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best super nintendo rpg
Game's Ratings
Overall
Graphics
Sound
Addictiveness
Depth
Story
Difficulty
Average User Score
9.7
9
9.6
9.4
9.4
9.5
6.6
05-18-16 09:40 AM
hongeee is Offline
| ID: 1270322 | 2619 Words
| ID: 1270322 | 2619 Words
hongeee
Level: 9
POSTS: 4/14
POST EXP: 7041
LVL EXP: 2893
CP: 1277.0
VIZ: 59398
POSTS: 4/14
POST EXP: 7041
LVL EXP: 2893
CP: 1277.0
VIZ: 59398
Likes: 0 Dislikes: 1
GRAPHICS First off, let's acknowledge that today's technology far surpasses that of the 32-bit SNES hit. But, for its time, Chrono Trigger had great graphics. The battle animations were good and the character sprites were very characteristic. Who can forget Crono's spiky red hair or Ayla's playful tail? Some of the animations in this game probably lived on in future Squaresoft games and the eventual Square-Enix ones. The enemy sprites were fairly well-developed, as well. There weren't any enemies that received less attention than the characters: Azala, Masamune, and Giga Gaia are all well-known enemies in the RPG world. The landscape was also created well: the ruins of the future had the right damaged look to them as the low fog hung over the world, the Millennium Fair at the start of the game held that festive, vibrant atmosphere, and the Kingdom of Zeal held that spectacular magical quality that is so well reflected in the people. Chrono Trigger was probably one of the best-looking video games for the SNES other than The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and the Donkey Kong trilogy. The only problems I had with the game were the lack of different weapons shown. Though the attacks looked different, Crono's sword was the only weapon to visually change and even then it only changed color. Though, looking at everything else, it's easy to excuse this problem. GAMEPLAY Chrono Trigger has an easy system to understand. Though there are very few tutorials to learn, they are unnecessary for the player to understand how controls work. Battle System (5/5): The battle system was one of the first games to introduce the concept of touching enemies in order to enter a battle. Players could even avoid some fights if they were sneaky enough. The battles did not change to a different screen, either, which is much different from the commonly used Final Fantasy battle system. Rather, the characters assumed a battle formation to fight the enemies they ran into. Picky as I am, I considered it a shame that the characters could not assume different battle formations for different effects, much like Breath of Fire III. On the other hand, Chrono Trigger more than made up for it with an ability called Combine that allowed characters to put together their tech skills into single, more powerful attacks. For example, Crono can learn Cyclone, an attack that hits a group of enemies. After Lucca learns Flame Toss, the two of them can combine their abilities for a more powerful Fire Whirl, an attack that hits a group of enemies with a fire element. It can even be done with the full party of three characters. Sometimes it becomes necessary to learn the combination techniques in order to defeat some of the more challenging foes. Unfortunately, as the player scrolls through his/her choices, enemies can attack at will. Their attacks can vary depending on the range; yes, that's right, the enemies can be at different distances from the characters. And, to make things even far more unique, the enemies wander around the screen, much like a combination of Final Fantasy and Star Ocean's battle systems. Again, I must point out that it would have been more ingenious to have the ability for the characters to move about the screen, but I'm sure it would have been much harder to program the already complex battle system. Though the enemies can move about, you also have the wonderful option of choosing whether enemies can attack you while you're moving through your techniques or items. After all, it becomes quite annoying if a player is down to one character and, just as he chooses to use a revive, the enemy kills off his last character. Believe me, I've been in the same situation in several games. Unfortunately, if you choose for enemies not to attack, it also means the ATB gauge for other characters also doesn't fill. Yes, that's right; the Active Time Battle gauge commonly found in Final Fantasy is once again utilized. The last part I want to point out is the idea of tech points. You see, techniques are not learned through experience/levels; rather, they are learned by achieving a certain amount of tech points per technique. And, sometimes, more experience does not mean more tech points, so technique learning can sometimes occur separately from level raising. Wrapping up the battle system, the only major complaints I have seem to be that, regardless of where the characters are, they can always attack enemies. Sometimes the enemies are out of range of the characters and the characters can still walk up, attack an enemy standing on a cliff seemingly out of their reach, and jump back out of range of the enemy. Kinda cheap if you ask me. But, then again, there