Chrono Cross

THE BAD:
Nothing.

SUMMARY:
Wow.. this game was just.. brilliant. Mainly, it was just basically my favorite RPG game on Playstation that doesn’t have the words “Final” and “Fantasy” in it. The gameplay is really fun because the battle system is resemblance of turn based, but the enemies don’t take their turn while you are making your decisions, meaning that you have more time to actually think and plan your moves through. Also, the battle is really amazing because it allows you to control the type of move that you want to use, depending on the percentage of the attack will hit. This opens up room for lots and lots more combo’s that you can use, and it really makes the game really fun.

Moving on, I wont really reveal any parts of the story, but what really gets me about this game is the fact that you are able (at one point of the game) to actually control the bad guys and go through the story from their point of view, rather than just the point of view of the main characters. This really makes this game a complete masterpiece for the fact that I’ve never played an RPG before that grants you this capability of doing this.

The fun factor is amazing since its just.. really, really fun. But honestly, if you plan on having a social life after playing this, then you better reconsider buying it, because this game is extremely addictive, and once you actually start playing it, then its very hard to stop. Although I didn’t have much of a social life until I completed it, I would still recommend that you buy it because I literally cannot stress how amazing and well put together this game is. There are hours and hours of magnificent gameplay, so there’s really no reason to not get it, since it spans 2 disks and is a greatest hit.

THE BAD:
Nothing, really.

SUMMARY:
If there were ever a better RPG than Chrono Cross, I'd have to see it with my own eyes, because this Squaresoft gem has to be the most fundamental block in any fantasy gamer's library.

The most notable feature has to be the availability of 40 player characters, with a diverse range of appearances and personalities. Though this may seem like quite the load, it never detracts from the lure of the storyline, which only becomes more and more engrossing as gameplay continues.

The graphics and backgrounds are colorful, and beautifully detailed. Rarely will players find themselves uninterested or unentertained by where they're going or what they're seeing.

Then, as if the wide range of character, graphic and story work wasn't enough, the replay value will keep gamers going for many an extra round trying to complete all the side missions and collect every missing item/skill they may have missed the first time through.

All in all, this title is much too huge to go into too many specifics. Suffice to say it's simply fandabulous, and anyone who picks up a copy won't soon be disappointed.

THE BAD:
easy battles' difficulty(for good gamers),lots of characters without personality development

SUMMARY:
STORY very decent,I'd say the best except unbeatable legendary Xenogears.

original and interesting central character of the game-Kid.Chrono Cross's story is in fact HER story,the real sense of this game is this character.
very impressive and unexpected storyline's turning points.

in fact this game 's story is as amazing and exciting as Chrono Trigger's(it's "prequel") plus new amazing and subtle own sense ,plus more mature and complicated.

GAMEPLAY very very decent in terms of exploring the world,talking to various people and etc.in fact in THIS terms this game really can be called the best.lots of things to find and to see,lots of different scenes,dialogues,side quests.

one of the best and outstanding aspect of Chrono Cross is it's non-lineaity.unlike other rpgs the same age or earlier,this game has amazing freedom to explore almost full world map at any time,besides,there are several "choice-points":not only player can choose various "roads",but also he gets different party members on every "road".
really remarkable aspect,actually no rpg of the same age had this on the same level.

battle system has several very interesting ideas and is very nice and clever.however,it doesn't play as much role in this game as in other rpgs,like Final Fantasy.battles' difficulty is very easy,bosses have very small amount of Hit Pounts,besides there is no ordinal leveling up in Chrono Cross.whole party gets
a "star"-an increase of statistics only after boss battles.so in battle part this game is either good for rpg newbies or "dissapontment" for diehards.don't get me wrong though-it is not bad or dull-simply made for newbies.
one of the nicest things in this game is that all monsters are on screen(same as in Chrono Trigger or Lunar),so there is no "swirling screen" random battles.

speaking of the game's difficulty,I would admit that the true,real ending of this game is very hard to achieve without a walkthrough.

in general:gameplay is concentrated on storyline,exploring and dialogues,with easy battles,which are in very small amount compared to other rpgs.

Sountrack is amazing,the composer is the same as in Chrono trigger,Xenogears-Y.Mitsuda.very subtle and nice music,can be called one of the best of all games(not only rpgs),if not the best,indeed.it uses a great amount of various native instruments,including Japanese flutes and a "music box" like in Xenogears.
some tunes are borrowed from Chrono trigger,but rearranged.very good indeed,Square even released a cd with CC soundtrack.

Graphics..to say that they are great is like to say nothing,they are amazing for PS1,especially battle graphics.by the way,the programmers of this game did a really great job,because loading times are very quick,especially battles' loading-they are literally instant(unlike Final fantasy games).

well,the only REAL negative that this game really has is very weak characters' personalities development.CC has over 40 characters,and sadly many of them simply have no personality at all..even keeping in mind the true sense of this game-central character,Kid(the game is actually about her),this is still a negative.actually the only real one.

Conclusion:I would indeed recommend you this game,actually in any case.simply because you will have impressions that NO other rpg is able to give you.

THE BAD:
Story line is a bit confusing at first.

SUMMARY:
I purchased this game when it first came out and have played it through really about 10 times, and have found something new each time whether it be an alternate ending, or a character I finally figured out how to acquire. Definitely lives up to all of the franchise' hype. Among other RPG's this game is completely different and really cannot be judged at first glance. The attention to graphic and audio detail alone are a very good indication of how much work went into making this great game. There are no random battles you have the ability to avoid your enemy, or at least try to. The battle system is different than all other rpg's, with the use of elements and attack power and stamina really make it a fun challenge. The ability to acquire over 40 playable characters is also amazing, and very fun to try to complete your group of warriors. I give this game a very good personal rating, and it will always be in my library of great games.

