Nah bro it’s absolute trash, it’s an insult to Chrono trigger no wonder the original minds didn’t come back for this cause it looks and is an utter mess of a game.
This is a hot take, but I strongly disagree with avoiding the Radical Dreamers edition. First, it has been patched, but 2nd, even at 30fps, you still have tools in the game to speed up battles and things, which was SUPER helpful for moving through at a better pace overall. 30FPS is definitely not a deal breaker for this game, but even if it was, it's fixed. That being said! Love this discussion and love this game. ESPECIALLY the music discussion. This soundtrack is top tier for sure! thanks for putting this up!
I personally agree. I played it through at 30fps originally before the patch. I didn’t really mind but when I saw the improvement it was night and day for sure. Regardless though I think the originals look better, some of the upscaling they did looks a bit water color-y in a weird way. Dunno how much source files they had for this project, seems like not much so they made the best of what they had.
It was certainly interesting. I personally couldn’t wait for the body switch portion to be finished. But it’s intentionally a shock to the player, upending your party and pretty much the way you’ve played until then. Not many games did that!
I'm playing Chrono Cross for the first time ever and absolutely loving it. I can't wait to watch this. I always love your perspective and the guests you bring on the podcast.
After watching this, I've come to the conclusion I have to emulate this game instead of playing the Radical Dreamers edition, to fully appreciate it. I just hate I don't have a functioning computer to play it so I'll have to struggle to emulate it on my phone.
@@robertusmaximus42 I’d still stick with the radical dreamers edition because that’s pretty much an emulated version and most convenient to get going. Best way is OG ps1 on a crt but that’s just me being a purist 🤣
i just make a separate save for each branching path so i can get all chars in what is effectively one play through. since the game has continue + you can just go to each branching save and collect the chars from them and bring them all into your main save. saving kid is always my main save lol
This was such a great episode to listen to! I am still keen to pick up the Radical Dreamers edition on Switch and play through it myself even if the game is considered a "bad" sequel. I also thought of a potential video idea as well from this conversation, but I won't spoil any details 😎
You guys make it sound as of the devs just decided to lore dump without any foreshadowing. That's simply not the case. We can find lots of continuity hints throughout, not the least of which is Kid stating she wants to avenge Lucca, among other stuff.
Maybe Cross has a problem of being the sequel to Trigger but the game has so many soulless characters void of story. Trigger had its base team and they all had awesome side quests that fleshed them out by games end. The combat can be subjective. I cant say it’s bad or good I guess but it doesn’t resonate with me. The game looks like a million bucks but I play JRPGs for story and characters. The game is lacking compared to other JRPGS of the time period.
I find it baffling that after the grand adventure of Trigger, they thought it was a good idea to come out and say "your main trio that saved the world just dies after some years". What a slap in the face to all who loved Chrono Trigger. Besides it making absolutely no sense with what we have in the original story; you just had mayors to look out for the other regions, it is implied that all human society is under the rule of Guardia, there is no evidence of any other form of government. And you're telling me Crono couldn't just Luminaire a group of random mooks out of existence? Ranting aside, Chono Cross is a great game, beautiful art style, breathtaking music, interesting battle and progression system and even the story I find compelling, showing more of Lavos influence on humanity, as they can be as destructive as the entity that empowered them. They just couldn't let the original cast have their happily ever after.
Initially I didn’t like Chrono Cross (played it upon its original release) being hyped up from magazines that it was Chrono Trigger 2. It didn’t turn out to be like that…also the gameplay was much different and not what I was expecting. Over time, I’ve come to realize it’s great based on its own merits.
yooo, over an hour dedicated to chrono cross, a game ive actively avoided after starting it several times and dropping it after the first couple of battles. let's hear it!
