PixelKnight
Observing the process
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I loved Duelling as Hikari to pick up special moves too, that was a lot of fun. It was also nice that it shows what you’ll get for a win before you commit to it so you don’t waste time
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I loved Duelling as Hikari to pick up special moves too, that was a lot of fun. It was also nice that it shows what you’ll get for a win before you commit to it so you don’t waste time
Weiss
Unwise
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- He/They
Two of them, even.there’s a super boss?gonna have to check that out on youtube at least! lol
- Pronouns
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Welcome to games of this vintage
There just wasn't enough room on the cartridge to do a plethora of combat themes, that was pretty true of every Squaresoft RPG at the time. You had the main battle theme, the standard boss theme, maybe a second or third boss theme for significant/challenging moments, and then the final boss music. It was incredibly rare for anything more than that, and if it did then you usually had something special.The music may have been weaker on the whole since it was Shimomura's first solo outing and I think this is where her more playful style originated which would continue onto things like Legend of Mana, Kingdom Hearts, and Mario & Luigi games.
Lack of inventory stacking was indeed odd since Squaresoft had done away with that in Final Fantasy by the fourth (which stacked items but you still had a hard limit on stacks) or fifth game. At the time it didn't phase me in Mario RPG because Earthbound had come out the year prior and that was even more restrictive since it wasn't a shared item pool and you had to shuffle items between party members with a fairly tight limit of what you could carry.
What makes Mario RPG particularly curious is usually when there's a limit on what you can carry you still have a "warehouse" mechanic like your sister in Earthbound or the PC in Pokemon, but Mario RPG lacks that. Which makes me wonder if they had plans and dropped it at some point or just ran out of time to implement something like that. At the same time, maybe it's a balance thing as the game tends to give you back a copy of an item if you use it so they probably didn't want people walking into combat with stacks and stacks of items and just spamming them to clear some of the harder encounters.
Anyways, sounds like you had a good time regardless!
Culex and ???
OP
OP
Other super boss I’m guessing Jinx.Welcome to games of this vintage
The music may have been weaker on the whole since it was Shimomura's first solo outing and I think this is where her more playful style originated which would continue onto things like Legend of Mana, Kingdom Hearts, and Mario & Luigi games.
Lack of inventory stacking was indeed odd since Squaresoft had done away with that in Final Fantasy by the fourth (which stacked items but you still had a hard limit on stacks) or fifth game. At the time it didn't phase me in Mario RPG because Earthbound had come out the year prior and that was even more restrictive since it wasn't a shared item pool and you had to shuffle items between party members with a fairly tight limit of what you could carry.
What makes Mario RPG particularly curious is usually when there's a limit on what you can carry you still have a "warehouse" mechanic like your sister in Earthbound or the PC in Pokemon, but Mario RPG lacks that. Which makes me wonder if they had plans and dropped it at some point or just ran out of time to implement something like that. At the same time, maybe it's a balance thing as the game tends to give you back a copy of an item if you use it so they probably didn't want people walking into combat with stacks and stacks of items and just spamming them to clear some of the harder encounters.
Anyways, sounds like you had a good time regardless!
Culex and ???
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Ohhhhh! Yea that makes sense.
D
Deleted member 2258
Guest
Chrono Cross is a very cool game.
I just got to the part where
!
My favorite story part so far is
My favorite character so far is
My favorite boss/mini-boss so far is
And the music is great, although I think it is harder to appreciate with how often it switches over to the fairly average battle theme.
I just got to the part where
you switch your playable character and wake up in a cosmic liminal space
My favorite story part so far is
the tragedy of the hi-ho dwarves, whi murder all of the fairies because you killed the Hydra. Even though you did it to save someone, it seems like there must be a balance ultimately in this world between joy and tragedy.
My favorite character so far is
Guile. His special abilities are sick. He doesn't have a whole bunch of elemental slots, but he's very powerful. I also love how how he floats from place to place. Also, shout-out to Mojo who shakes their booty with every cast of a spell.
My favorite boss/mini-boss so far is
the Bunyip in Fort Draconia. Kind of a cute blob of dark mass. Then, halfway through the battle, a huge, creepy eye demon grows out of its mouth and takes things to the next level. Beautiful stuff. Also, shout-out to Harley. All around a great character, and I'm excited for more appearances from her.
