Chrono Cross is sucking

[Lothars]

Grandia was able to hold my interest all the way to the end. Well past the no more than 5 hours I could stomach the complete piece of trash that was Chrono Cross.

Yeah but what you think is trash doesn't mean it's trash, especially Chrono Cross, which is a really good ps1 rpg especially compared to Grandia which was mediocre at best.

[Aussie2B]

Yeah but what you think is trash doesn't mean it's trash, especially Chrono Cross, which is a really good ps1 rpg especially compared to Grandia which was mediocre at best.

I like how you post your opinions as if they're more factual than his. :P

[debian4life]

I am playing it and enjoying the game, but I haven't played Trigger yet though. So I might change my mind if I play Trigger.

[James8BitStar]

I'm not sure I buy the whole "people hate Chrono Cross because they loved Chrono Trigger" thing. I mean, that's a little like saying people hated Alien 3 because they loved Aliens.

[carlcarlson]

I'm not sure I buy the whole "people hate Chrono Cross because they loved Chrono Trigger" thing. I mean, that's a little like saying people hated Alien 3 because they loved Aliens.

I'd say it's a valid argument. Lots of people really loved Chrono Trigger and felt that Cross just didn't live up to it's name. Even though it might be a perfectly fine game the fact that it isn't of Chrono Trigger quality will ruin it for a lot of fans. It may not be justified, but it's not really a conscious decision. For instance, if Diablo 3 comes out and they've changed alot of the gameplay I am going to hate it. That's just how it is, you get hyped up for a sequel to a great game and you have a bunch of preconceived expectations.

[Gabriel]

Yeah but what you think is trash doesn't mean it's trash, especially Chrono Cross, which is a really good ps1 rpg especially compared to Grandia which was mediocre at best.

Initially I was thinking, "Grandia is mediocre at best??? What insanity is this?" Then I realized Grandia ONE is being referred to here, not Grandia TWO.

Yeah, Grandia is a good comparison for what I remember of Chrono Chross. Both were bland and uninteresting.

But something to think about is that Chrono Cross was a flagship game from Squaresoft, a company riding high with unprecedented recognition after Final Fantasy VII. Their games were known for such high production values that even a turd of a game like Final Fantasy 8 is still well regarded to this day. Meanwhile, Grandia was a minor low tier late release PS1 title which was a rough Saturn port and was so obscure it almost didn't get a localization. The fact they were comparable games really kind of says everything you need to know about Chrono Cross.

[Cinder6]

I'm not sure I buy the whole "people hate Chrono Cross because they loved Chrono Trigger" thing. I mean, that's a little like saying people hated Alien 3 because they loved Aliens.

Valid to me, as well. Chrono Cross is basically an entirely separate game with a few random Chrono Trigger references thrown in. Without those, you wouldn't even think of Chrono Trigger while playing it. They're that dissimilar. Tacking on the "Chrono" name seriously feels like they were just looking to get more money out of it.

Remember Doki Doki Panic? SMB2 in the US? It feels like that. (Though the situation is admittedly different with Chrono Cross.)

[Aussie2B]

While my excitement and reason for purchasing Chrono Cross was due to my love for Chrono Trigger, I'm not so sure I was expecting, or even wanting, the story to tie directly into Chrono Trigger nor the gameplay to feel exactly the same. I most excited over the prospect of a game that's on par in quality, which Chrono Cross definitely wasn't for me. When it's just plain not as fun, that's a valid disappointment.

[TonyTheTiger]

Can anyone think of a sequel that is, for all intents and purposes, superior to the first but was not as well received because it was too different?

[digitalpress]

Can anyone think of a sequel that is, for all intents and purposes, superior to the first but was not as well received because it was too different?

Right off the top of my head: ToeJam & Earl 2: Panic on Funkotron. Oh, and also Silent Hill 4. Just some quick thoughts, hope this helps.

[Jackattack]

I'd say it's a valid argument. Lots of people really loved Chrono Trigger and felt that Cross just didn't live up to it's name. Even though it might be a perfectly fine game the fact that it isn't of Chrono Trigger quality will ruin it for a lot of fans. It may not be justified, but it's not really a conscious decision. For instance, if Diablo 3 comes out and they've changed alot of the gameplay I am going to hate it. That's just how it is, you get hyped up for a sequel to a great game and you have a bunch of preconceived expectations.