played it when it was relatively new. played it before even knowing that a game called "chrono trigger" existed. the story could be convoluted at times, but thats 90s jrpg for you. loved the environment arts. my top ps1 environment design along side legend of mana and ff9. ok battle design. one of the most ps1 creative turn based battle design, together with legend of legaia. one of my fave ps1 elemental magic system. something about not using standard MP made me use magic more. characters are its downfall for me. though the story surrounding its main casts is ok but thinking bout it now, surge is so bland that you could switch him with any other character and it would be fine. that goes to the other characters as well. the only thing i remember now thats locked to a specific character is 1)surge stabbing kid 2)surge and lynx switched bodies. aside from that theres barely nothing significant i remember. the dozens of side playable characters felt great at first but then you realize that they are just place holders that has jumbled up sentences then i just felt it unnecessary at that point. i dont exactly know what happened there cause suikuden I and II has more side playable characters but they feel different, at the least leaning more positively compared to what cross did... dragon designs are cool. at the least i find them cooler than the designs from legend of dragoon. but i wish they were utilized more. as someone who did not play trigger before it, either i just didnt know what i was missing, or my brain just skipped over them entirely haha. theres the scene at the beach where the trigger characters are supposed to be, and because i didnt know them back then, i just assume that they are just regular town npc vibing by the beach. till present i still dont know the significance of that beach scene and i dont care that much to look it up. i didnt really understood the deal with the final boss. i just understood that she looks like kid. the time devour thing whatever. then whatever whatever wahahaha. at that points its just the standard 90s anime/jrpg alien being that wants to devour or destroy earth for whatever reason. the ending was a mixed bag for me. didnt feel like an ending.. it felt more like im missing something. i remember asking myself while watching the ending "should i be watching something after this?" cause it felt as if its supposed to be a linked in to an anime or something. i didnt get the "kid in the real world" thing cause for one i personally didnt saw her as a romantic partner for surge or anything like that. i got through saving kid on the poison but thats that. never felt in the game that surge and kid was supposed to be romantically involved? so the ending was a big ???? for me. if im not into anime at that point i never would get what that ending was implying. regardless of what i typed, my overall experience of cross is that its one of my top ps1 games.
I'm curious to see the conclusion you will come to, because I don't think it's either of those. It's my favorite JRPG and a good sequel, in my eyes. I always like hearing how people interpreted it though.
I went into this game never knowing Chrono Trigger existed. Par for the course in the early 2000s. So this game was everything to me for several years until I stumbled upon Final Fantasy
To be honest I think that would’ve been the best way to play it. Having reference for a previous game totally shifts the perspective on the game. Wish I could’ve played it not knowing!! Probably would’ve enjoyed more initially I think.
@@ErekLadd Yeah, I seriously think that's the difference for me appreciating it as much as I do. I had only played Pokemon Red before it in terms of a similar game. Didn't play CT until much later and it was the PS3 port which was jank. So I think that had a huge impact on my perspective
From an objective view, Chrono Cross is a really good game. The story is 5/10 but the gameplay, music, character selection, secrets, storyline changes based on your choices, etc. is all very good. People have massive nostalgia when comparing it to Chrono Trigger or other games during their respective times. The CGI was top notch back then as well.
I literally just finished it a week ago! I had played it twice before, but not in decades, so a lot of it seemed new again. It is a good game. Very fun battle system. But it's a pretty bad follow-up to Trigger.
I do enjoy chrono cross but I think it's both a bad sequel and a mediocre game. I love the aesthetic and music of CC. I've never been able to finish the game.
What makes the game so decisive is how it treats Chrono Trigger. It goes out of its to remove or undo everything endearing about The original. Everything the original characters worked for is spit on them dying unhappy and all the supporting characters either turning evil or being broken. You didn’t need Lavos to be reused or the sages to be corrupted or the heroes to feel useless or history to be destroyed to make cross happen but they did and I see why most people can’t see past that gulf of disrespect they even stripped out the toriyama art style and humor. And certainly going from a rag tag group of accidental heroes to a chosen one with god’s/satan’s soul and a bunch of underdeveloped sidekicks is kinda not it for a lot of people even if the freedom and customization is certainly a plus when taken on it’s own merits.
IMHO just a BAD sequel but due to Toriyama's death I doubt the DS remake of Chrono Trigger will EVER get a PS4/PS5/Switch port/remaster any time soon IF at all.
I've never understood the hype with Chrono Cross. Alot of effort was put into it, and its OST is excellent, but it so fundamentally contradicts what made Chrono Trigger great that calling it a sequel is a little insulting. What really makes Chrono Trigger so great was how svelte it was compared to other RPGs of the time. Everything in the game's menu and gameplay mechanics were designed to keep things moving and not have you think about party management very much. The fewer playable characters, shorter game length, faster battles all struck a mainstream chord in grabbing your attention and keeping it. In alot of ways Chrono Trigger is the real FF7 prequel. It showed that you could hybridize RPG mechanics with cinematography in the service of speed and drama with fewer deeper characters. 4 of the 7 playable characters don't go by their given names, and there's an overarching theme of the time you come from dictating self-image, that when they are freed from their zeitgeist they get to determine who they really are and change fate. Chrono Cross does none of these things, gives you a bloated cast, a slow battle system, and a dilution of character development that sinks an otherwise well-designed game world.
