Product Description

Featuring a story line developed by the creator of Chrono Trigger and Xenogears, Chrono Cross has been christened the "Best RPG Creation" by its development team. With multiple scenarios cast along a single story thread and many different endings, each replay can result in an entirely new adventure. In addition, a brand new battle system makes combat smooth and innovative by introducing an elemental field system and combo system that gives the player unparalleled flexibility in their fighting options. The elimination of random battles also quickens the pace of the game, and places the choice of where to do battle in the player's hands. With character designs by a famed Japanese illustrator and music by the original Chrono Trigger composer, Chrono Cross features visuals and sounds that bring its magic to life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1365 in Video Games
• Brand: Square Enix
• Model: 6.62E+11
• Released on: 2000-08-16
• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Platform: PlayStation
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00" h x 5.50" w x 5.00" l, .40 pounds

Features

• Featuring a story line developed by the creator of "Chrono Trigger" and "Xenogears," Chrono Cross has been christened the "Best RPG Creation" by its development team. Format: PSX Genre: RPG (VG) Age: 662248900087 UPC: 662248900087 Manufacturer No: 9780

Editorial Review
Chrono Cross, the sequel to the Super Nintendo classic Chrono Trigger, turns out to be well worth the wait. Taking off 20 years after the first game, Chrono Cross follows a boy named Serge across parallel worlds--both the world in which he lives and one in which he drowned 10 years earlier.

Chrono Cross will wow players with beautiful prerendered graphics and a unique battle system. Elements replace magic and items in battle, and using the same element three times in a row will ultimately increase your power. In addition to using elements, the accuracy of physical attacks is determined by probability, with easier-to-land weak attacks setting up fierce blows.

The plot, while a bit slow to develop, is full of interesting characters. Players will need to travel between the two worlds to advance the plot. While many of these areas will initially appear to look similar, you'll find them to be quite different upon closer examination of the details. For instance, a plant that is extinct in one world thrives in the other.

My only qualm with Chrono Cross is that, despite the complexities of the battle system, veterans will have an easy time with early battles. Still, there's much to like about this SquareSoft epic. --Robb Guido

Pros:

• Lavish, vibrantly colored graphics
• Unique battle system involving elements and casting away role-playing clichés like experience and magic points

• Easy battles due to powerful offensive and cure elements
• For hours, players will be saying, "Get to the time travel stuff"

