Now, lets fast forward now into the year 2000 where gaming hardware and programming has advanced and improved greatly creating new possibilities for eye-catching 3D graphics and audio. This is the era where Square finally decided to release the long awaited sequel to CT, Chrono Cross and believe me, it was definitely worth the wait. For those who aren't RPG fans or don't even have a PSX, this is one of those games that will give you a reason to buy one!

When you first pop in the CD, you'll be treated to a breathtaking intro filled with CG movie clips of the game, a thought provoking poem, and a great intro song telling you what you can expect from this awesome game. If you don't believe me, download the intro and see for yourself!

Chrono Cross takes place 20 years after the events of Chrono Trigger and closely intertwines with its predecessor. If you've played CT, then you will definitely be getting a lot more out of CC then those who haven't. Not to worry though, CC is still an excellent story whether or not you've played CT. You'll will also notice that the game has been translated very well from the Japanese version without screwing up the intricate and compelling storyline. Chrono Cross's story is as gripping as those of Vagrant Story and Xenogears keeping the player on the edge of their seat. The game deals with the issues of how one person or event (no matter how insignificant they can be) can affect the lives of others, environmental issues, and how fate plays a role in our lives.

The main heroes of the Chrono Cross are both Serge and Kid whose characters greatly develop throughout the game. Serge first starts off in his village going off to meet up with a friend on the beach and all of the sudden, he gets knocked out by some dimensional disturbance and wakes up in some parallel universe where he meets Kid. If I give out any more details of the whole plot, I'd get a billion complaints from everyone for ruining the storyline, so I'll let you all see for yourselves. What's cool about CC is that you will get over 40 characters each having their own personal story and characteristics.

For those who remember, the character designs of Chrono Trigger were by Akira Toriyama, the talented artist who founded the acclaimed Dragon Ball Z series. Sorry to disappoint you all, but Akira didn't do the characters for Chrono Cross. However, the games graphics and character designs are pretty damn good. Character animations, magic attacks and summon spells are very well done, and a comparable to the ones found in FFVIII. The rendered 3D backgrounds push the PSX to its fullest potential and are as good as those found in both Final Fantasy VIII and Vagrant Story. Chrono Cross's CG animated movies aren't as spectacular or as abundant as FFVIII's, but they are very effective in telling the story. It's also good that Square didn't rely heavily on the CG's as they did on FFVIII that was pretty much of a nuisance more than anything else.

I can't even find the words to describe how breathtaking the soundtrack is for Chrono Cross. Yasonori Mitsuda has already amazed us with his compositions from Chrono Trigger and Xenogears. Every track starting from the intro music right down to the concluding score is absolutely beautiful and dynamic as well. My favorite track is the ending theme Radical Dreamers, which like most of the soundtrack has excellent guitar. Piano pieces are also beautiful in CC so be sure to get your hands on the score one way or another. There's not much to say about the sound effects except they consist of the usual "bangs, whack-n-slash". Nothing spectacular, but it's sufficient.

What you'll notice immediately when you start playing Chrono Cross is that there are no pain in the ass random battles, because you can actually see your enemies and will usually have a choice on whether or not to fight them. If you do accidentally run into one, you'll get a chance to run from the enemy as well. You won't get attacked on the map screen either, which is also a plus.

What's cool about playing Chrono Cross is that the battles are more fun than annoying with the innovative battle system with the addition of field statistics such as stamina points, field effects, and innate attributes that effect everything in battle. When using standard attacks, the player can customize the attacks using a combination of weak, strong, and fierce attacks (likened to the system featured in Xenogears); depending on how many stamina points you have. The strong attacks will cause more damage and take more stamina points, but will have a lower chance of hitting while the weaker attacks will have a higher chance and take less stamina points.

The complex magic system is what makes the game even more interesting than it already is. There are basic elements, consumable elements, tech skills, summoning elements, and trap elements. Each of the elements has their own color properties and has an opposing element and characters have a color innate as well. For example, black innate opposes the white, yellow opposes green, and blue opposes red. Opposing elemental attributes will do more damage to each other rather than the non-opposing elements. Also, the spells you cast will affect the field statistics. For example, the more red you cast, the stronger the red elements will be on the battlefield, making each battle very strategic rather than plain old button mashing like most other RPGs.

Of course, what would an RPG be without any personal technical skills? Each of the characters can learn their own variety of abilities as they level up throughout the game. The tech abilities are the character's most powerful moves and like Chrono Trigger, some of them can be combined to create double or even triple tech attacks. Digging even deeper into the game's battle system, there's even a summoning ability where you can call on some powerful elementals to do some major damage in battle.

Overall, this is one of the best RPGs I've ever played. Complete with complex gameplay, intuitive battle system, an epic theme and hours of fun. Chrono Cross is certainly a game which you should consider a solid investment.

Screenshots Courtesy of Gamefan Online