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[Grand Theft Scratchy]

I've played both Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross multiple times over the years but the sequel that released on August 15, 2000 in North America for the PlayStation had such a beautiful art style and memorable soundtrack by Yasunori Mitsuda that I believe many would agree exemplified a unique and cherishable era of RPGs. A moment in time when we were in the middle of transitioning into a new console generation and the PS1 had so many great games to play. Especially when it came to games by Japanese developers. Chrono Cross is a game at the forefront of my mind, when thinking about what PlayStation used to be like. When the gaming landscape for Sony was still uncharted waters as it was their first console generation. I believe, despite arguing that it may not be a true sequel to Chrono Trigger, that you can still appreciate how Chrono Cross' masterful audio-visual presentation made you want to explore its virtual world along with the weird but intriguing story about stepping into a parallel universe, one where you died, and you switch bodies with the main antagonist. Were you a fan of Chrono Cross growing up?

Also, 20 years later and the opening cinematic is still pretty cool to me.




Speaking of 20 years having elapsed, do you remember seeing the "Challenge Fate" magazine ad for the game?

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

.

 

[CD'S BAR]

i could never get into the battle system and so i hardly played the game, but to the this day maybe the GOAT union of art style and music.

 

[Teslerum]

I'm looking forward to a HD pack since BeetlePSX has now texture replacement.

 

[MaestroMike]

Remake of CC plz

 

[RaptorGTA]

Would be great if they would remake CC. Great game.

 

[sid2vicious]

Oh yea, the terrible sequel that killed the franchise

 

[diffusionx]

Such a great game.

 

[SinDelta]

You would think there would be more games in such an iconic franchise.

Instead another reminder there have been no new entries in 20 years.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

Didn't click the first time I tried it. Returned to it later and it now holds a very special place in my heart.

Nothing in CC is the best in its field, but the whole package is truly special. The art is absolutely amazing, with drop-dead gorgeous backgrounds and a masterful use of color. Even if the frame rate is abysmal, graphics-wise CC stands among the best PlayStation games. And there's almost no need to mention the music - CC's OST is a masterpiece, so close to true orchestra that even the recent live concert doesn't sound that far from the originals.

I love the fact that level-ups have a cap. This reduces grinding and means that you'll always have a chance against bosses (btw, you can run away from EVERYTHING). Gameplay is pretty simple and allocating elements to a huge party can be cumbersome even with the little QoL functions the game has, but the way the game works means you're encouraged to make up your party with the characters you like, rather than those you need. Some are stronger, some are pure trash unless equipped with very specific stuff, but it's very likely you'll find a party that suits your taste.

The story is very special to me, to the point that even the silent protagonist and the basically interchangeable characters can't detract from it. I never thought that CC spits on the events and characters of Chrono Trigger - it's a nice "what if" story, very well told and with unforgettable moments. I love the "humanity against fate/God" RPG stories like the ones from the Xeno series, and CC is a very peculiar take on those themes that also puts the weight of some important choices on the player's shoulders. It doesn't matter that the story ultimately unfolds in the same way; those choices matter when you're asked to make them, and that's what counts.

All I could ask for CC is a HD remaster with better framerate. The game is perfect as it is for me. Like I said, no single part of it stands out from the crowd, but the whole package - from the introductory FMV to the wonderful "hidden" ending - is just unique and unforgettable. I can see why some people just despise CC, but there's virtually nothing I'd change in it.

 

[JTCx]

The OST hits just right

 

[DisguiseArrsick]

Never released in Europe and neither was Xenogears. Emulation is the only option.

 

[Chupanibre]

Chrono Cross - Disappointing fans for 20 years TM

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

It did take me a while to get over the fact that it's nothing like Chrono Trigger, but once I got over that... my God, what a masterpiece.

 

[TGO]

Never released in Europe and neither was Xenogears. Emulation is the only option.

I owned both and Parasite Eve, just used the disc led bypass to play them

 

[Fart Knight]

Never played it.

 

[SilentUser]

Only watched my brother playing this game when I was really young. I have fond memories of it, perhaps I will buy an eventual remaster or remake in the future to try it out myself.

