It's no secret that I love Japanese RPGs., particularly those released in the 16 -bit era Earthbound (as I've said probably too many times) is my favorite game of all time and Final Fantasy 6 is a very close second. However, one RPG from that time that many tout as their favorite is one that I barely remembered - Chrono Trigger. I know that my brother and I played it through when it originally came out, but because I think we also played FF6 at around the same time, I think it got pushed out of the way in my mind. So when the Nintendo DS release was announced last year and I picked it up after Thanksgiving, I was ready to give it another shot.
The thing is, I agree completely with everyone who loves it. The battle system works great, the character design is beautiful, the music is phenomenal, and the concept is cool... so why don't I love it? I've been trying to figure it out for a while now, and I think I came to an explanation when talking with a friend yesterday.
It has to do with the story and the main character - Crono. He's a cool character and the story is interesting, but for some reason I find myself not really caring about where it is going or how it affects the people. Part of this is because of Crono. He's one of those main characters who never says a word or really reacts to the situations going on around him and relies on the secondary characters to progress the plot with their words and actions. Now Earthbound does the exact same thing, so I don't think that is the whole reason (either that or my love for Earthbound is completely irrational).
The story isn't bad either, but it just doesn't grip me in the same way that FF6 did, with all its Star Wars-y goodness. But just the way they combine in Chrono Trigger leaves me a bit unsatisfied. With all this said, the game is still one of the best Japanese RPGs I've ever played and I would easily recommend it to anyone who needs a good DS game to suck up some time on a road trip, but if this actually comes true, CT will have some serious competition on the RPG front... and by serious competition, I mean it stands no chance in my mind.
The thing is, I agree completely with everyone who loves it. The battle system works great, the character design is beautiful, the music is phenomenal, and the concept is cool... so why don't I love it? I've been trying to figure it out for a while now, and I think I came to an explanation when talking with a friend yesterday.
It has to do with the story and the main character - Crono. He's a cool character and the story is interesting, but for some reason I find myself not really caring about where it is going or how it affects the people. Part of this is because of Crono. He's one of those main characters who never says a word or really reacts to the situations going on around him and relies on the secondary characters to progress the plot with their words and actions. Now Earthbound does the exact same thing, so I don't think that is the whole reason (either that or my love for Earthbound is completely irrational).
The story isn't bad either, but it just doesn't grip me in the same way that FF6 did, with all its Star Wars-y goodness. But just the way they combine in Chrono Trigger leaves me a bit unsatisfied. With all this said, the game is still one of the best Japanese RPGs I've ever played and I would easily recommend it to anyone who needs a good DS game to suck up some time on a road trip, but if this actually comes true, CT will have some serious competition on the RPG front... and by serious competition, I mean it stands no chance in my mind.
1 comment:
2 of my friends kept hyping up CT. When I finally got around to playing it, it was like watching a classic 40s/50s movie. I appreciate the innovation and recognize how forward-thinking a game it was, but it just doesn't do anything for me and found it kinda boring. Combat was waaay too easy and when I would put down the game for a few days and come back, I had no idea what to do or where to go.
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