Is Chrono Trigger really the best J-RPG ever made?

This is interesting.

On 1up's Retronauts, a bunch of 1up and Wired editors struggled for 96 minutes trying to find anything that sucked about the game. I didn't listen to the podcast and you can listen to it in the link below. But let's struggle a bit ourselves and discuss on thistopic:

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3163950

Is Chrono Trigger the best J-RPG ever made?

Is Chrono Trigger the best J-RPG ever made?

ASK_Story

J-RPGs are the best types of RPGs. Its definitely hard to find games nowadays that truly live up to what Chrono Trigger did for gaming.

I'm probably the only person in the world who can't see what everyone else sees in this game. I just couldn't see anything special about the gameplay, the tech system never ment much to me as the battles are still based on the old "attack, and heal, and attack, and heal, and attack..." model and there weren't many particulary interesting puzzles either. The way the game allowed for completly diffrent ending conditions was fantastic, but since I don't replay games it was pretty much lost on me (I have to admit though the fact that the game had the balls to let you kill off your party members counts for something). The story and characters were pretty generic in any case, Magus was the only interesting character as I saw it...I'm sorry but I can't place this game up there with Zelda, Baulder's Gate or even the better Final Fantasys, it's good but not that good. I just rarely found myself thinking about anything in particular while playing it, there wasn't any specific element that made me think "wow, this is the best ever!" because aside from the endings everything else it does is done better by the games I previously mentioned.


Hang me if you will :twisted:, I want to know what made the game fantastic to everyone else here, the greatest triumphs that set it apart from everything else.


P.S. Try to not take this to seriously, I simply want to make thisthread more...interesting. These are my real opinions, but I want a good debate and I won't take no for an answer. I will mention in passing that I think the lack of random battles is brilliant though. ;)

I guess you could say that the characters were not very develped or interesting if you wanted to find a flaw. Unfortunately, I'm biased towards this game, as it's not only my all time favorite RPG, it's probably my favorite game of all time. I loved everything about the game-play, the time travel theme, the music, and the different worlds and characters. It was all a very memorable and lengthy experience for me that I continued to play through over and over for years, thanks to the new game plus option that gave the game a considerable amount of replayability.

While I can't say that there are absolutely no flaws within this game, I really can't think of any at the moment. At least for me, this game was one of those things that felt near perfect for its time.

[QUOTE="ASK_Story"]

Is Chrono Trigger the best J-RPG ever made?

Skullheart

J-RPGs are the best types of RPGs. Its definitely hard to find games nowadays that truly live up to what Chrono Trigger did for gaming.

In your opinion :). But, I agree that for it's time, ChronoTrigger is one of the best JRPGs made.

The approach with using the silent protagonist where you yourself are supposed to imagine him talking...SUCKS!Jonas_81

Gameplay wise and especially the "branching plot," I didn't ever find any flaws with it either.

CT was good, but the gameplay itself was entirely far too easy. I found CT overall to be a good, yet shallow experience. I was left to ponder what the game really could have been.

Perhaps its because I played it after FF VI, which would make playing another game afterwards a tough act to follow.

chrono trigger is part of the squaresoft trifecta on the SNES, with FFVI and secret of mana. those 3 games deliver every positive aspect you could have asked for from RPGs of their time. each one of them delivered such a different, yet superb role playing experience. none of them was perfect, nothing is. that said they are still 3 of the best games i have ever played.

as for it being the best JRPG ever made, i hate that kind of title. as games evolve things will be done better. you have to keep games in perspective of time.

Chrono Trigger is my favourite JRPG because it doesn't fall into a lot of the traps of the genre.

The main draw is that it's not too long. Most JRPGs are stuffed full of random encounters to pad out the length. Given the variety in time periods and locations and how fast you move through the game, it does a good job of keeping things interesting and preventing you from getting bored at any point. IE, If you're in one area for more thanan hour you're probably doing something wrong, which is a nice change from the developers doing something wrong.

It's also not overly verbose, which is something I can't say about a lot of other JRPGs that blast you with banal dialogue and bash plot points into your head over and over again. I love FF6, for example, but it takes forever to move through its story. Chrono Trigger is over and done with before Kefka cracks the world.

If I had any complaint it's that the underlying 'game' is fairly simple, and one or two of the characters aren't as interesting as the others (or as useful). Really, other than spots where you have no choiceis there any reason to have a party consisting of anything other than Crono, Frog, and Ayla? You've got access to a great full-party heal, a powerful triple attack, and all three characters hit damn hard (which is more than you can say for Lucca or Marle).

It's definitely one of the best RPGs ever, JRPG or no. But I certainly don't think it's the best; multiple Final Fantasy installments have been better.

