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Messages - Molotov

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Actually, your descriptions of Final Fantasy IV, VI, and Zelda sound kind of accurate to me (not familiar enough with V to comment). :P

In all seriousness though, I'm aware that there's a bit more backstory to those games, but that's really what they boil down to. I'm aware that Chrono Trigger has backstory of its own since I used to play it as a kid, but I should point out that character development is what I'm most interested in. I've always considered the entire cast outside of Magus to be extremely flat, which by the way, is why I always find Cross complaints about character development to be massively ironic.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I've always considered the Zeal stuff to be Magus development more than anything else. I don't particularly remember anything in that Undersea Palace business that really changed the "teenagers destroy giant monster and save the world" part. Maybe it's just me, but I would've been more forgiving of the plot if something along the way changed the end goal even slightly from the first time you see Lavos on the computer monitor. Like maybe Lavos wasn't this completely evil creature or something, I don't know.

But anyway, I'm sure this is something we'll have to just agree to disagree on. I just honestly think too many people have their nostalgia glasses on when it comes to Chrono Trigger and there's nothing I can do to change that. I appreciate that the author of that article didn't give it an overly generous spot because it at least hints that there's no filter at work like I'd expect on a great number of other lists.

The same goes for the battle system comment. I personally don't see any strategy involved in the game unless you're doing a challenge or speed run of some kind, because otherwise you'll probably be leveled up enough and with good enough gear that you can do exactly what I mentioned in my first post. Lavos might give you a little grief I guess, but nothing some armor upgrades won't solve. I just don't like the simplicity of it all, you know?

As for the last part, I find that a bit insulting. Just because I don't have as high regard for it as you do doesn't mean that I've never played it. Some things just don't click with people or just lose their appeal over time. In my case, this was the latter. The more I started playing Chrono Cross (and reading all the unfair hate), the more I started to appreciate the stuff that it did so much better than Trigger. I guess by playing it so much, I took off my nostalgia glasses (which I assure you, I had) and started to realize Trigger wasn't everything I thought it was as a kid. Is that so bad?

And just to be totally clear, nowhere in there did I say Chrono Trigger is a bad game. I just said it's not top 10 material. It's an enjoyable game and something I think any RPG player should try, but nothing more.

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Chrono Trigger‘s epic time-hopping story was pretty ridiculous and its combat system – cribbed from Final Fantasy IV – was arguably second-rate

To be fair, the first part of this quote is accurate and the second part isn't completely wrong. The story was pretty much "hur, teenagers beat up giant monster and save the world + time travel." Yeah it had some other details, but I've honestly never understood how people give the game so much credit when only one person on your entire team had any real depth. I'm a bitter Cross fanboy though, so take that how you will.

As for the battle system, it's extremely simple when you really look at it. Very few fights that I can remember have any sort of tricks to them (like Slash on Masamune), so the rest are literally just "use your strongest techs and refill MP and HP as necessary." Not an uncommon thing to happen with an RPG battle system I'm sure, but it's basic enough that I don't see why anybody would actually like the darn thing. The double/triple techs are neat, but since you can't directly move your team on the field, they just seem like extra flashy versions of the "use your strongest techs" part.

Anyway, I'm not bothered that much by the placement on the list. Top <number> lists are stupid anyway, but there's no way in heck this game should come anywhere close to the top 10. I would've put it higher than 52 though.

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Chrono / Gameplay Casual Discussion / Re: element damage in chrono cross
« on: January 08, 2009, 04:35:57 pm »
Yes, there are some techs that use attack instead of magic (X-Strike is a great example). There aren't any allocatable elements that do physical damage, so you're probably better off just giving the low magic character some support elements. As far as I know, those don't care what your magic stat is.

Things like consumables, HellSoul/Bound, and EagleEye/LoRes/etc. are what I mean by "support" elements, of course. Also keep in mind that they can be used perfectly well as field effect flunkies. Just give them some lower level crap like Aquabeam and let them help you cast FrogPrince from time to time. :)

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I'd just like to add that my sister also got screwed over by that fence bug in the SNES version, way back then. It's kind of funny considering she's the one who always gets blasted with completely absurd glitches when it comes to playing games. Then again, since it's happened to a few other people too, I suppose it isn't all that absurd. :P

Though if it matters, she used to save like 10 times in a row at each save point...