Trigger is the one that is overrated actually. And I'm very glad that Cross ended up being the way it is. It may not be as hyped or as feedable to a bigger audience of hamsters like Trigger is, but overall it's a more unique and interesting experience than CT could ever be. P.S.Also, the main battle system of Trigger was stolen from games that came out before. Just so you know ;)
The game play, fight mechanics, etc... were all good in my eyes. Its the story that fell flat to me. Its obvious from how little things actually tied into Chrono Trigger outside of a few parts; and those could have been changed and nothing would have felt different in the game itself. Beyond that, i felt that the few tie in parts disrespected the accomplishments of the original Chrono Cross story.
Chrono Cross is one of my favourite JRPG off all time, the theme of fate and existentialism is well executed.
One of the most profound game ever
Nah bro it’s absolute trash, it’s an insult to Chrono trigger no wonder the original minds didn’t come back for this cause it looks and is an utter mess of a game.
@@Frank-li8uj :)
@@Frank-li8ujbiggest cap 🧢
"Where's my red haired Goku?" is such a good descriptor! Another amazing episode, I appreciate all of the insight from Seth as well.
Yeah he did such a great job on this episode!!!
This is a hot take, but I strongly disagree with avoiding the Radical Dreamers edition. First, it has been patched, but 2nd, even at 30fps, you still have tools in the game to speed up battles and things, which was SUPER helpful for moving through at a better pace overall. 30FPS is definitely not a deal breaker for this game, but even if it was, it's fixed.
That being said! Love this discussion and love this game. ESPECIALLY the music discussion. This soundtrack is top tier for sure! thanks for putting this up!
I personally agree. I played it through at 30fps originally before the patch. I didn’t really mind but when I saw the improvement it was night and day for sure. Regardless though I think the originals look better, some of the upscaling they did looks a bit water color-y in a weird way. Dunno how much source files they had for this project, seems like not much so they made the best of what they had.
The body switching moment is my favorite part of the game. It completely changes the perspective of the game for the player to me anyway
It was certainly interesting. I personally couldn’t wait for the body switch portion to be finished. But it’s intentionally a shock to the player, upending your party and pretty much the way you’ve played until then. Not many games did that!
One day I WILL play this game!!! I own it too...
Highly recommend you do get to it at some stage!
Another fantastic episode. Again another game I need to sit down and give some time too but great to hear about the love you both have to this series
Definitely play it!!
@@ErekLadd I still need to finish chrono trigger *pulls collar*
Xenogears has a lot to say about "Blind Faith" that is just incredible. and I personally think it's important to talk about.
100% - Planning on getting Seth back for a deep dive on xenogears soon for this reason
I'm playing Chrono Cross for the first time ever and absolutely loving it. I can't wait to watch this. I always love your perspective and the guests you bring on the podcast.
Hope you get something out of it!!!
After watching this, I've come to the conclusion I have to emulate this game instead of playing the Radical Dreamers edition, to fully appreciate it. I just hate I don't have a functioning computer to play it so I'll have to struggle to emulate it on my phone.
@@robertusmaximus42 I’d still stick with the radical dreamers edition because that’s pretty much an emulated version and most convenient to get going. Best way is OG ps1 on a crt but that’s just me being a purist 🤣
i just make a separate save for each branching path so i can get all chars in what is effectively one play through. since the game has continue + you can just go to each branching save and collect the chars from them and bring them all into your main save.
saving kid is always my main save lol
This was such a great episode to listen to! I am still keen to pick up the Radical Dreamers edition on Switch and play through it myself even if the game is considered a "bad" sequel. I also thought of a potential video idea as well from this conversation, but I won't spoil any details 😎
You guys make it sound as of the devs just decided to lore dump without any foreshadowing. That's simply not the case. We can find lots of continuity hints throughout, not the least of which is Kid stating she wants to avenge Lucca, among other stuff.
Maybe Cross has a problem of being the sequel to Trigger but the game has so many soulless characters void of story. Trigger had its base team and they all had awesome side quests that fleshed them out by games end. The combat can be subjective. I cant say it’s bad or good I guess but it doesn’t resonate with me. The game looks like a million bucks but I play JRPGs for story and characters. The game is lacking compared to other JRPGS of the time period.
