Chrono Trigger

"The tightest competition with FF3 and both outline the definition of an RPG should be HANDS DOWN without graphical bias or media hype"

Graphics: 9.9/10
Music & Sound: 10/10
Control: 10/10
Plot & Characters: 10/10
Fun Factor: 10/10
Overall: 9.98/10
Better translated as a 10

The game that stands along with FF3 as the best of what Square has ever given us on the 16-bit council. Dispute it or what not..there are things that just can't be denied here.

Graphics: I thought FF3's were great, these stack up very well despite going for more animation and less detail. What I mean is that FF3 sacrificed animation (in battles) for detail and Chrono Trigger sacrificed some detail for animation. This isn't bad, and it obviously shows everywhere! Yes everywhere. THe backrounds are lush and animated in almost every instance. Places like the Zeal Kingdom are so visually involving that you'd beg to go back there anytime after it crashed into the sea. The futuristic settings and prehistoric areas are also well expressed and there's even layering with smog and smoke to add to this. The worlds which you prance around in are just marvelous and there's now let downs either. In terms of the animations, CT shines bright for 16-bit. The spells are intuitive and so are all the character's single, double, and triple techniques (along with the triple techs you learn by equipping rocks-Dark Eternal, and Omega Beam I must say kick ass) though the animations in them aren't pure fluidity, asking for anything better is just pointless and a show of pure ungratefullness for what this offers which is alott (I'd get pretty pissed too to hear that). The character concepts I thought were pretty interesting especially Magus (aka Janus) with all his Macarena-like hand motions and kick-ass shadow-elemented spells (like Dark Matter) and his sickle. You've got Crono (a rather ironic name), the rather silent, but all powerful kick-ass hero, Marle...uh...the snotty princess (though she makes a killer combination with Ayla in a fight), Lucca the nerd girl (I like her the very least), Frog (HELL YEAH!), Robo who's kind of an average character, Ayla-scantly clad prehistoric chick that is an excellent addition to the roster of characters, and good old Magus (Second only to Sephiroth, but better cause you can play as him). I was quite surpised to fight the final Lavos as well, because it wasn't the big heap of crap I had always fought before and that caught me by surprise. There are other interesting characters in the game such as the gurus and the Nu and the poyozo dolls. Bosses and foes all have their own unique animations and make battles quite lively. Expect a literal plethora of visuals to keep you satisfied through the WHOLE game.

Music & Sound: YES! The tie for best soundtrack goes here right along FF3 without any doubt. The boss music is just great! Other notable mentions are Magus's theme, Zeal Kingdom, Ocean Palace, Black Omen, Schala's theme, Frog's Hero theme, the CT game theme, Bike Race, Final Lavos, Ayla's theme, Robo's theme, The trial and escape themes and many others amongst the top picks on my list. This soundtrack is amazingly well rounded and I'd even go as far as to say you should by it (if you can find it still). The music fits very well into the game and adds to the effect the rest of it adds, so I couldn't help but give it a ten. CT earned that straight up.

Controls: I won't go much into things here, because the controls aren't really any different from the ones in FF3. There's no two plaeyr feature (like in 3) which might have been cool, but I guess I can see why it's not in here anyway. Mostly the contols or pretty slick and you have a slightly wider ranger of movement versus FF3's 4 direction movement which all the critics HAD to pick on. This is not to say that CT has better controls than 3, so I'd have to vouch they are very much equal on all terms. There's menus (awwwwww....run away all you anti-menu pro-graphic people)with all the choices you need to make and lists of all the skills your characters possess, etc. Like FF3, CT's characters have signature moves which set them apart from each other and make them more unique which is also great because you have to manually select a party that has a good coordinating set of double and triple techs making strategizing a battle more intersting than saying "Oh, I'll equip this attack/spell on this person so they can cream everyone I fight...hardy har har! Boy am I skilled!". Navigating most of the areas isn't much of a hinderence either due to controls, so worrying about getting stuck and having to reset is a very low possibility (vs that in Secret of Evermore (shudders)). Same old same old though it's not bad in the least bit. Good, solid, tried and true Square controls!