GameSpot Review
Square's Chrono Trigger got everything right. The self-proclaimed "dream team" of scenarist Yuji Hori (Dragon Quest), producer Hironobu Sakaguchi (Final Fantasy), and character designer Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball Z) created a quirky, enjoyable romp through time with a cast of endearing characters, memorable environments, solid RPG gameplay, and unparalleled presentation. Needless to say, fans of the 16-bit SNES game have clamored for a sequel ever since. Which is why, after nearly five years of silence, the announcement of Chrono Cross drew so much ire. Where was the legendary dream team? (Only Sakaguchi contributed to Chrono Cross.) Where was the cast of characters we had grown to know and love? And who the hell was that Thundercats reject named Yamaneko? Things looked grim for the Chrono Trigger faithful. When Chrono Cross was revealed to have 40 playable characters, many lost faith entirely in the game. Had Square thrown all pretense of a coherent title out the window? But fortunately for series' fans, Chrono Trigger's dream team doesn't have a monopoly on RPG innovation. As with the first SNES title, everything in Chrono Cross clicks in a way most games wish they could imitate. The different parts combine into an instant RPG classic. The story begins with the hero, Serge, thrust into a parallel world where he had died under mysterious circumstances more than a decade earlier. He teams up with a rowdy adventurer, Kid, and sets out in search of the mysterious Frozen Flame, an artifact that lets the holder reshape time and space at will. The enigmatic Yamaneko, a regal man-cat who hunts the Frozen Flame for his own purposes, opposes them. In his quest to return home, Serge will collect both allies and foes and will find himself thrust into an adventure that will reveal his heritage, purpose, and ultimate destiny. Only by crossing between the two dimensions can Serge find the answers to his questions. Without revealing any more of Chrono Cross' excellent storyline, it can be said that it successfully pulls off the difficult balancing act every sequel faces. It's not a rehash of the original Chrono Trigger, nor does it exploit the characters and setting of Chrono Trigger for name recognition alone. Instead, it sets up an equally valid, separate, and well-developed world, then slowly and responsibly weaves in elements, characters, and events from the first title. It doesn't continue the original Chrono Trigger mythos so much as it expands it. You will be stunned by the resolution of the disparate plot threads. And with features like an impossibly taciturn hero, an accommodating attitude toward interdimensional travel, and a New Game+ mode, Chrono Cross manages to maintain the ineffable Chrono Trigger feel. The battle system deviates slightly from the RPG norm. The traditional active time bar has been replaced with a bar of seven stamina points. While the engine is still ostensibly turn based, any character can take a turn at any time as long as he has at least one stamina point remaining. Enemies can even interrupt your characters' attacks. Party members can unleash a weak, medium, or strong attack, requiring respectively one, two, or three stamina points. Even though the game pauses while waiting for input, the ability to start and end a character's turn whenever you please makes for a more frantic, pseudo-real-time experience. Elements - Chrono Cross' magic system - are divided into six colors: black and white, red and blue, and green and yellow. Each character has a color alignment that determines his affinity to certain elements. Once you obtain a spell, you place it in an acceptable empty slot on a character's element grid. For example, a spell with level "5+/-2" is a level-five spell, but it can be placed in any slot from three to seven with the expected drop/rise in effectiveness. Successfully landing a weak, medium, or strong attack adds one, two, or three bars to a character's element grid. A character with sufficient element bars can cast a spell, but the cost is seven stamina points, temporarily dropping him out of action. Combine building element grids and plummeting stamina bars with the dynamic nature of characters' turns, and battles become a constantly shifting endeavor - yet always remain under your total control. Once you understand the intricacies of the battle system, encounters are always over quickly. Two other features of the battle system are dual techs and the color field. As in the original Chrono Trigger, characters can combine their special techniques for combined attacks; while not as prevalent as might be expected, the combos are there to be discovered. The color field keeps track of the color of the last three spells cast. If the field becomes a single color, characters with that color alignment gain a statistical boost. Moreover, a monochromatic field is the only time when one of the game's mighty summons can be unleashed. Manipulating the field so that it becomes a single color is trickier than you might expect, as your opponents' spells (and interference) can't be ignored.--Andrew Vestal--Copyright © 1998 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited.

Customer Reviews

PLay this game. Now.
First, I must admit that I am not an avid video gamer, though I have seen others play plenty. I have played very few RPGs and even fewer held my interest. However, when I played Chrono Trigger on an SNES emulator, I was enthralled, finishing it within a week. When I discovered its semi-sequel was coming out, I could hardly wait the ten months for it to be released in the US. I ordered it in advance in April, received it the Wednesday it came out, and played it nearly straight through to finish by Friday evening. 60 hours of gameplay and about 15 hours of sleep. To say the least--it was all worth it.

First, gameplay-- It is one of the best battle systems that I have seen. It may seem complicated to begin with, but one becomes quickly accostumed to the strategies and nuances of the idea. In a game of chess, the rules are simple but the possibilities are endless. The same goes for Chrono Cross' element system. In addition, being able to see your enemies on screen allows you to fight when and where you want. This is a big advantage if you want to avoid them (if you don't want to fight piddling monsters) or find them (to retrieve extra spells and items). Cross pulls this off even better than its predecessor, Chrono Trigger.

Leveling-- I considered this such an important aspect of the game that I gave it its own category! The reason: you can advance through the entire game avoiding nearly all monsters and still beat the game. Not only is the focus on strategy (the types of spells, colors, and balance between physical attacks) in order to defeat bosses, but you only gain stat bonuses during about five fights between each boss. Continuing to fight others can help with items and extra spells, but does no good to "level up" your characters. I thought this a terrific idea. Your characters still become extremely strong towards the end, but not because of experience. It doesn't exist. Cross is plot-driven, not level-driven.

