* * * * * Chrono Trigger - Week 5 * * * * *

(Plain English: Scroll down to the bottom of the "OP" if you're lagging behind for previous weeks)


TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prologue:
i Okami Club
ii Fire Emblem Club

Epic Center:
01 Ogre Battle
24 Secret of Mana
39 Phantasy Star IV (cont'd)
67 Earthbound (cont'd)
99 Breath of Fire II (cont'd)
110 Paper Mario (cont'd)
123 Golden Sun (cont'd)
136 Chrono Trigger

(ALL VINTAGE EC GAMES ARE CONTINUED IN THEIR OFFICIAL DISCUSSION THREADS!)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Hello, true believers! Welcome to Negative World's newest RPG-centric Club Hub, springing off the heels of the Fire Emblem Club. Way back when, Nintendo Power introduced a monthly walkthrough / in depth Role Play Game section (right around the beefiest SNES RPG era), but since they aren't around anymore to use it, Negative World will bring it out of the ashes, dust it off, and roll with it (two things of note: #1, this is not in reaction to Nintendo Force Magazine at all -- I know that because I thought of it in the shower this morning, so THERE; and #2, I just looked up "Epic Center RPG" on Yahoo, and there is apparently another RPG-based site that has that, ugh. I guess we're looking at a "Ghostbusters" / "Real Ghostbusters" thing now... Whatever..).

For anyone who grew playing SNES RPGs, and were a fan of them, they surely resonated to the point where they still hold office as some of your favorite games of your entire videogame life, systems, generations, and decades later. The NW Epic Center (run primarily by myself, with the aid of some special friends occasionally) will help to expose some of those games that didn't quite get the recognition they deserved, and also to relive some of the greatest games EVER as we play through them again -- together -- and open up a whole new dialogue on these lost treasures.


Next up..



Chrono Trigger is held by many (myself included) as The Greatest RPG of All Time, pun not intended. It is a benchmark title in the genre, and even after 20 years the game is discussed daily and held in high regard, even in the face of juiced-up, HD "masterpieces." Is simpler sometimes better? Sure, but we're not talking "Dragon Warrior" simple here; we're talking 16-bit perfection at its finest. I'm personally a bit worried about pursuing this game once more; it's been a long time since my last jog through it, and I'm afraid I might have the rosiest pair of glasses that any shot of nostalgia could ever produce. We find out later this month, for better or for worse. (C'mon, it's gonna be fine -- we're talking Chrono Trigger here!! THE BEST, JERRY, THE BEST!!)

Sunday, August 30th marks the start of Week 1 (if you prefer to start your own quest AFTER Sunday, like Monday, or Tuesday, or Wednesday, thats fine!). Golden Sun ran 6 Weeks. GameDadGrant will be our DUNGEON MASTER for this one, and we figure the playthrough to run about the same length. Less than two months. I'm told the total quest should last you between 20 and 30 hours.


See ya soon!!


CHRONO TRIGGER

Dungeon Master: GameDadGrant

You Did It! Chrono Trigger Complete:
VofEscaflowne
Scrawnton
Mop it up
Ludist210


Week 4 Complete:
GameDadGrant
mrbiggsly
DapperDave

Week 3 Complete:
Mr_Mustache (and Mrs_Mustache!)

Week 2 Complete:
Smerd
Dark weres
warerare
sirmastersephiroth

Week 1 Complete:
Anand

Triggermen:
HammerLord
Koovaps

Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5

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@Mr_Mustache

She'll come play Warhammer 40K games with me instead. Don't worry about us plotting against you, I assure you that will absolutely happen.

Hmm, a possible game we could do after this one would be Lufia 2. Only problem is the cartridge isn't cheap and that's the only way to get it barring emulation.

I'm down for this, but I would need to use emulators for this one, if that's not a problem. My Wii has stopped working and I don't really plan on investing on it anymore.

This should be fun.

@Pokefreak911

Yeah, cartridge is NOT cheap. I think (mostly) everything we'd be playing would be VC accessible. I WON'T emulate a game (though I know some have no problem whatsoever), but I guess we can cross that bridge later. Lufia 2 has been on my "I should get that list." I saw it once a year or two ago in person but..yeah, it wasn't cheap. I don't remember the exact price, but I know that if it was like $15 or something, I wouldn't even be typing this right now. 30 something maybe?

@HammerLord

Your Wii messed up? Ack, sorry man. Even for VC stuff? My disc drive went a while back, but I could still do all of my VC stuff. I dont' have time to find you an avatar right now, but welcome!

