Chrono Trigger
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E308: Square Enix's E3 lineup in (a few) pictures
Following the announcement of the titles on display at this year's E3, Square Enix released one screenshot of each of the new games. Above, you'll see the single, very blown-up image of Chrono Trigger DS. After the break, new screen of Final Fantasy IV, Exit DS, The Legend of Kage 2, and Dragon Quest IV. The Final Fantasy IV and Dragon Quest IV screens definitely feature the English versions of the game, but with the other three, it's kind of hard to tell for various reasons! The Chrono Trigger image has no text, so it sort of doesn't matter if the screen has been localized or not. Exit has English text, but it's the same English text found in the Japanese game. And Kage has both Japanese and English elements in its interface. If we hadn't just been told these games were coming out over here, we wouldn't be sure if these games were coming out over here.
Composer explains what to expect from the Chrono Trigger DS soundtrack
Yasunori Mitsuda is probably just as excited about Chrono Trigger as you are. If that name doesn't ring a bell, those of you who've played the original SNES title might know his work -- he composed most of the soundtrack, after all.Mitsuda's reaction when he heard about the remake ... er, we mean, port? "Finally!" That pretty much sums it up in one word. In an interview with 1UP, he told the gaming site, "I had the music for the Nintendo DS version stay as close as possible to the SNES original, so I think you'll like how it turns out. Whether you're playing for the first time or reflecting on the past as you go, I hope all of you enjoy it." It sounds to us like the music is almost as similar to its roots as the rest of the port, but that's one element that's completely timeless in our eyes to our ears. To find out more about Mitsuda and the Chrono Trigger soundtrack, though, we recommend checking out 1UP's interview with the composer.Do those of you that played the game remember the music in it at all? Or was that one aspect that's evaporated from your brain over time?
Square Enix E3 lineup loaded with sequels, remakes
With 2008's edition of E3 just days away, the role-playing steam engine that is Square Enix has revealed what titles that it will spring on press types as they shuffle past. Of the eleven titles on display, the company's lineup this year is noticeably remake and sequel heavy, with over half of the games representing a return to the well for another drink. Boasting "simultaneous global releases for several platforms," the company has also re-confirmed dates for much of its lineup as well, with the following games also noted as being playable during the show: Chrono Trigger (DS; Holiday 2008) Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen (DS; September 16) Final Fantasy IV (DS; July 22) Infinite Undiscovery (Xbox 360; September 2) Song Summoner: The Unsung Heroes (iPod; Now Available) In addition, the remainder listed below will be shown in non-playable form: The Last Remnant (Xbox 360, PS3; Winter for Xbox 360, TBA for PS3) Star Ocean: First Departure (PSP; October 21) Star Ocean: Second Evolution (PSP; January 6) Star Ocean: The Last Hope (Xbox 360; 2009) Exit DS (DS; October 7) The Legend of Kage 2 (DS; October 7) And coming soon to a grocery store near you, Star Ocean: Whole Wheat Clusters.
DS Daily: So, Chrono Trigger
By now, you've probably watched the Chrono Trigger trailer (and, if not, go see it). This morning, we wanted to ask how you felt about what looks like a straight port -- at least, as far as the graphics are concerned. We know the DS version will add new functionality, but if this trailer tells the full graphical story, it's the same ol' Chrono Trigger.Is this what you wanted?
Chrono Trailer
The countdown on the Japanese Chrono Trigger teaser site has elapsed. Now, the teaser site redirects to www.chronotrigger.jp, which loads up ... a new trailer for Chrono Trigger DS! Featuring the original Akira Toriyama character art and footage of just one gameplay screen, this trailer could easily pass as a promotional video for the original Chrono Trigger if not for the "2008. Winter" tag at the end. The game looks identical in motion (unless that is Super Famicom footage). Of course, that will change when whatever is going on on the other screen is revealed.After the video plays, a link comes up for an "About Chrono Trigger DS" page, which mostly states what we know (that Chrono Trigger is old, and that the DS version will differ in the fact that it uses two screens), but it mentions that the game (presumably in the Wireless Play mode) will support up to four players.
Chrono Trigger DS countdown ends, 'reveals' Chrono Trigger
After much speculation and painful hours of sitting on pins and needles, Square-Enix confirmed that their chronometric teaser was, in fact, counting down to the big reveal of a Nintendo DS adaptation of Chrono Trigger. The countdown just ended, revealing the first pseudo-trailer for the game; following Squeenix's promise for a "newly revamped" version of what many consider to be the greatest RPG of all time, our hopes were high for a 3D remake, ala Final Fantasy III and IV -- though the trailer shows that the visuals will retain their charming 16-bit aesthetic.The trailer doesn't show off the game's new features, like the new dungeon, wireless play and touch screen support -- though it does end by touting the Winter 2008 release window we'd previously heard. Hopefully, future media for the title will show us exactly why we'll need to purchase the game again (other than the fact that it's frakkin' Chrono Trigger) -- until then, we'll be anxiously awaiting Christmas morning, when we'll scurry to the foyer to discover that Ho-Ho has left us stockingfuls of heartwarming nostalgia.Update: We've got the post-countdown trailer posted after the jump, courtesy of GameVideos.
