I was talking with a co-worker today about Chrono Trigger and he said something like "that is considered to be the best RPG ever right?" I thought well... probably? But I think Final Fantasy VI could give it a run for its money? Both are in our top 10 Nintendo games of all-time list. I then said to him that it would be a pretty interesting battle on my site.

So then I thought... why not find out? I suspect Chrono Trigger will still win by a decent amount, but it could be close.

Which do YOU prefer?

PS. I know a lot of people probably have other RPGs that they would consider the best ever, but for the most part when it comes to Nintendo fans, these two seem to be the top dogs.

For me it is Chrono Trigger no contest. Maybe in part because I didn't play Final Fantasy VI until years later, but... I still think I would have preferred Chrono Trigger even if I had played FF VI when it released.

My actual favorite SNES RPG is probably Lufia & the Fortress of Doom though.

Man, way to preempt my tournament. There's a good chance as two #1 seeds that they would face off in the finals!

Oh yeah they are both 3rd party games! Ha ha so sorry man. For some reason in my mind I was thinking Chrono Trigger was Nintendo even though had I stopped to actually think about it, I would have known that was false.

Anyway different people are around at different times so even if the poll goes one way, the voting could go another way. Especially if it ends up super close.

Looks like Resident Evil (Remake) might be knocking out Final Fantasy VI there anyway.

@Zero

Chrono Trigga!

I know Chrono Trigger is more popular (here and elsewhere), but my heart always will belong to FF3. Not that I don't like CT--it's definitely one of my favorite RPGs. But personally, I think FF3 beats it in a lot of important ways. While it has about the same amount of good humor as CT, its characters are significantly deeper and more fleshed-out. And, there's like twice as many of them! I think the soundtrack beats CT's in quantity and quality (although it's pretty close, at least). And while the random battles are a bummer, the actual macro and micro-management of the gameplay (coupled with the large number of playable characters) is far deeper than CT's, making for a lot of real variation upon replays. At least until your guys learn Ultima.

I played and loved both these games upon their initial releases, but between its characters, music, plot, and level of customization, FF3 has stood out more over the years.

III, because I actually played it.

I played both long after their release, and while I like both, Final Fantasy VI is my favorite old school JRPG (although there's still many more I need to play). The way the game opens up in the second half really encourages you to do everything and keep improving your party, which is welcome when so many games in the genre are just about making it from plot point to plot point. Chrono Trigger has it beat in terms of intangibles like charm, but the meat of the game isn't as strong.

Chrono Trigger, but technically by default because I haven't played VI yet. (I did download it ages ago, it's on my backlog.)


I do love time travel though. VI would have to be super perfect to beat CT.

I've actually been thinking of replaying Chrono Trigger DS again on New Game +, trying to get a few of the different endings. I really shouldn't though, that time would be better spent on a new game...

Chrono Trigger and only just.

Easily FF3, even though CT is masterful in its own way.

FF3 though is something else.




Oh and Secret of Mana is better than CT. CT comes off as overrated when many seem to forget Secret of Mana even exists.

@carlosrox

Are you on crack?


Secret of Mana is pretty damn mediocre. Chrono Trigger is superior in every way.

I simply can't choose. They're equal in my eyes, so I'll give the vote to FF just to make the poll come a bit closer to how I feel about this.

@Shadowlink

I tried playing SoM with this forum a few years back and just... couldn't. Boredom and tedium were plentiful. I also might have lacked understanding of some mechanics too but still, that was my experience.

@DrFinkelstein

Yea I think Secret of Mana would be a real drag one player (except for the awesome music). But with two friends, it's good fun (although still baffling in some ways).

@DrFinkelstein

Yup. It was so rote, and the characters were crappy. I actively hated some of the NPC's and genuinely wished I could watch the game world burn.

Maybe it plays better when you have more people involved controlling the other two party members, but as a single player game, it's sorely lacking. Chrono Trigger stomps all over it.

I love Secret of Mana, even if I don't think it's comparable to FFVI or Chrono Trigger. Had a great time playing Mana all by my lonesome, and I doubt I'd like it as much if I played with friends, just because I prefer to shut myself in and let myself get drawn into the world as much as possible when playing RPGs.

So, I'm the dude who just brought the tally to an even 50-50. As magnificent as both games are.... it goes to FF6. Hell, even to this day it still gets respect from Square Enix. OCRemix's biggest project was a massive remix to the FF6 music. And still there's only one man who can suplex a train.


......... okay, this won't get us anywhere. I think all the voters need to Settle it in Smash!

@Jargon

I would go back to give it another shot if u had someone to play it Co op with.

Chrono Trigger. I think mostly because I played it soon after it came out. I tried playing through FFVI 20 years ago but gave up after 10 hours or so. I'm actually just finishing my first full playthrough of FFVI now. I'm really enjoying it, but Chrono Trigger has a special place in my heart.