presentation,yet they were so deep and so engaging like rarely any game after them. As people say that there are movies that you have to watch before you die,I would definitely say,as a gamer you have to give these old games a shot,they are worth every hour you spend in their world.
I remember playing Chrono Trigger a few years ago for the first time and absolutely loving it. I'm not really a fan of RPGs in general but chrono trigger had this amazing charm that made you love it no matter what. Chrono Trigger and FF6 are pretty much the only 2 J-RPG that I have really enjoyed and that i still play regurlaly.
I can't tell if this ruined my whole view of the Chrono Trigger or if it really is as awesome I remembered it in every way possible. Guess I have to play it again and find out :o
This used to be so easy, you know? Just play a game and enjoy it for what it is. But then I played Planescape: Torment, which pretty much ruined gaming for me forever. I mean... damn. I'd write about that game, next, if I thought I'd be able to stop.
Oh please do. It's not only the most underestimated, but also possibly the best CRPG/computer-game-in-general ever made <3
I gave you a 5/5 because it was well written and because it had a picture of Torg from Sluggy in it, not because I agree with you. That's ok though, we can all have different opinions about games. I just don't see the horrible characterization that you speak about.
SPOILERS BELOW
I'll use two examples to make my point: Final Fantasy IX and Final Fantasy X. I'll admit that the main character of Final Fantasy X is not the best main character, and I am not really a fan of his weird and awesome emo hair. But I don't think the central plot doesn't make sense. You have this giant monster Sin that comes every 10 years to threaten the world with destruction, and the only way these people know to stop it is to sacrifice a summoner to keep it asleep essentially. Then the central conflict between the main characters and the rest of the world happens because they don't want to sacrifice their summoner and they decide to attempt to actually kill Sin. They also become fugitives during this time, and it's not totally crazy since the summoner, Yuna, actually has some pretty damn powerful magics on her side.
Also, despite Tidus's hair, FFX has one of the best WTF moments in that it turns out Tidus isn't even real! He's a dream that was touched by Sin and thus became partly real, but could only live so long as Sin lived. How is that not awesome?
Final Fantasy IX on the other hand had a fairly typical plot for a JRPG. Yes, there were the weird moments with Zidane, the main guy, finding out that he's a spaceship, but it's not as weird as in FFX. And the final boss is literally catered towards the main characters so it also makes sense why it is them, but it's not super neat. The reason FFIX is awesome is because of the characterization. This game is why I can't take your criticism very seriously. I don't think there is a better characterized character in FF games that Vivi Orunitia. For an FF game that relatively few people played and had as their favorite (I did, but it's usually because it is the first FF game you play and most people started with FF7), Vivi still consistently made top 10 favorite character polls on the number of different websites I visited in my peak of FF fanhood. Vivi is one of the few characters in any video game that goes through actual changes and becomes a more mature "person" by the end of the story. He joins the characters sort of by accident, and by the end he has confidence and is actively trying to help them. That is a simple way to put it, but over 3 or 4 discs you can see these small scenes where his character really changes and has these moments of realization. It's an amazing game to play just for Vivi.
Have you played the later FF games? Or did you stop with 7? I realize that the way some of these characters look may be a turn off, but I don't think many of them are actually weak games (except for FF13 that game sucked in everything you said and more).
Amazing read, 5/5, and honestly, I keep thinking some of the same things, but then I start playing the game and just go
...I don't fucking care. This game is fucking amazingly fun.
also, best picture award goes to Tidus "Twinkfag" Lastname, as my friend so appropriately dubbed him when we were playing FF10 for some god-forsaken reason together.
On November 14 2011 18:15 UniversalSnip wrote: You seem to have forgotten that just because elements like friendship power or the misfit protagonist are common to essentially bad games like the last several iterations of Final Fantasy doesn't mean they're what's fucking things up.How many awful fantasy novels were built with the same components that made up Harry Potter?
I can think of atleast seven, they all start with "Harry Potter and the..."
I'm gonna have to get a better read through of this, wow. One of the best RPGs I've ever played and finished, no doubt. My buddy never had a cartridge but it's his favourite game. He ended up buying one off ebay for $150-$200 and this was probably a couple of years back.
You say you hate final fantasy but the game, if you left the names out, was final fantasy exactly. I'll take one quote in your conclusion and compare it to FF9 (my favorite game).
"And so, in conceding defeat, I love it all, every last absurd and completely awesome minute of it. I love the tomboy princess. I love the robot that learns emotions. I love the brooding anti-hero. I love the floating mountains. I love the frog and his back-story. I love the epic goddamned music. I love the motherfucking flying steampunk time machine and the final showdown with the cosmic horror in the floating space fortress."
Tomboy princess -> Dagger anyone? Robot that learns emotions -> Sounds like Vivi right? brooding anti-hero -> Kuja (kept thinking Kerigan, had to look it up lol) floating mountains -> check. Frog -> Cid, turned into a frog (isn't just a talking frog from conception) by his wife. epic music -> checkity check check. flying steampunk time machine you get at the end before the final battle -> Yes that's the same in FF9 as well. final showdown with the cosmic horror in the floating space fortress -> Yea pretty close there too.
The stories seemed exactly the same, your bias is so heavy it angers me. Again, my bias is weighing in too since we're comparing some of our favorite games here. And since Chrono Dagger came out years before FF9 I can only assume FF9 copied all those ideas so I can't say much there. I'm just confused why a big part of your blog was dissing the FF series.
I enjoyed the blog, take the flame away and would have been better, but I do like talking about FF so maybe it was worth it.
You say what we all think. I still listen to frogs theme sometimes as motivation. The music has the same effect on me. I can remember every moment in the game the music is played. I cried when crono was ressurected or when frog powers up the masamune both times. When lucca has to see her mom lose her ability to walk and subsequently be able to prevent it. God I fucking love this game. Ty for this.
5/5 unfortunately my first experience of this game was not on the snes (didnt have one as a kid ) but on the ds remake. there was a lot of hype and anticipation for the remake, but i wasn't clouded by any form of nostalgia. however, given that, i still fucking loved the game and to this day, it remains to be my most favorite rpg.
This is a great blog, One of these days, I'll take the time to actually write something awesome like this. I think there are so many 20 somethings like ourselves that grew up with games like these, 5/5 Thank You.
My name is Gato I have metal joints Beat me up and earn 15 silver points.
I lost you won, here's 15 silver points now wasn't that fun?
Great write up. I feel the same way about FF7 as you do about CT. You have great taste. Chrono trigger shuffled around my top 3 for a long time as a kid, and its still one of the greatest games ever.
Also thank you for pointing out how terrible FF games have been after the Square-Enix merger. <---- HOLY FUCK Thank you
Edit: How did I know that people were gonna defend games like ff9/10 here against masterpieces of human kind like ff6/7/ct loooool it never ends
On November 15 2011 01:46 Ack1027 wrote: Also thank you for pointing out how terrible FF games have been after the Square-Enix merger. <---- HOLY FUCK Thank you
Edit: How did I know that people were gonna defend games like ff9/10 here against masterpieces of human kind like ff6/7/ct loooool it never ends
Well that was a well reasoned response. All those debate classes must have really helped you write that. I especially like the "loooool" at the end, since 5 Os instead 1 really get your point across so much better.
5/5 One of the best blogs I have had the privilege of reading in a long time. Mind you I never played chronotrigger, so now I'm figuring out how I'm going to do that (probably with an emulator) so I too can enjoy the magic. Thanks ^_^
On November 15 2011 01:46 Ack1027 wrote: Also thank you for pointing out how terrible FF games have been after the Square-Enix merger. <---- HOLY FUCK Thank you
Edit: How did I know that people were gonna defend games like ff9/10 here against masterpieces of human kind like ff6/7/ct loooool it never ends
Well that was a well reasoned response. All those debate classes must have really helped you write that. I especially like the "loooool" at the end, since 5 Os instead 1 really get your point across so much better.
You've been here since 2011. There's been many threads where reasonable arguments were made about people in favor and against certain final fantasies. Search them if you want. I made my arguments already. This is the internet....you've never seen these arguments before?
On November 15 2011 01:46 Ack1027 wrote: Also thank you for pointing out how terrible FF games have been after the Square-Enix merger. <---- HOLY FUCK Thank you
Edit: How did I know that people were gonna defend games like ff9/10 here against masterpieces of human kind like ff6/7/ct loooool it never ends
Well that was a well reasoned response. All those debate classes must have really helped you write that. I especially like the "loooool" at the end, since 5 Os instead 1 really get your point across so much better.
You've been here since 2011. There's been many threads where reasonable arguments were made about people in favor and against certain final fantasies. Search them if you want. I made my arguments already. This is the internet....you've never seen these arguments before?
Good thing I said I took debate classes.
I've heard a lot of different reasons why Final Fantasy games are bad. Usually it has to do with the necessary and boring grinding, the linear plot that seems like it might not be linear but in actuality provides you no choice at all, and the feminine looking male protagonists. Characterization has never been one of the criticisms I have heard against FF games since most people generally admit that character writing in the middle to later FFs (everything after the Japanese FF3) is pretty spectacular even when the plot isn't. So no, I haven't seen the particular arguments the OP made before because I don't think they hold water (again with the exception of FF13 which sucked).
Just want to say that, above all, I LOVE your writing style and would read anything you write. Hope you see this before it's all buried under discussions about FF.
Great tribute to a great game. I've been playing through it again recently, and it's all just as awesome as it used to be. Still get giddy every time I get to the part where you reach Zeal for the first time.
Also, great description of the terrible mountain with the Time Egg and all that. Such a pain!
One of my favorite games ever. Chrono Trigger, along with Earthbound and Secret of Mana bring back so many good memories haha...
I think it is important to remember the target audience for the game and the context in where it is being written. I guess it can be easy to look at this as a 20 something year old and question/write off the absurdities of the story and characters. But, like the OP, I can't take off the rose-tinted nostalgia glasses... and I don't want to. This IS an amazing game to me, and I don't think I will ever change that opinion.
Chrono Trigger and FFVII are the greatest JRPGs of all time. Like all the other games that can stand the test of time (e.g. SCBW, Super Metroid, Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros, BG2, etc), a great game does not need dazzling graphics to capture the heart of mass gamers. There are few games that can move the emotion of my grown-up brain and Chrono Trigger is definitely among the top of the list.
Haven't heard At the bottom of the night since 2004, I know the tunes by heart but I still cried a little inside...
I have to say, I feel exactly the same way about almost all the plots of JRPGs. It makes no sense that people keep writing the same stupid story over and over.
Bringing out my nostalgia glasses just reading through it.
Chrono Trigger is still one of those short list of games that I play through on a regular basis after having done so countless times in the past (along with FF6, and the NES dragon warrior games, primarily, though the SNES was a goldmine for RPGs, so there are quite a few there that I've played at least a dozen times).
Liked it a lot, just found it weird and wrong. I dont want to make all the arguments why, but the portraiture the later FF games (7-12) is just not what you described, it was more like the old ones (1-6).
And it is really clear to me that you missed the whole point of Final Fantasy X. Why all the hate for Tidus?
Always heard good things about this game and now i must say..... I need to play this so bad. You sir just gave me something to do for the next few days. Great read.
Aylear the apex of human enlightenment, i'd give alot for a fraction of your writing skills.
Regarding Chrono Trigger i've never played the game but a good friend of mine has been asking me to give it a shot and I might just do that after reading this, not that I need alot of convincing just that when I start these things I get sucked in pretty badly.
He like alot of people in this thread gives the soundtrack very high praise, and from the bits and pieces i've heard its obviously very well done. BGM soundtracks are always a thing that makes a great deal of difference in my enjoyment of a game or movie / series.
This is from the first day I played it, and still; The best game ever, that I have tried. The story at first seem simple and naive, but it turns out to be complicated in an awesome way. I am 24 years old today, and I still love this game every time I play this. Thx for sharing this. I look forward to read one about Chrono Cross.
I quote Motbob... This is awesome, you are awesome. 8/5. Caught myself laughing out loud multiple times, and extremely excited to play. I have a flash card for my DS with Chrono Trigger on it, and it's been on my list to play for years. Well, here I go.
