The two greatest games. Ever.

Author's Rating:

Pros: Final Fantasy 4 hardtype and Chrono Trigger. All you ever need

Cons: Umm... it's not gold-plated? Some copies of FF4 may not work right.

The Bottom Line: 
Spoony (adj.) - to be excessively emotional and romantic, often to one's detriment (quoted with some liberties from Webster's)

Author's Review
I've often been told that I am too traditional in my love of video games. I admit, I do prefer games to be pixelated rather than polygonal, and I find many storylines in modern games to be lacking. But is it fair, then, for me to compare games across generations, with an unfiltered eye to various innovations?

Well, thanks to retro fever, I guess we will find out now. A while back, Square released Final Fantasy Anthology, which was a rerelease of Final Fantasy 6, along with the American appearance of Final Fantasy 5. This was a nice package, but it left out something Square initially promised: Final Fantasy 4, considered by the old ones of video gaming to be one of the greatest games of all time.

In addition, many gamers clamored for the return of Chrono Trigger, another game considered one of the greatest. Especially with the popularity of its sequel, Chrono Cross, much interest has been raised about the original.

So Square has finally seen the light, and released both games. Like Final Fantasy Anthology, they released both in this convenient package. And now, in case merely uttering the names of these two games hasn't rushed you out to the store, here's a breakdown of each one, right after another.

Chrono Trigger

Chrono Trigger is widely considered excellent, even better than its rather finely crafted successor, because of the fact that it's the game that best handled the always interesting and always hairy question of time travel.

The game starts off in 1000 AD (no explanation, though, on why they base the dates on the birth of someone who doesn't exist), with the anniversary of the kingdom of Guardia, in which our hero Crono (as spelled in the game) lives. Guardia is having a fair to celebrate the new millennium, and goes to have fun at the fair.

An accident involving his friend Lucca and Marle, a girl he meets at the fair, however, opens up a temporal gate, throwing Marle back 400 years in the past. As Crono and his friends move around in time, finding trouble and trying to avoid it, they trip across an apocalyptic 2300 AD, along with records of an entity called Lavos, which consumed the world in a rain of fire in 1999 AD. Crono, Marle, Lucca, and other friends they meet as they trip across time band together in a desperate attempt to alter the future and avert the written armageddon.

While the story capsule that I just gave it short and perhaps confusing initially, the game itself handles the story much more cleanly. Although it starts slightly clumsy, (Lucca forgets to tell Crono that they jumped back 400 years in time after their first trip), the game quickly gains its ground and adeptly handles 5 different time frames: the prehistoric 65 million BC, the Ice Age of 12000 BC, the Middle Ages of 600 AD, the present of 1000 AD, and the post-apocalyptic wasteland of 2300 AD. The game carefully links events and happenings in each time frame as well - the actions taken place in one time frame reflect in the others to various degrees.

In addition, the characters are all rather well developed, except, oddly enough, for Crono, the titular character. Each of the major characters has their own issues, which they do confront in the course of the game. Frog, the transformed swordsman of the Middle Ages, has to confront his own issues of feeling worthy enough to continue the legacy of his fallen friend, for example. Each character besides Crono as well has their own side quest, which further highlights the detailed development for each one.

What may be disappointing for people who first played Chrono Cross, however, is the relative dearth of characters. Ultimately, you will find 7 who will join you: Crono, Lucca, and Marle from the present, Frog from the Middle Ages, Ayla (a clever reference to Clan of the Cave Bear) from prehistory, Robo from the future, and Magus from the Ice Age. What each character does have, though, is a fully developed set of skills, which interlock with the others for more powerful skills called Double Techs. Instead of the paltry ten-odd Double Techs that Chrono Cross gives, Chrono Trigger gives you 45 different ones, in addition to over a dozen Triple Techs, requiring you to more closely gauge what you wish to build your party on.

The battle system is a rather traditional turn-based affair, with the characters learning new skills on a fixed branch. However, the battles move cleanly, and you are allowed to decide what battle system you would like - a more turn-based affair, like earlier role-playing games, or the Active Time Battle system, which was making its second appearance when the game was originally released.

Graphically, the game is excellent, if you like pixels. Each character is detailed fully, and the only time you aren't able to tell you can go into a room is the few hidden rooms placed throughout the game. The colors in the game are nice and distinguished, and in general show the level of programming skills that were developed back when two dimensions were all that was available.