In my opinion, quality has nothing to do with it. It all has to do with perception. The game wasn't Chrono Trigger 2, people were pissed. It didn't matter how great the game was on it own account, it was the sequel to one of the most loved games in history that wasn't what people wanted. You kind of have to expect people to hate it.

Just so we don't have an argument about it, I'm not saying Chrono Cross was of the same quality as Chrono Trigger (though I feel it was pretty close), it's that even if it hypothetically was, the game still would have been received poorly, based on the sole fact that it wasn't the sequel to Chrono Trigger everyone was hoping for. But that's just me :)

[Nirvana]

You gotta be kidding me. I loved Chrono Cross.

I was a HUGE fan of Chrono Trigger, and I anticipated Chrono Cross, like, mad style when it was getting hyped up. Sure, it wasn't as great as Chrono Trigger, because honestly, what is? (Probably FFVII. But shhh) But really though. Chrono Cross is amazing, and I love all of the connections to Chrono Trigger the game has.

[Malon_Forever]

Wow, I'm surprised that so many of you don't like it. I thought it was a great game. The fighting style pretty solid especially when you get farther. Also, it has a great story with tons of sidequests, and characters that you can choose to get or not. You have a lot of control on what you want to do. Last but not least, it has a great score. Love the music from it. IMO the music is a lot better then Trigger, but thats my opinion.

[drunkninja]

I loved the game myself. I actually played through Chrono Trigger when I heard about Cross. IMO the thing that makes people love or hate Cross is the difference in atmosphere. Where CT had the whole "HEY GANG LET'S GO ON AN ADVENTURE WEEEEEE!" vibe to it, CC had a much darker and subtler atmosphere that was more "wait...wtf is going on, we better check this out". And I'll agree with an earlier post that said 90% of the connections to Trigger didn't come in until very close to the end, which definitely puts off big CT fans.

Speaking of that, I do have to say that I liked the big aspect of CC's story:

****************MAJOR CC SPOILERS******************

Basically, the CT gang did prevent the course of events that led to Lavos trashing the world in 1999, but in doing so, a new future city (Chronopolis) was allowed to rise that ended up screwing shit up for everyone else. Pretty much the same as how Zeal kick-started the whole process in CT, Chronopolis pretty much was responsible for what started happening in CC.

****************END SPOILERS******************

It may have been somewhat of a recycled plot point, but I just like that it gave a somewhat more realistic notion to the consequences of Crono's gangs actions than "Hooray everyone lives in peace forever :D:D:D:D:D:D"

[greedostick]

RPG's are like books. You need to give some of them a while to get good. You can't go and compare every RPG to Final Fantasy VII and Chrono Trigger. I hate when people base how good a game is compared to another game. If it was exactly like FFVII or Chrono Trigger, everyone would complain how it is just a rip off of those games. Don't compare every game to Final Fantasy VII, and Chrono Trigger. You're setting your self up for disappointment.

It seems to me that the earlier you play a game in your lifetime, the more you like it. I have the same problem with Landstalker for genesis, and Spellcaster for Master system. I tend to compare other games to these ones because I grew up playing them, and consider them to be 2 of the best games ever made. When in reality, they must not be, cause I have never met anyone else who considers them to be that great.

Hopefully you didn't quit playing Final Fantasy 9 because the main character looked ghey and had a tail. I almost did, thank god I didn't, because it turned out to be a real treat.

Give the game a good 15 hours, if it still sucks then quit playing it. I finished Chrono Cross feeling like I do about most movies. It was worth my time playing through once, but I probably wont ever play it again.

[James8BitStar]

RPG's are like books. You need to give some of them a while to get good. You can't go and compare every RPG to Final Fantasy VII and Chrono Trigger. I hate when people base how good a game is compared to another game. If it was exactly like FFVII or Chrono Trigger, everyone would complain how it is just a rip off of those games. Don't compare every game to Final Fantasy VII, and Chrono Trigger. You're setting your self up for disappointment.

I must expand this thought a bit: Your opinion should never be based on a comparison, period. Everything needs to be taken for what it is.

I mean, when you're sitting there playing a game, half the time you're too busy figuring up a strategy or trying to get over the frecking huge pit in World Eight to really care whether or not this game plays just like that other game. Ergo, why is it even relevant?