I can't believe I read all of that. Amazing right up and I completely agree when talking about old games. I honestly feel like older games just did some things better than most games do today and feel like newer games sometimes get away with things older games could never get away with.
Epic blog, 10/5. Chrono Trigger is my all-time favorite game, and I think back on it all the time. I'm so glad you mentioned the music; I still whistle Frog's theme constantly, and I get incredibly pumped when I here Magus's theme, even though I haven't played the game since probably '98 or so.
The only thing that you didn't mention that I always think of is the artwork in the court scene. I think that's the prettiest thing I ever saw created with SNES graphics.
Great game, also special mention to the PS1 version they remade which added a bunch of FMV ( i dunno if its the same with the DS version ) and also the very first game to bring the new game + into play! ( Lets start all over again but with most of your items and your level! ) 5/5
The Ozymandias parallel to Magus was so on point, had never even thought about that. Anyways, beautifully done. Even down to the point where the music generally ended right before I started the next one. Amazing.
in a recent stretch i didnt have internet for like a month, installed an Emulator and played throught Chrono trigger and Final Fantasy 3 again. Som many good memories, Had so much fun. great article
As for the game - there is no denying it. We had the privilege to play this game, listen to the music, enjoy the scenery. A lot of the tracks have been on our mp3 players and we've enjoyed the remixes (www.ocremix.org) Though it's hard to compare to newer games (Oblivion's graphics literally take my breath away), it's a game you can revisit and explore with a smile on your face. Ocarina of time, FF7 and a couple more also come to mind. They posses great value and should always be revisited. Because one thing was true - we were all happy when we played them. When life isn't the best, revisiting these games might bring up the feeling of curiosity and joy we had when we were younger. Awakening that part of us might let us see life in a different light.
The time you spent on the blog is truly inspiring. I'm sure we'll see a lot of these quality blogs from now on and it's all thanks to you. Thanks for sharing. Say what you want about FFX, but there's no denying the soundtrack. Both the OST and the Piano versions are some of the best ever made (top 3 for sure) compared to other video games.
Honestly, it's a great game even without nostalgia goggles.
I never played it as a kid, because I went straight from NES to N64. But when I went back to play it on an emulator a few years ago, it was absolutely fantastic, and I was dejected that I'd missed out on something so great.
Yeah it's filled to the brim with cliches. But you know what? When this game came out, those weren't cliche. It created half of these tropes that people seem to arbitrarily hate in games these days. Yeah, it's a game about teenagers saving the world. So what? It's a damn good game about teenagers saving the world. The storytelling is engaging. It convinces you that the world actually needs saving, and it convinces you that you're the only ones capable of doing it. Cliches are all about execution, and Chrono Trigger, as well as Final Fantasy 9 (can't believe you'd lump it in with 8,X,X2, etc.) are games that have damn good execution.
Two words: Campfire scene. It remains, to me, the most moving and thought-provoking sequence in any video game. It actually gets you thinking about the sheer scope of your time travel and what Robo had to go through. Then Lucca's scene right after, ah! So good.
Definitely don't want to ruin it for those of you who haven't played the game. The talk about emulation in this thread makes my skin crawl. Buy it, you cheap mofos. Someone up there mentioned the PS1 version... which sucks. Loading times in my Chrono Trigger? BAH! The DS version is the definitive version, because it has all the cutscenes and everything. It's worth buying a DSi just to play this game. Seriously.
I recently replayed that game emulated on my cellphone and it really has a solid shot at being the best RPG ever. The OP is dead on when he says that what makes this game still incredibly enjoyable as a grown man is it's absence of pseudo-romantic teenage bullshit and having to incarnate either a social retard (FF8) or a total douchebag (FF9, FF10). It is childish, but in a good way, like a Miyasaki anime.
sitenote : the fighting/exp system rules, the character design rules (Toriyama), the music rules and you can go on and on like that.
It had a sequel named Chrono Cross on PSX which was a pretty damn good RPG but nowhere near as good as CT.
I just played this game for the first time recently, so it doesn't really have the nostalgia factor for me as it does for many people, but I must say I still really enjoyed it anyway.
Reminds me that I need to pick this classic up somewhere. Played it on an emulator back in the 90's (wasn't released in eu). Guess I'll have to go for the DS version or the imported PS1 version. The NTSC SNES cartridge is way to expensive.
OMG WHY NO SPOILERS lol j/k, I absolutely loved this game, and I only played through it a year or two ago. There aren't many games I enjoy nearly as much.
On November 14 2011 17:35 ZaplinG wrote: ever play chrono cross?
Alas, no! Which is strange, I guess, but I just never got around to. It seems to be alternately loved or hated by fans of CT, though. What did you think of it?
On November 14 2011 18:36 UniversalSnip wrote: I might ask the same question of you. I mean, the whole theme of your review is how inexplicably good this game is despite these things. I guess that's not what you actually think, it's just a literary pose, so I won't argue with you anymore.
If you think that, then I failed in my writing and I should work on that. My point was that the game is really good despite incidentally having elements that are typically a solid indication of it being crap. Moreover, logic failure is always a good way to take me out of the game, read:
"Without the nostalgia goggles, Chrono Trigger is a Japanese RPG about teenagers saving the world. They pose their way through danger, acquire magic powers from a Furby, bring hope to the people of a dying future through sheer unbridled optimism, and battle an eldritch abomination. Oh, and the main character is a mute."
and
"Still, in the case of Chrono Trigger, it's not about horrible characterization, never-ending ineptitude, or characters being obviously superfluous to the story. It's just that at no point in the game does the Old Man at the End of Time go, "You know what? This is getting a little too rough for you kids. Maybe we should find some ancient cyborg ninjas to battle the endless minions of evil. I mean, this is the fate of the entire world we're talking about, right? Hell, the mental stress alone must be overwhelming!""
That was the point. And then I made the point that, while I logically have a problem with this, it didn't detract from the experience for me, be it because of nostalgia or because the characters are simply entertaining (which I claimed, going against your argument that I think these elements are always horrible).
The tirade against Final Fantasy was because of the horrible characterization, endless logic failures, and all the other stuff I complained about in my retrospective.
If you took something else from it, sufficient to attack me out of an erroneous belief that I think these elements are always terrible (they aren't, but it heavily depends on the genre), then you either misread or I was unclear.
Only reason I can think of for you to take this so personally is that you misunderstood me... which the rest of your post backs up. So there we go.
My point was that the game is really good despite incidentally having elements that are typically a solid indication of it being crap.
Dude Chrono Trigger is the best game of all time cause for most of us who were born in the late 80s this game taught us how to read... and most importantly how to love :D
MUSIC did not get enough credit. Fuck that shit was amazing dude. =D You had me laughing out loud at the picture of Tidus, and that one part where you were trying to get through to me.
Funnily enough I alo only played Chrono trigger for the first time when I was like 19-20 years old because I was bored and looking for good old RPG's. This certainly turned out to be a good old RPG =)
You know I read this with the OST sounding behind in random? And I got the motherfucking Marle & Chrono song just when I read the Chrono resurrection part?
The game is decidedly youth anime in its story telling, and I"ve always been aware of it. And yet there are so many moments I can point to that were utter brilliance.
Chrono Trigger is the (in my mind) official swan song of the 16bit JRPG. FF7 came and completely ended the genre as we knew it, which also helps solidify its greatness.
On November 14 2011 17:35 ZaplinG wrote: ever play chrono cross?
Alas, no! Which is strange, I guess, but I just never got around to. It seems to be alternately loved or hated by fans of CT, though. What did you think of it?
Not the person who asked the question, but I'll answer anyway. Chrono Cross expands on the universe (well, "multiverse") created by Chrono Trigger and all the consequences as such. It actually gets decently complicated at some points, and to a certain extent, it gets quite a bit convoluted. I personally enjoyed it and I like the fleshed out world created by Chrono Cross. It's also amazing how much pieces fans have put together -- I remember reading Chrono Compendium, replaying through Chrono Trigger and Cross and enjoying it so much more. But that's just me.
Oh, and Chrono Cross has a better OST than Chrono Trigger.
I've been replaying a bunch of the older games recently now too, and seeing the games without nostalgia really makes you pick up all the flaws in the game. Doesn't mean the game sucks though. Theres just something about the older games thats just awesome. Cant figure out what it is though.
On November 15 2011 07:10 Draconicfire wrote: Hah. I totally agree with everything you say.
I've been replaying a bunch of the older games recently now too, and seeing the games without nostalgia really makes you pick up all the flaws in the game. Doesn't mean the game sucks though. Theres just something about the older games thats just awesome. Cant figure out what it is though.
A lot of times that is still nostalgia. You can see the flaws, but the flaws are reminders of "better" days. They remind you of your childhood, and so those flaws are comforting since you know to expect them. It's kind of like how listening to a dial up sound, despite recognizing how awful dial up internet was, makes me smile.
And sometimes they're just well made games, and those flaws are more time based flaws rather than gameplay flaws.
The charm of the "random teenager saving the world" is that, as the player, you know nothing about the world or its norms and politics. You, like your main character, are going through the world knowing nothing and discovering it. It lets you feel more connected to your char - especially if you are a teenager yourself.
Imagine if you played FF10 as Auron. Well that kind of sucks. Your character knows he's already dead, that Yuna will die, and that Tidus will become Sin. He knows every city, and all the major players in Spira. So either he narrates this to you and make it insanely boring, or you feel cheated because you're playing this omniscient being that refuses to tell you anything. There are games that make it work, but it's certainly trickier, and doesn't have the same "charm" as the wide-eyed teenager.
So so wonderful, i played the ds version when it came out (im one of them young folk things) its storytelling fit me so well at the time as FFX did at the time in the same way(being about 12 at the time it came out) and both games have stuck with me as memories of childhood and innocence that despite being rediculous in concept i cant help but be endeared by. Thank you for sharing it was a great read and gave me another excuse to listen to a great theme song from the coolest hero I share a name with
Edit: another game that meant a lot to me at the time was the DS title The World Ends With You which in my opinion was one of the very very few DS games that took the DS and made something of it properly, had great character development and twists(especially regarding shiki, both heartbreaking and warming) and while being hard in parts and interesting told a great story which was both self centred on the teenagers but also had a message that was against how self centered teenagers and people in general are. I really reccomend it to those who havent played it being in my opinion one of the best and the most underrated DS titles of all time.
That was an amazing read. Well done. I've always preferred Final Fantasy VI to Chrono Trigger, but it is certainly in my top 5 JRPGs ever and I liked your post for the nostalgic insight.
I was resisting yet another CT play through, but you've pushed me over the fence I will say though, when I was a kid I was confused by the decision to make Crono not talk. Today, I appreciate it fully.
On the topic of realism: I have a level of "suspension of disbelief" going into any movie/game/experience. The only time plot holes, scientific details and surrealism become an issue to me is when I am aware of them at all. If things are done well, my mind is immersed in their story/character/worlds and not in this one where things have to strictly obey probability, physics and expectations (things like graphics, controls, cliches, political/ratings/cash -grab decisions). As long as the level of immersion and illusion is strong enough to withstand any ridiculousness, I don't notice it at all, much less consider it a negative.
If it's a compelling experience at the end of the day, bring on the insane plot twists, time-travel, and little girls that carry heavy objects.
you like time travel and steampunk fantasy sci fi? Ever play secret of evermore? Same kind of story to be honest. Except the main team is just the boy and his shapeshifting dog.
At first I was immensely impressive by the overall passion. And then I remembered I never played this. So spoilers aside, as I read on I wanted to /wrist for not playing this game and missing out on the epicness that is Chrono Trigger. Amazing read. This is going to be a game on my to play list before I die.
On November 14 2011 16:07 Aylear wrote: This used to be so easy, you know? Just play a game and enjoy it for what it is. But then I played Planescape: Torment, which pretty much ruined gaming for me forever. I mean... damn. I'd write about that game, next, if I thought I'd be able to stop.
