I was hoping that a character in "Chono Cross" would be at least named Crono(maybe not the same Crono)...just to keep up some kind of tradition...even though Square has a demo, I'm not sure the game is completely finished(I think major parts may still be in development)...so we can still hope. I'm hopeing just because we only saw 3 characters on the screen shots from the Jap. Magizine. There are usually several more than that in RPGs, espically of this type. In "Crono Trigger" there are 7 different characters that you can get. Maybe "Crono Cross" will have at least that many when it is done??

-Shadow_Hunter (there is still hope)

DA

Before everyone starts complaining about how Chrono Cross doesn't have any returning characters, I think they should keep a couple things in mind. First off, we've seen 8 screenshots including 3 characters. It's safe to say that it's way too early to think no one's coming back from the original. The other thing is, and this is the important one, bringing back characters isn't easy in an rpg. I've never seen it happen, nor did I ever think it COULD happen. By the end of Chrono Trigger, the heroes were on about level 50, had all their skills, and were equipped with all the best weapons, not to mention carrying hundreds of items. Obviously, you can't start out a sequel with the characters all hulking behemoths who destroy every enemy they encounter without losing more than 10 HPs for two-thirds of the game (except New Game+, a feature I hope they bring back). And nobody wants to see the old cast set back on level 1 with the weakest equipment and no special moves, and there's really no way Square could reasonably explain how that happened (and no one wants to be the poor sod who takes crap for being the guy who tried to explain it). The safest way to do it is to start out with some new characters, and pick up the old crew later on. Then again, it's too early to even speculate that, but I'm sure we'll know much more over the next few days.

The sad thing is that with all the recent talk of Chrono Cross, we've forgotten all about the coming release of Legend of Mana, the sequel we've been waiting for even longer than Chrono.

-Ramen Hero

How about you guys at the GIA make a magazine! I read that letter from Newbie X saying you guys were featured in PSM, but.. why not get your own magazine? I know I'd get it!... I'm sure there'd be thousands of other foo.. err, people that would get it too! And just think - now: a magazine. Five years from now: world domination. Oh shit, this isn't Microsoft.com I'm writing to... -JaRRaL

I always enjoyed Chrono Trigger. From the time I bought it I have played it and played it. It doesn't matter that a sequel has come to me. I gave up waiting after a while. Now that a sequel, Chrono Cross, has been confirmed, I'm glad. From this moment on, Square's reputation, in my book, is extremely on the line. On one hand, they might pull off a truly unforgettable game, that matches and possibly surpasses the original. Artwork does not make a game, people. I'm sorry, but the American gaming public in general just happens to be ignorant enough to try and rationalize the idea that an video game will be good or bad based on its visual state. This kind of thinking has led the gaming industry today to release great looking games that have no entertaining value whatsoever, many times outnumbering the true masterpieces fifty to one. Most of these graphical romps, dubbed "great games" by many confused individuals (including many industry leading magazines and websites), are boring to play and prove to be easily forgettable experiences. Don't get me wrong, but the best story in this whole damn world, the coolest graphics this side of the latest 3D accelerators and the best soundtrack to boot, do not make a game enjoyable or in the least bit fun and that's what really matters in this hobby. Fun. Gameplay will always be the greatest attribute to a truly classic gaming experience. Gameplay, by definition, is a play system that challenges the gamer, is easy to learn, with some effort, yet hard to truly master; an involving experience that allows for high interactivity, yet gives the player a believable world to accomplish goals in. Without gameplay, a game is just something pretty to look at: a uninteractive romp through a fantasy world that feels more detached from the player than the player feels drawn into it. This is the thing that makes games great and if most so-called "gamers" think that Chrono Cross will "suck" just because of some grainy screen captures from a Japanese magazine, and still have yet to play the damn game, then maybe they should rethink why they play games in the first place. I know why I do. It's for truly memorable interactive electronic experiences that draw me into them and only let go at the peak of my joy. Games should be enjoyed. Yet to be released games should be played and then criticized. At least then you have the experience and the right to do so.

-Nym, a true gamer and lead editor of Nym Net.

Hi! I'm a fan of Nobuteru Yuuki's. Although I'm not wild about his Chrono Cross designs, he's a fantastic artist and has produced some great stuff you might already be familiar with. Remember the cover art to that lousy old SNES game Brandish? It was the best thing about that game, and one of the few SNES games released in NA that kept the original anime box art. And guess who the artist is? Nobuteru "Nob" Yuuki. He's also the designer of Seiken Densetsu 3 (Secret of Mana 2, if it had been released here)'s characters. Even now you'll see fan art of Seken 3's characters being published in Japanese gaming magazines, even after FFVIII has faded from the spotlight. All I wanted to say is Nob's a very talented fantasy artist, and you while some may not like his designs, I guarantee many more will.

I hope this was educational ^^;
-Vera

Hi Drew. I'm sure you can think of something witty to beging this letter with for me.

Allow me to articulate why I think Chrono Cross will not impress me the same way the original did, which by the way I enjoyed immensely despite major spoiling. Translation. Imagine if you will, the originals translation: "Hey where's that Spikey Headed kid?". The sequals translation: "What is the location of the child with the hexigramical cranium?".