It's the opposite actually what are u smoking bro 😂
I find it baffling that after the grand adventure of Trigger, they thought it was a good idea to come out and say "your main trio that saved the world just dies after some years". What a slap in the face to all who loved Chrono Trigger. Besides it making absolutely no sense with what we have in the original story; you just had mayors to look out for the other regions, it is implied that all human society is under the rule of Guardia, there is no evidence of any other form of government. And you're telling me Crono couldn't just Luminaire a group of random mooks out of existence? Ranting aside, Chono Cross is a great game, beautiful art style, breathtaking music, interesting battle and progression system and even the story I find compelling, showing more of Lavos influence on humanity, as they can be as destructive as the entity that empowered them. They just couldn't let the original cast have their happily ever after.
I enjoyed the game very much as a kid, but I definitely respect the mixed quality when factoring in its sequel status. Thanks for the great video!
Yeah the secret secret ending in Radical Dreamers confirmed that Magus was Guile 😎
I need to look into this!!!
Initially I didn’t like Chrono Cross (played it upon its original release) being hyped up from magazines that it was Chrono Trigger 2. It didn’t turn out to be like that…also the gameplay was much different and not what I was expecting.
Over time, I’ve come to realize it’s great based on its own merits.
Couldn’t agree more. I really like the game but it’s best played standalone without comparing!
yooo, over an hour dedicated to chrono cross, a game ive actively avoided after starting it several times and dropping it after the first couple of battles. let's hear it!
I hear you!! Dropped it once or twice back in the day but powered through not long ago. I have a new perspective on the game that’s for sure!
played it when it was relatively new. played it before even knowing that a game called "chrono trigger" existed.
the story could be convoluted at times, but thats 90s jrpg for you.
loved the environment arts. my top ps1 environment design along side legend of mana and ff9.
ok battle design. one of the most ps1 creative turn based battle design, together with legend of legaia.
one of my fave ps1 elemental magic system. something about not using standard MP made me use magic more.
characters are its downfall for me.
though the story surrounding its main casts is ok but thinking bout it now, surge is so bland that you could switch him with any other character and it would be fine. that goes to the other characters as well.
the only thing i remember now thats locked to a specific character is 1)surge stabbing kid 2)surge and lynx switched bodies. aside from that theres barely nothing significant i remember.
the dozens of side playable characters felt great at first but then you realize that they are just place holders that has jumbled up sentences then i just felt it unnecessary at that point.
i dont exactly know what happened there cause suikuden I and II has more side playable characters but they feel different, at the least leaning more positively compared to what cross did...
dragon designs are cool. at the least i find them cooler than the designs from legend of dragoon. but i wish they were utilized more.
as someone who did not play trigger before it, either i just didnt know what i was missing, or my brain just skipped over them entirely haha.
theres the scene at the beach where the trigger characters are supposed to be, and because i didnt know them back then, i just assume that they are just regular town npc vibing by the beach. till present i still dont know the significance of that beach scene and i dont care that much to look it up.
i didnt really understood the deal with the final boss. i just understood that she looks like kid. the time devour thing whatever. then whatever whatever wahahaha. at that points its just the standard 90s anime/jrpg alien being that wants to devour or destroy earth for whatever reason.
the ending was a mixed bag for me. didnt feel like an ending..
it felt more like im missing something. i remember asking myself while watching the ending "should i be watching something after this?" cause it felt as if its supposed to be a linked in to an anime or something.
i didnt get the "kid in the real world" thing cause for one i personally didnt saw her as a romantic partner for surge or anything like that. i got through saving kid on the poison but thats that. never felt in the game that surge and kid was supposed to be romantically involved? so the ending was a big ???? for me. if im not into anime at that point i never would get what that ending was implying.
regardless of what i typed, my overall experience of cross is that its one of my top ps1 games.
Its not a bad game or a bad sequel.
I'm curious to see the conclusion you will come to, because I don't think it's either of those. It's my favorite JRPG and a good sequel, in my eyes. I always like hearing how people interpreted it though.
Without spoiling I do come to a conclusion!!
Great OST. Also rad video!