Ohhhhhh, so true.... I can only see new RPGs with a thought about this one and how I miss its ...richness and complexity ? Skyrim is doing fine as far as immersion goes though, for the moment.
Chrono Trigger, heard of it, no time to try it, like so many other games...
Loved your post, it brought me back to my snes days. Chrono trigger, Final Fantasy VI, and Secret of Mana were my favourite square games. I really got immersed into those games. FF IV and VII are also up there and maybe FF9 but only because of Vivi and when Dagger came out wearing the original FF white mage robe lol.
10/10! Admittedly I didn't read every single last word but I did read most of it and gotta say I lol'ed many times and shook my head a few also, but in that begrudging way that lets you know you can't argue against the person At first I will admit I thought you were taking some points a bit too literally or seriously, for example your rant about the Old Man at the End of Time telling the kids it's getting too rough. Lets face one thing about a lot of these RPGs, sure they are kids, but they aren't exactly NORMAL kids I'd trust Crono's Luminaire over anything the US army can throw at anybody, but that being said I definitely laughed a lot!
Even when analysing this game to the Nth degree myself, I still feel exactly as you do. Sure the game has flaws, sure it's got it's ridiculously easy sections(especially on a subsequent playthrough like most RPGs) but it just has this magical aura that almost no other game from that time has for me. The music has a HUGE aspect to do with it, I mean honestly I can't think of a better soundtrack to pretty much ANYTHING that Chrono Trigger. The music incites such grand emotion from me, times when I remember things being simpler and the world being so much less explored, and it really doesn't fade over the test of time when I listen to it or bust out the old cartridge/rom. But it's more than that.
The animation, the simplistic yet amazingly philosophical story, the active combat system, the epic boss encounters, the quirky cast of character, the list goes on! I could pretty much talk about Chrono Trigger all day but seeing as you already have I'll spare everyone the pain Many props to you for clearly caring about this game in the same vein as I do and for putting such an awesome effort forth to write up something so epic. As sure as Crono's confuse destroys Lavos Core, I will be finishing reading this the moment I get home.
Great read. It makes me want to give it another playthrough, but I'm in the middle of a Xenogears playthrough and Skyrim :<. It's definitely next in line though, then Earthbound.
On November 15 2011 09:13 SpoR wrote: you like time travel and steampunk fantasy sci fi? Ever play secret of evermore? Same kind of story to be honest. Except the main team is just the boy and his shapeshifting dog.
That was another game that I was expecting to be major-suck but ended up being FRIGGIN AWESOME.
The only problem with Secret of Evermore is the "extra" side questy kinda stuff to build up the towns and such.
Also hi5 for FUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOU on Tidus, I actually enjoyed that Final Fantasy but Tidus really ruined that entire game for me, and left an awful bitter taste in my mouth. Horrible main character, the whiniest little son of a bitch, I wanted to punch his teeth out. ASUTjsaoklgjusatglha so much left over rage from that guy.
The only reason why I can't stand Chrono Trigger is because of the choppy sprites. I do factor in story, and good graphics convey it much better. If I wanted a story only, I would get a book instead. I guess it's ALL NOSTALGIA AND OPINION. FFX was a fucking great game of its time when the PS2 came out. It still is to this very day. Stop hating, because its all nostalgia and opinions of course
On November 14 2011 17:35 ZaplinG wrote: ever play chrono cross?
Alas, no! Which is strange, I guess, but I just never got around to. It seems to be alternately loved or hated by fans of CT, though. What did you think of it?
Not the person who asked the question, but I'll answer anyway. Chrono Cross expands on the universe (well, "multiverse") created by Chrono Trigger and all the consequences as such. It actually gets decently complicated at some points, and to a certain extent, it gets quite a bit convoluted. I personally enjoyed it and I like the fleshed out world created by Chrono Cross. It's also amazing how much pieces fans have put together -- I remember reading Chrono Compendium, replaying through Chrono Trigger and Cross and enjoying it so much more. But that's just me.
Oh, and Chrono Cross has a better OST than Chrono Trigger.
I consider Chrono Cross a very weak game but you are absolutely right, it has an even better soundtrack than chrono trigger.
TeamLiquid, you crushed my Dropbox's (audio host site) 250GB/day cap. I am amazed, and you are completely awesome.
Manifesto7, thanks again for spotlighting this; it's been a lot of fun watching it grow and have so many people respond so positively to this.
I'll respond to some of you in greater detail later today (if only to thank you for being so appreciative of my write-up -- seriously, you guys are making me smile). Right now I'm busy trying to see if I can find some other host for the music files in the OP. Sorry to everyone who can't play them right now... it's my fault for thinking 250GB/day would be sufficient!
Okay, I have to put all the music clips on YouTube. My Dropbox account exploded and I don't know of any other hosts that allow direct links to .oggs.
However, it will take me a while. Sorry everyone - audio links are gonna be dead for some time. And once they come back up, they'll be YouTube videoembeds breaking my layout a bit, but at least they'll be available again.
And like I said, I'll respond to a few of your replies more closely later; I'm just scrambling trying to make my OP not be broken right now.
In the meantime, I hope you all enjoy the text and images, at least.
I heard a chrono trigger remix on someone's stream a few weeks ago, and instantly re-downloaded it. I'm about 2/3 of the way through (after having done ALL endings yeeaaarrrrsss ago) and I still fucking love this game. Awesome write up!
On November 15 2011 09:13 SpoR wrote: you like time travel and steampunk fantasy sci fi? Ever play secret of evermore? Same kind of story to be honest. Except the main team is just the boy and his shapeshifting dog.
That was another game that I was expecting to be major-suck but ended up being FRIGGIN AWESOME.
The only problem with Secret of Evermore is the "extra" side questy kinda stuff to build up the towns and such.
Also hi5 for FUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOU on Tidus, I actually enjoyed that Final Fantasy but Tidus really ruined that entire game for me, and left an awful bitter taste in my mouth. Horrible main character, the whiniest little son of a bitch, I wanted to punch his teeth out. ASUTjsaoklgjusatglha so much left over rage from that guy.
I think everyone pretty much agrees though. That's the funny part. 90% of everyone who played the game though Tidus was a girl for the first 10 minutes of the game. Most androgynous faggy character in the world.
On November 15 2011 14:23 Aylear wrote: OKAY, YouTube "videos" of the audio clips are up so the music is back now. Edited the OP. Hopefully it doesn't clutter it too badly.
It's fine. When I read this earlier, I spent literally an hour on Youtube with Chrono Trigger themes and gameplay videos.
The whole flashback scene at the Magic Mountain with Frog makes me cry when he finally picks up the sword...ah fuck it, I'll link it: SPOILERS:
On November 15 2011 00:09 Manifesto7 wrote: I got a copy of chrono trigger from Mr. Vargas, my grade 9 cooking teacher. My friend and I blitzed the game, playing 27 hours straight. I ended up fighting the end boss, and winning, while vastly underpowered. I then returned the game and never played it again. Something tells me that I should get this game and give it the time it deserves this christmas vacation.
Spotlighted.
You molested my Dropbox account. Thank you very much for the spotlight, Mani. <3
Original Message From Manifesto7: 10,000+ views in 20 hours. See what happens when you go and make an awesome thread! That will teach you...
I was not prepared.
On November 15 2011 00:17 hp.Shell wrote: Thanks for spoiler warning. 2/5 for that, otherwise great read. Sadly I have had CT spoiled and will not be able to play it for 5 years when I forget this.
Have you seen The Passion yet? Jesus dies!
On November 15 2011 01:07 l10f wrote: You convinced me to play CT again instead of studying for my exam tomorrow. 5/5
Ruining peoples' lives since 2011.
On November 15 2011 02:34 canucks12 wrote: Clearly Aylear, like me, never actually used Lucca for anything. :D
Eh, I always had her there for the big story moments if nothing else.
On November 15 2011 04:01 Fanatic-Templar wrote: This post suffers from not including Corridors of Time.
Although I can't really fault you, including every good music from Chrono Trigger would probably mean including them all.
That was my problem! For instance, I had originally intended to use Undersea Palace somewhere in this because Undersea Palace is FUCKING AWESOME. But in the end I had to go with what I felt was best suited for my write-up.
On November 15 2011 04:57 NukeTheStars wrote: Two words: Campfire scene. It remains, to me, the most moving and thought-provoking sequence in any video game. It actually gets you thinking about the sheer scope of your time travel and what Robo had to go through. Then Lucca's scene right after, ah! So good.
ThisthisthisthisthisTHIS
@EveryoneElse:
I would love to respond to each of you with my sincerest thanks and appreciation, but that would take me the rest of the day. I am blown away by how many of you posted just to say you liked the article. So instead I'll just issue a blanket statement: Thank you, everyone. This was one hell of a thing to wake up to.
TeamLiquid is amazing and I'm happy to be a part of it.
On November 15 2011 01:46 Ack1027 wrote: My name is Gato I have metal joints Beat me up and earn 15 silver points.
I lost you won, here's 15 silver points now wasn't that fun?
Great write up. I feel the same way about FF7 as you do about CT. You have great taste. Chrono trigger shuffled around my top 3 for a long time as a kid, and its still one of the greatest games ever.
Also thank you for pointing out how terrible FF games have been after the Square-Enix merger. <---- HOLY FUCK Thank you
Edit: How did I know that people were gonna defend games like ff9/10 here against masterpieces of human kind like ff6/7/ct loooool it never ends
Grouping FF7 with FF6 and Chrono Trigger, with no mention of FF4? Give me a break. FF9 is a masterpiece compared to FF7. Do you like FF8 too?
Chrono Trigger IMO is the 2nd best RPG ever made, behind FF4. I used to post on the Chrono Compendium all the time, talking about the mechanics of time travel, and all that sort of pointless stuff lol. All that pointless talk resulted in isolating only 1 or 2 plotholes in Chrono Trigger!
outstanding man.. CT was a part of our games growing up, although I didn't play it to death like FF1/2 or Dragon Warrior.. but I remember CT well.. also like the music.. rainbow sword ftw.
The Secret of Mana (Chrono Triggers predecessor) is one of my all time favs. I was a little disappointed to find out the real time combat in SoM was absent in Chrono Trigger. However, I quickly found the atmosphere and story line engaging.
On November 15 2011 17:41 JayDee_ wrote: The Secret of Mana (Chrono Triggers predecessor) is one of my all time favs. I was a little disappointed to find out the real time combat in SoM was absent in Chrono Trigger. However, I quickly found the atmosphere and story line engaging.
Secret of Mana and CT were both made by the same company, but other than that its a stretch to call one of them a predecessor, since they are unrelated other than the SquareSoft logo.
BTW if you are a Secret of Mana fan, you should check out Seiken Densetsu 3 (Secret of Mana 2, basically) and Secret of Evermore (unrelated, but gameplay was modeled heavily on Secret of Mana). You can probably find the translation patch of SD3 on google. Anyway, both are worth a look and a playthrough if you liked Secret of Mana. Same type of game and same company.
The first time I played Chrono Trigger was around 5 years ago in high school, I thought it was cool but it took a while before I really started to like it. Although I have to disagree with your "Every FF after 7 is awful" line...
On November 15 2011 17:41 JayDee_ wrote: The Secret of Mana (Chrono Triggers predecessor) is one of my all time favs. I was a little disappointed to find out the real time combat in SoM was absent in Chrono Trigger. However, I quickly found the atmosphere and story line engaging.
Secret of Mana and CT were both made by the same company, but other than that its a stretch to call one of them a predecessor, since they are unrelated other than the SquareSoft logo.
BTW if you are a Secret of Mana fan, you should check out Seiken Densetsu 3 (Secret of Mana 2, basically) and Secret of Evermore (unrelated, but gameplay was modeled heavily on Secret of Mana). You can probably find the translation patch of SD3 on google. Anyway, both are worth a look and a playthrough if you liked Secret of Mana. Same type of game and same company.
I played Secret of Evermore. It's a good game, although I was disappointed with it's lack of co-op. I've never heard of Seiken Densetsu 3. I'll definitely check it out when my semester is finished. Thanks!
Why do they trust young naive idiots to save the world? I guess because it worked well enough when they trusted Frodo and Luke Skywalker to do it.
