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Chrono Cross

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Chrono Cross
94
8.4 User Score:

Game Info

Publisher: Square Electronic Arts

Developer: Square Soft

Genre(s): Role-Playing Game

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: August 15, 2000

Summary

Featuring a story line developed by the creator of "Chrono Trigger" and "Xenogears," Chrono Cross has been christened the "Best RPG Creation" by its development team. [Squaresoft]

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

PSX Nation

But I would pledge my undying allegiance to anyone responsible for a beautiful work of art such as this.

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100

Gaming Age

It's like nothing you've ever played before, and should be considered an instant classic by anyone with an appreciation for good RPG's.

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100

GMR Magazine

It wasn't quite the "Chrono Trigger" sequel most people expected, but it's a magnificent game by its own right. [Feb 2003, p.97]

100

Happy Puppy

Graphics, gameplay, sound, story, and characters are all outstanding.

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100

GameSpot

Graphically, "Chrono Cross" is nothing short of stunning.

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100

Official U.S. Playstation Magazine

Another masterpiece from Square, and one of the best RPGs of all time. [Nov 2001, p.40]

100

Hot Games

Simply, one of the best RPG's ever made, and one of the finest games for the PlayStation console.

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100

Core Magazine

"Chrono Cross'" music is breathtakingly beautiful, and its sheer power makes the story even more profound and moving.

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97

IGN

A truly epic role-playing game experience that has cemented its place in the annals of RPG history.

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95

Gaming Maxx

Move over "Final Fantasy IX," I think we have new #1 contender for RPG of the year, and it is "Chrono Cross."

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92

Game Fan

With its refreshing design, cool music and engaging storyline, this game has to be one of the greatest RPGs that has ever exited the Squaresoft building.

91

Game Revolution

With a beautiful story, characters that are actually interesting and a fighting system that's more than your typical "attack, attack, defend, blah" devoid of true strategy, this game is the one I had been waiting for.

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90

CheckOut

A beautifully crafted and fresh take on stale RPG gameplay, delivering an experience that rivals "Final Fantasy."

90

CNET Gamecenter

From the incredible story line to the combat system to the great visuals to the overall feel of the game, players will get the sense of how much of an impact a game like this can have.

90

GamePro

A good story, engaging characters, a vast array of magic elements and weapons, and a beautiful world that can be explored in two dimensions.

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75

Daily Radar

While paling in comparison to its celebrated predecessor, "Chrono Cross's" great character design and intriguing combat system ensure that the game is anything but the misfire it could so easily have been.

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 8.4 (out of 10) based on 80 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Jack C gave it a10:
Chrono Cross is by far the greatest 32-bit era RPG I have ever played. Like how Final Fantasy VIII is overlooked by it's predecessor, Chrono Cross is known for being Chrono Trigger's sequel. While Chrono Trigger definitely isn't a bad game, I found it to be over too quick. It's rather unbalanced gameplay-wise and the story is kind of mindless. One common issue many people have is how completely different it is compared to CT. This is because of the different team working on it. My biggest issue with Chrono Trigger was how considerably unbalanced the game was by the end-game. Overleveling was very difficult to avoid, and made the experience a joke. The developers worked around this issue with CC by only allowing stat growth after a boss and shortly afterward. While you may think that it's a way of limiting players, keep in mind that they retained New Game Plus, enabling players to play through the game and experience different paths that they may have missed while retaining their previous stats. Criticism around Cross' many playable characters is also pointed out, while I believe that people who don't like having too many characters are missing the point. There are 45 characters to play as in CC, each one as unique as the last. Some are enemies to one another, some are completely optional. Many of them you can't even obtain on your first playthrough! So where others see an issue, I see a feature. The greatest difference between the previous installment and the sequel is the general difference of the plot. Chrono Cross' focus on traveling through different dimensions seems too out there for fans of Trigger. They can't understand that Crono and the characters of the first games time is up, and they need to let others take the spotlight. I don't have much else to say other than that it's an amazing game. Definitely 10/10.

Matt J gave it a3:
I found this game to be trite, unimaginative, and just flat out boring. The game features uninspired locales, an unevenly paced plot, and enough middle school, masturbatory, philosophical wallowing to fill the diaries of every depressed high schooler on the planet. If you're REALLY into JRPGs you'll probably like this game, but if you have any standards at all then avoid it like the plague.

Chris R gave it a10:
Simply amazing, even if you play it now. Underrated because Chrono Trigger fans can't accept new directions, even though this is clearly a superior (or equally good, at least) game. Heiled by the creators as their "best RPG creation". I tend to agree with this. Just because there is no Crono doesn't make it any worse. The characters are unique, vast in number and each have something slightly different to bring. Combat is unique and this game is easily one of the greatest JRPGs in existence (perhaps the best?) - a true masterpiece.

Zach M. gave it a10:
8.3 user score? This game deserves at the absolute LEAST a 9. Eener M. clearly doesn't play many RPGs or would realize this game is fantastic. Even if it wouldn't have had "Chrono" in the title, it would still have gotten all the great reviews it did simply because it's so well put together. The leveling system works perfectly and allows the game to be played how it should be (aka: not completely owned by over leveled characters). The story is wonderful. Some people (apparently) just can't comprehend it. Considering the massive amount of characters that are in Chrono Cross, they have a great amount of personality. The accents help with this and are not "extremely annoying" as they help to show how diverse the characters are. Easily one of the greatest RPGs of all time. Chrono Cross is just as great if not better than Chrono Trigger and is a must play for any RPG fan. You will not be disappointed.

Michael M. gave it a7:
Some things that drew me to this game were the similar features of xenogears. I first played final fantasy vII which I enjoyed and then I played xenogears which I enjoyed even more.. then I thought chrono cross would be another good game to play but this game kinda pissed me off. In final fantasy VII and xenogears you know where to go and their are characters you can fall in love with.. As it turns out this game you have to choose which characters you want to play and end up with different scenarios. I got lost in the story couple times while I did get lost in the story of xenogears that thing was like watching pulp fiction it really twists with your mind.. i loved it.. but damn chrono cross just pisses me off for soe raeson.. i got lost like millions of times in that game i didnt know where to go.. i hate looking up walkthoughs but for this game i had to which pisses me off. and also after i read some stuff their were like 45 characters you can choose and play from.. i can't fraekin fall in love with 45 freakin players.. give me 5 or 6 but not freakin 45 damn players.. i give squaresofts final fantasy VII and xenogears a 9 and a 10 respectively but chrono cross i think it really deserves a 7 rating imho.

Jeff H. gave it a10:
For anyone who has ever played Chrono Trigger and understands it's serene story, Chrono Cross is an absolute indulgence of all thing's wonderful. All of the stories missing pieces fall into place and the player is rewarded with an amazing sequel to a legendary game. This game really does "have it all'; Tons of characters, many different endings, engaging interesting story, and a new found respect for wingapedes. :P My only fault with this game is that it was short and that people who are unfamiliar with Chrono Trigger won't understand alot of things. But all in all a very solid sequel and my vote for best non FF7 RPG for the Playstation.

Lev gave it a5:
I really like Chrono Trigger, but CC is just isn't all that great. The gameplay is slooow, graphics are medicore at best. The music is nice though. The way too many characters thing was also a bad idea, and the story not only ruins CT's story but is also over-complicated. It has many good ideas but they should have been put together better.

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