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Chrono Trigger DS Analysis / Re: MSNBC - Best DS games of the year
« on: December 18, 2008, 04:01:04 am »
Yeah, real sad sight that one of the best RPGs (/GAME) of all time finally go handheld (not to mention finally get a PAL release)...along with a few "bells & whistles" that answer a few questions that have been lingering in fans' minds for those 13 years...>_>

Next year's list will be far more impressive though, even for such a big pessimist as you seem...:lol:

Please don't misunderstand what I mean. As far as I know (which isn't saying much really), the main game itself is still the exact same as it was in 1995. Sure, there is some added content in there, but the meat and potatoes are still old...no? That's what I meant when I said that.

Not to say it isn't a good game (it clearly is, just outrageously overrated), but for an SNES game to be slapped onto a DS and then put into a "top 10 DS games of 2008" list is just absurd to me. A remake would make sense, but not a port + a few bonuses. What this really points at, to me, is a weak DS library...which is why I mentioned "Horsez."

As for next year, I've already owned a copy of Shin Ankoku since August. Therefore, the U.S. release isn't a huge deal for me. :P

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Chrono Trigger DS Analysis / Re: MSNBC - Best DS games of the year
« on: December 18, 2008, 12:14:51 am »
Oh wow. Lots of Fire Emblem talk and I missed it? ARGH.

Yes, FE3, Mystery of the Emblem. It contains a remake and a sequel to FE1, if I'm not mistaken.

Correct.

I don't understand people putting numbers on the FEs...especially in that case since FE2 in that scenario would be Fire Emblem Gaiden...>_>

Well, if you're the kind of person to use acronyms and what-have-you, it makes perfect sense to just throw out release order. I personally think one or two word names work better, but I see no problem with the number system. :/

On topic though, I suppose it's kind of a sad sight to see a 13 year old game (plus whatever bells and whistles) place on a top 10 list for games of 2008. That's what happens when you get one or two "real" (as in, not Petz Horsez 20) games a month though, right?  >_<

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Site Updates / Re: Arena of the Ages Explained and Advertisement
« on: October 17, 2008, 10:38:46 pm »
But, if you're gonna think that a "raise your own monster" game is a Pokemon rip-off, think again, my friend (although Pokemon was the first truly franchised, main stream game).

For the record, I'm well aware that there have been more (and older) monster raising games. That doesn't change the fact that it looks quite a bit like a Pokémon clone. For example, compare the "Dark Strike" screenshot to something from the Diamond or Pearl to clearly see what I mean.

Sorry if this is slightly off-topic.

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Site Updates / Re: Arena of the Ages Explained and Advertisement
« on: October 17, 2008, 03:07:54 pm »
You know, this is kind of sad. This feature looks like a really bad attempt at a Pokémon clone, but people probably look past that simply because "OH MY GOODNESS! It's Chrono Trigger!" Hopefully I'm wrong about this feature, but seriously dude, it just looks and sounds freaking stupid at this point. If they could add something more unique to it or make the thing not sound gimmicky, then it would probably be ok. :(

Then again, I don't plan to touch another version of this game (or the original, unless I want to watch a TAS) with a ten foot pole, so take this with a pound of salt.

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Zeality seems to want my opinion on this as well, so here I am.

I gave this a quick look a while ago, and honestly, it just looked like a tier list. In my opinion, tier lists are made by and for morons, and are therefore complete wastes of time. But hey, some people get their kicks from junk like this, so maybe I'm being too harsh.

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General Discussion / Re: Turn Based Combat
« on: August 14, 2008, 09:06:57 pm »
Turn-based stuff is the best thing since sliced bread, if you ask me. Even if it isn't doesn't have any extra tricks to it, I'm still happy with it. That isn't to say that I don't appreciate some neat tricks to spice things up once in a while, but I have seen said tricks screw up the gameplay on more than one occasion. Good examples of this are found in Langrisser III, IV, and V. They hurt the potential of those games by screwing with the tried and true formula of "move unit, attack enemy, end turn, and repeat."

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Actually ZeaLitY, I got the second opinion I wanted not that long (sometime after 3:00 A.M.) after I sent the message to you. Nitrodon didn't seem to have any real beef with it, because the plan is ridiculously hard to pull off. I still have to wait to submit it though, because I want to include audio commentary (which is pretty lame at the moment) with it.