Your post would be better without the part on Final Fantasy. If you were born a little later you would feel the same about them as you feel about Chrono Trigger. There is usually a very good reason why the characters do what they do, and have their responsibility, your point is just silly.
I agree that Mitsuda is a genius though. Have you played Xenogears? No teenager there, although there is a cute animal. Big robots too, you'll enjoy it
I have not played that particular game, but man did that storytelling bring back memories from other games. That might be just from the music style tho, dunno! Anyhow, I had a great read and an awesome start of my day! Thank you very much!
Well, I could read stories of über-games from the past (pre playstation) all day long, and this was no exception. Plus the fact that you have quite a talent in storytelling and that I really love your humor. And that you're the first person I know that thinks FF X is a stupid piece of shit that signed the "fall of squaresoft" (yeah, I DO like the psx episodes).
I summon the power of love and friendship on you bro ! I hope you'll write something about planescape : torment because I don't know this game and I think there could be no better way to learn about.
OP, I know that feel, bro. Chrono Trigger has been my favorite game when I first picked it up as a kid. I doubt there will ever be a game, in my eyes, that will surpass it's brilliance. Especially when it comes to the music. My god...that soundtrack...whenever I hear the Wind Theme I get teary eyed and all nostalgic. Brilliant.
I actually have it on my phone also. My SNES no longer works and don't have a DS. Still great memories and great game. Also one of my faves.
I also don't like the later Final Fantasy games. And it all started with FF8. I know that is a personal preference but the story never really latched on to me and kept me going unlike the older games.
I'm 27 right now and I love it. My younger brother who never got to play it back in the SNES actually enjoys the game after he saw me playing through it with an emulator back in the old Pentium 4 days. And even if he upgrades his PC, we always have a copy of CT in one medium or the other. =)
Also, I stopped loving FF Games after 7 and Tactics. They were by far the line when I felt FF games started to dip afterwards. But that's me.
Never was excited to play Chrono Cross though as I didn't want to ruin the whole "world" that was Chrono Trigger universe. Read bad reviews in the past and decide against even bothering with it up to now. =)
I think most people that hate on FFX just hate it because of the really awful voice acting. The dialogue and plot isn't actually horrible, it just has the worse voice acting in the history of the video games (I think it's also one of the first voice acted games) so at times the dialogue seems clunky and unnatural, even though it isn't. I replayed the game when I was older and I noticed the bag voice acting, but you can eventually just ignore it and focus on the actual dialogue, which is pretty good. When you compare it to FF12, a weaker game in terms of plot and characterization, FF12 seems like a smoother game because of the better voice acting.
Also, I am surprised the guy above me is the first person to mention FF Tactics, since that is probably the game I consider the best in the JRPG genere, but I guess that is not a popular opinion.
On November 15 2011 23:36 flowSthead wrote: I think most people that hate on FFX just hate it because of the really awful voice acting. The dialogue and plot isn't actually horrible, it just has the worse voice acting in the history of the video games (I think it's also one of the first voice acted games) so at times the dialogue seems clunky and unnatural, even though it isn't. I replayed the game when I was older and I noticed the bag voice acting, but you can eventually just ignore it and focus on the actual dialogue, which is pretty good. When you compare it to FF12, a weaker game in terms of plot and characterization, FF12 seems like a smoother game because of the better voice acting.
Also, I am surprised the guy above me is the first person to mention FF Tactics, since that is probably the game I consider the best in the JRPG genere, but I guess that is not a popular opinion.
This is a really big hit though. We go from legendary main chars like Celes/Terra/Locke, Cloud, Squall, hell even Zidane, and then the first time our main character speaks he is...the biggest whiner/crybaby seen in the history of video games up to that time. The fact that he and Jecht has one of the most touching scenes doesn't change the fact that you endure his voice acting for 40+ hours to get there.
As for FFT - I'm guessing most people don't classify it as a RPG. The storyline for that thing is insane though...I'd say even comparable to Planescape: Torment (in a different way, but still good).
On November 14 2011 16:07 Aylear wrote: there to slumber for millions of years until the stars aid in its escape, and--
Wait. I think I got my mythoi confused.
I won't lie to all of you and say that when I read this particular part, I didn't do this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MU4HMhic6AU
That's an awesome little tidbit that you threw in there Aylear and I, for one, very much appreciated it.
But, anyway, getting back to the post. This was very well written and definitely conveys your passion for Chrono Trigger. I remember playing it a little bit a couple years ago when I was away from the U.S. for a semester abroad and was looking for a video game fix. I enjoyed it very much, but never ended up finishing it for whatever reason. Probably because I already knew the story from seeing it talked about on numerous sites, so there wasn't any real incentive to go out and properly beat it.
Great post again sir and may you remember that friendship is magic (yay).
I was so scared when I clicked this because I wanted to yell, "DON'T YOU FUCKING RUIN THIS GAME FOR ME!" Then I forced myself to go through and read what I hoped would be a well-written blog. Thank you for reaffirming why I loved/love/will love this game so much. I think I'm going to go home after work today and play this game for the umpteenth time again.
On November 15 2011 23:36 flowSthead wrote: I think most people that hate on FFX just hate it because of the really awful voice acting. The dialogue and plot isn't actually horrible, it just has the worse voice acting in the history of the video games (I think it's also one of the first voice acted games) so at times the dialogue seems clunky and unnatural, even though it isn't. I replayed the game when I was older and I noticed the bag voice acting, but you can eventually just ignore it and focus on the actual dialogue, which is pretty good. When you compare it to FF12, a weaker game in terms of plot and characterization, FF12 seems like a smoother game because of the better voice acting.
Also, I am surprised the guy above me is the first person to mention FF Tactics, since that is probably the game I consider the best in the JRPG genere, but I guess that is not a popular opinion.
This is a really big hit though. We go from legendary main chars like Celes/Terra/Locke, Cloud, Squall, hell even Zidane, and then the first time our main character speaks he is...the biggest whiner/crybaby seen in the history of video games up to that time. The fact that he and Jecht has one of the most touching scenes doesn't change the fact that you endure his voice acting for 40+ hours to get there.
As for FFT - I'm guessing most people don't classify it as a RPG. The storyline for that thing is insane though...I'd say even comparable to Planescape: Torment (in a different way, but still good).
I'm not saying Tidus is the ideal main character. He kind of sucks in comparison to all the others, you are right. But I think the voice acting just exacerbates it, and without the voice acting he is ok. Anyways, while playing the game I considered Yuna the main character for the majority of the plot. Plus, I think the plot of FFX works even with Tidus as an annoying main character. The game might suffer, but he doesn't negate the good things about the plot.
On November 15 2011 23:36 flowSthead wrote: I think most people that hate on FFX just hate it because of the really awful voice acting. The dialogue and plot isn't actually horrible, it just has the worse voice acting in the history of the video games (I think it's also one of the first voice acted games) so at times the dialogue seems clunky and unnatural, even though it isn't. I replayed the game when I was older and I noticed the bag voice acting, but you can eventually just ignore it and focus on the actual dialogue, which is pretty good. When you compare it to FF12, a weaker game in terms of plot and characterization, FF12 seems like a smoother game because of the better voice acting.
Also, I am surprised the guy above me is the first person to mention FF Tactics, since that is probably the game I consider the best in the JRPG genere, but I guess that is not a popular opinion.
This is a really big hit though. We go from legendary main chars like Celes/Terra/Locke, Cloud, Squall, hell even Zidane, and then the first time our main character speaks he is...the biggest whiner/crybaby seen in the history of video games up to that time. The fact that he and Jecht has one of the most touching scenes doesn't change the fact that you endure his voice acting for 40+ hours to get there.
As for FFT - I'm guessing most people don't classify it as a RPG. The storyline for that thing is insane though...I'd say even comparable to Planescape: Torment (in a different way, but still good).
I'm not saying Tidus is the ideal main character. He kind of sucks in comparison to all the others, you are right. But I think the voice acting just exacerbates it, and without the voice acting he is ok. Anyways, while playing the game I considered Yuna the main character for the majority of the plot. Plus, I think the plot of FFX works even with Tidus as an annoying main character. The game might suffer, but he doesn't negate the good things about the plot.
My point was, it's a GREAT game, but unless you finish 20+ hours of it all you will remember is the most annoying player character and voice acting up to that point in gaming history. Think about relationship that has great moments here and there but is a pain on a daily basis to go through. If Tidus never spoke in game, the game would be ubiquitously loved.
On November 15 2011 23:36 flowSthead wrote: I think most people that hate on FFX just hate it because of the really awful voice acting. The dialogue and plot isn't actually horrible, it just has the worse voice acting in the history of the video games (I think it's also one of the first voice acted games) so at times the dialogue seems clunky and unnatural, even though it isn't. I replayed the game when I was older and I noticed the bag voice acting, but you can eventually just ignore it and focus on the actual dialogue, which is pretty good. When you compare it to FF12, a weaker game in terms of plot and characterization, FF12 seems like a smoother game because of the better voice acting.
Also, I am surprised the guy above me is the first person to mention FF Tactics, since that is probably the game I consider the best in the JRPG genere, but I guess that is not a popular opinion.
This is a really big hit though. We go from legendary main chars like Celes/Terra/Locke, Cloud, Squall, hell even Zidane, and then the first time our main character speaks he is...the biggest whiner/crybaby seen in the history of video games up to that time. The fact that he and Jecht has one of the most touching scenes doesn't change the fact that you endure his voice acting for 40+ hours to get there.
As for FFT - I'm guessing most people don't classify it as a RPG. The storyline for that thing is insane though...I'd say even comparable to Planescape: Torment (in a different way, but still good).
I'm not saying Tidus is the ideal main character. He kind of sucks in comparison to all the others, you are right. But I think the voice acting just exacerbates it, and without the voice acting he is ok. Anyways, while playing the game I considered Yuna the main character for the majority of the plot. Plus, I think the plot of FFX works even with Tidus as an annoying main character. The game might suffer, but he doesn't negate the good things about the plot.
My point was, it's a GREAT game, but unless you finish 20+ hours of it all you will remember is the most annoying player character and voice acting up to that point in gaming history. Think about relationship that has great moments here and there but is a pain on a daily basis to go through. If Tidus never spoke in game, the game would be ubiquitously loved.
I'm with you ^_^. Did you play FF12? Because the voice acting in that was fantastic.
On November 15 2011 23:36 flowSthead wrote: I think most people that hate on FFX just hate it because of the really awful voice acting. The dialogue and plot isn't actually horrible, it just has the worse voice acting in the history of the video games (I think it's also one of the first voice acted games) so at times the dialogue seems clunky and unnatural, even though it isn't. I replayed the game when I was older and I noticed the bag voice acting, but you can eventually just ignore it and focus on the actual dialogue, which is pretty good. When you compare it to FF12, a weaker game in terms of plot and characterization, FF12 seems like a smoother game because of the better voice acting.
Also, I am surprised the guy above me is the first person to mention FF Tactics, since that is probably the game I consider the best in the JRPG genere, but I guess that is not a popular opinion.
This is a really big hit though. We go from legendary main chars like Celes/Terra/Locke, Cloud, Squall, hell even Zidane, and then the first time our main character speaks he is...the biggest whiner/crybaby seen in the history of video games up to that time. The fact that he and Jecht has one of the most touching scenes doesn't change the fact that you endure his voice acting for 40+ hours to get there.
As for FFT - I'm guessing most people don't classify it as a RPG. The storyline for that thing is insane though...I'd say even comparable to Planescape: Torment (in a different way, but still good).
I'm not saying Tidus is the ideal main character. He kind of sucks in comparison to all the others, you are right. But I think the voice acting just exacerbates it, and without the voice acting he is ok. Anyways, while playing the game I considered Yuna the main character for the majority of the plot. Plus, I think the plot of FFX works even with Tidus as an annoying main character. The game might suffer, but he doesn't negate the good things about the plot.
My point was, it's a GREAT game, but unless you finish 20+ hours of it all you will remember is the most annoying player character and voice acting up to that point in gaming history. Think about relationship that has great moments here and there but is a pain on a daily basis to go through. If Tidus never spoke in game, the game would be ubiquitously loved.