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

I've played both Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross multiple times over the years but the sequel that released on August 15, 2000 in North America for the PlayStation had such a beautiful art style and memorable soundtrack by Yasunori Mitsuda that I believe many would agree exemplified a unique and cherishable era of RPGs. A moment in time when we were in the middle of transitioning into a new console generation and the PS1 had so many great games to play. Especially when it came to games by Japanese developers. Chrono Cross is a game at the forefront of my mind, when thinking about what PlayStation used to be like. When the gaming landscape for Sony was still uncharted waters as it was their first console generation. I believe, despite arguing that it may not be a true sequel to Chrono Trigger, that you can still appreciate how Chrono Cross' masterful audio-visual presentation made you want to explore its virtual world along with the weird but intriguing story about stepping into a parallel universe, one where you died, and you switch bodies with the main antagonist. Were you a fan of Chrono Cross growing up?

Also, 20 years later and the opening cinematic is still pretty cool to me.

im fan of Chrono trigger but for things of life i never play Chrono Cross Is better game? ... i have to give a chance?

 

[Kuranghi]

I'd prefer the original video on a CRT or with filters on LCD personally, this isn't quite there yet. The AI upscaling makes it look like watercolour in motion. Mad.

 

[Kuranghi]

Speaking of: Is Cross Code good? I don't normally play RPGs but I like the art style and combat. Are there good secrets?

 

[Digity]

im fan of Chrono trigger but for things of life i never play Chrono Cross Is better game? ... i have to give a chance?

Cross is amazing, you definitely owe it to yourself to give it a try.

 

[Punished Miku]

This just goes to show you, you can keep something in your backlog and fully intend to play it to completion for 20 years lol.

 

[Aggressive Carrot]

Played through Chrono Cross not long ago. Still great. It took me a little while to get back into the gameplay though. I forgot how combat worked.

 

[00_Zer0]

I'm looking forward to a HD pack since BeetlePSX has now texture replacement.

Just bought this game on eBay for the express purpose to emulate it on PC.

 

[DonF]

Epic game. I played it when I was a kid and didn't speak English, I feel like I understood ⅓ of the mechanics and 1/8 of the story, yet I loved it to death. Awesome game. Got "an ending" and was pretty satisfied with the whole thing.

 

[Teslerum]

I'd prefer the original video on a CRT or with filters on LCD personally, this isn't quite there yet. The AI upscaling makes it look like watercolour in motion. Mad.

As always in these cases that might be more your brain playing tricks than an actual difference.
It's probably closer to the source file than you might think.

 

[Aggressive Carrot]

After so many years you'd think we would see another Chrono game by now. How many times did Square-Enix trademark and drop Chrono Break?

 

[Shifty1897]

The game has great graphics...
...and some great music...
...and uh, um... It's cool that you can run away from boss fights.

Sometimes I pretend the story and game mechanics are good so I can enjoy the game.

 

[RydonStarLives]

I was one of those kids that got into JRPGs through FF VII. Chrono Cross was one of the first JRPGs I played after FF VII. I never got that far, but it holds a special place in my memory when I was still figuring out JRPGs and diving into that great expanse of games.

 

[smbu2000]

I was just listening to the Retronauts podcast about Chrono Cross that they released about a week ago.

 

[Radical Dreamer]

My favourite game and ost of all the time. Atmosphere is just out of this world. I cannot describe how much this title means to me. One day I'm gonna make tattoo themed from it. I love everything about it.

 

[johntown]

I'm looking forward to a HD pack since BeetlePSX has now texture replacement.

I had no idea about this. Someone needs to do this and run all the textures through Gigapixel AI. I would certainly donate for that.

 

[Davey Cakes]

Needs a remake badly. I tried to play the original years ago and nearly went blind because of it.

PS1 visuals need to be banned forever.

 

[JaseMath]

Great game!

SO much better than the overrated Chrono Triggrrrrr

But muh dead protagonists.

This game has soul. I love how they used blue in this game. It really gives you this peaceful and warm feeling.

Soooo much better. Especially with the dozens of throwaway characters, confusing story, and forced ties to the original CT.

 

[Tesseract]

i had a phone call w / an acquaintance about this not long ago

running conclusion was the game burned itself down trying to juggle so many characters

never played cross, is this the case?