Furthermore, and I know everyone will want to crucify me for saying this, but I actually believe Chrono Cross is almost on par with Chrono Trigger. I'm not saying I agree with GameSpot's perfect 10 score, but I think it was possibly the best PS1 RPG with the exception of FF VII and VIII, and I may have even enjoyed CC a bit more than CT. This may be due to the fact that I played CT a little later than most RPG fans (I have no idea why), but even then, I still thought FF VI was better.

Chrono Cross is one of those games that doesn't get enough appreciation due to the insane cult following of its predecessor, IMO. That's all I'm saying.

It's definitely one of the best RPGs ever, JRPG or no. But I certainly don't think it's the best; multiple Final Fantasy installments have been better.

Furthermore, and I know everyone will want to crucify me for saying this, but I actually believe Chrono Cross is almost on par with Chrono Trigger. I'm not saying I agree with GameSpot's perfect 10 score, but I think it was possibly the best PS1 RPG with the exception of FF VII and VIII, and I may have even enjoyed CC a bit more than CT. This may be due to the fact that I played CT a little later than most RPG fans (I have no idea why), but even then, I still thought FF VI was better.

Chrono Cross is one of those games that doesn't get enough appreciation due to the insane cult following of its predecessor, IMO. That's all I'm saying.

fathoms_basic

I don't know that multiple FF installments have been better. Only two out of all of them I've played come to mind as being better IMO.

Someone's opinion of CC being on par with CT doesn't strike me as odd at all. Frankly, there was just a lot more to CC inspite of its massive flaws.

Of course it's not the "best" JRPG ever made. It is, however, my favorite game ever made. My only complaint about it is that not enough people love it enough for Square to justify making another game... yet I'll take Chrono over FFVII any day of the week.MAILER_DAEMON

See, the problem is that it is an amazing game, and for the SNES era, RPGs were just too hardcore for the mass market. It didn't get the press and sales it deserved. People are now only going back and discovering its magic.

P.S. love the name of your level.

No. There is no "best." It is all completely subjective.

It doesn't matter if there is nothing "wrong" with the game, there are some people that might actually not enjoy it... which would keep it from being "best."
foxhound_fox

Actually there is a "best" - it's what sonicare picks, but excluding that, you are correct.

It's definitely one of the best RPGs ever, JRPG or no. But I certainly don't think it's the best; multiple Final Fantasy installments have been better.

Furthermore, and I know everyone will want to crucify me for saying this, but I actually believe Chrono Cross is almost on par with Chrono Trigger. I'm not saying I agree with GameSpot's perfect 10 score, but I think it was possibly the best PS1 RPG with the exception of FF VII and VIII, and I may have even enjoyed CC a bit more than CT. This may be due to the fact that I played CT a little later than most RPG fans (I have no idea why), but even then, I still thought FF VI was better.

Chrono Cross is one of those games that doesn't get enough appreciation due to the insane cult following of its predecessor, IMO. That's all I'm saying.

fathoms_basic

*crucifies Fathoms*

I'm probably the only person in the world who can't see what everyone else sees in this game. I just couldn't see anything special about the gameplay, the tech system never ment much to me as the battles are still based on the old "attack, and heal, and attack, and heal, and attack..." model and there weren't many particulary interesting puzzles either. The way the game allowed for completly diffrent ending conditions was fantastic, but since I don't replay games it was pretty much lost on me (I have to admit though the fact that the game had the balls to let you kill off your party members counts for something). The story and characters were pretty generic in any case, Magus was the only interesting character as I saw it...I'm sorry but I can't place this game up there with Zelda, Baulder's Gate or even the better Final Fantasys, it's good but not that good. I just rarely found myself thinking about anything in particular while playing it, there wasn't any specific element that made me think "wow, this is the best ever!" because aside from the endings everything else it does is done better by the games I previously mentioned.


Hang me if you will :twisted:, I want to know what made the game fantastic to everyone else here, the greatest triumphs that set it apart from everything else.


P.S. Try to not take this to seriously, I simply want to make thisthread more...interesting. These are my real opinions, but I want a good debate and I won't take no for an answer. I will mention in passing that I think the lack of random battles is brilliant though. ;)

Ectomy

Well put, this sums up my feelings perfectly. I played both CT and FF6 for the first time this year, and I must say, IMO, FF6 holds up extraordinarily well for a game its age. As for CT, it's a decent game, but for the life of me I can't understand why so many of you fawn over it so much. To each his own I guess...

I would rank CT just slightly above FFVI as my favorite RPG of all time, and mostly because CT is just more approachable for replay than FFVi due to New Game+ and the multiple endings (although for a 1 time playthrough I think FFVI would top my list).

I really like CC as well, but I feel it was too character heavy for it's own good, and the plot a bit muffled.

I would really love to see a true CT successor. Recently someone posted what was probably a fake set of pics, but nonetheless it reminded me just how much I'd love to see another installment in the old CT style (screw 3D). If it was a true solid successor, I don't care what platform it comes to, I'd buy it yesterday just for that 1 game.