I'm with you ^_^. Did you play FF12? Because the voice acting in that was fantastic.
I did...it was the only FF after 4 (other than 5, which I never played) that I didn't finish lol. I got to the last few areas and honestly just go tired of it. Has nothing to do with the voice acting though, which like you said was good.
To this day I don't remember why Vaan and Penelo are in the game, or why they are important. The other characters were pretty cool though.
On November 15 2011 23:36 flowSthead wrote: I think most people that hate on FFX just hate it because of the really awful voice acting. The dialogue and plot isn't actually horrible, it just has the worse voice acting in the history of the video games (I think it's also one of the first voice acted games) so at times the dialogue seems clunky and unnatural, even though it isn't. I replayed the game when I was older and I noticed the bag voice acting, but you can eventually just ignore it and focus on the actual dialogue, which is pretty good. When you compare it to FF12, a weaker game in terms of plot and characterization, FF12 seems like a smoother game because of the better voice acting.
Also, I am surprised the guy above me is the first person to mention FF Tactics, since that is probably the game I consider the best in the JRPG genere, but I guess that is not a popular opinion.
This is a really big hit though. We go from legendary main chars like Celes/Terra/Locke, Cloud, Squall, hell even Zidane, and then the first time our main character speaks he is...the biggest whiner/crybaby seen in the history of video games up to that time. The fact that he and Jecht has one of the most touching scenes doesn't change the fact that you endure his voice acting for 40+ hours to get there.
As for FFT - I'm guessing most people don't classify it as a RPG. The storyline for that thing is insane though...I'd say even comparable to Planescape: Torment (in a different way, but still good).
I'm not saying Tidus is the ideal main character. He kind of sucks in comparison to all the others, you are right. But I think the voice acting just exacerbates it, and without the voice acting he is ok. Anyways, while playing the game I considered Yuna the main character for the majority of the plot. Plus, I think the plot of FFX works even with Tidus as an annoying main character. The game might suffer, but he doesn't negate the good things about the plot.
My point was, it's a GREAT game, but unless you finish 20+ hours of it all you will remember is the most annoying player character and voice acting up to that point in gaming history. Think about relationship that has great moments here and there but is a pain on a daily basis to go through. If Tidus never spoke in game, the game would be ubiquitously loved.
I'm with you ^_^. Did you play FF12? Because the voice acting in that was fantastic.
I did...it was the only FF after 4 (other than 5, which I never played) that I didn't finish lol. I got to the last few areas and honestly just go tired of it. Has nothing to do with the voice acting though, which like you said was good.
To this day I don't remember why Vaan and Penelo are in the game, or why they are important. The other characters were pretty cool though.
They aren't important in the least. I played through a second time and it was actually better the second time when I recognized that they were supporting characters. The game is a turn off if you consider them main characters, though, so I thought it was weaker than it ended up being. It's the weird final villains that are lackluster, but the actual political intrigue is pretty good. It's nowhere near FF Tactics good, but it's not terrible.
Brilliant write up. I started to get mad when you were ragging on final fantasy, because i really enjoyed a lot of games in that series, then i realised that in my playthroughs i almost never use any of the main characters.
Great writeup. I've played through this game about 5 times since it came out. In the last year i bought an original snes cart on ebay. They go for about 60 dollars. Its a somewhat rare game. Ive seen a few unopened copies going for around 2000 bucks.
I have no problem saying this is the greatest game ever. Music is very emotional.
Also, they just released this game as a download on the ps3 network.
Edit: I completely agree with your assessment of the Final Fantasy games. 7 was the last good one. Im old enough to remember when FF1 came out for Nes. I scoured video rental stores to find a copy.
On November 15 2011 23:36 flowSthead wrote: I think most people that hate on FFX just hate it because of the really awful voice acting. The dialogue and plot isn't actually horrible, it just has the worse voice acting in the history of the video games (I think it's also one of the first voice acted games) so at times the dialogue seems clunky and unnatural, even though it isn't. I replayed the game when I was older and I noticed the bag voice acting, but you can eventually just ignore it and focus on the actual dialogue, which is pretty good. When you compare it to FF12, a weaker game in terms of plot and characterization, FF12 seems like a smoother game because of the better voice acting.
Also, I am surprised the guy above me is the first person to mention FF Tactics, since that is probably the game I consider the best in the JRPG genere, but I guess that is not a popular opinion.
This is a really big hit though. We go from legendary main chars like Celes/Terra/Locke, Cloud, Squall, hell even Zidane, and then the first time our main character speaks he is...the biggest whiner/crybaby seen in the history of video games up to that time. The fact that he and Jecht has one of the most touching scenes doesn't change the fact that you endure his voice acting for 40+ hours to get there.
As for FFT - I'm guessing most people don't classify it as a RPG. The storyline for that thing is insane though...I'd say even comparable to Planescape: Torment (in a different way, but still good).
Implying that Cloud and Squall (who is the single worst MC in a video game ever) are better than Zidane? Really? IDK why FF9 gets the hate it does. ...Whatever.
On November 15 2011 23:36 flowSthead wrote: I think most people that hate on FFX just hate it because of the really awful voice acting. The dialogue and plot isn't actually horrible, it just has the worse voice acting in the history of the video games (I think it's also one of the first voice acted games) so at times the dialogue seems clunky and unnatural, even though it isn't. I replayed the game when I was older and I noticed the bag voice acting, but you can eventually just ignore it and focus on the actual dialogue, which is pretty good. When you compare it to FF12, a weaker game in terms of plot and characterization, FF12 seems like a smoother game because of the better voice acting.
Also, I am surprised the guy above me is the first person to mention FF Tactics, since that is probably the game I consider the best in the JRPG genere, but I guess that is not a popular opinion.
This is a really big hit though. We go from legendary main chars like Celes/Terra/Locke, Cloud, Squall, hell even Zidane, and then the first time our main character speaks he is...the biggest whiner/crybaby seen in the history of video games up to that time. The fact that he and Jecht has one of the most touching scenes doesn't change the fact that you endure his voice acting for 40+ hours to get there.
As for FFT - I'm guessing most people don't classify it as a RPG. The storyline for that thing is insane though...I'd say even comparable to Planescape: Torment (in a different way, but still good).
Implying that Cloud and Squall (who is the single worst MC in a video game ever) are better than Zidane? Really? IDK why FF9 gets the hate it does. ...Whatever.
Whoa calm down, FF9 is my favorite FF game, but Cloud and Squall generally gets more fanfare. I personally thought Zidane was awesome. Squall's story was cute albeit cheesy, but it was the other characters that made that group annoying, not Squall. Squall (and Cloud) develops from his lone wolf attitude to be able to work as a group throughout the game, and his progress is noticeable.
With all four of them (Cloud, Squall, Zidane, Tidus) you understand as you play the games why they have the attitudes they do, but only one (Tidus) makes you want to wear earplugs as you do it.
If anything, CHRONO is a really lame main character, but you hardly notice the fact because CT is so freaking good, and you think "Wow Chrono is badass!" despite him not actually doing anything. Everything he says and does is implied, and you supplement with your imagination. In other words - a minimalistic main char is much easier to tolerate than an overly expressive (and poorly voice-acted) one.
TY for writing this, stirred so many memories. I was really touched. Fantastic post. Best game ever.
Chrono Trigger was really epic. How come no mention of the NuUUuuuu? Those were epic, I remember waiting for the rain to come and chasing those at the hunting grounds for 30 TP..
On November 15 2011 23:36 flowSthead wrote: I think most people that hate on FFX just hate it because of the really awful voice acting. The dialogue and plot isn't actually horrible, it just has the worse voice acting in the history of the video games (I think it's also one of the first voice acted games) so at times the dialogue seems clunky and unnatural, even though it isn't. I replayed the game when I was older and I noticed the bag voice acting, but you can eventually just ignore it and focus on the actual dialogue, which is pretty good. When you compare it to FF12, a weaker game in terms of plot and characterization, FF12 seems like a smoother game because of the better voice acting.
Also, I am surprised the guy above me is the first person to mention FF Tactics, since that is probably the game I consider the best in the JRPG genere, but I guess that is not a popular opinion.
This is a really big hit though. We go from legendary main chars like Celes/Terra/Locke, Cloud, Squall, hell even Zidane, and then the first time our main character speaks he is...the biggest whiner/crybaby seen in the history of video games up to that time. The fact that he and Jecht has one of the most touching scenes doesn't change the fact that you endure his voice acting for 40+ hours to get there.
As for FFT - I'm guessing most people don't classify it as a RPG. The storyline for that thing is insane though...I'd say even comparable to Planescape: Torment (in a different way, but still good).
Implying that Cloud and Squall (who is the single worst MC in a video game ever) are better than Zidane? Really? IDK why FF9 gets the hate it does. ...Whatever.
Whoa calm down, FF9 is my favorite FF game, but Cloud and Squall generally gets more fanfare. I personally thought Zidane was awesome. Squall's story was cute albeit cheesy, but it was the other characters that made that group annoying, not Squall. Squall (and Cloud) develops from his lone wolf attitude to be able to work as a group throughout the game, and his progress is noticeable.
With all four of them (Cloud, Squall, Zidane, Tidus) you understand as you play the games why they have the attitudes they do, but only one (Tidus) makes you want to wear earplugs as you do it.
If anything, CHRONO is a really lame main character, but you hardly notice the fact because CT is so freaking good, and you think "Wow Chrono is badass!" despite him not actually doing anything. Everything he says and does is implied, and you supplement with your imagination. In other words - a minimalistic main char is much easier to tolerate than an overly expressive (and poorly voice-acted) one.
Yeah, I agree with this. Having dialogue and voice acting for a character essentially gives him greater potential. That sets him up for being better than he otherwise would be (Delita, Ramza) or worse (Tidus). Having a mute main character essentially means he cannot fail (Link), but cannot really succeed either by himself. I love the Legend of Zelda games, for example, but I cannot say I have any love for Link in particular the way I do for Delita and Ramza.
I'd like to also chime in, that for having written this so beautifully and included the music. i have redl'd snes9x and the rom, and began playing again last night. see you guys in a week. fuuuuuu
On November 15 2011 23:36 flowSthead wrote: I think most people that hate on FFX just hate it because of the really awful voice acting. The dialogue and plot isn't actually horrible, it just has the worse voice acting in the history of the video games (I think it's also one of the first voice acted games) so at times the dialogue seems clunky and unnatural, even though it isn't. I replayed the game when I was older and I noticed the bag voice acting, but you can eventually just ignore it and focus on the actual dialogue, which is pretty good. When you compare it to FF12, a weaker game in terms of plot and characterization, FF12 seems like a smoother game because of the better voice acting.
Also, I am surprised the guy above me is the first person to mention FF Tactics, since that is probably the game I consider the best in the JRPG genere, but I guess that is not a popular opinion.
This is a really big hit though. We go from legendary main chars like Celes/Terra/Locke, Cloud, Squall, hell even Zidane, and then the first time our main character speaks he is...the biggest whiner/crybaby seen in the history of video games up to that time. The fact that he and Jecht has one of the most touching scenes doesn't change the fact that you endure his voice acting for 40+ hours to get there.
As for FFT - I'm guessing most people don't classify it as a RPG. The storyline for that thing is insane though...I'd say even comparable to Planescape: Torment (in a different way, but still good).
Implying that Cloud and Squall (who is the single worst MC in a video game ever) are better than Zidane? Really? IDK why FF9 gets the hate it does. ...Whatever.
Whoa calm down, FF9 is my favorite FF game, but Cloud and Squall generally gets more fanfare. I personally thought Zidane was awesome. Squall's story was cute albeit cheesy, but it was the other characters that made that group annoying, not Squall. Squall (and Cloud) develops from his lone wolf attitude to be able to work as a group throughout the game, and his progress is noticeable.
With all four of them (Cloud, Squall, Zidane, Tidus) you understand as you play the games why they have the attitudes they do, but only one (Tidus) makes you want to wear earplugs as you do it.