Also, I should probably mention that Bisqwit made a Cross "TAS" (it's more like a playaround with tools) a while back. I seem to remember you two not getting along though, so I'm not sure you'll care that much for this news. :/

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General Discussion / Re: What's your "Worst game Ever"?
« on: June 24, 2008, 04:45:35 pm »
It is possible I started with the wrong character in Unlimited Saga. Perhaps that person's particular story emphasized some of the elements I did not like about the game. Then again, it is also possible that we just prefer different things in our games because...

Who did you use? I believe I had tried to play the game twice before, both ending in failure. One of those times, I picked Armic. I really hope you didn't make that mistake, because his voice actor is AWFUL (on top of a seemingly boring story). I think the other time was with Judy, which was also a mistake.

Worth noting that you get Iskandar in Ruby's story (not sure about the others). He's quite good too, because he starts with a level 4 Weapon Mastery skill or some such. Of course, if you wanted to go the cheap route, I think learning Raksha would make the game pitifully easy for the most part (in theory anyway). The attack has an additional instant death effect that I've read even works on some bosses. Combine this with the fact that it is a light punch, and you could probably spark it really early in the game.

I better shut up though, or else I will start to like the game more as I talk about it. :P

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I actually enjoyed Grandia Xtreme. Then again, form what I read in reviews and forums I am the only one. :)

The voice acting was something I can tone out, so that did not bother me as much. I also played this Grandia first, so all of the game concepts were new to me. I did play Grandia II and III after, both of which have better story and character development, and Grandia III has much better voice acting (and I would suggest if you have not tried any other Grandia games). If I had played Grandia III first and then Xtreme I may not have liked it as much, but who is to say?

Well, Grandia Xtreme is the only one I've ever played in the series. My brother is a fan of the series, so I've seen 1, 2, and Xtreme in-battle and so forth. Like I said though, I didn't give Xtreme much of a chance. Perhaps I'll give it another shot in the future, but who knows when that will be?

On a similar note, this reminds me that I have a save in Wild ARMs 3. Made it a decent way into the game, then couldn't figure out where to go and gave up. I don't think I'm missing much, because outside of the Wild West novelty (and sound), the game wasn't very good. Come to think of it, Jet Enduro was like a little Cloud knock-off. Ew, gross-ness.

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General Discussion / Re: What's your "Worst game Ever"?
« on: June 24, 2008, 03:08:52 pm »
As always, the following contains my own opinions. Please do not get butthurt about them. Thank you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Sonic_Adventure_DX.PNG

Ha, you kids and your Gamecube versions. I remember playing the game on the Dreamcast when it was fairly new, and it was awesome. Looking back, Knuckles' levels suck (beep beep BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP constantly), Gamma was pretty lame, and everyone hates Big...for good reason. I remember liking the Tails stuff (only one I got 100% on, I think) and Amy's stuff wasn't SO bad.

No idea about the Game Gear stuff, since us old geezers don't get these fancy extras.

* Molotov gets shot for extreme exaggeration.

Anyway, I feel the need to comment on some of the other things in this topic:

x_XTacTX_x: To be honest, I bet the cover art should've told you the game sucked. Never played it, but come on, a "bad" Sonic clone with a Jak/Daxter/Ratchet/Clank/whatever gun? Silly rabbit, hedgehogs don't use guns. :P

The Bouncer: I have to agree with this to an extent, because the game was a major disappointment. My sister bought it (WAY after release) and we hoped for two-player (why didn't we look on the back?), but of course didn't get it. That disappointment aside, the game itself is just too clunky and repetitive.

On the other hand, that panther woman (forgot her name) was hawt and the game increased in difficulty each time you played through. Also, I like Volt.

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As for myself, probably the worst game I ever played was Unlimited Saga.

Ha, now this one I will give some credit to. The game isn't THAT bad when you get used to it (and I do mean used to it), but it certainly isn't great...outside of the soundtrack (best battle themes ever). Believe it or not, I actually completed the game and was working on a second playthrough before I moved on.

First was Ruby, second was Laura (is that the pirate woman's name?). All you really need to know is: learn Reverse Delta (axe skill) and abuse it non-stop in boss fights. I wasn't aware that weapons couldn't break mid-battle, so I didn't go completely nuts with it against the final boss, which made things much more difficult.