are countless other spectacular parts of the battle system that dwarf these considerations. After all, if you have to seriously think about the placement of the characters and the attack formations of the enemies when they are unnecessary for the battle to be won, it's a bit overkill. Menu System (4/5): Then there is the menu system. Oftentimes a player will play two different RPGs and discover the menus to be remarkably similar. Unfortunately, Chrono Trigger is one of them. The menu holds all the basics: Characters and what is equipped, items, save, party change, techs, configuration...you know, the works. Fortunately for Square, they managed to make Chrono Trigger's unoriginal menu unique with alterations to its looks; it no longer presents the common party/menu combination, but an overview menu with the different choices viewed behind it. A bit confused? You'll see what I mean if you play the game. Believe me, the developers definitely tidied the menu up. Ignoring the unoriginality, though, like most RPGs, the menu gets the job done and is effective for the fresh player or the ancient Chrono Trigger fan (like myself). Gameplay (10/10): Of course, nothing in the game matters if you can't PLAY it. Chrono Trigger manages to make the game fun in this aspect. The handling is wonderful; the characters are not constricted to single tile movement like Final Fantasy, but not the completely free movement available in Zelda: LttP. In Chrono Trigger, complete free movement is unnecessary, but the semi-free movement presents a more realistic atmosphere for the player. The characters move across a series of three different sprites as they move. Then there's the ability to run; unlike other games, running does not threaten pincer or back attacks. Instead, it is just an easier way to get from place to place. Though it seems unrealistic for a character to run for long periods of time, let's face it: the developers didn't want players to become bored walking forever to get to places. Some players could care less about battles and just run into them, fight, and continue on at a sprint. The game is more intended for the characters to run and the option to have them walk in careful situations. I must say that this is perhaps the best game put out by Square for the SNES in terms of player-control. I mean, sure, Final Fantasy had great control, but nothing compared to the near-perfection in Chrono Trigger. Dialogue is also optional in some ways; unless it is necessary for the storyline to proceed, characters can usually speak to a NPC and walk off in the middle of the dialogue. It is much more realistic than having to stand there and listen to the whole conversation. The dialogue even cuts off if the character walks a certain distance away from the NPC. Lastly, Chrono Trigger uses the less commonly used caterpillar system; that is, the other characters in the party follow the leader. It's quite interesting to watch characters move about in the same manner as the leader and can even become irritating after some time, but it makes interaction much more realistic. I mean, what gamer hasn't questioned the idea of having characters appear and disappear inside the leader to show their evident presence? Other than the small things I noticed, the gameplay is great for a SNES game. I'd play Chrono Trigger before I'd play anything for the PS2. MUSIC Let me tell you why Chrono Trigger got a 15/15 in seven words: Nobuo Uematsu composed part of its music. Now, with that point out of the way, let me tell you specifically about the music, mostly in consideration of the fact that some gamers have not heard of this famous composer. Put in the Chrono Trigger cartridge. Turn the power ON. Watch the opening pendulum scene. Now, wait about fifteen seconds. What happens? The scene shifts to a view of a wonderful island in the sky city-like place with one of the best pieces of music ever created. The main theme to Chrono Trigger is one of power, confidence, and legend. The music pulls you into the story and the characters. It's vibrant chords and certain drum beats pound out the heart of the game and introduce the player to different views of the game. Then, to make things better, after starting the game, Crono awakens to a beautiful soft melody that makes the player want to wake up, as well. From there the music takes on the many faces of the game. Frog's Theme reflects the noble and loyal characteristics of the character, Magus's Theme reflects the shady and confident characteristics, and the light piano tune that plays at the End of Time reflects the very idea of coming to the end of all things. The music is phenomenal and, even more amazing, is the fact that it was all done with the restrictions of the SNES. The music is appropriate in all the right places; I don't think I can pinpoint a place in the game ANYWHERE where the music does not fit. It is most certainly one of the most memorable parts of the game. For Chrono Trigger fans who have not played Chrono Cross yet, do so. Now. You will suffer from nostalgia after an hour or so into the game. Anyway, Chrono Trigger just seems absolutely flawless in the