If anything, CHRONO is a really lame main character, but you hardly notice the fact because CT is so freaking good, and you think "Wow Chrono is badass!" despite him not actually doing anything. Everything he says and does is implied, and you supplement with your imagination. In other words - a minimalistic main char is much easier to tolerate than an overly expressive (and poorly voice-acted) one.
Calm down? I didn't think I was getting upset or anything, just amazed at how someone could think that a character like Squall is "legendary" (unless you actually meant that in a bad way with Squall), while a character like Zidane is just mentioned off-handedly. And the "...whatever" part was mocking Squall, since that is literally all he said the entire game.
You can't be rational when you're talking about games with magic, dragons, goblins etc. Any "rational" thinking throws these sorts of ideas out of the window, meaning any sort of video game would be a reflection of real life. Doesn't sound fun to me.
On November 15 2011 23:36 flowSthead wrote: I think most people that hate on FFX just hate it because of the really awful voice acting. The dialogue and plot isn't actually horrible, it just has the worse voice acting in the history of the video games (I think it's also one of the first voice acted games) so at times the dialogue seems clunky and unnatural, even though it isn't. I replayed the game when I was older and I noticed the bag voice acting, but you can eventually just ignore it and focus on the actual dialogue, which is pretty good. When you compare it to FF12, a weaker game in terms of plot and characterization, FF12 seems like a smoother game because of the better voice acting.
Also, I am surprised the guy above me is the first person to mention FF Tactics, since that is probably the game I consider the best in the JRPG genere, but I guess that is not a popular opinion.
This is a really big hit though. We go from legendary main chars like Celes/Terra/Locke, Cloud, Squall, hell even Zidane, and then the first time our main character speaks he is...the biggest whiner/crybaby seen in the history of video games up to that time. The fact that he and Jecht has one of the most touching scenes doesn't change the fact that you endure his voice acting for 40+ hours to get there.
As for FFT - I'm guessing most people don't classify it as a RPG. The storyline for that thing is insane though...I'd say even comparable to Planescape: Torment (in a different way, but still good).
Implying that Cloud and Squall (who is the single worst MC in a video game ever) are better than Zidane? Really? IDK why FF9 gets the hate it does. ...Whatever.
Whoa calm down, FF9 is my favorite FF game, but Cloud and Squall generally gets more fanfare. I personally thought Zidane was awesome. Squall's story was cute albeit cheesy, but it was the other characters that made that group annoying, not Squall. Squall (and Cloud) develops from his lone wolf attitude to be able to work as a group throughout the game, and his progress is noticeable.
With all four of them (Cloud, Squall, Zidane, Tidus) you understand as you play the games why they have the attitudes they do, but only one (Tidus) makes you want to wear earplugs as you do it.
If anything, CHRONO is a really lame main character, but you hardly notice the fact because CT is so freaking good, and you think "Wow Chrono is badass!" despite him not actually doing anything. Everything he says and does is implied, and you supplement with your imagination. In other words - a minimalistic main char is much easier to tolerate than an overly expressive (and poorly voice-acted) one.
Calm down? I didn't think I was getting upset or anything, just amazed at how someone could think that a character like Squall is "legendary" (unless you actually meant that in a bad way with Squall), while a character like Zidane is just mentioned off-handedly. And the "...whatever" part was mocking Squall, since that is literally all he said the entire game.
Think about it this way, if I mention:
FF6, most people think of Celes/Locke/Kefka FF7, most think Cloud/Sephiroth FF8, most think Squall/Seifer FF9, ??
I'd say Vivi is at least tied with Zidane the most popular character, or "go to character" in the game. Zidane doesn't dominate his game the way his predecessors did. This is not to say he's a bad char, but rather, that the other chars in the game are so good that they actually match the main char in how well received they are. The game spends so much time developing each character that you end up attached to all of them, and not just the main character, which is why I liked the game so much.
I never actually finished Chrono Trigger rofl..... I first played it when it came bundled with FFIV in FF Chronicles for the PS1. They fucked up the loading times big time for it, was pretty bad, annoyed me alot. Eventually got stuck on the Golem twins and ragequitted it. I bought for the DS awhile back though but have yet to touch it. I just need to set aside a weekend and get it done.
I will say that the music is fantastic though, especially the orchestrated versions.
No matter how much I've grown since I first played through this game, had starcraft not existed, I would have sayed for sure this is my favorite game of all-time.
since starcraft exists I'll just skip the question
I don't really care what people say about nostalgia or rose-tinted goggles or whatever. This game was the best I have ever played. Ever. And I am perfectly ok with the possibility of it not standing up to tests of time or whatever. It was the only game I played that ever had me enthralled by the story. It was the only game that I played that I listen to at least one part of the soundtrack at once a week without fail. It's the only soundtrack that I can remember from a game in a way that I can also tell you what scenes were happening during each song.
I remembered back in the day when people were just starting to discuss online if video games were now becoming an art because of Final Fantasy 7... I wondered if any of them had played Chrono Trigger.
I had never been so affected by a video game before or since and so for me, despite any criticisms or hipsterish flack thrown my way, Chrono Trigger is my favorite game of all time.
After reading this I went back and reloaded an old save, beat Lavos again, and watched the classic ending... Why is the screen blurring? Please, robo, frog, don't go, don't fuc- go, plea- :'''(
As someone who possess' exceptionally strong feelings towards Chrono Trigger and by extension Chrono Cross and the fantastic catalog of Yasunori Mitsuda, I'd love to throw in my two cents. As Day[9] says 'There is nothing cooler than being passionate about something you love.' Hope I quoted that right, too lazy to get Daily 100 up or reach the StarCraft Bible.
Chrono Trigger is beloved, exceptional, and widely revered and heralded as arguably one of the best if not the absolute best SNES games. It is a contender for best game. ever. period. It's up there with Chess, Poker, Magic, Brood War, etc etc, etc, everyone has their own. It was a passion project that almost didn't see the light of day, it was something that the team who worked on poured themselves into, a team that has yet to truly reunite and may never do so again. What is more, the previously mentioned Mitsuda-sama crafted some of the best VGM ever, and I highly recommend to any Liquidian to get the Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross soundtracks. They absolutely transcend any preconceived notions of 'chiptunes' 'OST' and 'VGM'. Lets not forget the addition of Akira Toriyama, of Dragonball and Dr. Slump fame, designing memorable, loveable, characters and a world that is wholly unique and evocative, if not familiar and intimate at once. As stated, Chrono is a mute. No better testament to sublime character design than the immense bond developed with him despite him remaining relatively ambiguous. This is also an elegant tool for immersion and injection for the player into Chrono's place and vice versa.
The game itself was deep, emotional, far spanning, humanizing, hilarious, and genuinely touching. There is a ten year old in me who will never let go of this world, who can never let go. I still, at 26, play Chrono Trigger often, own multiple copies on SNES and PS1 and have bought it as a gift, allegedly one of the most heartfelt gifts I feel I can give, for those close to me. To say I have bonded with this game, its characters, story, and world would be an understatement. It is a part of me.
I appreciate your attempt to strip away the 'nostalgia goggles' and revisit this monolith of gaming, this genre and era defining icon, with some level of objectivity via relative maturity from when you've experienced it before. Its great to see your write up evolve as you encounter and experience the game from a wholly different perspective from the one you and most would when playing it at first, casually, or completely enraptured by it. It is rich and ripe for analysis indeed.
Great work.
It looks like just about everything I am saying has been said by either yourself or other comments but I must vocalize my issue. I have only one major bone to pick. It is an exceptionally blunt and broad brush to paint all Final Fantasies, particularly those post Seven, as being not much more than teenagers save the world, and a comparison to Chrono Trigger seems a little inept as well. Beyond simply citing that Chrono and his allies are not necessarily described as teens and are left vague enough to be near adult to elementary aged, is the game really about Chrono and some kids saving the world? While that may be the plot, and I would argue there is enough strong similarity at superficial analysis to suggest that indeed most Square RPG's are 'kids save world', there is much more under the surface. Also, kids like to play video games and feel important, saving the world is a natural fantasy to fulfill this notion. The coolest phase to a kid either younger than or in teenage years is being a teen, this is simply catering to demographics before the overarching ball game of videogame audience changed. Old folks like to rekindle childhood wonder (old meaning older than 20 here) so there are simple reasons as to why the archetype was and still is so prevalent.
I would just like to inject that Chrono Trigger, at least to me, is about the bonds you form with people, memories, your home, and learning who you are as a person, coming to terms with others as they do the same, loss, and reverence. I think if you were to meditate on these themes as you look back at your own article and playthrough you will see what I am driving at. I am wholly willing to accept that you do not see it this way either, as I started with, I have an almost abnormal attachment with this game, it is very important to me. Also, please do not mistake my point as one that is exclusive, I think the idea of 'kids save world' and 'emotionally and ideological forge of identity, purpose, significance, and legacy' are absolutely both alive in the narrative. Id just like to shed light on some of the more subtle features of CT that I hold so dear. Id go on but this is your post, not mine.
Thank you for shedding light on one of the best experiences of my childhood, one of the most impacting factors in the formation of my life, and one of the things I truly hold near and dear to me. Look forward to your next post. Kudos!
Oh, and I must say, Final Fantasy has absolutely evolved beyond 7. While 7 is still fantastic, please if you have not give 8-13 and soon 13-II an honest try. I myself have left the notion of staunchly waving the '7 is best FF' flag behind after 12 gave me something wholly original in terms of engine, story, and so much more. Not trying to join the which FF is better war, I accept that is a very personal question, like best game ever, just saying you seem wonderful and deserving of finding yourself enraptured with some of the later FF titles. Now that you have gotten deeper into Chrono Trigger, do go back and examine FF6 (3 here in the states, for the SNES. It is a strong contender for best JRPG and best FF as well.)
You bring up a topic and I gots me too too much to say. Thanks!
I've already played through Crono Triggerfour times and I still can't see what's so fucking great about it. Ok, it is a fucking good game, but I still prefer Final Fantasy Tactics or 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12. Best part of the game, (besides beating Lavos while World Revolution is playing) imo is the combat system and the OST. The characters don't interact much and that kinda bothers me, my favorite character design part of the game it is the whole Frog x Magus. And the fact that there is no talking villain really sucks imo. The fact that it looks like DBZ don't help it either. I'd give the game 8,5/10.
Want really good storytelling? Play Final Fantasy Tactics, Shakespeare + Video Games = Awesome.
On November 16 2011 10:04 r2ddrew wrote: As someone who possess' exceptionally strong feelings towards Chrono Trigger and by extension Chrono Cross and the fantastic catalog of Yasunori Mitsuda, I'd love to throw in my two cents. As Day[9] says 'There is nothing cooler than being passionate about something you love.' Hope I quoted that right, too lazy to get Daily 100 up or reach the StarCraft Bible.
Chrono Trigger is beloved, exceptional, and widely revered and heralded as arguably one of the best if not the absolute best SNES games. It is a contender for best game. ever. period. It's up there with Chess, Poker, Magic, Brood War, etc etc, etc, everyone has their own. It was a passion project that almost didn't see the light of day, it was something that the team who worked on poured themselves into, a team that has yet to truly reunite and may never do so again. What is more, the previously mentioned Mitsuda-sama crafted some of the best VGM ever, and I highly recommend to any Liquidian to get the Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross soundtracks. They absolutely transcend any preconceived notions of 'chiptunes' 'OST' and 'VGM'. Lets not forget the addition of Akira Toriyama, of Dragonball and Dr. Slump fame, designing memorable, loveable, characters and a world that is wholly unique and evocative, if not familiar and intimate at once. As stated, Chrono is a mute. No better testament to sublime character design than the immense bond developed with him despite him remaining relatively ambiguous. This is also an elegant tool for immersion and injection for the player into Chrono's place and vice versa.
The game itself was deep, emotional, far spanning, humanizing, hilarious, and genuinely touching. There is a ten year old in me who will never let go of this world, who can never let go. I still, at 26, play Chrono Trigger often, own multiple copies on SNES and PS1 and have bought it as a gift, allegedly one of the most heartfelt gifts I feel I can give, for those close to me. To say I have bonded with this game, its characters, story, and world would be an understatement. It is a part of me.