Friday Video: Alternate history
This week, everybody freaked out (justifiably) about a port of a thirteen-year-old game. Since we can't manage to think about anything else, we thought we would all sit back together for some Chrono Trigger content today, and celebrate our independence from having to keep another system hooked up.This animated scene was added to the last enhanced port of Chrono Trigger, made for the PlayStation. Square Enix doesn't seem to have a problem putting FMV on the DS, so we'll probably see it in the new version as well. Hopefully the other new feature from that version -- interminable loading times -- won't also be implemented.Go back in time to five minutes ago so your popcorn will be ready right now!
First image of Chrono Trigger DS revealed
So, apparently the game isn't getting a visual overhaul in the slightest, as, should our memory serve us correct, the images in the scan to the right look exactly like the original SNES title. Hey, we're not complaining! Who has any right to complain about Chrono Trigger getting re-released for the DS? Nobody, that's who!Seriously, we're so stoked for this game, we doubt any other happening could ever rival it. Actually, if Abraham Lincoln and George Washington rose out of their graves to take part in a zombie steel-cage match, it would probably rival Chrono Trigger. But, Chrono would still win. See how crazy this game is making us?
DS Daily: The next great remake
Maybe it was a matter of time, but that isn't important -- what is important is that you guys called it. Chrono Trigger is headed to the DS (and we wouldn't be surprised to see something Snatcher-related for the DS eventually), and that makes last year's celebration of the age of remakes a success. Which, of course, means we need to do the whole thing again, and that means we have to turn to you, gentle readers. We need all-new games to explore for their remakeability, so open up. Let us know what you might like to see, with the exceptions of Snatcher, Super Smash Bros., Abe's Oddysee, and of course, Chrono Trigger. We'll make a new poll from your suggestions, so get to suggesting. Remakes, ports, and re-imaginings of titles are all fair game. Tell us what you'd play!
Chrono Trigger DS confirmed for North America this holiday
Well, that didn't take long. After Square Enix quietly launched a teaser website seemingly devoted to bringing fan fave Chrono Trigger to the Nintendo DS, we've managed to scrape our jaws off the floor just in time to see that the company has confirmed plans for the title, and that the game will ship in time for North American gamers to pull it out of their stockings this holiday season.With the original having shipped some 2.5 million copies the world over, Squeenix calls the portable take on the 1995 SNES role-playing classic "newly revamped," promising a new dungeon and wireless play of some sort. Touch screen support is also promised, something we're getting plenty of practice at as we paw at our computer screens in eager anticipation.
Chrono Trigger: new DS features unveiled, in U.S. this year
Just in case that tiny snippet from Shonen Jump magazine and a countdown site wasn't enough confirmation for you doubting Thomases, Square Enix just pumped out a press release detailing its ZOMG MEGATON DS version of Chrono Trigger. Judging by this, the DS iteration will look and sound very much like the SNES game -- Akira Toriyama's artwork will make the jump, for example, as will Yasunori Mitsuda's musical score. It's also being tweaked here and there to suit the DS's feature-set, so there'll be full touchscreen functionality, dual screen presentation, and most intriguingly, a wireless play mode, the details of which have yet to be fleshed out. Oh, and there's a brand new dungeon planned as well. Not exactly a straight port, then, but also not a dramatic remake. But heck, who's complaining? It's Chrono Trigger on the DS, which is what you all asked for!And here's the best bit: the game will be hitting North America this Holiday season. Better get saving.[Via press release]
Square Enix countdown site opens, most likely Chrono Trigger DS
A new Square Enix countdown site has launched, which features only a clock and the Nintendo DS logo. Considering the URL is square-enix.co.jp/ctds, we're going to take a guess and say it's Chrono Trigger DS. It could be a remake, a sequel ... or something entirely different. Chrono Tetris, perhaps?Screw that. Who are we kidding?[Thanks to everyone that sent this in! And to Square Enix, for doing something right.]
Chrono Trigger DS: For real!
According to Wii Everyday, this suspiciously tiny snippet of a page from Shonen Jump was posted on 2ch. It very clearly features the original Chrono Trigger logo and a note that it's coming in 2008 from Square Enix. We'd be more likely to believe that this is a joke from some jerk 2cher than real evidence that the Square supergroup's RPG is being remade for a DS release this year.That is, we'd be more likely to believe it was a joke if not for this. Seriously, click that link. You will say "wow." Now all we need to know is if this is a port, a remake, a sequel, or a card-based spinoff![Thanks, Jason!]
