Chrono Trigger - Year 10
Wow. Yesterday was the ten-year anniversary of Chrono Trigger's United States release for the Super NES. I never got the original release of Trigger, unfortunately. :( (I DID nab the PSX version with the nifty animated scenes and extras, though!)
But do I have favorite memories of the game?
The first time I met Frog, in the Cathedral in 600 A.D. I remember thinking "A frog? Wow, he'll be a back-burner character..." How wrong I was. Once you get around the (REALLY BAD!) archaic speech, he's one of the most interesting and classically tragic of the game's heroes. I still have a bad habit of calling him by his human name, Glenn.
Of course, they were all interesting. Crono was the first (and still the only, to date) mute hero I met who came across as having a personality. Nadia (Marle, if you prefer) played to my sympathetic side from the get-go; I was never once convicted at Crono's trial because I was always doing nice things for her. Lucca was a blast (often literally) to have around; her snarky comments were a lot of fun, and kept things from getting too heavy when the game got emotional. Ayla was direct, but a real innocent, and the first cavegirl chasracter I ever met who wasn't a slut or a coward. Robo was easily the most versatile playewr character out of all of them; beat 'em up ot fix you up, he could do it all. Even Magus, whose personality rubbed me completely the wrong way, had a history that made me respect him, though I'll never like him as much as the majority of the fanbase.
The game's locations were varied and archetypal, some a downright satire. The post-apocalyptic, machine-run future, the Jonathan Swift-reminiscent Zeal (which was gorgeous in a way that should have been beyond the capabilities of a simple SNES), even the Middle Ages and their impact on the Present, struck me as fascinating.
I remember helping Fiona bring back a forest. I remember losing Crono and going through hell to get him back (Marle was never my best character, but she gave that story real emotional impact). I remember spending excessive amounts of time and energy on getting a Sun Stone for Lucca, or the Masamune for Glenn. I remember playing, with sweaty palms and bloodshot eyes, through the Black Omen and the Lavos battle for hours on end until I finally took care of everything I could possibly take care of. I remember the ending being one of the happiest moments I've ever experienced in a video game.
I remember Crono Trigger being the second video game I ever cried over.
And since my version is the PSX, I have favorite anime cutscenes as well. When Glenn used the Masamune to open Magus's cave, I think he became one of my top ten characters to ever appear in a video game.
OK, maybe I'm a little sentimental about the game. It's understandable for people who've played it.
I miss it.
But do I have favorite memories of the game?
The first time I met Frog, in the Cathedral in 600 A.D. I remember thinking "A frog? Wow, he'll be a back-burner character..." How wrong I was. Once you get around the (REALLY BAD!) archaic speech, he's one of the most interesting and classically tragic of the game's heroes. I still have a bad habit of calling him by his human name, Glenn.
Of course, they were all interesting. Crono was the first (and still the only, to date) mute hero I met who came across as having a personality. Nadia (Marle, if you prefer) played to my sympathetic side from the get-go; I was never once convicted at Crono's trial because I was always doing nice things for her. Lucca was a blast (often literally) to have around; her snarky comments were a lot of fun, and kept things from getting too heavy when the game got emotional. Ayla was direct, but a real innocent, and the first cavegirl chasracter I ever met who wasn't a slut or a coward. Robo was easily the most versatile playewr character out of all of them; beat 'em up ot fix you up, he could do it all. Even Magus, whose personality rubbed me completely the wrong way, had a history that made me respect him, though I'll never like him as much as the majority of the fanbase.
The game's locations were varied and archetypal, some a downright satire. The post-apocalyptic, machine-run future, the Jonathan Swift-reminiscent Zeal (which was gorgeous in a way that should have been beyond the capabilities of a simple SNES), even the Middle Ages and their impact on the Present, struck me as fascinating.
I remember helping Fiona bring back a forest. I remember losing Crono and going through hell to get him back (Marle was never my best character, but she gave that story real emotional impact). I remember spending excessive amounts of time and energy on getting a Sun Stone for Lucca, or the Masamune for Glenn. I remember playing, with sweaty palms and bloodshot eyes, through the Black Omen and the Lavos battle for hours on end until I finally took care of everything I could possibly take care of. I remember the ending being one of the happiest moments I've ever experienced in a video game.
I remember Crono Trigger being the second video game I ever cried over.
And since my version is the PSX, I have favorite anime cutscenes as well. When Glenn used the Masamune to open Magus's cave, I think he became one of my top ten characters to ever appear in a video game.
OK, maybe I'm a little sentimental about the game. It's understandable for people who've played it.
I miss it.