music department. The only complaint I have is that some music is heard only once or twice throughout the whole game (like the ending, To Faraway Times). In that case, I recommend getting the OSV. Do not get the Playstation version; you will not get the full effect. Oh, yes. The music is wonderful. Case closed. STORY There's gotta be a bad part to the game, right? I mean, so far the game in phenomenal, so the story must be terrible. Nope. Sorry, but I can't go along with that. First of all, Chrono Trigger begins the game with a bang. Crono awakens in his home, chats with his mother, greets his cat, and then rushes to the Millennium Fair, a celebration in honor of the coming millennium, 1000 A.D. Along the way, he can visit the town, go to the nearby castle, and fight monsters in the forest. Sounds fairly boring? Most gamers would be disappointed that it doesn't begin in some dire circumstances (like almost all the Final Fantasy games, Breath of Fire, Zelda: LttP, and most other RPGs), but I found it to be quite appealing. For once, the main character is not directly involved in some crazy dilemma in the opening scene. Matter of fact, the main character never even realizes his eventual destiny until far into the game. But let us not get ahead of ourselves. After going to the fair, Crono bumps into a strange girl, Marle, who carries a pendant of some sort. Again, you may take her out and train with her, but once that is finished, Crono proceeds to visit Lucca, his best friend. She has put together an invention that Crono is allowed to try out. Excited, Marle decides to try out the invention, but her pendant reacts strangely to it and sends her through some sort of portal. Suddenly determined to get her back, Crono grabs the pendant that was left behind and goes after her. Let me warn you, though: the game's action keeps going from the beginning until the end. There are always sidequests or events for the characters to enter and the game never becomes boring. Mysteries are often created and aren't answered until the game is played over. The characters are actually well-developed for the SNES and extra sidequests are available for each character to attempt in order for the player to understand more about the personality. And then again, who doesn't love a flying time machine named Epoch? If you don't...I have nothing to say to you. REPLAY VALUE Replay value? This game even has a replay option! Upon completion of the game, a new option opens: New Game +. New Game + allows the player to choose a saved file to be used with a new game. In the new game, all the character stats, skills, and items are retained from the saved game. Yes, that means Crono can start out with his most powerful weapon and armor at the start of the game. This makes the game much more fun; now the player can fly through the game without too much effort so that he/she can better understand the plot and unlock those mysteries he/she hadn't understood the first time through. It's also quite a feat to get the characters to level ** (two stars side-by-side). It took me five or six run-through to do so. But, to make the replay value even greater, in New Game + there are secret endings that can be achieved at various parts of the game. You obviously cannot fight the final boss with only Crono at the begging of the game at level one. That's suicide. Instead, when he's strong enough, you can fight the final boss very early in the game and manage to win, even if you only have two in your party or Crono by himself! There are also no "true" endings to the game. Depending on what actions are taken throughout the game, the ending can alter just a bit. I calculated once that there were somewhere around thirty-two different endings at the end of the game. Some aren't much different from others, but just the fact that they are a tad different makes it that much more interesting. I once set out to get all of the endings. I got twelve of them before I forgot which endings I had or hadn't gotten. But the fact remains: with thirty-two endings and ten special endings, who can argue that Chrono Trigger does not have any replay value? OVERALL Positives: This game is phenomenal. Negatives: Some things could have been better, but there's not enough negatives to even BEGIN to outweigh the positives. This game is a MUST for any RPG fan. Chrono Trigger was also among the first games to be remade for another system. The original cartridge is quite hard to find and even more expensive to buy, but Final Fantasy Chronicles contains both FFIV and Chrono Trigger for the PSX. I'd recommend getting Chronicles to save your money. If you have played Chrono Cross, but have never played Chrono Trigger, do so. Then play Chrono Cross again. If you don't suffer from nostalgia, then I must be out of my mind. Regardless of anything else, Chrono Trigger is one of the best, if not THE best, out there. Get it now. Or borrow it from a friend. Find some way to play it. And then sigh in happiness at the great 32-bit sprite graphics in all its glory. First off, let's acknowledge that today's technology far surpasses that of the 32-bit SNES hit. But, for its