And the music is great, although I think it is harder to appreciate with how often it switches over to the fairly average battle theme.
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Okay so, this is a gameplay thing, not a story spoiler, but still tagging it in case you wanna stay blind:
Guile is the one character whose elemental grid goes in reverse. So everyone else has far more level 1s, then as they go up to 8 there are fewer and fewer slots, yeah? Guile's is backwards. Only a few low-levels, decent midrange, but then his higher-level slots are as abundant as other characters' level 1s and 2s. If you keep leveling him up (especially into New Game +) more of his grid will open and he will have absolutely massive high-level magic potential.
Chrono Cross was one of the first game OSTs I ever bought, and I took it with me anytime I was traveling. The music, removed from the game and treated as an album, is fantastic. Everyone lauds Mitsuda for the Trigger soundtrack but I genuinely think he topped it with Cross. Great driving music if you can find it on streaming or something.
D
Deleted member 2258
Guest
Oooh, interesting.
OP
OP
Yeah! Chrono Cross is my favorite PS1 RPG! Definitely keep sharing impressions
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OP
OP
Yup! I’ve always adored Chrono Cross! It’s such a bold and endlessly fascinating sequel to Chrono Trigger with a story that goes to some wild high concept places. The world of Cross is just so cozy and colorful too with a vision that shines so bright even with the limitations of the PS1 graphics. My older brother let me borrow his PS1 to play through it and that will always be special to me too. I adore Final Fantasy IX as well and I think it’s easily the best of the PS1 Final Fantasy games (though in my heart, less necessarily in practice VIII is my fav of the three PS1 FFs).
over FFIX?! Impossible
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Xenogears was a bit more than Trigger vets who didn't wanna work on FF, it started as Trigger 2. So it had a lot of key people on staff (map designers, graphics director, battle system planners, scenario writer, composer, producer), and Sakaguchi started butting heads with Square brass about the direction of the game which caused all parties involved to decide to remove the Chrono connections and give the game its own story. That's when Takahashi and Saga came up with the skeleton of what we now know as Perfect Works. And while Cross was eventually made with a few members of that core team, by that time they had already been in talks to split away from Square, as Takahashi has said he was literally just waiting for Honne to finish his work on Cross before officially leaving together.Cross is what happens when you have the Xenogears team (which had Trigger vets who didn’t want to work on FF7) make a sequel to Trigger
Then the people I mentioned in the second sentence left with them, with the composer and writer going freelance and the others becoming part of MonolithSoft, and all of them coming together for Xenosaga, and with the exception of the writer, eventually all the way into the Xenoblade series. Which I think is why I liked Xenoblade so much: it has a significant amount of Chrono DNA.
Sorry, that probably kinda went overboard as a response to your post but I double checked and am in the RPG thread so I hope it's okay
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No need to apologize, I feel like you've corrected me on this before. Maybe it'll sink in this timeXenogears was a bit more than Trigger vets who didn't wanna work on FF, it started as Trigger 2. So it had a lot of key people on staff (map designers, graphics director, battle system planners, scenario writer, composer, producer), and Sakaguchi started butting heads with Square brass about the direction of the game which caused all parties involved to decide to remove the Chrono connections and give the game its own story. That's when Takahashi and Saga came up with the skeleton of what we now know as Perfect Works. And while Cross was eventually made with a few members of that core team, by that time they had already been in talks to split away from Square, as Takahashi has said he was literally just waiting for Honne to finish his work on Cross before officially leaving together.
Then the people I mentioned in the second sentence left with them, with the composer and writer going freelance and the others becoming part of MonolithSoft, and all of them coming together for Xenosaga, and with the exception of the writer, eventually all the way into the Xenoblade series. Which I think is why I liked Xenoblade so much: it has a significant amount of Chrono DNA.
Sorry, that probably kinda went overboard as a response to your post but I double checked and am in the RPG thread so I hope it's okay
Also, didn't part of the future Monolith Soft team go to FFXI instead of Cross?
