Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 7 and Chrono Cross

All three of these games are easy definitions of 4 star games, however Final Fantasy 7 ruined Chrono Cross for me and likely many others.

In Chrono Trigger you follow a group of heroes through the game, and after you beat it, you play through again with all your levels and gear. This is brilliant and was huge for the time. You can also fight the last guy at almost any time in the game. This opens up something like 10 endings depending on what you have and haven't accomplished in the game.

So I played through Chrono Trigger many times, and I love it to this day.

Final Fantasy 7 was the first major RPG to use the crutch of prerendered cutscenes. Don't get me wrong, the reason I bought a PS1 at all was because I saw one of these and it was so far beyond what I was accustomed to in games like Final Fantasy 6 and Chrono Trigger that I knew I had to own it. But they are a crutch and have done a great disservice to games in general and RPGs specifically.

I had always been fine with the bitmapped characters of the 16 bit era. I was moved by the stories, compelled to keep playing. But not in the 32 bit era. Now I needed a 10 minute plus full CGI ending to be satisfied. And if all the ads for these games are any indication, so did the rest of you.

I could also complain about the complete interchangeability of the characters, and the fact that all the summons with no exceptions were just large "damage all" attacks, but it's really about how the CG cutscenes set a new standard.

So late in the PS1 lifespan, we get Chrono Cross, a brilliant almost non-sequel to Trigger. something like 40 characters (all with different attacks and skills!) and a myriad of different endings.

Problem was, other than the stock CG piece that you got with every ending, it was all in game graphics. Star Ocean 2 had the same issue. Game graphics for the ending. Psssh.

So I have to say it was all a little ruined for me.

A long time ago I told my dad I wanted Friendly's for dinner. I was being driven home from the after school program at the YMCA. I still remember the intersection we were at. He said to me "If I had never taken you there, you wouldn't want to go." He didn't say it angrily or spiteful, just pointing out that fact. My mind was blown. He was right, but shit!

I don't know if Final Fantasy 13 is going to finally fix the issue. It's supposed to be all in game, which I would like, and it's being produced by the guy who directed Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 7, so who knows. Besides, that game's not due till at least 2010.

Chrono Trigger - 4 stars
Final Fantasy 7 - 4 stars
Chrono Cross - 4 stars