However, much more was added to the graphics to make this an even better treat. Square managed to convince Toriyama Akira, character designer and most noted as the creator of Dragon Ball Z, to add all new animated sequences to the game, including such moments as when the party first confronts Magus. For those who dismiss Toriyama as the creator of a mindless battlefest of a cartoon, these sequences serve to highlight that the man has genuine artistic talent that typically gets overshadowed by the 'fight-of-the-week' syndrome his most famed work typically attracts.

The game is also one of the more musically complex works developed. Brought to us by Square's maestro, Uematsu Nobuo, the music is often tricky and rather clever. Several of the themes, most notably the ones for the kingdom of Zeal, Magus' Dance with Death, and Frog's theme, stick in the head quite readily, and I know many people who think this soundtrack is the greatest work of Uemastu.

The game is also great for the replay. After you have managed to avert the end of the world and destroy Lavos, you're given the option to restart the game, except you keep all of your old items and powers. Also, the game opens up a new gate to fight Lavos at, so you can actually beat the game again before when the story originally requires. And just as performing different tasks alters different time frames, what you have and haven't accomplished will bring about a different ending.

Of course, you may be curious, what about any extras? This version of Chrono Trigger is now the definitive version. First, after every victory over Lavos, you can now save to your Memory Card which ending you found. In addition, each new ending opens up an extras menu, which has such diverse holdings such as character artwork, a movies room to rewatch the cinema sequences, and a music box which actually plays the full version of each song in the game (to see what I mean there, unlock Frog's theme and listen to it). These in-game extras are impressive, and gives another reason to beat the game for each ending. As if the fact that they're there isn't reason enough.

Finally, worth noting - the new ending animations that the game gives help further establish the links between Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross. This does help with a couple of the wrinkles that were present in the continuity of the games. And hopefully, if the discussed addition of the series is made, they'll be able to link that one cleanly to these two, as well.

Final Fantasy 4

First, I must be honest before I get in depth with this game. I honestly cannot review this fairly. My whole youth was spent playing the American release of this game, Final Fantasy 2. Whole sections of the game are indelibly imprinted in my mind. If any video game can mean anything to someone, this game means something to me.

Of course, you may ask, what would inspire such slavish devotions? Well, to begin, the story. It starts simply enough: Cecil, a Dark Knight, steals a crystal from the magician's town of Mysidia. But he feels regrets about it, even as he feels the weight of the darkness he has been asked to wield. His guilt about his actions displeases his king, ruler of Baron, and Cecil is asked to accompany his friend Kain to deliver a ring to prove his loyalty.

But this ring destroys a town, and Cecil's guilt turns to defiance, as he swears off his allegiance to his king. But as the plans of the king, and his apparent puppet master Golbez, spirals out of control, Cecil finds himself arrayed against a world-threatening power. Untrusted by those he meets, betrayed by his own friends at points, and even confronted by the past he never knew, Cecil has to find a way to band together what he can to save the world.

In terms of the story, it would be difficult to find one as rich. Cecil, his friend Kain, and his rival Golbez are locked in a struggle for power, with twists that I cannot reveal without being the king of spoilers. Indeed, the game presents such twists that classic authors the world over have used for some of their greatest works. Moreover, the game shows that it isn't afraid to show death - several characters, at various points, march off to certain doom grimly, but knowing that their death actually means something. While their sacrifices may seem small, they are presented in a gripping and powerful manner.

Of course, part of what makes the sacrifices so seemingly great is the depth put into the characters. Cecil may be the most complex character ever made in a video game. He feels a full range of emotions, from pathos and guilt to determination and protectiveness. Similarly, Kain undergoes periods of guilt, anguish, betrayal, and jealousy, and may be the most important supporting character in gaming history. While not all the other characters are as well developed, they all show more than the cursory glance that many games show. With 12 playable characters, all developed and important, the game's strongest suit would be the deepest character cast in video game history.

The battle system may seem primitive now, but when it was first created, it made history. Final Fantasy 4 introduced the Active Time Battle system, in which turns happen 'real time,' and you couldn't simply wait forever in combat. It required a much more intuitive style of playing, all while encouraging advance planning for bigger battles. While perhaps primitive to some, this game presents the battle system in its purest, and most easily grasped, form.

