In the long history of the Super Nintendo/Famicom system, only one RPG had the honor of winning the Nintendo Power "Players Pulse" award for Game of the Year. The awards were always nose loaded towards Nintendo published titles, such as Mario or Donkey Kong, but no matter how much they tried to influence the vote, Chrono Trigger walked away with the majority of the vote. (For the record Nintendo still talked more about Donkey Kong Country 2, in the article, than CT).

Chrono Trigger was a lot like Final Fantasy VII, in the sense than it brought people who had never played RPGs into the fold. Its popularity was like no other. The graphics were some of the best you'll find on any 16-bit game, the music was extraordinary, the characters were excellent, the storyline was very deep, everything about the game was very well made, making many people forget about another series Square is so famous for.

Since 1995, fans of the series have dreamt for a sequel to Chrono Trigger, wishing that Square would release a Chrono Trigger 2. Since that time, Square has switched venues and now develops for the Sony Playstation. Since Square's time, they've released 2 Final Fantasy games, two SaGa games, 3 Front Mission titles, as well as developed new and intriguing games such as XenoGears and Final Fantasy Tactics.

But where is our Chrono Trigger 2? Why won't they make another? Fear not Crono fans, your time has come, and the phrase "The best things come to those who wait" never proved so true.

Chrono Cross focuses on a teenage boy named Serge. Serge is like any other teenager. He has a nice mom who helps him out with advice, lives in a small town where everyone knows him, has a bossy red headed girlfriend named Leena. However, he has this really weird dream where he's teaming up with some Aussie talkin' chick called "Kid" and someone else he's never seen before. Little does Serge know, but this is just the start of an awesome adventure that will take him across two worlds, as well as time and space.

Let's start off with the good. The storyline is wonderful. The way everything is connected to Chrono Trigger is fabulous. It's deep and involving, with several plot twists and turns that will keep you at your TV screen for countless hours, just trying to turn over the next card of the story. Involved, emotional, and extremely complete, the storyline is extremely enjoyable, and will be hard to forget when it's all said and done.

The graphics are near perfect. It's nearly impossible to get any better. The spell animations, as with all Square games nowadays, are lovely. The summons, once again, are the real treat of the game, and happily, aren't nearly as long and drawn out as the ones from Final Fantasy VIII, making them cool to look at, and not taking 30 minutes to get one over with. The detail used in all the characters is wonderful, and some of the bosses look so freaky, it's just amazing. Anyone who buys into the graphics part of an RPG will most certainly not be disappointed with Chrono Cross.

The music is breathtaking. Some old revised Chrono Trigger tracks are used, as well as all new tracks, all excellently composed. If I might be so bold, I'll say this is the best overall soundtrack since Konami's Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

There are loads of characters to be unlocked here. Over 40! (Which pretty much puts to rest my only real problem with Chrono Trigger, not enough characters). Amazingly though, the game does pretty well in keeping a good number of the characters active in the story, while other games with large amounts of characters, such as Suikoden, lose focus on some characters, and keep development on the same group. Chrono Cross does suffer from this to a point, but there are several characters that stay involved in the overall storyline from beginning to end. Overall, you won't be disappointed.

My only real beef with this game (and why it didn't get straight 100s') is the element system. Rather that sticking with the old Chrono Trigger magic system, Square decided to "Final Fantasy"-ize it. Elements don't have many limits as to who can equip and use them, (there are some with limits though). The old "Shadow" and "Lightning" spell groups are all gone, replaced by "Black" and "Yellow." However, it's entirely possible, for someone with a "white" alignment to cast black magic spells (its polar opposite). Again, something I don't really like. If you have someone who casts white magic spells, they could cast white magic only. Therefore, mage characters like Riddel, really don't have a place in the party, when they can be replaced by tougher fighters, who can use the same spells.

Still, the system is pretty complicated to master. Some summons aren't as easy as one might think to pull off, but they are extremely powerful. I also don't really care for the experience system either. The Star system is interesting, but not having the ability to "power level" takes away from parts of the game. Normally if you can't beat a boss, you go out, gain a level or 5, come back, and whoop him. In CC, if you can't beat a boss, it's not because you're not strong enough, it's because you're not using the right methods. Interesting system, indeed, but I like old fashioned.

One thing I did like was the alignment feature, and the way it was improved with defensive set ups. Someone who is aligned white will take more damage from black magic. Someone aligned red will take more damage from blue magic. On the flip side, they take *less* damage from the same color they are aligned with. A very interesting and nice feature added.

There is replay value to be found here too! Just like Chrono Trigger, once you get through the roller coaster ride, you get the New Game+ feature, which allows you carry over items, weapons, elements, and the item needed to fight the final boss at any time. Just like its older brother, there are new endings to be had as well! There is also a wonderful new feature that Chrono Trigger alumni will love.

Overall, I loved this game. It has been quite a long time since I've had such an enjoyable experience. The story, and the way it is weaved into Chrono Trigger, is wonderful. Words really can't describe how good this game truly is. I believe, overall, this is the best game on the Playstation, or any other of the next generation platforms. After finishing it, I was so satisfied it really was just amazing. This is a top contender for Game of the Year, and I think right now it's a shoe in, depending on a certain IXth game of another Square series due in November.

Chrono Trigger fans, GO GET THIS GAME! Don't ask questions, don't wait, just go and get it. You'll thank me later. This is, without a doubt, the best direct sequel I've ever played.