Plot & Characters: The feature of this game that stands out as most prominent is all right here and yes, you will not be disappointed unless you just need something to pointlessly rip on that's backed by little to none. Why's this game's plot so great? So many possibilites due to the fact that you're cruisn' in time. Once you beat the game, you go around again to see different endings (12 in all) that can be good/awesome/quirky/retarded pending on what you do to activate that ending (this results in what we call replay..it's what CT has and FF7 and 8 don't). You may argue that too, I guess, but I really don't care. I loved the variables. The game could have went on forever if they wanted it too and I was hoping it would. The story is involving and somewhat linear. You'll be moved a little by what happens to Janus and Schala, the untimely death of Crono, express pity for the people who died in Zeal, symapthize for the fate of the gurus, feel outrage for the actions of the chancellor of Guardia Kingdom (past and future), understand the cruel realtiy of being an insignificant number like Robo was in his time, and buddy up with Frog after hearing of his fate. It just keeps going. There's surprises, twist, betrayels and friendships that make CT almost like that of a Christmas present you can open 24/7. Characterwise...well...I sort of got into that in an earlier statement, but I'll re-emphasize that the characters have their own signature styles and are well done as far as originality goes. As far as the endings go, they're all rather interesting and surprising in their own little ways and some require effort and sidequests to obtain. Excellent plot aided by involving and interesting characters... Nuff said.

Fun Factor: As I stated in my FF3 review, this game and FF3 always keep me coming back...always. A lot of it isn't because of wanting to see all the endings either because I haven't, so saying that I like this game because of wanting to see all the endings is just absurdity and an assumption needed to fuel the fire for a biased counterattack. Anyway... the things I liked THE MOST were going through some of the situations again and again. Take for example Zeal Kingdom: I spend hours there, just checking things out in general. It may be pointless, but I enjoy it and still do. I liked reviewing the twists like Dalton's taking over when Zeal crashed into oblivian and suffered a surprising and befitting demise as well as almost all the events regarding Magus/Janus. There's also some great side quests later in the game that people can overlook easily if they didn't refer to a FAQ or guide. In fact, towards the game's end, every character has a side quest where they tinker with the past/future to ease their own lives which aids strongly in the field of character development. You've got mini-games at the Millenial Fair and the bike race with Johnny in the future (tied with FF7's bike race), plus trying to beat Spekkio at the end of time will keep you going for a while. Just like the plot, the fun factor is a present handed down from Square to the gaming public and is a satisfying godsend.

Strong Recommendation: Buy the re-release of CT for the Playstation or hunt down the original copy, because you can't go wrong with this. The majority of the reviews here all point out that this is one of the best, so why not try it?

Overall: 9.98/10 For simplicity's sake it got a 10

A thought: Most of you may also wonder my strong bias and comparison to FF7 and FF8 in these reviews. Let me explain honestly and frankly and if you want to hear more, you know how to contact me. To be blunt and honest, FF7 and 8 are more about graphics and media hype than most evrything else (deny that and well...hehe). Square (when it started) was nothing to most of the gaming world, but there were fans that admired the challenge of the first RPG's which were all pretty damn good until the next generation console versions. It seems that since Square became the life force link to Sony, it's focused more on making FF games and most RPGs in general (though Xenogears kicked major ass)more publically friendly and also making Square lose it's tradition on making RPGs for RPG players. That's not to say that Square makes all the changes though because since the SNES FF's (and every Square game after that)came out we have these nifty post cards that we send back with a check list of things we want to see in an RPG, resulting in what you see today: graphics, graphics, graphics, some improved sound (though more of a novelty with the latest FF's), and the most drastically critisized and most painfully true lacking element:PLOT (I HAVE TO EMPHASIZE THIS). Square moving forward in the world is good and all, but they're severing the roots which made them what they are today is starting to become an eyesore. Then there's the people bent on thinking FF7 and 8 are the best the world has blessed them with and when you get them to play old school stuff it's a world of whining. That's the most ungrateful thing you can assume and is like trashing your forefathers, etc. etc. Point is is that, without these things, there wouldn't be FF7 or 8 or Chrono Cross. People prasie differences which is true and fine, but Square kicked us in the ass with FF8 which honestly shouldn't be under the FF title. The games are good, but it sort of slides off in the end compared to the predecessors. In a synopsis of the past 2 FFs reased on the PS, it's obvious to see where FF games might go in the future (salvation may be in FF9..but that's questionable). Good thing we have alternatives like Lunar SSSC, Xenogears, Chrono Trigger, FF Tactics, FF3, FF Anthologies, and I can just keep going ON AND ON.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 01/13/01