I see what you did with my "avatar" there!!!

@HammerLord

Can't you access the VC via WiiU? (Or don't you have that yet?)

My Wii started to die on me right in the middle of FE club. I did the full blown System Transfer yesterday.

@Shadowlink

Nah, I don't own a Wii U. Yet. I should be getting a deluxe version on next year's summer. Until then, I'll need to use emulators to play the games I cannot purchase on the 3DS eShop.

@Zero

I got the most accurate one possible. I mean, its all based on hearsay, but legend is legend for a reason.

@Shadowlink

What happened with that? Did you check up on your files? Success??

@HammerLord

I'll find you an avatar next time I'm messing with that stuff. I'll get your name up there though, woo.

Haha, how many people did you gift Ogre Battle to?

I might be in. I've always felt a kinship to this series, due to their obscure (but not to me!) Queen references. If they called an Ogre Battle game, like, "Another One Bites The Dust", I'd be, like, whatever, but "March of the Black Queen"?? Fuck, yeah!!

So... any opposition to me starting early? Because I was gifted the game and it is pretty much the only game-related thing I am getting for Christmas so if I don't play it tonight all that I have otherwise is my boring ol' games I already own.

I mean, I'm going to start early anyway, just wondering how mad it will make Mustache.

On the plus side, the earlier I start, the less far behind I fall in the future. Maybe.

@Anand

He'd have gifted it to me had I not been protected by the mighty Pacific ocean. Thank god for that. Now he can't make me play.

@Zero

And the madder you make Mustache. It's win-win.

@Mr_Mustache

I dunno, haven't checked. The Radiant Dawn disc is back home.

@Anand

"Might?!" You already said you woooould!

@Zero

Holy crap, why can't anyone wait an extra week or so on stuff after they haven't touched it for YEARS?

If we were going to start this week, I would've already been out there. I've been holding myself back, like a MAN.



EDIT- Would anyone like to start a week early? I'll start the entire group early if the desire is there; I was TRYING to let people enjoy the Holidays with their family, and uh, THE WII U, so yeah....

Because I have 4 days off (well, next week) and nothing to do man! January, on the other hand, might be packed for me. Just trying to get a jump on things.

Also because I wanted to actually get to enjoy something new for Christmas! But my other cousin is over and I think he is trying to play Uncharted 3 or something. Then again he is doing a download that doesn't look like it will be done anytime tonight.

@Zero

What if you start, and you miss something because nobody told you? Would you be following a walkthrough? This game has 13 different endings. I will be supplying the route to the biggest and best. I have never done it myself, so I'll kinda discover it as I go. Shamefully, you CAN mess it up already in the first three stages (our to be Week 1), so yeah. I don't know what to suggest, hombre.

Did you not get any new Wii U games? NINJA GAIDEN?

I don't want to start early, I can't get it till next week!

@Mr_Mustache Even if I play with people, I'm not following any "route" to a specific ending man. The joy of discovery!!!

@Zero

So..then you're NOT playing with us? Are you going to do X amount of stages a week? Are you going to shoot ahead on purpose for some reason? If you want Poop Ending, go ahead. I can't be held responsible for the game getting tough on you when you don't recruit certain characters though, especially this 1st (upcoming) week. Discover away.

@Pokefreak911

I don't think we'll start early. Isn't everyone else busy?? If I start listing everything I have to do this week and next, I'm going to get mega-depressed / STRESSED.

I'll play "with" you guys but there is nothing appealing to me about following some set route and recruiting set characters and yada yada if a game has various options. Why would they even have options if its best to just play one specific way?!

@Zero

Because the more work you put in, the better the results are. Are you unfamiliar how that works? Its basically like that with everything in life. If you want to do the "sit around and do nothing" route, you'll get the "sit around and do nothing" ending. If you want to "do everything you can," you'll get the "do everything you can" ending.

I mean..this isn't exactly new in videogames. --And to make it clear, everyone doesn't HAVE to do that route, just as you have chosen. We'll still have our chapters to complete each week (including some additional optional / should you meet the requirements chapters), and we should still hit the final stages at the same time. If you don't want to concern yourself with your Reputation or your Alignment or whatever, thats fine..but a lot of NPCs and Recruitables won't appreciate it (and by that token, won't give you items or join your cause). But some will (one specific character REQUIRES the most unsavory popular opinion possible). So yeah.

I'll figure it out.