Chrono Cross, has it aged well?

I purchased this game finally after a friend urged me to try it. It should be here in a couple days from amazon.com. I was wondering how well it has aged.

• Is the combat still good?
• How long is it on average?
• Are the graphics still serviceable?

This is one of my top-five favorite games ever, so my opinion might be a little biased :)

Is the combat still good?hillelslovak

In this era of increasing real-time combat in RPGs, CC shows some aging. It's not as fluid and timeless as its predecessor, Chrono Trigger (#1 on my favorite games list!), but it is fun, easy to learn, and deep enough to remain entertaining throughout the game. It's quite approachable - most spells can be used by any party member, you can run away from any battle with 100% success (really, even the final boss battle is escapeable), and the game will use available healing spells/potions after every battle to fix your guys up. Of course, the best part is the absence of random battles, the bane of my RPG existence.

How long is it on average?hillelslovak

If you've played the game many times before and rush through it, about 12-15 hours isn't out of the question. On your first playthrough, I dunno, maybe something over 25 hours? It's been a long time since I knew that. It's only on two discs, and the second is relatively short, so take that into account. I've more than gotten my money's worth out of the game, though, taking the divergent story paths and finding all the endings, so I'd say replayability is high.

Are the graphics still serviceable?hillelslovak

Yes. This is possibly the best-looking game for the PS1, and the tropical environment is still beautiful. If you can handle the graphics of any other Playstation game, this one will be just fine. In addition to the graphics, the music is absolutely kick-ass, Yasunori Mitsuda's second-best score, after Xenogears. That's right, Trigger only rates third on my list, which should let you know my opinion of Mitsuda's talent and growth.

imo, since its battle was unique its still great. graphics were the best of its time and sitll doesnt look too bad to me. it has multiple endings and alot of characters to find so it has replay value too. also, its OST is still the best...

i thought that game had the weirdest battle...i dont know if i did em right the whole time haha...tarded i know

but dude the music is amazing and i always like the graphics..good game...not a 10 tho.

Chrono Cross, to me, is an average game. I never really like it too much. The grahics are good and the battles are quite fun, but it just never struck me as a good overall game.

It's the sequel to Chrono Trigger, and Chrono Trigger is a game in a league by itself, so for me nothing could ever compare.

it's aged better than vagrant story because most of the graphical detail is textures and hand-painted backdrops.

basically, no other game will give you the experience of travelling around gorgeous undisturbed tropical beaches and rain forests.

There are a few instances where your eyes may squint thanks to bird's eye view angles, but the vibrant backgounds and animation keep the graphics well-to-do. Battles themselves will have a bit of scenery, which is glorified by the ever-changing camera angles.

No random encounters will be a sigh of relief, but be prepared for longer battles and lots of pre-battle micro management. You will not gain levels normally, and you will need to learn the color system to fight. Also, there are times where you may need to farm for skills to drop off enemies or buy in stores, which will break up the pace between storylines. Some people use this to skill up secondary characters, but it isn't necessary.

Length and story tend to tie together, as certain choices can add 3-4 hours to the game. The more prominent a hero you choose to be, the longer you make the game to carry out your deeds. If you choose to gather lots of people, you will have to sit through an unskippable story arc to use them. For some this task is three pushes of the X button, for more than one it could take a full hour of monsters, mayhem, and plot twists.

The ending will make no sense and will make you wonder why you went through all that effort...the_winner1234

yeah, i was both confused by the story and the whole chrono cross multi-colour/sound element. it deserves several play-throughs to understand - even though it shouldn't, but i envy the person who understands everything first time.