I went into this game never knowing Chrono Trigger existed. Par for the course in the early 2000s. So this game was everything to me for several years until I stumbled upon Final Fantasy
To be honest I think that would’ve been the best way to play it. Having reference for a previous game totally shifts the perspective on the game. Wish I could’ve played it not knowing!! Probably would’ve enjoyed more initially I think.
@@ErekLadd Yeah, I seriously think that's the difference for me appreciating it as much as I do. I had only played Pokemon Red before it in terms of a similar game. Didn't play CT until much later and it was the PS3 port which was jank. So I think that had a huge impact on my perspective
Xenogears was a contender to be ff7 but I have never heard of a chrono trigger sequel. I would oike to see a reference for this
From an objective view, Chrono Cross is a really good game. The story is 5/10 but the gameplay, music, character selection, secrets, storyline changes based on your choices, etc. is all very good. People have massive nostalgia when comparing it to Chrono Trigger or other games during their respective times. The CGI was top notch back then as well.
I literally just finished it a week ago! I had played it twice before, but not in decades, so a lot of it seemed new again. It is a good game. Very fun battle system. But it's a pretty bad follow-up to Trigger.
I loved Chrono Cross. I just wish they kept the same art style from Trigger.
Chrono Cross is an amazing game that I believe stands the test of time. I love it almost as much as Chrono Trigger… Almost.
I do enjoy chrono cross but I think it's both a bad sequel and a mediocre game. I love the aesthetic and music of CC. I've never been able to finish the game.
To answer your question no, it’s one of the greatest games of all time.
Loved the games music. Not so much the gameplay.
bad game? controversial
The weakest part of the game for me is probably a good chunk of the characters are lackluster to say the least
At least not the Chrono Trigger situation, where every single character except for Magus is a lackluster
What makes the game so decisive is how it treats Chrono Trigger. It goes out of its to remove or undo everything endearing about The original. Everything the original characters worked for is spit on them dying unhappy and all the supporting characters either turning evil or being broken. You didn’t need Lavos to be reused or the sages to be corrupted or the heroes to feel useless or history to be destroyed to make cross happen but they did and I see why most people can’t see past that gulf of disrespect they even stripped out the toriyama art style and humor. And certainly going from a rag tag group of accidental heroes to a chosen one with god’s/satan’s soul and a bunch of underdeveloped sidekicks is kinda not it for a lot of people even if the freedom and customization is certainly a plus when taken on it’s own merits.
So the main issue that ct fans have with this game is that their soulless characters became even more soulless in Cross. Interesting
IMHO just a BAD sequel but due to Toriyama's death I doubt the DS remake of Chrono Trigger will EVER get a PS4/PS5/Switch port/remaster any time soon IF at all.
Totally agree. If there were any plans for a re-release or remaster they’re likely indefinitely on hold now.
I've never understood the hype with Chrono Cross. Alot of effort was put into it, and its OST is excellent, but it so fundamentally contradicts what made Chrono Trigger great that calling it a sequel is a little insulting. What really makes Chrono Trigger so great was how svelte it was compared to other RPGs of the time. Everything in the game's menu and gameplay mechanics were designed to keep things moving and not have you think about party management very much. The fewer playable characters, shorter game length, faster battles all struck a mainstream chord in grabbing your attention and keeping it. In alot of ways Chrono Trigger is the real FF7 prequel. It showed that you could hybridize RPG mechanics with cinematography in the service of speed and drama with fewer deeper characters. 4 of the 7 playable characters don't go by their given names, and there's an overarching theme of the time you come from dictating self-image, that when they are freed from their zeitgeist they get to determine who they really are and change fate. Chrono Cross does none of these things, gives you a bloated cast, a slow battle system, and a dilution of character development that sinks an otherwise well-designed game world.
The hype is from us Ps1/N64 kids who played this one first.
Trigger is the one that is overrated actually. And I'm very glad that Cross ended up being the way it is. It may not be as hyped or as feedable to a bigger audience of hamsters like Trigger is, but overall it's a more unique and interesting experience than CT could ever be.
P.S.Also, the main battle system of Trigger was stolen from games that came out before. Just so you know ;)
I guess I am in the minority. I think it's both a bad game and a bad sequel.
The game play, fight mechanics, etc... were all good in my eyes.
Its the story that fell flat to me. Its obvious from how little things actually tied into Chrono Trigger outside of a few parts; and those could have been changed and nothing would have felt different in the game itself. Beyond that, i felt that the few tie in parts disrespected the accomplishments of the original Chrono Cross story.