THE BAD:
-Are you joking?

SUMMARY:
I had previously played and completed Chrono Trigger, and I thought, wow, what an awesome game. I figured that Chrono Cross, the sequel, must be just as good. I was wrong; it's better!

Watching the FMV sequences and battles at the beginning of the game showed me this game had extraordinary graphics for the PS1. I also found the music much to my liking, the battle music as well as outside of battle music. It really suited the certain environment you were in. Anyways, it was awesome, and I bought the soundtrack for this game, which I had never done before.

Of course, as with most Square titles, the storyline was awesome. It continues from the story in Chrono Trigger, but 20 years later. You play the role of Serge, the silent protaginist that is the persona of the player. Near the beginning of the game, you are thrown into a parralel world similar to your, but about 14 years later. There, you meet a mysterious traveling girl named Kid, who is in search of an ancient artifact, and you join her. The story is too good to spoil from there. You might find yourself reading a story analysis near the end of the game. I know I was.

The battle system of Chrono Cross is rather unique and different from that of Chrono Trigger. HP, weapons, armor, and accesories are still used, but instead of buying them, you have to gather the right materials and then play a small fee at a blacksmith's, and they will make a better weapon. As you advance in the game, you find better materials for better weapons. Also, instead of magic and MP, you have spheres called Elements. At first, you only have level 1-3 Elements. You can use any Element, but you can only use it once per battle. Near the end of the game, you'll be able to equip 40+ Elements, and the charatcers will have up to three of their own special attacks. You can attack with your weapon in battle using three types of attack: Weak, Strong, and Fierce. Attacking with Weak first raises Strong's Hit %, and hitting with Strong increases Fierce's Hit %. So a succesful attack would be Weak, Strong, Fierce. However, sometimes you can still hit with Fierce without using the others. You have a total of 7.0 Stamina. Using Weak wastes 1.0, using Strong wastes 2.0, using Fierces wastes 3.0, and using an Element wastes 7.0. So if you use an Element when you only have 1.0 Stamina, you'll be out 6.0, and your character has to wait for it to recharge; you must have at least 1.0 stamina to perform any action. You also build your element level when you attack, 1 level with Weak, 2 with Strong, and 3 with Fierce. But your Element level goes down when you use and Element. If you have a 4 Element Level, and you use an Element in the Level 2 Grid, your Element level goes down by 2. By the end of the game, you'll have a level 8 Element level. Also, your charatcers have a certain Innate, or Attribute color. White is light, black is shadow, red is fire, blue is water, green is wind, and yellow is earth. The oppositions are White and Black, Red and Blue, and Green and Yellow. So if you attack Yellow-innate monster with a Green Element, they are weak against that. But if you have a character with a White innate and they are attacked with a Black Element, they are weak against that. There are also two summons for each Element color. The less powerful one goes in one of the level 7 slots, and the most powerful one goes in one of the level 8 slot. Summons are the most poweful elements, but are the hardest to use. The field slot must be totally colored witht he same Element color as the summon is. When you use an Element it goes in the field. If you use three of the same kind of Element, this will turn the field sltos that color, and enemies and characters opposed to that color will become weaker and more vulnerable. Enemy Elements also change the field. Summon Elements also consume a Star Level. You obtain a Star Level when you defeat an enemy considered a boss. By the end of the game, you'll have about 40. However, starting New Game + (you load your completed game and get all items, stats, and elements you had before in a new game) and playing through the game a few times can get you 99 Star Level. Star Level is recoverd when you rest at an Inn or Serge's bed. Elements can be found and bought.

The characters were very unique as well. The game has about 43 characters, all with their own unique personalities and battle stats. Some are hard to get, others aren't. Most of the characters are non-important to the storyline, only about 4 are considered major characters.

Long summary? Yes, but it was worth it to describe one of the best RPG's of all time. Don't bother renting it; if you like RPG's, you'll love this game, and nowadays, you can find it for $15-$20.

THE BAD:
It's kind of hard to continue the story line if you are a beginner RPG player

SUMMARY:
This game kicks ass, major ass. It's made by the Final Fantasy creators, and it is the sequel to Chrono Trigger. I don't really like Chrono Trigger, because the game has basically nothing to compare with CC, but, so be it. The music is awesome--the music is better than any of the Final Fantasy games--I know--I own them all--and the soundtrack is just, really good. The controls are so-so for a RPG, but, the music soundtrack definetly makes up for that. THe graphics are really colorful and definetly not science-fiction, but more fantasy and more beautiful than CT. Sadly, the soundtrack costs more than the game, which really sucks. Anyway, this is an awesome game for the Playstation and it definetly deserves it's mark on RPGs, and I'm hoping for Chrono Break to come out really soon. If you wish to waste your money on other crappy games, so be it, but I hope that you save up and get this game, because I promise that it will be worth your money.

THE BAD:
When the game gets tough, you might feel like quitting. The story is a good one, though it may be hard to understand sometimes.

SUMMARY:
I would recommend this game to anyone. Chrono Cross is a really good game, coming after the popular Chrono Trigger. The battling design is all unique with the choice of physical & magic. The way the game is created is also amazing because the places all have a special purpose. You infiltrate a few places, and there are alot of special characters to choose to fight alongside with you. Theres also different paths you take, with different choices and the real truth about yourself!