Ironic isn't it that FFT's sequel's translation will be the only one not to be complained about, isn't it?

Now I think the only way to change Square's "Screw those White Devils" attitude is by not buying FF8. Yes you heard me. Cancel your preorders and tie yourselves to your beds on shipment day if you have to my friends. Then complain to Square. Yes, this'll get results, I gurantee it.

...

Hahahahahahahaha!

We're so screwed. Oh well. I'm gonna buy Grand Theft Auto and drive a couple of school buses into a couple of buildings. I had a good feeling!

-Ian P.

Howdy.

Many people say that a corporation is all about making money, and this is true to a certain extent. Square's goal is definitely to make money, but that is not to say that everyone at Square is only about money. Corporations are made up of many people, especially a massive company like Square, and the bean counters who decide where to cut corners are not the ones who make the games. The execs at Square probably weren't there ten years ago, and they really don't care about quality except insofar as it ensures them profit. But I think people like Hironobu Sakaguchi and Nobuo Uematsu do put pride into their work, and are very interested in making a quality product. For example, Sakaguchi said in an MSN interview that FFV was his favorite game, but the management decided that the job system was too complex for American gamers and would not sell well. And so although Square might have grown from a very personal, small company to a mega corporation, it doesn't mean that people there still don't care about quality. After all, Sakaguchi and Uematsu have been there since FF 1.

-Arpad Korossy

A"...did you really expect [Square] to take the time to rearrange the music and get an orchestra to play it?"

No, but there's always that glimmer of hope that Square would use tracks from their existing arranged CDs, like FFV: Dear Friends or FFVI: Grand Finale, or even use tracks from the vocal collections Pray and Love Will Grow.

"...the [Dreamcast internet service] pricing plan and service provision over here in the states is still a mystery."

The most probable outcome is that folks will simply use their existing ISP along with the DC to connect to the internet, and not pay anything additional.

-Chris Kohler

"I got a PlayStation around Christmas 1997. Someone told me different, but if I buy a Dual Shock Controller for FF8, will it work with my PlayStation? " "No, that's a load of crap. Who the hell told you that?"

Well, I would've, since it's been done. Case in point, I have here a '97 playstation, modded, with a newly bought dual shock controller, and it works. Perhaps its the magic of a '97 mod chip. Perhaps not.

-Rumor

Hey Drew:

I am trying to figure out why RPG's make it so hard to save the game!!! There are just not enough save points!!!

I can understand why the game designer's do not want to have many save points in fighting areas, or people we save before every single battle, therefore reducing the game's challenge.

But why can't there be more save points in towns??? I was at Lacour in SO2...at it took me over an hour (the whole tournament and associated activities) to get to a place where I could save the game!!! I'm not picking on SO2 (which I'm really enjoying) since it happens in many RPG's.

Don't these companies know that people do not always have an hour plus to sit in front of the TV??? Things happen, people come over, you have to go to work, to sleep, to the bathroom :), etc.etc.etc........Sometimes the only alternative is to turn off the game and play a whole section over again, or leave your playstation on for hours while your not playing.

What's your opinion on the limited number of save points, and why do games have so few?

-Matt

Hello, One Winged Agent,

Since everyone is talking about the RPGs they'd like to see that break the mold, so to speak, I'd like to see an RPG based around Inspector Gadget. (The cartoon, since I haven't seen the movie) Think about it: You play the role of Inspector Gadget, and you're trying to save the world from Dr. Claw. You gain new gadgets by buying or recieving them, and they can serve as weapons, armor, and spells for Gadget. Other playable Characters could be Penny, who can use her computer to print out porn and distract the enemy, and Brain, who can use his incredible collection of costumes and his human-like intellect to help Gadget get out of tough spots.

You'd travel all over the world, recieving orders from The Chief, and trying to stop Dr. Claw from turning everyone in the world into tuna fish sandwiches. Of course, no game would be complete without a final, godlike boss, and that's why, after you defeat Dr. Claw, it's revealed that Mad Cat was actually controlling him the entire time, and he turns into Super-Alpha-Hyper-Mega-Giganto-Robo-Turbo-Ex-Mad Cat. This horrible villain only has one weakness, of course, and that is a strange affinity for the game Princess Tomato And The Salad Kingdom. Using his worldwide intelligence/black market network connections, Brain manages to get the one copy of Princess Tomato & The Salad Kingdom that Super-Alpha-Hyper-Mega-Giganto-Robo-Turbo-Ex-Mad Cat didn't manage to destroy, and, using it against him, you destroy the menace and save the world from utter destruction.

The ending is rather controversial, however, as it involves Brain climbing a cliff with several intelligent puppies, and looking out onto the ruins of Metropolis. Some people say it's supposed to be artistic, and has a deeper hidden meaning, while others claim that it's merely supposed to give closure to the game. Myself, I just think that the original was much better than the 20 sequels, which all relied on name recognition and gimmicks to cover up any real lack of gameplay.

Thank You Drive Thru,
-Tedman