• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

DF: Chrono Cross Remaster: PS5/Switch Tested - A Classic Returns... With Worse Performance Than PS1

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?


The new Radical Dreamers Edition arrives with a string of extras for Chrono Cross fans, though it's far from an ideal remaster. For the PS4 release - as played on a PS5 in this video - performance is comparable to the 10-30fps range of the PlayStation original from 1999. Surprisingly there are points where it even descends to lower frame-rates in direct comparison, while using a new enhanced visuals mode. Tom and Audi reminisce over a true JRPG cult-classic - and speculate on what could have been.
 
Last edited:

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
* First time Chrono Cross has received an official release in EU.
* "Not really a remaster .. more like a 'touch up"
* Original team did not work on this, some of them only contributed to this, including Mitsuda for the OST.
* In game OST is 1 : 1 the same as PS1, only the main menu has a new orchestral track and redrawn art.

* Has Classic backgrounds mode and 'remastered' mode. Original is exactly the same as PS1.
* Remastered mode: Backgrounds are AI Upscaled but to mediocre results, the AI upscaler doesn't handle dithering properly.
* Remastered mode adds what looks like artifacting and rippling effects on the sky etc. The AI is not trained well.

* DF notes there are fan community mods for projects like this that have better results. Results could have been better here.
* FFIX Moguri mod is noted as one of the best fan projects.

* Classic mode is just raw 240p images, which appears incredibly pixelated on high resolution displays.
* In classic mode all 3D elements (battle arenas and models) render at 936p and it's a jarring inconsistency with the 240p backgrounds.
* Remastered 3D elements also run the same resolution for 3D stuff with 1080p HUD (tested PS4 and Switch)
* Battle text gets lower resolution in Original mode.

* The Scars of Time opening CG FMV has been improved with a much better AI upscaling than what was used for the game backgrounds. It looks pretty good now.
* The FMVs in the game itself don't have any such upscaling. They are presented in original resolution.
* The audio behind the CG FMV's is also very low quality and compressed.
* In game music is a little bit more clearer than before, possibly running at a higher bitrate

* "WITHOUT A DOUBT, ONE OF THE WORST PERFORMING GAME ON PS4"
* 30 FPS during traversal. 60 FPS menus. 30 FPS battles.
* Traversal drops frame rate frequently and in battle it can drop to 10 FPS on PS4.
* PS4 version running on PS5 runs worse than original PS1 version across almost all tested areas with hard caps to 20 FPS in many areas.
* Changing to "Classic" visuals improves performance and it runs about the same as PS1
* Switch version runs more or less the same as PS4.
* Notable stutter at the end of each battle victory animation

* Switch version running in handheld mode reduces some performance dips and makes the blending/artifacting issues less of an issue.
 
Last edited:

Bojji

Member
RGVaPAX.png
 

RoboFu

One of the green rats
I didn’t know they had a classic mode. I may get it just for that. On Xbox ..😱
 

AV

We ain't outta here in ten minutes, we won't need no rocket to fly through space
Lord, that's embarrassing.
 

Patrick S.

Banned
I really wanted to play this, but I'm not paying one single Euro for this shit. Sadly I sold my US import PS1 copy a few years ago.
 
Last edited:

stranno

Member
The 4-5-6 Pixel remasters are fantastic though.
Well, I don't think that compensate things like the previous Final Fantasy VI or Chrono Trigger, which are among the worst remasters ever seen in any company. This Chrono Cross AI disaster looks like a masterpiece compared to the VI Remaster/Mobile design.

The only worse remaster I can think of was Transport Tycoon for Android/iOS. That was another level of crappiness.
 
Last edited:

Hugare

Member
No one buys this shit since its a bad port, Square: "See? No interest for Chrono Cross. Let's bury it for good"

This fucking company

The silverlining is that with a PC port, now we can expect something like the Moguri mod anytime in the future, hopefuly
 
Top Bottom