CT was good, but the gameplay itself was entirely far too easy. I found CT overall to be a good, yet shallow experience. I was left to ponder what the game really could have been.

Perhaps its because I played it after FF VI, which would make playing another game afterwards a tough act to follow.

MarcusAntonius

I have the same opinion, only with FF6 and CT switched around in those sentences. I guess it might be a matter of which one you play first is the one that leaves a mark on you.

Frankly I think that statement stands up just as well if you remove the "J-RP" and just leave the G. Chrono Trigger is just about the closest thing I've ever played to a flawless game.Robio_basic

Yes, it's a superb, phenominal game. Great graphics, superb music, memorable cast and story, and it managed to take something Final Fantasy and make it its own. Yep, ATB. Loved Magus, in all his badassness, and Chrono, in all his Dragon-Ball-Z-ness :P.

Of course it's not the "best" JRPG ever made. It is, however, my favorite game ever made. My only complaint about it is that not enough people love it enough for Square to justify making another game... yet I'll take Chrono over FFVII any day of the week.MAILER_DAEMON

The game sold over 2 million copies in Japan, so I assume you mean North America and Europe and not world-wide correct?

[QUOTE="MAILER_DAEMON"]Of course it's not the "best" JRPG ever made. It is, however, my favorite game ever made. My only complaint about it is that not enough people love it enough for Square to justify making another game... yet I'll take Chrono over FFVII any day of the week.Gunraidan

The game sold over 2 million copies in Japan, so I assume you mean North America and Europe and not world-wide correct?

It had one major flaw.... you could only make names with up to 5 letters. UGH! I could never put my full name in that game:(

Other than that, one of the greatest RPGs ever.

Its only flaw for me was that is sold for like $110 can. back in the day. god, why the hell was that game so expensive? yeah, it was a great rpg when i was younger, but i dont think id enjoy it as much if i played it now.. still, from what i vaguely recall, it was full of character, and lots of quirky little moments (and magus.. he was bada$$).

Yes! Oh God yes!! Chrono Trigger has yet to be surpassed by any JRPG. The only one that came close was Final Fantasy VI.

[QUOTE="ASK_Story"]

Is Chrono Trigger the best J-RPG ever made?

Skullheart

J-RPGs are the best types of RPGs. Its definitely hard to find games nowadays that truly live up to what Chrono Trigger did for gaming.

And this is entirely your opinion, of course. :roll:

Its only flaw for me was that is sold for like $110 can. back in the day. god, why the hell was that game so expensive? yeah, it was a great rpg when i was younger, but i dont think id enjoy it as much if i played it now.. still, from what i vaguely recall, it was full of character, and lots of quirky little moments (and magus.. he was bada$$).

wacky_sashimi

It cost like 80$ US too. For an 11 year old, I got this for my birthday. That, Christmas and.., um... those are about the only times I ever got games. Maybe a rare science fair win or something.

*Spams shock + Illuminaire*

I think I knew I was in love when you finally got the epoch

[QUOTE="Skullheart"][QUOTE="ASK_Story"]

Is Chrono Trigger the best J-RPG ever made?

Neoyamaneko

J-RPGs are the best types of RPGs. Its definitely hard to find games nowadays that truly live up to what Chrono Trigger did for gaming.

And this is entirely your opinion, of course. :roll:

:roll: X2 Sigh.....more JRPG elitists.

Personally, I liked FFIII (SNES)better because of the more mature storyline, length, and content. But Chrono Trigger is equal in my eyes, though.

Chrono Trigger was definitely the most memorable. It was one of the best games I ever bought at the time and the coolest. I think when I got those two games, I always thought I was getting something more special with Chrono Trigger for some reason. So I guess I liked FFIII (SNES) as a game better, but I think Chrono Trigger had more value and was more treasured.

[QUOTE="Gunraidan"]

[QUOTE="MAILER_DAEMON"]Of course it's not the "best" JRPG ever made. It is, however, my favorite game ever made. My only complaint about it is that not enough people love it enough for Square to justify making another game... yet I'll take Chrono over FFVII any day of the week.MAILER_DAEMON

The game sold over 2 million copies in Japan, so I assume you mean North America and Europe and not world-wide correct?

Another big reason why we never saw another Chrono was because in Japan Chrono Cross didn't meet their sales expectations. It did fine in America, but not in the homeland, and that was during a time when Japanese sales were really all that mattered in determining what games go sequels and what did not.

I think the success of Kingdom Hearts ended up being the final nail in the Chrono Coffin. When Square-Enix merged they wanted to have 3 main pillars for the company. Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest were the obvious choices. Then for the number 3 spot Square was pulling for Chrono while Enix was pushing Star Ocean. But at the same time KH was pulling in fierce sales, and it became pretty obvious what series would be the third pillar for the merged company.

Still you'd think that since they've churned out 3 terrible Seiken Densetsu games in the past year, it wouldn't be too much to ask for one more shot at the Chrono series.