Storyline-- Speaking of plot, Cross' is pretty good. It can get convoluted at times, and having played Trigger is helpful, though not necessary. Characters are surprisingly three-dimensional and everything fits together if you think about it for long enough. The major ending(s) though, can be dissapointing and because of the plethora of characters, very few of their pasts and conflicts can be resolved. But, all in all, you will enjoy it as mystery after mystery is solved while other take their places. Like a good book, it's difficult to find a place to put the controller down--you want to keep going.

Music-- Outstanding. Better than many movie soundtracks I've heard, both in quality of composition and sound. I highly reccomend buying the soundtrack to listen to during the day, unless you want to leave your Playstation running while doing the dishes. Of course, it would be worth it to do that, too. It's that good.

Graphics-- The people that made the FMV sequences were the same who did those FFVIII. The graphics ares similar to those of FFVIII, in battle sequences, exploration, and the movies--but even better. The colors and attention to detail make the entire game simply . . . beautiful. Let the game run and stare at it if you have to, it can be the only way to appreciate the artwork. Plus, the spells have their own elegantly simple quality. No spell is too long or extravagent, letting battles to continue smoothly. And the detail! When a character pulls something from her pocket, the movements are very human and real. They leave footprints on the beach and the environment casts shadows as you walk through a dark cave or brightened room. Every detail draws you further into the Chrono Cross world.

Do not rent this game--you should definitely buy it. The developers of Chrono Cross claim it can be beaten in 35 hours. They're lying. It took me 67 hours total, including the few times I had to go back to an old save point. And that does not include the amount of time I will spend in the future finding the multiple endings and other storyline branches. (They are a total of 6 different paths you can take, each very different and effecting the outcome of the game) Buy this amazing title for your Playstation and give Square a hand. Or even bow. They deserve all the respect you can give for this fine game.

-Jeremy Tollefson

A Worthy Sequel
Chrono Cross, like its preddecessor Chrono Trigger, is a very original RPG that excels in almost every aspect; it's not nearly as cinema-intensive as Final Fantasy VIII, but in my oppinion, it's definately a better game. The game has overall better graphics then FFVIII; the soundtrack is one of the best I've ever heard; the story, while somewhat convoluted, is very well done (needless to say, it has some great plot twists); and, finally, the game has an incredible amount of replay (you can play through it three or four times and still not discover everything). Oh yeah, the translation is excellent too. This is one of those rare games where I can't really think of anything derogatory to say about it; everything is pretty much perfect. One word of caution though: while the game is great, if you're a more mainstream gamer looking for a more traditional type of RPG, you may not like this, as it eschews not only the usual styles of battle and experience, but also the usual style of storyline deliverance. But all in all, if this doesn't bother you, you should really enjoy this game.

PROS:

Excellent, original battle system

No random battles!

Challenging, but balanced

The best graphics on PS

Great soundtrack

44 [cool] characters!

9 endings

The most non-linear RPG I've ever played

Incredible replay value

Great story

[great] translation

Tons of sub quests

You can run instantly from any fight (bosses included)

CONS:

The hero's name kinda sucks (but you can change it, so who cares?)

The last boss music is lame (you'll understand once you get to it)

Chrono Cross.... WOW
Chrono Cross is the sequal to Chrono Trigger, one of the most popular RPGs ever, so people obviously expect a great game. And they certainly got it.

In my mind, the basis of an RPG is the story, and Chrono Cross has a great and original one, not just a repeat of CT. Serge, the hero, goes home after passing out on a beach to find that his village is different, and everyone claims he died ten years ago. I won't spoil anything else, but believe me, the story is great.

Even with an interesting story, an RPG has to have a solid battle system. And CC has an amazing one: No turns, no ATB (active time battle), the characters can attack at any time (as long as they have stamina points) with physical attacks and elements, which is CC's magic system. Also, the battles are avoidable as enemies appear on the field screen-no more random battles.

Graphically, Square has done what they always do (which is make an awesome looking game). The graphics are, I think, more akin to Legend of Dragoon than anything else, which is definitely a good thing, unless you actually prefer the deformed circus midget look of the old days.

On a final note, if you haven't played Chrono Trigger, CC's predecessor, and don't have an SNES, you haven't missed your chance. It's well worth it to download an emulator and play CT on your computer. So remember: Chrono Trigger=Really Good Game