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Very possibly, I feel I've typed that before at some pointNo need to apologize, I feel like you've corrected me on this before. Maybe it'll sink in this time
Now that I don't know. I'm just aware of the staff connections from CT to XG to MonolithSoft and XS/XB. If any of them went to FF for a time I wouldn't be surprised but I'm not sure.
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Good lord
if FF16 had more of that and less GOT I'd probably already own it and a PS5
except probably not a ps5 because it woulda likely released on switch
Mellifluus
Cappy
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I completely crushed Bug Fables hard mode in less than a week (45 hours exactly in total), haha
Such a pleasant and fun experience, I think I still like TTYD a bit more mainly due to nostalgia and impact on release, but it's such a good light hearted rpg, I wish there were much more like this out there.
Maybe I will play Crosscode in the near future, not exactly "rpg" but I think it could scratch that itch
Also I just purchased Trails to Azure in switch, I completed Zero in november of last year, oof. So many little details I have probably forgotten already...
Such a pleasant and fun experience, I think I still like TTYD a bit more mainly due to nostalgia and impact on release, but it's such a good light hearted rpg, I wish there were much more like this out there.
Maybe I will play Crosscode in the near future, not exactly "rpg" but I think it could scratch that itch
Also I just purchased Trails to Azure in switch, I completed Zero in november of last year, oof. So many little details I have probably forgotten already...
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I have been summoned by a CrossCode mention
Bug Fables is excellent, but honestly not sure CrossCode would scratch the same itch. I guess it can be similarly lighthearted but it's a different vibe imo
Also how is CrossCode not an RPG? It's RPG af
TheWolvesDen
Tektite
I got to the Schwann moment in Tales of Vesperia. I really understand more and more why this is a classic. I been truly engrossed . I just learned about mystic artes by watching a playthrough to see reactions to the Schwann reveal, I am looking forward to figuring out how to implement that into my playthrough. This combat system has SOOO much going on.
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Hopefully we'll have an announcement soon, FFT would be another jewel on the Switch's SRPG crown.
Touya
Moogle Coffee
I've finally finished it, so here's your thread: https://famiboards.com/threads/panz...ders-in-dire-need-of-official-emulation.7452/
I knew this game was bleak, but was completely blindsided by Zoah getting nuked off the map.
Now that I got PDS off the bucket list, I'm finally on the Sea of Stars bandwagon. Got a 12-hour flight to Japan coming up and a battery pack in my carry-on.
Vernal
Apologist
Now a decent amount of hours into Genshin I can say that it honestly sucks that the game is a live-service Gacha, because it does nothing but detract from it. (What a surprise huh).
Such gorgeous environments and great world design saddled with those god awful "engagement" systems.
Such gorgeous environments and great world design saddled with those god awful "engagement" systems.
Mellifluus
Cappy
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I have heard pretty good things about that game. I have to try it sometime.
Just to be sure, it's 100% gameplay over story and characters, right?
AngryNopon
Water?
There's a decent amount of story to uncover over the course of multiple playthroughs/restars.
Gameplay is certainly the main dish but i don't really consider the story as an afterthought.
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Open this thread after a few days to see Chrono Cross praise 
I'm glad some of y'all enjoy it
I'm glad some of y'all enjoy it
Mellifluus
Cappy
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I am playing It rn on switch and it's a comfy Game with relaxing setting and music. Also surrealist plot. I am 9 hours in and enjoying so far. Didn't give me any strong emotion, but I wouldn't call It mediocre either. Let's see how it goes... god bless the turbo speed Up option by the wayOpen this thread after a few days to see Chrono Cross praise
I'm glad some of y'all enjoy it
One thing I don't like very much is the Focus on recruiting. It seems pointless due to the low difficulty and chill overall experience... It would be better to develop a few party members rather than having trillions of people traveling with you. The only character that isn't one note is Kid
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- Pronouns
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You think that was tough to stomach? You shoulda seen what I was messaging some people about it just yesterday.Open this thread after a few days to see Chrono Cross praise
I'm glad some of y'all enjoy it
D
Deleted member 2258
Guest
I really enjoy recruiting, not even so much because the characters are useful, but it's such a unique collection of oddballs. I can't think of any other game where I can swap in a rockstar, mushroom person, skeleton clown, etc into my party. I'm glad there's at least one RPG that let itself be silly in that way. Apparently, their original plan was to have every NPC be recruitable! That's some wild ambition!