How to justify buying expensive SNES games
Do you crave awesome, quite rare SNES games? Do you wish you could buy said games without feeling guilty about coughing up the kind of money that would go a long way on the Virtual Console? Then we have a solution, dear reader -- head over to one of the two auctions we've linked below and bid away on whichever takes your fancy. The first lot consists of Square duo Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana auction (current price: $68), while the second consists of Super Mario RPG and Super Mario All-Stars (currently at $57). Even though they lack boxes, all four are quality games, and will serve a worthy cause -- every cent spent will go to Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana-West, a non-profit provider of training, career services, and education for people with disadvantages, including homelessness, lack of education, and physical, mental and emotional disabilities.Go on, do it! It'll make you feel all fuzzy inside, and may even assuage the guilt of the thousands you wasted on Stadium Events. But probably not.Read: Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana Read: Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and Super Mario All-Stars [Via GamerTell]
Final Fantasy IV coming to North America ... maybe
Role-playing fans can slip on their dancing shoes and party like it's 1991. A new interview with Final Fantasy IV director Takashi Tokita in the latest Nintendo Power seems to point to the game's recent DS remake being localized for North American audiences. Oh sure, he doesn't come right out and confirm the localization -- where's the drama in that? -- but given that the article comes peppered with English language screens and the game itself is featured on the cover, we're certainly leaning towards believing that the RPG will soon be getting some domestic love.Tokita also toys with our emotions, speaking to the possibility of a remake of SNES RPG classic Chrono Trigger provided "the demand is great enough." Though like coming down hard off a caffeine high, he sends us crashing back down to earth by adding that he really wants to "create new titles and not just series installments and remakes." Yours is a cruel love, mon cher.[Via DS Fanboy]
Super Odd Chrono Snatcher: Your choices for DS remakes
DS Fanboy readers have excellent taste, and we all know it. After all, you own the greatest handheld in the world, and hey, you're here. But if that's not enough to convince you, then the winners of the recent most-desired remakes poll should do the trick nicely. DS Fanboy readers chose four very different titles as candidates for the rampant remake craze, and each game has the potential to be a fantastic DS game in its own right. Let's just hope the right people are paying attention.Out of a field of seventeen titles, all chosen by the readers, Chrono Trigger, Snatcher, Super Smash Bros. and Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee were selected as the best choices for future DS titles. Now we're here to tell you why.
Poll results: Remakes of choice
Our celebration of the age of remakes continues as we reveal your choices for games that need to be given the DS treatment. The full poll results are located after the jump, but we probably don't need to tell you that we chose correctly when putting together the boxart mockups above. Chrono Trigger blew everything else out of the water among the mainstream titles, with Super Smash Bros. picking up a distant second. Among our lesser-known titles, things were a lot closer. Snatcher won -- which means all is right with the world -- but the battle for second was decided by a mere four votes. We're always happy to be reminded of just how diverse taste are among our readers!Check back later in the week for a wealth of coverage on remakes, including the profile of the four winning games and what we would like to see in a DS remake.
DS Fanboy poll: Remakes of choice
Earlier this week, we asked you, our dear readers, to discuss games you'd like to see given a spit and a polish for the DS in this age of remakes, and as usual, you came through in a big way. In fact, you gave us so many fantastic suggestions that we've decided to split our selected list into two polls instead of just doing one. We can't include everything suggested, obviously, but we've prepared a selection of bigger releases and more obscure titles, and we're going to let you vote every day, just in case you want to throw your support behind more than one game. Once you've voted, we will profile the top two results from each poll and examine exactly why they would be well-suited to our favorite handheld. So try to vote for the titles you think are the most suitable, those that would most benefit from the kind of treatment we're seeing with the Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy titles ... and hey, vote for the games you'd just like to see in portable form as well.And if you just can't decide ... well, that's why we're letting you vote more than once! You can vote your heart and your brain, and the cream will rise to the top.
Square Enix hesitant to bring titles to Japan Virtual Console
It sounds like Chrono Triggers' auction value won't be waning anytime soon. In an interview with Japanese magazine Nintendo Dream (translated by IGN), 12-year Square Enix employee and Final Fantasy Versus XIII producer Shinji Hashimoto makes strong assertions that we won't be seeing many Square Enix titles on Nintendo's Virtual Console for awhile."We feel that the Japanese game market still requires media," he said. "Also, FF and Dragon Quest are played by a wide range of users, from children to adults, so there are limitations when you consider the problems that we would have with billing systems."So the prospects of Square Enix's pre-FFVII catalog arriving in Wii's online store shelves are pretty grim in Japan, but what about elsewhere? It's certainly not ruled out by Hashimoto's words, but Europe and to a greater extent North America are much lower on the pecking order in terms of Virtual Console releases.
Dream Games: Chrono Cross
Dream Games is a new weekly column where we explore a game we'd love to see on the PSP. Feel free to check in, and comment, every week.Chrono CrossYou may remember a little game called Chrono Trigger. It's considered one of the best games ever created, and the sequel is almost equally superb.Why PSP?Square loves remaking games. And the PSP is home to a good number of them: Valkyrie Profile, Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy Tactics. Surely, a Chrono Cross remake will be heading our way.Is it possible?Yes. I'd like to think it's quite likely. But, will Square put the effort to make a Rondo of Blood-like remake? Imagine: a fully graphically revamped Chrono Cross with Chrono Trigger added as a bonus. It would be the most value-packed UMD ever created. Hmm ... doesn't sound like Square's into that "value" thing. Regardless, both Chrono games are good enough to warrant a revisiting.