time, Chrono Trigger had great graphics. The battle animations were good and the character sprites were very characteristic. Who can forget Crono's spiky red hair or Ayla's playful tail? Some of the animations in this game probably lived on in future Squaresoft games and the eventual Square-Enix ones. The enemy sprites were fairly well-developed, as well. There weren't any enemies that received less attention than the characters: Azala, Masamune, and Giga Gaia are all well-known enemies in the RPG world. The landscape was also created well: the ruins of the future had the right damaged look to them as the low fog hung over the world, the Millennium Fair at the start of the game held that festive, vibrant atmosphere, and the Kingdom of Zeal held that spectacular magical quality that is so well reflected in the people. Chrono Trigger was probably one of the best-looking video games for the SNES other than The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and the Donkey Kong trilogy. The only problems I had with the game were the lack of different weapons shown. Though the attacks looked different, Crono's sword was the only weapon to visually change and even then it only changed color. Though, looking at everything else, it's easy to excuse this problem. GAMEPLAY Chrono Trigger has an easy system to understand. Though there are very few tutorials to learn, they are unnecessary for the player to understand how controls work. Battle System (5/5): The battle system was one of the first games to introduce the concept of touching enemies in order to enter a battle. Players could even avoid some fights if they were sneaky enough. The battles did not change to a different screen, either, which is much different from the commonly used Final Fantasy battle system. Rather, the characters assumed a battle formation to fight the enemies they ran into. Picky as I am, I considered it a shame that the characters could not assume different battle formations for different effects, much like Breath of Fire III. On the other hand, Chrono Trigger more than made up for it with an ability called Combine that allowed characters to put together their tech skills into single, more powerful attacks. For example, Crono can learn Cyclone, an attack that hits a group of enemies. After Lucca learns Flame Toss, the two of them can combine their abilities for a more powerful Fire Whirl, an attack that hits a group of enemies with a fire element. It can even be done with the full party of three characters. Sometimes it becomes necessary to learn the combination techniques in order to defeat some of the more challenging foes. Unfortunately, as the player scrolls through his/her choices, enemies can attack at will. Their attacks can vary depending on the range; yes, that's right, the enemies can be at different distances from the characters. And, to make things even far more unique, the enemies wander around the screen, much like a combination of Final Fantasy and Star Ocean's battle systems. Again, I must point out that it would have been more ingenious to have the ability for the characters to move about the screen, but I'm sure it would have been much harder to program the already complex battle system. Though the enemies can move about, you also have the wonderful option of choosing whether enemies can attack you while you're moving through your techniques or items. After all, it becomes quite annoying if a player is down to one character and, just as he chooses to use a revive, the enemy kills off his last character. Believe me, I've been in the same situation in several games. Unfortunately, if you choose for enemies not to attack, it also means the ATB gauge for other characters also doesn't fill. Yes, that's right; the Active Time Battle gauge commonly found in Final Fantasy is once again utilized. The last part I want to point out is the idea of tech points. You see, techniques are not learned through experience/levels; rather, they are learned by achieving a certain amount of tech points per technique. And, sometimes, more experience does not mean more tech points, so technique learning can sometimes occur separately from level raising. Wrapping up the battle system, the only major complaints I have seem to be that, regardless of where the characters are, they can always attack enemies. Sometimes the enemies are out of range of the characters and the characters can still walk up, attack an enemy standing on a cliff seemingly out of their reach, and jump back out of range of the enemy. Kinda cheap if you ask me. But, then again, there are countless other spectacular parts of the battle system that dwarf these considerations. After all, if you have to seriously think about the placement of the characters and the attack formations of the enemies when they are unnecessary for the battle to be won, it's a bit overkill. Menu System (4/5): Then there is the menu system. Oftentimes a player will play two different RPGs and discover the menus to be remarkably similar. Unfortunately, Chrono Trigger is one of them. The menu holds all the basics: Characters and what is equipped, items, save, party