In other recent Chrono Cross impressions, I continue to be impressed by the way the two worlds mirror inspiring moments with tragedy. There's a lot to chew on.
I am really enjoying the game, but I wouldn't say it's perfect. I'm getting a lot of slowdown and stutter in the combat, for one thing.
Weiss
Unwise
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Not only is the story important but successive replays unlock more story scenes that further flesh out the cast and universe.
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I may be a hater, but I can also acknowledge when Chrono Cross did well.
- The graphics are arguably the best on the ps1, game is a feast for the eyes with tons of amazing looking locations.
- The ost is fantastic, one of the best on the PS1.
- Hopping between dimensions was a brilliant idea to explore in a Chrono Trigger follow up. The game makes use of this in a lot of clever ways narratively and mechanically.
- MAJOR SPOILERS DO NOT CLICK IF YOU'VE NOT GOTTEN TO THE SECOND HALF OF THE GAME
That said I basically dislike everything else. I think the combat system is weak and that the game never takes advantage of it. I hate the bloat of playable characters making 90% of the cast bland and pointless. I hate the progression system which had to be made very diet Saga to ensure the 40+ character roster all could easily stay viable. I find the game loses steam the further you get in, and the plot falls on it's face when it tries to connect the events of Cross to Trigger.
Is Cross a bad game? No
Is it a messy game? Yes
- The graphics are arguably the best on the ps1, game is a feast for the eyes with tons of amazing looking locations.
- The ost is fantastic, one of the best on the PS1.
- Hopping between dimensions was a brilliant idea to explore in a Chrono Trigger follow up. The game makes use of this in a lot of clever ways narratively and mechanically.
- MAJOR SPOILERS DO NOT CLICK IF YOU'VE NOT GOTTEN TO THE SECOND HALF OF THE GAME
The swerve when you move to finish off Lynx, but Lynx reacts to your input, revealing you've swapped bodies was fantastic.
That said I basically dislike everything else. I think the combat system is weak and that the game never takes advantage of it. I hate the bloat of playable characters making 90% of the cast bland and pointless. I hate the progression system which had to be made very diet Saga to ensure the 40+ character roster all could easily stay viable. I find the game loses steam the further you get in, and the plot falls on it's face when it tries to connect the events of Cross to Trigger.
Is Cross a bad game? No
Is it a messy game? Yes
PT Fan
Aipom
Still processing Earthbound smh. I'm looking for a new RPG to play, so I thought I'd ask here.
My options are:
1. Octopath Traveler II. I disliked the first one and felt like I spent 5-7 hours without any clear purpose. How is the second one different? I've heard good things about that one.
2. Bravely Default II. I pretty much enjoyed the first one on 3DS but never managed to finish it. It looks cool though.
3. Live A Live. This one looks interesting for many reasons, but I want to hear your opinions on this.
My options are:
1. Octopath Traveler II. I disliked the first one and felt like I spent 5-7 hours without any clear purpose. How is the second one different? I've heard good things about that one.
2. Bravely Default II. I pretty much enjoyed the first one on 3DS but never managed to finish it. It looks cool though.
3. Live A Live. This one looks interesting for many reasons, but I want to hear your opinions on this.
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Live A Live is the easiest to recommend of those 3. All 3 are great, but Live A Live is a truly unique experience you need to try.
Octopath 2 is much better then the original mechanically and narratively. The world is better laid out, the classes/characters are better balanced, and the narrative actually builds to a satisfying conclusion that ties everything together.
Bravely Default 2 is good, it's the least interesting narratively and the most complicated mechanically. It's also the most challenging of the 3 where bosses can absolutely obliterate you if you're not making full use of the classes and their mechanics.
D
Deleted member 2258
Guest
I would agree, especially just after finishing Earthbound. Ride that wave of unique experiences as far as it will take you.
Weiss
Unwise
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Live A Live is a series of independent chapters doing genre send-ups that all converge into a shared narrative.
