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)/ Rating: T - Teen UPC: 662248900087 Manufacturer No: 9780

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

Average Customer Review: ( 385 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.

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

50 of 55 found the following review helpful:

A Worthy SequelSep 03, 2000

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)

29 of 31 found the following review helpful:

The RPG you've been waiting for is here.Dec 06, 2000

Several years ago when Super Nintendo was king, there was released a game. This game featured superb graphics, sound, and storyline. This game was Chrono Trigger. Now 5 years later, we are treated to the release of the next in the series. This time around, it is Chrono Cross that is prepared to blow gamers away.

The facts:

* From the team that brought you Chrono Trigger * 2 CDs * 40+ playable characters * Excellent music * 11 possible endings

Gameplay:

Very good. The battle system used in this RPG is unique from any other. Each character has a grid, in which he places his elements. There are several different types of elements. Some are attacking, some healing, some defensive, some that make the other elements more powerful or weak. These elements can generally be used by any party member; you get to switch them around between battles. Each of these elements used is one of six colors, and each color is opposite another. Red is opposite Blue, Green opposite Yellow, and Black opposite White. Each character is one of these six colors. Take Serge, the main character, for example. His innate color is White, so therefore he can use the white elements more effectively than other colored elements. If he was fighting a boss who's innate color is Black, Serge's white attacks will work well against the boss, since Black is opposite of White. Conversely, though, the boss' Black attacks will also be very effective against White Serge.

Each character also has up to three special moves, specialized to that character. It may not seem like that many per character, but keep in mind that there are more than 40 playable characters, so that totals over 120 unique elements. Then toss in 9 double techs and 2 triple techs for a whopping total of around 150 (!) unique techs. Wow.

Also important in the battle system are stamina points. You start of with seven points. Depending on the strength of the attacks chosen, your stamina will go down, while the grid lights up more and more with possible elements you can use. When your character is not fighting, the stamina recovers. There also other interesting features of the intricate battle system. It is impossible to mention them all. It sounds very confusing, all of this, and at first it is. But as you play through the game and make yourself comfortable with the system, you will appreciate it as a masterpiece. As for the gameplay outside of the battles, it is perfectly satisfactory. Everything you need, even a little you don't.

Graphics:

Typical to above average, as far as Playstation games go. At times, though, the graphics really shine. The elements are eye candy, and the cinema scenes are always fun to watch. Sound:

Indulge yourself. There is an absolute plethora of tracks, all wonderful. There are even a few remakes of some of the tracks from Chrono Trigger, which veterans of the game will love to hear. All of the music is appropriately placed, and there are lots of nice little sound effects to complement it.

Comments:

This game is great. An excellent storyline sets up multiple excellent endings (depending on when and how you beat the game), and the ride is quite something. Fans of the original Chrono Trigger will definitely want to check it out, as there are so, so many references back to the prequel. Mentioned and/ or seen in the game are Chrono, Lucca, Marle, Epoch, Belthasar, Prometheus (Robo), Ayla, Janus, Schala, Zeal, Glenn, Gaurdia Kingdom, and Lavos. And others. It's great. Don't worry though; the story is still understandable even if you have not played through Chrono Trigger. The game is also very poetic, and the prose is very enjoyable to read.

You won't be disappointed. Although not overly challenging, the game is engrossing and fun, and that's what great games are all about.

Buy it.

18 of 18 found the following review helpful:

Its no Chrono Trigger...but still an amazing, beautiful gameApr 27, 2005
By M. VanPortfliet "Matthew san"
I finally played this game recently, quite a few years after it's release. At first I had serious doubts about it, as there seemed little connection to Chrono Trigger (which I am a big fan of), and the gameplay and story just didn't seem to be nearly as good. However, once I gave it a chance I really started getting into it.
I think one of the big downfalls of this game is that it is a sequel to such a phenomenal old SNES game, and everyone wanted it to be as good or better, which would have been a hard thing to achieve. In it's own right, this is an amazing game, regardless of it being a sequel or not.
It is a true sequel, and the story does tie in directly to the events in Chrono Trigger, however, that's about it...the story. If you want to see the characters or environments of Chrono Trigger, you're out of luck, as this game has all different characters and takes place in the El Nido archipelago, in the same world as Chrono Trigger but never explored in that game.
The other thing this game has in relation to Chrono Trigger is just the over all feel of the game...you can tell the same people made it.
The graphics of the game are incredibly beautiful, and though already quite dated, they still stand up well (they are comparable to say...Final Fantasy IX). The environments range from beautiful tropical regions to complex castles and dungeons, and all areas are very well thought out, fun to explore, and interesting. I'm glad they kept the overland map the same as in Chrono Trigger, making it fast and easy to get around. The music is wonderful as well, and while I would have liked to have heard a few more Chrono Trigger classics, I really can't complain...the music is beautiful and very well done.
The story is twisting and complex, and it's actually quite hard to keep straight what's going on sometimes and what world you are in, as the game takes place in two different dimensions of the same world as opposed to different time periods. The two different dimensions are very similar and it can be hard to keep straight what world you are in. Still, the story was very good, keeps you involved, and does end up having a lot of direct and very interesting tie-ins to Chrono Trigger. There is also a plethora of characters (near 40, I think), almost all of which have there own mini-stories.
That was one aspect of the game I have mixed feelings about. On one hand it's great and interesting to have so many unique characters to be able to use, each with their own unique abilities and personalities. But on the other hand, having so many characters makes it hard to really get into them, their stories end up being rather shallow, and you can never really power all of them up. You'll likely end up with a couple favorites of every color attribute that you use most often, which really isn't bad. Overall, they did a good job with the characters, and I like the system they used.
The gameplay is very fun, and although it is in most ways straight forward RPG, they do throw in some interesting twists to combat. Overall quite enjoyable.
There is an almost infinite amount of secret tidbits to unlock, so much that it would almost be impossible to find them all without the strategy guide. The direction of the game can change depending on choices you make, and conversations are always different depending on who is in your party. The game is incredibly open ended, and has multiple endings as well. This coupled with the fact that it has a new game + feature gives it incredible replay value. I just beat it the first time and I'm already replaying it again with all of my equipment, elements, and experience from the first play through to try and get a different ending.
Overall, I give this game five stars. It has excellent story, dialogue, graphics, sound, characters, and gameplay...every thing about it is great and it is a world you'll want to get lost in again and again. Alas, it is no Chrono Trigger, and a large part of me wishes they could have tied in some of the characters and places from that game a little more, but oh well. They did a different game in the same style as Chrono Trigger, and it's great fun. There are at least some fun little nostalgic elements, like at one point when you find an enertron and you can hop into it to fully revive your party, and when you get out you find "you're still hungry", along with the stomach growling straight from Chrono Trigger. Very fun stuff. Highly recommended to fans of Chrono Trigger, or just anyone who loves a good RPG with lots of replay value.

30 of 33 found the following review helpful:

Chrono Cross.... WOWAug 28, 2000

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

See all 385 customer reviews on Amazon.com