change, techs, configuration...you know, the works. Fortunately for Square, they managed to make Chrono Trigger's unoriginal menu unique with alterations to its looks; it no longer presents the common party/menu combination, but an overview menu with the different choices viewed behind it. A bit confused? You'll see what I mean if you play the game. Believe me, the developers definitely tidied the menu up. Ignoring the unoriginality, though, like most RPGs, the menu gets the job done and is effective for the fresh player or the ancient Chrono Trigger fan (like myself). Gameplay (10/10): Of course, nothing in the game matters if you can't PLAY it. Chrono Trigger manages to make the game fun in this aspect. The handling is wonderful; the characters are not constricted to single tile movement like Final Fantasy, but not the completely free movement available in Zelda: LttP. In Chrono Trigger, complete free movement is unnecessary, but the semi-free movement presents a more realistic atmosphere for the player. The characters move across a series of three different sprites as they move. Then there's the ability to run; unlike other games, running does not threaten pincer or back attacks. Instead, it is just an easier way to get from place to place. Though it seems unrealistic for a character to run for long periods of time, let's face it: the developers didn't want players to become bored walking forever to get to places. Some players could care less about battles and just run into them, fight, and continue on at a sprint. The game is more intended for the characters to run and the option to have them walk in careful situations. I must say that this is perhaps the best game put out by Square for the SNES in terms of player-control. I mean, sure, Final Fantasy had great control, but nothing compared to the near-perfection in Chrono Trigger. Dialogue is also optional in some ways; unless it is necessary for the storyline to proceed, characters can usually speak to a NPC and walk off in the middle of the dialogue. It is much more realistic than having to stand there and listen to the whole conversation. The dialogue even cuts off if the character walks a certain distance away from the NPC. Lastly, Chrono Trigger uses the less commonly used caterpillar system; that is, the other characters in the party follow the leader. It's quite interesting to watch characters move about in the same manner as the leader and can even become irritating after some time, but it makes interaction much more realistic. I mean, what gamer hasn't questioned the idea of having characters appear and disappear inside the leader to show their evident presence? Other than the small things I noticed, the gameplay is great for a SNES game. I'd play Chrono Trigger before I'd play anything for the PS2. MUSIC Let me tell you why Chrono Trigger got a 15/15 in seven words: Nobuo Uematsu composed part of its music. Now, with that point out of the way, let me tell you specifically about the music, mostly in consideration of the fact that some gamers have not heard of this famous composer. Put in the Chrono Trigger cartridge. Turn the power ON. Watch the opening pendulum scene. Now, wait about fifteen seconds. What happens? The scene shifts to a view of a wonderful island in the sky city-like place with one of the best pieces of music ever created. The main theme to Chrono Trigger is one of power, confidence, and legend. The music pulls you into the story and the characters. It's vibrant chords and certain drum beats pound out the heart of the game and introduce the player to different views of the game. Then, to make things better, after starting the game, Crono awakens to a beautiful soft melody that makes the player want to wake up, as well. From there the music takes on the many faces of the game. Frog's Theme reflects the noble and loyal characteristics of the character, Magus's Theme reflects the shady and confident characteristics, and the light piano tune that plays at the End of Time reflects the very idea of coming to the end of all things. The music is phenomenal and, even more amazing, is the fact that it was all done with the restrictions of the SNES. The music is appropriate in all the right places; I don't think I can pinpoint a place in the game ANYWHERE where the music does not fit. It is most certainly one of the most memorable parts of the game. For Chrono Trigger fans who have not played Chrono Cross yet, do so. Now. You will suffer from nostalgia after an hour or so into the game. Anyway, Chrono Trigger just seems absolutely flawless in the music department. The only complaint I have is that some music is heard only once or twice throughout the whole game (like the ending, To Faraway Times). In that case, I recommend getting the OSV. Do not get the Playstation version; you will not get the full effect. Oh, yes. The music is wonderful. Case closed. STORY There's gotta be a bad part to the game, right? I mean, so far the game in phenomenal, so the story must be terrible. Nope. Sorry, but I can't go along with that. First of all, Chrono Trigger begins the game with a bang. Crono awakens in his home, chats