It's also responsible for all subversive meta storytelling in JRPGs (probably)
PT Fan
Aipom
Vernal
Apologist
OK, might be absolutely nothing but I'd like to bring up that Square has a pre-TGS(?) sale going right now. If we take a look at what is on discount (among the many titles that are) we can also spot the entire SaGa series. It's slightly more relevant than usual because two games (Romancing 3 and Collection) also happen to be at an all-time low.
Last June I called the leaked SO2 Remake showing up in the Direct as the whole series (and the SO series alone) had just gone on sale. This time circumstances are a bit different, but timing and venue definitely feel appropriate, so fingers crossed you two SaGa fans on Fami and the fifty outside of it get that Emerald Beyond announcement!
Last June I called the leaked SO2 Remake showing up in the Direct as the whole series (and the SO series alone) had just gone on sale. This time circumstances are a bit different, but timing and venue definitely feel appropriate, so fingers crossed you two SaGa fans on Fami and the fifty outside of it get that Emerald Beyond announcement!
D
Deleted member 2258
Guest
The settings in Chrono Cross are just mind-blowing. There have been some really beautiful and surreal locations.
The connections to
are quickly piling up, and I am loving it. I am feeling a strong mix of that game and Final Fantasy 8 right now. I am digging this game more and more the deeper I get into it. After what feels like kind of a leisurely first half of the game, It feels like the pace really starts going faster.
A comment here the other day mentioned that many of the characters feel one-note, but I get the impression that a lot of the character details are backloaded in the story, even how x character(s) may be connected to y or how so and so may act in the other world.
The connections to
Chrono Trigger
A comment here the other day mentioned that many of the characters feel one-note, but I get the impression that a lot of the character details are backloaded in the story, even how x character(s) may be connected to y or how so and so may act in the other world.
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I've only played one of the 4 stories of Scarlet Grace but that was excellent so count me as like, 1/4 of a SaGa fan
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It is time for Unlimited Saga!
Vernal
Apologist
Yet another remaster though? Scarlet Grace came out in 2016, and it's been remaster after remaster as far as console games go. As somebody who has never played a game in the series lmao. I just want to see a new entry!
Same goes for Mana. The last new entry was ages ago wasn't it?
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Yes? What's wrong with remasters? If you're someone who is new to the series these remasters are a great place to jump in to see how the series has evolved over time. I'd rather Kawazu and his team take as much time as they need in developing their new game and welcome these remasters in the meantime, especially since I think they would be more appreciated now then they were when originally released.
Same goes with the Mana series.
Vernal
Apologist
I mean, on principle I agree with you, of course there's nothing wrong with remasters. I never said there is though?
I want to see a new game for both series because I genuinely want to see where their respective teams take them creatively, from both a design and an art standpoint. Mana especially hasn't had a new mainline game in ages, and its modern visual identity is defined by a remake and mobile. I literally want to see them hahah. The emphasis wasn't for nothing!
Edit: You can think of it as a superifical curiosity if you prefer, I don't mind.
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That's understandable, as a fairly new SaGa fan myself (Romancing SaGa 2 was my first real foray into the series) I'm also looking forward to seeing how they'll evolve with a new entry. However we only have about two games left to remaster and I'm looking forward to the eventual Unlimited Saga remaster since that is my older cousin's favorite game, even now if you bring up gaming to him he'll still fondly reminisce on that title.
Hopefully we'll both be satisfied with the future of SaGa during this upcoming Direct
Ramune
they call me carpet
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It’s always time for Unlimited. I think some people will hopefully warm up on it if they include tips and a glossary in-game like they did with Scarlet Grace. If I remember correctly it didn’t ship with an instruction manual in America? Which…explains a lot.
soundchaser
DA CHEAT
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Chrono Cross is a deeply weird game, but one worth playing. It's not paced as well as Trigger, but it's got its own set of vibes that might click with you depending on how out-there you like your RPGs. Probably the best OST and backgrounds of any PS1-era RPG, if that means anything to you.
It's very much the Deltarune to Trigger's Undertale -- probably not as tight and powerful an experience, but one that flips a lot of conventions on their heads and is important for the ways in which it both distances itself from and connects to its predecessor. Cool battle system, too.