I appreciate your attempt to strip away the 'nostalgia goggles' and revisit this monolith of gaming, this genre and era defining icon, with some level of objectivity via relative maturity from when you've experienced it before. Its great to see your write up evolve as you encounter and experience the game from a wholly different perspective from the one you and most would when playing it at first, casually, or completely enraptured by it. It is rich and ripe for analysis indeed.
Great work.
It looks like just about everything I am saying has been said by either yourself or other comments but I must vocalize my issue. I have only one major bone to pick. It is an exceptionally blunt and broad brush to paint all Final Fantasies, particularly those post Seven, as being not much more than teenagers save the world, and a comparison to Chrono Trigger seems a little inept as well. Beyond simply citing that Chrono and his allies are not necessarily described as teens and are left vague enough to be near adult to elementary aged, is the game really about Chrono and some kids saving the world? While that may be the plot, and I would argue there is enough strong similarity at superficial analysis to suggest that indeed most Square RPG's are 'kids save world', there is much more under the surface. Also, kids like to play video games and feel important, saving the world is a natural fantasy to fulfill this notion. The coolest phase to a kid either younger than or in teenage years is being a teen, this is simply catering to demographics before the overarching ball game of videogame audience changed. Old folks like to rekindle childhood wonder (old meaning older than 20 here) so there are simple reasons as to why the archetype was and still is so prevalent.
I would just like to inject that Chrono Trigger, at least to me, is about the bonds you form with people, memories, your home, and learning who you are as a person, coming to terms with others as they do the same, loss, and reverence. I think if you were to meditate on these themes as you look back at your own article and playthrough you will see what I am driving at. I am wholly willing to accept that you do not see it this way either, as I started with, I have an almost abnormal attachment with this game, it is very important to me. Also, please do not mistake my point as one that is exclusive, I think the idea of 'kids save world' and 'emotionally and ideological forge of identity, purpose, significance, and legacy' are absolutely both alive in the narrative. Id just like to shed light on some of the more subtle features of CT that I hold so dear. Id go on but this is your post, not mine.
Thank you for shedding light on one of the best experiences of my childhood, one of the most impacting factors in the formation of my life, and one of the things I truly hold near and dear to me. Look forward to your next post. Kudos!
Oh, and I must say, Final Fantasy has absolutely evolved beyond 7. While 7 is still fantastic, please if you have not give 8-13 and soon 13-II an honest try. I myself have left the notion of staunchly waving the '7 is best FF' flag behind after 12 gave me something wholly original in terms of engine, story, and so much more. Not trying to join the which FF is better war, I accept that is a very personal question, like best game ever, just saying you seem wonderful and deserving of finding yourself enraptured with some of the later FF titles. Now that you have gotten deeper into Chrono Trigger, do go back and examine FF6 (3 here in the states, for the SNES. It is a strong contender for best JRPG and best FF as well.) You bring up a topic and I gots me too too much to say. Thanks!
On November 16 2011 09:06 ShootingStars wrote: Tidus is more realistic than any other FF character lol... <3 Zidane was pretty real too
He might have been more realistic but he was so intolerable.
The fact that there's people that actually liked him is mind blowing to me. I seriously had to force myself to continue playing that game to the point where I got attached to the other characters. If they hadn't fleshed out the other characters and left you to connect with Tidus and no one else, there would be no way in hell I would finish it.
Thank you so much for this blog. I've been one of the forgotten kids of the 1990's RPG generation. Sometimes I feel like nobody really understands just how good old school RPG's were, and are. Chrono Trigger always was mentioned in my favourite games ever, and still is today.
I'm 29, I've been playing RPGs since I first played FF1 on NES when I was 6 years old. I got to experience, as a child, the RPG revolution first hand, and man was it epic. Over the next 10 years, I would complete nearly 50 of these games, but was always thirsty for more. You can imagine my sadness as the world seemed to shift, and no longer were these amazing games being produced. After FF7 it was all down hill from there. RPG's once the 3D era hit, we're for all intents and purposes, dead.
I read now all the time positive reviews for games which are so terrible, I honestly go through the roof. FF12 and 13, are you kidding me? Have people all forgotten I wondered? Does nobody get it?
Even gamers from that time, that played those games, don't get it. There is a pecking order of greatness for RPGs, and games. The OP gets it. I get it. Chrono Trigger is possibly the greatest game ever made.
5/5. Hey, OP, you're not alone. Plenty of us recollect playing those old RPGs and being drawn in as a kid (or a big kid). Excuse my corniness, but it was magical!
You're attacks on ♥♥♥THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP♥♥♥ make me laugh though. Reminds me of LittleKuriboh's Yu-Gi-Oh parodies:
I wouldn't worry about nostalgia goggles coloring your opinion of these games too much. Everyone should go ahead and revisit these. The gameplay wasn't exactly uber spectacular back then either, but it was good enough to keep you going and not annoying to be a chore to play through. The real draw of these games were their epic stories and that's easily timeless.
Of course compared to nowadays, where game design is refined into a freaking science, the age shows a bit more. I played through FFVI again a year ago on the GBA version and I kept wishing that someone would update the gameplay with a remake because I kept noting to myself "oh cool a another useless ability". Still enjoyed it all the way through though.
I find it funny people keep saying things go downhill after FF7 because FF8 killed my inner child. I WANTED to like that game. Oh well, I stilled enjoyed plenty of PS1 RPGs though.
Oh right I forgot 1 more thing:
On November 16 2011 09:30 N1ghtshade wrote: After reading this I went back and reloaded an old save, beat Lavos again, and watched the classic ending... Why is the screen blurring? Please, robo, frog, don't go, don't fuc- go, plea- :'''(
LOL you need to keep your time machine intact to turn the sad ending into the best ending. Same ending, just with the characters going OH RIGHT WE STILL HAVE THAT THING because we we didn't wreck it to skip the first phase of the Lavos fight.
No picture of spekkio the furby? I watched my brother play this game when I was like 8, and even though my 3rd grade brain was not good enough to understand everything in the plot, i knew it was just fuckin awesome and that's all that really mattered. Got quite attached to the story line. oh memories <3
Spekkio's kind of getting a bad rap, seeing how he becomes quite powerful looking when your characters are high level, plus he's basically the hardest enemy in the game. I agree though that Chrono Trigger is awesome, yet playing it again all these years later, it's kind of like, "wth this is so cheesy" or cliche at times. Day[9] gave a shout out to the epic frog music several dailies ago--was cute.
The FF war really saddens me since Xenogears is quietly the greatest of them all, or at least should have been if it was given the proper financial backing by its creator. It's still the best for a fanatic like myself though. If you wanna talk about an emotional scene that had no trace of cliche or "typical JRPGness"--just great story--play through Xenogears until Elly tries to save Kislev from the ship bomb Hecht. There may be some poorly done translation dialogue preceding that (by "may" I mean "is"), yet Fei's reaction is so unexpectedly and completely moving. Even now I'm itching to get a Wii just for Xenoblade--it got insane reviews and I have a ton of faith in Takahashi.
I really enjoyed some of the humor of the article, in spite of my personal mission to get Xenogears more recognition and remade one day, and as I said, I loved Chrono Trigger too. Sadly, it was always one of those "games my friend with the SNES had," while I had a Genesis and non rpg/jrpg games (altered beast was pretty friggin' cool when you're 9 and just graduated from NES though).
@ShootingStars. I agree on Tidus. Gosh he actually wasn't just "dark, brooding, uber powerful!" There must be something wrong. He actually behaved like a real 18 year old, at least much more so than Cloud or Squall. Tidus was enjoyable though, especially when he was making Steiner mad. That said, FF7 was "the one" for me, just as SC1 was "the game that brought me online." And sc1 lings are like the funnest thing ever.
Thank you so much for this. I started every song with a new passage and it was an awesome trip through your nostalgia and great humor. You sound like Spoony sometimes, when you talk about your hate for ever Final Fantasy after 7. And the part about music reminded me about the Final Fantasy 7 OST, because whenever my iTunes starts one of these songs I remember the scenes of the game. Well deserved 5/5!
It's pretty damn impressive. If you liked Chrono Trigger it is definitely worth checking out. Here is a lets play of the guy playing the game if you want to preview it.
This was freaking awesome. I actually teared up from the memories of playing the shit out of this game. The music, man. The music has stuck with me all these years. I can still hum along with all of the theme songs...
Chrono Trigger is easily top 2 in my list of favorite RPGs ever with FF6 snagging the first spot. I played Chrono Trigger something like 7 times and got really far every time but never actually finished it. The last time I played it I think I only had like an hour or so left. No idea why I didn't finish it. After reading this I guess it's time to seal the deal.
Favorite character: Frog. Seriously, it's a giant frog with a sword. Favorite combo: Crono, Frog, Marle. Sweet defensive combo with double heal. Marle gets haste for epic DPS. When Crono is unavailable I replace him with Ayla or Maaaybe Lucca. Least favorite character: Robo. Meh.
On November 16 2011 20:19 Squallcloud wrote: Man great blog! You brought back so many good memories i nearly teared up and i'm 30!
Haha, same here.
Att work just a few months ago we were doing hiring interviews, and my final question was "what's your all-time favorite video game?". Yeah, I ended up hiring the 18 year old kid that said "Chrono Trigger".
Man, thinking back to the first few playthroughs of Chrono Trigger almost brings tears to my eyes.
Amazing review as well. Thank you for taking the time and adding the music between each segment, it made the reading very immersive-- I felt like I timetravelled to when I played it.
Something that you don't adress, but still baffles me to no end. How can a game this old and technically "inferior" still be a gajillion times more packed with content than any new game? Barring a few titles, most games are around 8-10 hours of gameplay nowadays, if that. And many of the other ones that exceed that are repeditive with constantly re-used textures and the same dungeon twenty times("Oh, a blue lizard this time?!") How come back in the day people were able to make such long, diverse and epic(in the "right" sense of the word) games using so much less? Why has substance been overlooked in the face of new shiny graphics?
I remember playing Chrono Trigger for the first time when I was twelve, 13 years back on my old Intel Pentium II ZSNES emulator. And I was blown away. I got up every day of the weekend extra early to sneak to the computer and have some extra hours to beat the game ... which I did eventually a few years later because I got stuck in the future time not knowing where to go after the race with Johnny. I picked the game up, couldn't beat it, put it down, picked it up again a year later, got a bit further, laid it down etc. until I finally beat it about 8 years ago… and damn! Yeah I had a first kiss, a first girlfriend and so on. But this moment when the credits rolled, I can remember it better that all those other moments. Am I weird? Maybe, but now I at least know there’s more weird people like me out there!
Got this game bundled with FFIV for the ps1, load times were hideous. actually, it would take a solid 5 seconds to get from game to menu, and another five to get back from menu to game.
that problem aside, this game had a huge effect on me as a teen, just listening to some of the music in this thread has made today great.
awesome OP! I've been told by some people that Chrono Trigger is an awesome game, so I bought it like half a year ago for my DS. I've yet to play it though. Reason being that I wanna save it for some long travel.
btw, can anyone recommend an awesome walkthrough for this game? I dont wanna miss out on anything when I play it finally
I still hear the music when falling asleep every now and then and I luminaire the shit out of Lavos over and over in my mind, even though it's been roughly 16 years since I played it. I played this game SO much when it came out.
As a result of this post, I started replaying it last night. It was over 5 hours before I forced myself to stop and I am regretting it at work presently.
On November 17 2011 02:53 redLeg wrote: awesome OP! I've been told by some people that Chrono Trigger is an awesome game, so I bought it like half a year ago for my DS. I've yet to play it though. Reason being that I wanna save it for some long travel.
btw, can anyone recommend an awesome walkthrough for this game? I dont wanna miss out on anything when I play it finally
Just check gamefaqs.com. Star'd walkthroughs are usually fantastic.