with his mother, greets his cat, and then rushes to the Millennium Fair, a celebration in honor of the coming millennium, 1000 A.D. Along the way, he can visit the town, go to the nearby castle, and fight monsters in the forest. Sounds fairly boring? Most gamers would be disappointed that it doesn't begin in some dire circumstances (like almost all the Final Fantasy games, Breath of Fire, Zelda: LttP, and most other RPGs), but I found it to be quite appealing. For once, the main character is not directly involved in some crazy dilemma in the opening scene. Matter of fact, the main character never even realizes his eventual destiny until far into the game. But let us not get ahead of ourselves. After going to the fair, Crono bumps into a strange girl, Marle, who carries a pendant of some sort. Again, you may take her out and train with her, but once that is finished, Crono proceeds to visit Lucca, his best friend. She has put together an invention that Crono is allowed to try out. Excited, Marle decides to try out the invention, but her pendant reacts strangely to it and sends her through some sort of portal. Suddenly determined to get her back, Crono grabs the pendant that was left behind and goes after her. Let me warn you, though: the game's action keeps going from the beginning until the end. There are always sidequests or events for the characters to enter and the game never becomes boring. Mysteries are often created and aren't answered until the game is played over. The characters are actually well-developed for the SNES and extra sidequests are available for each character to attempt in order for the player to understand more about the personality. And then again, who doesn't love a flying time machine named Epoch? If you don't...I have nothing to say to you. REPLAY VALUE Replay value? This game even has a replay option! Upon completion of the game, a new option opens: New Game +. New Game + allows the player to choose a saved file to be used with a new game. In the new game, all the character stats, skills, and items are retained from the saved game. Yes, that means Crono can start out with his most powerful weapon and armor at the start of the game. This makes the game much more fun; now the player can fly through the game without too much effort so that he/she can better understand the plot and unlock those mysteries he/she hadn't understood the first time through. It's also quite a feat to get the characters to level ** (two stars side-by-side). It took me five or six run-through to do so. But, to make the replay value even greater, in New Game + there are secret endings that can be achieved at various parts of the game. You obviously cannot fight the final boss with only Crono at the begging of the game at level one. That's suicide. Instead, when he's strong enough, you can fight the final boss very early in the game and manage to win, even if you only have two in your party or Crono by himself! There are also no "true" endings to the game. Depending on what actions are taken throughout the game, the ending can alter just a bit. I calculated once that there were somewhere around thirty-two different endings at the end of the game. Some aren't much different from others, but just the fact that they are a tad different makes it that much more interesting. I once set out to get all of the endings. I got twelve of them before I forgot which endings I had or hadn't gotten. But the fact remains: with thirty-two endings and ten special endings, who can argue that Chrono Trigger does not have any replay value? OVERALL Positives: This game is phenomenal. Negatives: Some things could have been better, but there's not enough negatives to even BEGIN to outweigh the positives. This game is a MUST for any RPG fan. Chrono Trigger was also among the first games to be remade for another system. The original cartridge is quite hard to find and even more expensive to buy, but Final Fantasy Chronicles contains both FFIV and Chrono Trigger for the PSX. I'd recommend getting Chronicles to save your money. If you have played Chrono Cross, but have never played Chrono Trigger, do so. Then play Chrono Cross again. If you don't suffer from nostalgia, then I must be out of my mind. Regardless of anything else, Chrono Trigger is one of the best, if not THE best, out there. Get it now. Or borrow it from a friend. Find some way to play it. And then sigh in happiness at the great 32-bit sprite graphics in all its glory. |
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05-18-16 09:56 AM
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| ID: 1270324 | 12 Words
| ID: 1270324 | 12 Words
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Level: 82
POSTS: 1020/1968
POST EXP: 136549
LVL EXP: 5150960
CP: 10087.3
VIZ: 147386
POSTS: 1020/1968
POST EXP: 136549
LVL EXP: 5150960
CP: 10087.3
VIZ: 147386
Likes: 1 Dislikes: 0
You plagiarised another review from GameFAQs. http://www.gamefaqs.com/snes/563538-chrono-trigger/reviews/83223 Eirinn : EX Palen : http://www.gamefaqs.com/snes/563538-chrono-trigger/reviews/83223 Eirinn : EX Palen : |
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