Who do you think should be the artist on the next Chrono game?

[redandblack64]

Since we're assuming the team that did Cross and Trigger get back together, I've got the feeling that they'd try to both use a different visual style from either of those games, and take full advantage of whatever hardware they would develop Chrono 3 for. It wouldn't be wrong to assume that the game may be full in 3D, considering how powerful all the systems are now? Though this goes a little off topic, I'm curious how the team would acheive this while using polygonal models and prerendered backgrounds, when they're developing for a system that can render backgrounds in realtime, too?

[V_Translanka]

...if the game were a direct sequel to Trigger, or a very different and new game like Cross, would your answer change?

That implies that Cross isn't a direct sequel to Trigger, which isn't true (regardless of whether or not you think it took an oblong path around RD). Direct Sequel=/=Same Playable Characters...but, no, it wouldn't change. I mean, RD was a radically different direct sequel and it kept the same character designer, so I don't see the necessity for artistic change just because other things are different. Toriyama screams ADVENTURE, one of the deepest roots in the series. Nobeteru Yuuki did a good job, but I think his colorful, flamboyant style is more suited strictly for El Nido.

Cel-shading was awesome and it's a shame the trend died so young.

It did? I don't think it's gained much in terms of popularity (some people can't get over the fact that simple doesn't mean less detailed), but maybe you just need to look elsewhere? Isn't thatgamecompany's new PS3 title, Journey cel-shaded?

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Either way it kinda makes me wish I had one of them Sony blu-ray gaming system things...

Regardless, we know that Toriyama works well in cel-shading (my money's on it for DQX) AND 2D...I wonder if they could make a 3DS game where w/o the 3D feature on it would look like 2D drawings and then when you turn the effect on it could switch to a cel-shading-like thingy...

As for any possible alternates outside the series art norms, I've always wanted to see Magus & Lavos as painted by Yoshitaka Amano....

[ZeaLitY]

HERE COMES A LOW BLOW

As much as I love Vegeta and his neuroticism, I don't want him in the next Chrono game.

Not sure who I'd want to do the art instead, though.

[Romana]

I'd love Nobeteru Yuuki to do the art again, regardless of setting.

[V_Translanka]

HERE COMES A LOW BLOW

As much as I love Vegeta and his neuroticism, I don't want him in the next Chrono game.

I think he'd be the next hero. I mean, amnesia, awesome latent power and a lost home (not to mention sister) has all the trappings of a RPG hero...or they could just turn him into a nothing side-character magician, idk....

[redandblack64]

I've got a few questions surrounding the art.

First, do you think the style and tone of the art and story of Chrono Cross were at odds with each other more than that of Chrono Trigger?

And, what type of a game do you envision when you think of the following artists working on the next game?

Yoshiyuki Sadamato (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
Hiromu Arakawa (Full Metal Alchemist)
Nobuhiro Watsuki (Kenshin)
Fumi Ishikawa (Suikoden)
Masato Kato (Radical Dreamers)
Yusuke Naora (Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals)

Try to guess how their art styles would affect the tone and mood of the game in terms of story and other things.

[Sketchtacular]

I don't known if any of you have heard of this artist before but I'd like Katie Rice to do it. I really like her cartoony distinctive looking characters.

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

And add LadyMarle!

[Lady Marle]

And add LadyMarle!

Aww yay! LoL I'm flattered to even be mentioned <3

I would love Toriyama to come back but if he wouldn't, I agree with the previous statement of Fumi Ishikawa, who is responsible for Suikoden II-V's characters. I also like Tetsuya Nomura, who is the artist for The Kingdom Hearts series and the more recent Final Fantasy games. ^.^

[Manly Man]

I've never been all that fond of Testuya's work, actually. He does a great job for Kingdom Hearts, but when I saw how he did all of the other characters for Dissidia, I was kinda disappointed. I mean, Golbez, who is probably my favorite character out of the entire Final Fantasy franchise, now looks like a gorilla in dark armor. Not cool.

As a sign that I'm way too deep into the Soul series, I'd suggest their artist, Takuji Kawano. The only thing I wouldn't like about him doing it is how they'd get a bad rep for being done by the guy who has also made some of the sluttiest looking characters in the gaming industry. It doesn't mean that he can't make kickass characters with some modest designs, though.

[Samopoznanie]

It's a tough call for me.  The look of the original will never be outdone for me, as far as the CT franchise goes.  But as a few people mentioned, just the Dragon Ball fatigue in the last decade or so... It would be hard to shake the association.  I remember when I first got the PS re-release, and the cutscenes just frustrated me.  Same with the look of the Dragon Quest re-releases on DS.

On the other hand, I wasn't a big fan of CC's look.  Out of the whole grand cast there were maybe 4 or 5 characters that I liked the look (and personality) of.  I thought they did do a good job of re-creating some of the old characters and locales (Ozzy, Slash, Flea, the world map graphic) while giving it a new feel though.  I'm sure they could find a good balance between new 3D graphics and the original game, without going for the pokey-haired Toriyama look. I just hope they'd avoid the zippers look that's dogged the FF series for years now. 

I do like the idea of a cel-shaded take on things, I think it could really bring out the vibrant sense of colour that made CT stand out for me, visually, at the time it was released.

[utunnels]

 
So few votes for Yuki?

[Kodokami]

I actually much prefer Yuuki to Toriyama. However, each artist's style matches their respective game's theme: Trigger is more lighthearted and adventure driven; Cross is more serious and plot driven. Wait, there's a plot?

In which case, I think the next Chrono game should have a different artist whose style matches that game's theme, to follow the trend. Who that would be, I dunno. Might I suggest Kozue Amano?

[V_Translanka]

People say that Trigger is lighthearted w/o thinking of the seriously dreary moments it has (mostly the future, but also the Mystic War and a few happenings in Zeal)...It wasn't just one core theme, it was a roller-coaster ride and that's what made it great and fun.

I think that the tropical characters in Cross obviously fit in, but there were just so many randoms that just took away from the few good designs that I couldn't say one way or the other if I liked/hated the artist or just that there were too many bad character choices...

Nomura needs to go back to a more oldschool anime style in his character designs rather than these new age, leather, buckles & zippers he's been so fond of...Take a look at the two awesome characters he designed for FFVI for example: Shadow & Setzer. Classic ninja with classic scars-a-lot (w/awesome coat)...then look what he did with Setzer for Kingdom Hearts...V_V

[maggiekarp]

Hiroyuki Imaishi, in a Gainax/Square-Enix collaboration. Squeenax.