Now, as for my pick of worst game I've played, that's going to be tough. If I had to guess, it would be between Blood Omen 2, Grandia Xtreme, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, and Kingdom Hearts II. Now now, I know that last one is enough to spark heresy claims, but let me explain my reasoning for these picks:

Blood Omen 2: Clunky controls (even for someone like myself, that doesn't mind the old Resident Evil games) and a story I don't care about.

Grandia Xtreme: To be fair, I played this for a ridiculously short time and stopped. The voice acting is beyond awful, the plot/characters didn't seem interesting, and from what I've seen of the battle system, I doubt I would like it very much. Perhaps this is all too quick of a judgment, but for now, I'm saying it sucks.

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes: Though I don't care for first-person Metroid stuff, I did like the first Metroid Prime. Bought this game a long time after that, and lost interest rather quickly. "Boring" is easily the best word to describe the game.

Kingdom Hearts II: Yes, I said it. The first game was fantastic, with good music and an interesting concept. The second game, however, was like a flaming pile of dog crap. Basically, they assumed that by adding over 9,000 worlds that the game would be better. The problem is, they made each one about 5 minutes long. For someone like myself, who is a big Mulan fan, this is a slap in the face (not to mention they did such a poor job with that world).

The game (which I still haven't completed, and have only put about 25 hours into) just consists of "Blah blah blah! Cheesy dialogue! RIKU! KAIRI! HEARTLESS! NOBODIES!" followed by some mini-game type of goal to advance the story. Yeah, I'm sure I wanted to fight Shan Yu's army of stupid yellow floating things until I killed enough to move on.

Then we get more gems, like Roxhas (or however the dork's name is spelled), Cloud, Tifa, and Sephiroth. Roxhas and his pals were just extremely lame, no doubt about that (Axel, on the other hand, I remember as being slightly passable). Cloud, Tifa, and Sephiroth speak for themselves, since they were just there for morons to wank over for some reason.

Now, I will give Sephiroth one thing: he was a good addition to the original game, simply because he didn't appear outside of an optional (ridiculously hard) boss fight. Cloud was ok in the original as well, because he didn't have much screen time, and I think he was 5 levels down on the emo scale (by comparison to II).

Granted, if I spend more time with the game it MIGHT pick up at some point, but I'm not going to bet on that. If Yuffie can't even save the game for me...

* Molotov stops ranting for now.

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Polling / Re: CT-CC-FF7
« on: June 14, 2008, 06:59:39 pm »
For the record, Nikki is the best way to get into Viper Manor for one simple reason: he's the only guide that isn't forced into your party for that part. This is good, because you can use someone else (or two other people, if you ditch Kid) you might actually like instead. Better stat growth that way as well.

What I just said is obvious, but I felt it should be noted.

[Edit]: A decent choice is Poshul, since she can't fit in the Acacia gear. Kind of funny to see a pink dog following two guards around.

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Polling / Re: CT-CC-FF7
« on: June 13, 2008, 06:02:27 pm »
If you recruit Pierre, there's really no reason to keep using her in my opinion. Her techs really aren't that great, but Pierre is very useful when fighting bosses early in the game, such as Marcy or Lynx, when your HP is probably going to fall very low. Pierre's first Tech is very useful; it allows you to do the classic rpg pattern "Heal-Attack-Attack". Along with having good strength as the game progresses, and also hjaving an advantage with healing elements like Cure and CurePlus, he becomes a Paladin of sorts. AND he can summon FrogPrince.

Case in Point, Pierre > Leena.

No offense, but are we playing the same game? Pierre's strength and magic are both amazingly bad early to mid-game, and being able to use Cure and CurePlus means nothing since anybody in the game can do that (CureAll may be what you're thinking of, but that element sucks). When you get Pierre back late-game, he is somewhat ok, but only if you equip all his Hero gear. By that point, you can easily have Orlha, who outclasses him in almost every way possible (as far as I remember).

I know Leena is fairly bad strength-wise as well, but that's sort of the point (she's a mage, obviously). Her magic easily makes up for that, unless you get RNG screwed. Marcy is a good mixture of both strength and magic, so that's really the only reason I'd say she's better than Leena.

For the record, HealAll is the best healing element overall anyway (targets all, good healing, available early). Everybody can use that as well, of course.

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