I definitely posted this to my facebook. Incredibly amazing write up. 5/5
Edit:
On November 16 2011 17:34 zerglingsfolife wrote: I'd like to mention that a team has produced a sequel to Chrono Trigger. Go to http://metronomeproject.blogspot.com/
It's pretty damn impressive. If you liked Chrono Trigger it is definitely worth checking out. Here is a lets play of the guy playing the game if you want to preview it.
Man you brought me so many memories, it's definitely one of the best game I ever played (multiple times). I swear, I can clearly remember that I was having a hard time reconnecting to reality after a CT session, it blows my mind when I think about it now.
Far and away one of the most nostalgic games I'll ever play, if for nothing else, for the feeling that I had when I first heard the boss music for Masamune.
Dude...words cannot fucking explain how much I feel you on this writeup. Holy shit and the humour and everything rolled in? Mother fucking A plus to the hundreth power sir. You have blown my mind and helped me revisit the world of Chrono Trigger with such amazing precision I'm about to explode due to the sheer amounts of nostalgic buildup.
Question: What do think about Chrono Cross? The storyline literally made my fucking head explode but of course, it isn't the game that Chrono Trigger IS or WAS
EDIT: GWAAH? YOU'VE NEVER PLAYED CHRONO CROSS? You sir, are missing out. The opening title track is so fucking catchy I'm absolutely forced to use "fucking" as an adjective again. Or is it an adverb? Meh...fuck it. Play Chrono Cross I guarantee you the story will blow you away.
Awesome post! I played this game for the first time when it came out on DS, when I was 19 or 20 years old, so it's no nostalgia in my case, and I still freaking love it!
On November 14 2011 16:07 Aylear wrote: there to slumber for millions of years until the stars aid in its escape, and--
Wait. I think I got my mythoi confused.
I won't lie to all of you and say that when I read this particular part, I didn't do this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MU4HMhic6AU
That's an awesome little tidbit that you threw in there Aylear and I, for one, very much appreciated it.
But, anyway, getting back to the post. This was very well written and definitely conveys your passion for Chrono Trigger. I remember playing it a little bit a couple years ago when I was away from the U.S. for a semester abroad and was looking for a video game fix. I enjoyed it very much, but never ended up finishing it for whatever reason. Probably because I already knew the story from seeing it talked about on numerous sites, so there wasn't any real incentive to go out and properly beat it.
Great post again sir and may you remember that friendship is magic (yay).
I was hoping I'd get people responding positively to this subtle nod. It ostensibly looks like a reference to the Cthulhu Mythos (of which I am also a major fan), and it is, but only a fan of MLP would see the wording and catch the triple meaning. Thanks for commenting on it. =)
On November 16 2011 02:28 Xedat wrote: 5 stars, keep writing, Ireally love planescape torment, if you want to write something about it do it!
Thank you!
I'm really not kidding when I say I might not know where to stop. I knew where I was going with the Chrono Trigger retrospective (especially, I knew what the conclusion would be). Not so with Planescape: Torment. There's a lot to talk about there, but at the same time, fewer people know that game, so it's harder to just drop infinity spoilers everywhere to humorous effect and expect everyone to get the references.
If I were to do one for P:T some time, I'd need to really map it out first.
On November 16 2011 03:16 Empyrean wrote: What a great post.
On November 18 2011 15:09 IntoTheWow wrote: Really well written, very fun to read.
Thanks, I hope I can read more like this on more games. I love reading game reviews.
Getting this kind of stuff from amazing veteran posters brings a smile to my face.
On November 16 2011 04:25 cypherwerf wrote: TY for writing this, stirred so many memories. I was really touched. Fantastic post. Best game ever.
Chrono Trigger was really epic. How come no mention of the NuUUuuuu? Those were epic, I remember waiting for the rain to come and chasing those at the hunting grounds for 30 TP..
Thank you for the sentiment, and for registering on TL to post it. That's pretty awesome of you!
On November 16 2011 09:30 N1ghtshade wrote: After reading this I went back and reloaded an old save, beat Lavos again, and watched the classic ending... Why is the screen blurring? Please, robo, frog, don't go, don't fuc- go, plea- :'''(
LOL you need to keep your time machine intact to turn the sad ending into the best ending. Same ending, just with the characters going OH RIGHT WE STILL HAVE THAT THING because we we didn't wreck it to skip the first phase of the Lavos fight.
It's funny -- one of the most epic scenes in the entire game is ramming your motherfucking flying steampunk time machine into Lavos' face, but everyone prefers to just fight Lavos' first form straight up so that they can keep the time machine and get the happy ending. Hell, I'd go so far as to say that the ending where everybody leaves never to be seen again is more powerful and memorable than the "Oh shit we still have a time machine" ending, but I can't stop myself from preserving Epoch anyway.
On November 16 2011 22:17 BleaK_ wrote: But...but... I loved all final fantasy games up to X... Why... you... You can't talk like that about some of my favorite games!
Great blog anyway
Hahaha thanks BleaK, you're awesome, good mentality. I'm glad you didn't take my rant personally. I was a bit surprised to see so many people taking my bashing to heart, actually, even going so far as disregarding the rest of my post because of it.
Personally, I do think Final Fantasy games 8 through 13 are, on the whole... well, bad, and I poke fun at them a lot, but that's just my opinion, and people shouldn't be so upset about what some jackass Norwegian thinks about their favorite game series. It's completely irrelevant. Just enjoy the games. I mean, I liked The Spirits Within, for fuck's sake, so what do I know?
On November 17 2011 00:45 mythandier wrote: Just read the whole thing while at work (productive much?). Kudos OP. Fantastic work.
Ruining peoples' careers since 2011.
On November 18 2011 05:28 ins(out)side wrote: Dude...words cannot fucking explain how much I feel you on this writeup. Holy shit and the humour and everything rolled in? Mother fucking A plus to the hundreth power sir. You have blown my mind and helped me revisit the world of Chrono Trigger with such amazing precision I'm about to explode due to the sheer amounts of nostalgic buildup.
Question: What do think about Chrono Cross? The storyline literally made my fucking head explode but of course, it isn't the game that Chrono Trigger IS or WAS
EDIT: GWAAH? YOU'VE NEVER PLAYED CHRONO CROSS? You sir, are missing out. The opening title track is so fucking catchy I'm absolutely forced to use "fucking" as an adjective again. Or is it an adverb? Meh...fuck it. Play Chrono Cross I guarantee you the story will blow you away.
I know. I've somehow avoided Chrono Cross despite being told over and over that it's an amazing game that surpasses the source material in many ways, including music (which I find impossible to believe, by the way). That's on me, and I honestly don't know that I'll ever play it now.
On November 18 2011 12:49 Mothra wrote: Planescape: Torment ruined gaming for me too. Still waiting for a game to rival it.
I don't think anything ever will. Not unless there's a major shift in how games are made further down the line.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution was never going to be able to even approach the level of depth of the original Deus Ex. That's not bashing the developers or anything, it's just how it is. In today's gaming age you need to put so much time and effort into the engine, the graphics, the audio... every single god damned pixel. There's just not enough time in the world to do all that and craft a gaming experience with the same kind of depth offered by the original.
Same with Bioshock. While a phenomenal game, it was never going to live up to System Shock. It did a lot of things much, much better than System Shock. It's just that the System Shock complexity is going to be unattainable for a while, and the games will remain a lot shallower than they used to be for years to come.
I'm not embittered by the idea, though -- I mean, I know and understand why things are the way they are. It's just the price we pay for fidelity.
Thanks for all the wonderful comments, everyone. I feel good every time someone drops by to say it was worth their time.
On November 14 2011 16:07 Aylear wrote: This is also where you witness the arrival of Lavos on Earth first hand, in the form of a comet plummeting from the sky and burrowing deep into the earth, there to slumber for millions of years until the stars aid in its escape, and--
Pony reference alert? :D
*ahem* You pretty much summed up why every person who has played and liked any video game should play through Chrono Trigger at least once. *shakes hand 5 billion times*
EDIT: Yay, at least somepony else picked up on the pony reference. :D
For someone who appreciates the game so much to go and spoil a huge plot development that will change your perspective for the entire first half of a seemingly epic long game within the first few sentences no less. Then to say "spoiler alert" after the fact. I started looking at the article ready to read just the beginning of it for the sole purpose of getting some motivation to go and finally enjoy what you and a lot of people seem to think is the best game of all time. Then you put "spoiler alert" At the end of a spoiler? Dick move. What kind of spit to the face is that? I'm sure you just assumed everyone's played it already.... sorry I haven't yet tho.... but when I would have found some time this was always on my list to start playing. If it was something dumb I wouldnt care but not "halfway thru THERES THIS HUGE TWIST YOU'LL NEVER SEE IT COMING JUST LIKE IN GAME OF THRONES THE MOST BADASS DUDE IN THE SHOW...... Oh wait that wouldn't be cool at all I think I'll stop there.
On November 20 2011 02:03 Probasaur wrote: For someone who appreciates the game so much to go and spoil a huge plot development that will change your perspective for the entire first half of a seemingly epic long game within the first few sentences no less. Then to say "spoiler alert" after the fact. I started looking at the article ready to read just the beginning of it for the sole purpose of getting some motivation to go and finally enjoy what you and a lot of people seem to think is the best game of all time. Then you put "spoiler alert" At the end of a spoiler? Dick move. What kind of spit to the face is that? I'm sure you just assumed everyone's played it already.... sorry I haven't yet tho.... but when I would have found some time this was always on my list to start playing. If it was something dumb I wouldnt care but not "halfway thru THERES THIS HUGE TWIST YOU'LL NEVER SEE IT COMING JUST LIKE IN GAME OF THRONES THE MOST BADASS DUDE IN THE SHOW...... Oh wait that wouldn't be cool at all I think I'll stop there.
Let me elaborate. You are complaining about someone spoiling a 17 year old game for you in a thread that is a retrospective of said game?
Motherfucking flying steampunk time machines indeed. I'll never forget the small leap my heart gets when the bright flash and CSHHH-SCHING of Chrono's critical rings out in an important bossfight in a near-death situation... or prevent myself from looking for even -more- secrets, even though by now every single one you could possibly find has been dissected directly from the code, and I know damn well I've found them all already.
Though it's interesting you mention the Elder Scrolls games as also-favourites. I find they're so damn dry and "realistic" that they don't ever provide the same feeling of badassitude JRPGs will quite constantly vomit all over the screen. Personally I can never get into them (The older Elder Scrolls games), probably because I'm not either immediately fighting giant robots or hanging out with nerd-chicks with magma pistols or in a group with someone who just learned to shoot forked lightning from his bow, because forked lightning is so much cooler than arrows.
Though to be far Skyrim has come a million miles forward on that front and has all kinds of badassitude happening pretty much immediately. It feels like they took quite a few of the lessons they learned making Fallout 3, refined the ideas quite a bit and used a lot of that information to "force" players to instantly be invested in the Skyrim world, rather than actually leaving it to the player to engross themselves in the story available to them.
I might get flamed for this, but I finished Final Fantasy 2-10 and I enjoyed almost all of them.
I couldn't bring myself to finish Chrono Trigger. I think the reason is that it's simply not interesting (most characters can cast one kind of spells; and the dual casts, etc. do nothing but extra damage and visual effects).
I wish I had played the game back in the day when I was a kid just so I could enjoy 100% out of this post. Excellent nonetheless! I will give the game another try now I think.
I played this game halfway through high school, at the age of 17 or so back in 2006. And I still love the game. Its not just nostalgia speaking for me, as I've played many RPGs before and after this, but few hit all the notes that chrono trigger did. Even in the scope of the work, most games choose either a scifi or a fantasy route. Chrono trigger just did everything at once, and made it fucking awesome. I too, consider Chrono Trigger one of my favorite games of all time.
As for chrono cross, its a very different game to me, so how much you'd enjoy it can vary. The music however is fantastic. Even if you don't get a chance to play through the game, its well worth it to listen to some of the chrono cross music.
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) but on the ds remake. there was a lot of hype and anticipation for the remake, but i wasn't clouded by any form of nostalgia. however, given that, i still fucking loved the game and to this day, it remains to be my most favorite rpg. 
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