 

[ManaByte]

Needs a remake badly. I tried to play the original years ago and nearly went blind because of it.

PS1 visuals need to be banned forever.

We‘ve found Jim Ryan’s GAF account.

 

[Patterson]

One of the best vg soundtracks of all time, especially the ending credits. I often would stop playing and close my eyes.

 

[AmuroChan]

Very underrated game. One of the best game soundtracks ever.

 

[Alex_CWB]

I'm looking forward to a HD pack since BeetlePSX has now texture replacement.

Here's the pack used in the video.

 

[Grand Theft Scratchy]

i had a phone call w / an acquaintance about this not long ago

running conclusion was the game burned itself down trying to juggle so many characters

never played cross, is this the case?

I did feel like they got carried away with the number of playable characters. Most of them I don't really remember.

 

[kunonabi]

I did feel like they got carried away with the number of playable characters. Most of them I don't really remember.

After I missed out on like a million characters in a matter or hours I pretty much dropped it. Just snapped any interest I had which wasnt much to begin with.

 

[laynelane]

You've reminded me of the beautiful music and environments that drew me in from the moment I started the game. Changing characters mid-game and the Miguel boss fight, with its sad and slow music, were also stand-out events for me.

 

[ZZZZ]

Time's Scar is unbelievable, what a masterpiece.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

i had a phone call w / an acquaintance about this not long ago

running conclusion was the game burned itself down trying to juggle so many characters

never played cross, is this the case?

It's a meaningless criticism, because CC's gimmick is that "side" playable characters will say the same lines anyway, albeit with a different accent. This means you can just pick the ones you like best for your active party and not lose any significant piece of dialogue.

You'll get unique scenes and dialogues when you satisfy the requirements to recruit a certain character. That's where you get all the characterization you need for them. No needless banter, no cheesy lines, no stereotypical lolis, gruff old warriors, and the usual hullabaloo of too many JRPGs.

Most of the difference between CC's characters are about gameplay, not story. So I really don't see what's the problem with having "too many". You ain't literally missing anything leaving a certain one out if your active party, so just pick the best/hottest and you'll get the full story anyway.

 

[Serge85]

One of the best rpgs of all time, thanks, in part, to an Inspired Mitsuda.

 

[German Hops]

and the Miguel boss fight, with its sad and slow music, were also stand-out events for me.

Aye, that's one of my favorite sequences I've ever experienced in an rpg.

Good times...

 

[Pallas]

Wonderful game, enjoyed gathering the unique and unorthodox characters in this story. Probably one of the best game OST as well.

Why hasn’t this game at least, been made available yet on the PS4 yet via digital store? You’re killing me Sony ...

 

[Vandole]

Loved the game. I could go back and forth between if this or Chrono Trigger or better. But on a different note, you would be hard pressed to find a company that was more on fire than when they released this game. In the year 2000 SquareSoft released:

• SaGa Frontier 2
• Vagrant Story
• Threads of Fate
• Legend of Mana
• Chrono Cross
• Parasite Eve 2
• Final Fantasy 9

I'm pretty sure I'm leaving a game or two out too. At any rate, it was a hell of a run. Definitely makes you long for the days of shorter development times.

 

[butane bob]

Bought this back in the day but couldn't get into it. I thought it was good at first but soon found there were too many characters and the writing was a bit of a mess so i just lost interest. Personally I felt the localisation was irritating too, it was the first game localised by Richard Honeywood and introduced the annoying "comedy" accents on everyones dialogue that now plague almost all modern jrpgs (eg dragon quest, ni no kuni etc). Great music though for the most part from Mitsuda of course, apart from the awful battle theme.
Funnily enough i did manage to play all the way through the original version of this game, which was Radical Dreamers on the Super Fami. Cross is a remake of it. It was much a much tighter and shorter experience though.

Anyway - Anyone wanting to try this game out i'd recommend emulation because this is one of the games that benefits from overclocking, it fixes the framerate without speeding up the gameplay which is really nice.

 

[HotPocket69]

Very underrated game. One of the best game soundtracks ever.

It’s not underrated at all.