Besides that, in a world where everything is about the comparison, why not just go with the best and never touch anything else? Why bother reading any other fantasy novel when you can just re-read Lord of the Rings a hundred times? Freck that line of thinking. Comparisons are worthless and no valid opinion (and no I don't consider most online reviews to be such) will be based on one.


It seems to me that the earlier you play a game in your lifetime, the more you like it. I have the same problem with Landstalker for genesis, and Spellcaster for Master system. I tend to compare other games to these ones because I grew up playing them, and consider them to be 2 of the best games ever made. When in reality, they must not be, cause I have never met anyone else who considers them to be that great.

I take two exceptions to this paragraph.

First: Personally I don't experience the phenomena of "liking things you played early." Recently I've revisited a lot of games I liked as a kid, and found most of them to be... just dull, at best. Even games I used to think the world of.

Second: "They can't be great because I never met anyone else who thinks so?" What the hell kind of reasoning is THAT? Since when the hell does majority vote have the final say in something as subjective as whether or not a certain video game is good?

(Personally I think majority rule is a bad thing, period, because it puts the 10% of people who know what they're talking about in the sway of the 90% who don't have a clue. But that's for another time).

[greedostick]

Second: "They can't be great because I never met anyone else who thinks so?" What the hell kind of reasoning is THAT? Since when the hell does majority vote have the final say in something as subjective as whether or not a certain video game is good?

(Personally I think majority rule is a bad thing, period, because it puts the 10% of people who know what they're talking about in the sway of the 90% who don't have a clue. But that's for another time).

Can't argue with that.

[incubus421]

I honestly can't think of any RPG that I actually think sucks. I'm such an RPG fan that I feel you have "good" RPGs and than "better" ones.
That being said, I haven't played Chrono Cross yet (though I do own it), and despite all the negative feedback here I still can't wait to play through that one.

[Volcanon]

You enjoy even "Hoshi o miru hito"?

[Ed Oscuro]

You know, it's funny you mention that, because this is the exact point in the game when I just sort of gave it up and decided that this was more of the same sort of Square drivel that made me turn to Western RPGs like Planescape: Torment and Neverwinter Nights. I have a lot of the old Square RPGs, but...meh. Why bother?
Amen. I'm looking forward to the day I break out that like-new Baldur's Gate sitting on a shelf :)

Also, why is the OP banned he is a hero (but 7+ page threads don't have time for me anymore.)

On the subject of jRPGs...I haven't played a lot, partly because they seem to have the same stupid storylines of action games. So basically I get everything I don't like about an action game without any of the gameplay. Hooray...

[tritium]

It might be a shorter list if you ask me what RPGs I haven't played on the system (though I certainly haven't beaten all that I've played). Regardless, I prefer CC to FFIX if that gives you any idea of where I'm coming from. And if you want to talk about ugly character designs...:-/ And for the record, CC's plot did make sense. In fact, it's pretty easy to follow once you get passed the Square-ish philosophical nonsense. But that's been going on since the second disc of FFVII. Part of the reason I liked FFXII so much was because it was a breath of fresh air and said what it meant in simple English. "Stop the bad man!"

Honestly, even beyond the "gotta catch 'em all" characters, it seems like whether or not a person likes Cross depends almost entirely on if they're willing to put up with the vague script. It might be one of the most divisive games on the Playstation. Others possibly being SaGa Frontier (which I loathe) and Dragon Warrior/Quest VII (which I find tedious).



When did CC ever cost anywhere near $70?

I beat CC, it was great, just like every other square RPG. spent 80 hours hoping the lead guy gets laid... and... nothin.

I'm a masochist.

[Kid Fenris]

Amen. I'm looking forward to the day I break out that like-new Baldur's Gate sitting on a shelf :)

Also, why is the OP banned he is a hero (but 7+ page threads don't have time for me anymore.)

On the subject of jRPGs...I haven't played a lot, partly because they seem to have the same stupid storylines of action games. So basically I get everything I don't like about an action game without any of the gameplay. Hooray...

My favorite part of Planescape: Torment was when the magical living skull talked about how he wanted to get between the female lead's breasts. It was SO much better than all of those juvenile Japanese RPGs.