People may have some issue, though, in the character advancement. Like Chrono Trigger, this game has fixed character advancement, and the only level of customization you can put in is what armor and weapon you are wearing. In some ways, this is actually to the game's benefit: with the simplified battle system, you can instead concentrate more on the rich story, which means that the battle system does its job admirably.

However, in terms of updates, this one may be the most extensive facelift ever. Due to censorship issues, the inability to make text files in games larger upon conversion, and the belief that American gamers need help, the original American version of Final Fantasy 2 was a simplified game, with many items taken out and the enemies 'declawed,' so to speak. In addition, some of the mild swearing from the original Japanese was cleaned up, to some confusing results.

This, however, changes all that. First, old veterans immediately will notice that Cecil starts with a new command, Dark, which was absent in the first edition. Similarly, every single character, except Kain, Rydia, and Edge, has new commands at their disposal. Further, all the items left out of the original version are now in there, allowing you to, for example, use an item with the same effects as the Fire3 spell. Battle system purists will likely scream with joy upon that news.

What may be the most notable change, though, is that the enemies are now much harder than ever before. You encounter many more enemies during the game, and they all have much more power than before. Bosses can be almost frightening, as they are often quick enough to basically kill off half the party before your first command, which is often to heal all the damage you just acquired. The final area of the game is notably brutal, and just as the mini-bosses have you whimpering like a schoolgirl, the final boss comes along and makes you call him daddy. He practically does everything short of curl you into the fetal position - he leaves you with the initiative to do that.

Of course, bigger news is that the story has an entirely new translation, which now benefits from recent advances allowing for more text than in the original, as American games typically need more text to say the same as the Japanese version. This includes subtleties missing from the old American version, including Kain's jealousy of Cecil for winning the heart of Rosa, a love triangle that never fully appeared initially.

Of course, the translation does have mild cursing, but the heaviest cursing is still edited out, just like in other recent Square releases. But in a nod to the most classic 'bad translation' ever, one classic line remained in the game. When Tellah, an old sage, finally finds the bard, Prince Edward, who eloped with his daughter, he immediately lets loose with the salvo, "You spoony bard!" This line, actually a Shakespeare reference, was picked because Nintendo objected to the original translation, "You [fatherless child]!" Yes, the proper translation does follow afterward, but still, it's nice to see the classic moment of the silly and the sublime return.

As you may have guessed by the Shakespeare reference, Final Fantasy 4 is also notable for being the most literate. Four of your worst enemies, the Four Fiends or the Four Devils (the one inconsistency in the translation is that both appellations are used) are named after demons mentioned in Canto 23 of Dante's Inferno. Scarmiglione became Milon, Barbariccia became Valvalis, but Rubicante just lost the 'e' and Cagnazzo stayed the same. I must say, referencing classic allegorical poetry in a video game is always a good idea.

Finally, I do want to note one thing: Rubicant, and Golbez as well later, show how well villainy can be accomplished. Golbez is the consumate evil: he kidnaps Rosa, he uses ever power at his disposal to get Kain to betray Cecil, and he seeks to destroy the world. You cannot find a more complete and heartless evil. But Rubicant might be the epitome of a great villain. He is the only villain in the history of video gaming that I have ever seen to apologize to the heroes and still remain villainous. Not even Magus from Chrono Trigger apologizes, and he does become a hero. Rubicant shows one thing most character designers forget - villainy and honor are not mutually exclusive.

In terms of added extras, such as FMV sequences, the game has very little. They spent so much time making the game ready for its new translation that they didn't add much. This is really a better deal. While the new bells and whistles on Chrono Trigger serve to highlight some of the game's features, the lack thereof in Final Fantasy 4 serves the same purpose.

Truth be told, I am slightly more partial to Final Fantasy 4. But then, I have long maintained that Final Fantasy 4 is simply the greatest game ever, without a doubt. But I must add, I have to consider Chrono Trigger a close second. And to have both together, in one package, is perhaps all I could have asked for in repayment for my years of gaming. I can honestly say right now that I will never need another game again. Sure, I'll want them, but I already have the two greatest ever made.

These games, really, are partly the reason that I still play today. I challenge you to play them and not understand why.