Time Magazine ranks Chrono Trigger in Top 100 Games Ever

[Synchronization]

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[xcalibur]

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

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.

alright, maybe I was a bit too harsh with the last line. since you've fleshed out your points a bit more, I can understand where you're coming from better. It's just that the statements were downright jarring, along with the extreme simplification of CT, led me to believe that you were throwing opinions out based on minimal experience.

I don't expect everyone to respond the same way to things, or like the same exact things I like. but to address what you said:

battle system: it's true that the game is on the easy side. personally I avoid grinding when I play and try to avoid fights (though not running away) to make things more interesting. The game would've been more epic if it were harder.

there IS strategy though. first of all, you can switch party members voluntarily - this gives you different teams to work with, with different strengths and weaknesses. second, there were a number of fights that were more than just spamming attacks and healing occasionally. enemies that can only be hit by magic, or absorb certain magic types, magus' barrier, targets that shouldn't be attacked, targets that should be destroyed first, etc.  it didn't involve the tricks of late-game FF4, but it was enough.

I'll agree that the characterization of the team was somewhat shallow, although I wouldn't say they're completely flat. they had just enough backstory to serve the purpose of the game, which was far more focused on the world and events around them. if you favor character development so much, I could see where that would be an issue.

The major objective of defeating Lavos remains consistent, although you do get revelations along the way of what you're up against. then there was the ruined future, humans vs reptites, humans vs mystics, Zeal/earthbound classism, and all the other side stuff to keep things interesting. CT was thought-provoking more than anything else.

I recognize that it's not perfect, and there are flaws and shortcomings. but it's still great. I don't think it's unquestionably the greatest of all time, but I couldn't see it below the top 15.

once again, didn't mean to be reactionary, we just have very different views.

[HeadlessFritz]

I agree about the difficulty. You had a lot of strategies possible but not many opportunities to use them. I think overall Chrono Cross had the same flaw. I thought it was even easier than FF7.
 

[raybackjoe]

Today I am curious what exactly is the similarity stuck between FF4 and CT's combat system.

[TinTin]

Today I am curious what exactly is the similarity stuck between FF4 and CT's combat system.

I remember they are both wait-until-the-bar is filled type of battle systems, with both HP and MP. Under the hood, I'm not sure but the equipment that changes your stats plays an influence in the battle.

[milkjamjuice]

Today I am curious what exactly is the similarity stuck between FF4 and CT's combat system.

I remember they are both wait-until-the-bar is filled type of battle systems, with both HP and MP. Under the hood, I'm not sure but the equipment that changes your stats plays an influence in the battle.

Yeah, but that "bar," thing is just ATB, which has been the standby for pretty much ALL Final Fantasy games, as well as HP/MP...?

[Prince Janus]

 FF4 and CT are as far detached as I can possibly imagine without making a comparison to FF1 on the NES, or a Text Adventure.

What business does Time Magazine even have discussing videogames?

[Redline57]

Sorry again, I'm throwing in my 2 cents.

I have read several reviews of video games, and there are a lot of ways to judge them. Time Magazine has their opinion, granted I think that maybe the people who used this wording aren't gamers. When I was young, I didn't understand how people rated books so great because I didn't read. I read, just not for fun, for book reports. Games were my books, my story. If you let Chrono Trigger bring you in like a great book, then by a gamer standards, top ten RPG of all time, absolutly no question. And in my opinion one of the top ten games ever made. For me it was like how you read a mediocre fanfiction with a small fanbase, so you let all the bad stuff slide and let your mind fill in the rest. On that basis, CT could be classed by its fans as perfect. But its not a bad story with a small fanbase. When it came up it was sold alongside secret of mana, and the far bigger and more popular ff6, and even going toe to toe, it was a great and still-classic game. You didn't need to go into it expecting a lot, it delivered. Even kids now who go into the game, knowing its (in some aspects) overrated, they still like it, showing how good it is and stands the test of time.

with regard to that quote at rank 52, the time traveling of the game was sci-fi, but hardly rediculous. I mean screw the guy who wrote that, you gonna say that about Star Wars a New Hope too? Chrono Trigger did an excellent job of integrating it as best could be. Yes there are inherent time travel plotholes, of course, as we all know what a causal loop is. Got it. I could point it some faults but calling it rediculous, shit no. "Catcher in the Rye" was rediculous and its acclaimed as a good book. Yeah, cause you make kids read it in grade 7 and its full of dirty words. 'mouthy kid quits school and cant even pay a girl to screw him.' wow, real shakespeare there. Chrono Trigger was a parallel about human life, with fragments and stories akin to the Bible and, like final fantasy, pull our favorite elements from Norse Mythology (and more) and was well thought out, so not liking the battle physics can be an opinion but calling it 'rediculous' is from someone who either doesnt know games, doesnt like sci-fi, or someone who heard too much about the game and looked for reasons not to like it. Im sure the people at Time didnt play the whole game, cause it may not be perfect, but neither is Starry Night, and CT is no less a masterpiece in its own right.

[V_Translanka]

Just in case you were worried about CT's placement: Time Magazine isn't a gaming anything. As Nelson would say, "Ha-ha, your medium is dying!"