* * * * * 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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@GameDadGrant

Yeah, but...it's backwards. Can't use just the Gamepad for it.

@Mr_Mustache

Look, we don't need to make this the "Lou, Lew, and Stache RPG club". I don't need to bite off another game at this point, I'd like to wrap up what I'm playing before jumping headstrong into another RPG, you know? So at this point, unless it's a game I've never played and I own, I'm out next time. Still plenty of Star Ocean to wrap up (I'm almost 100 hours in, still another 400 or so to go)...

@GameDadGrant But if you don't already own it, you're stuck paying 1000 points instead of 800...leaving the dreaded 200 points to remain on the Wii until Nintendo lets us transfer our money to the eShop (have they done this yet?). I know it's just $2 but it's still kind of annoying.

That being said, if people already own it or don't care about the extra $2, it doesn't really matter.

@Hero_Of_Hyrule

StarTropics, yuck! That has already had a few rides here in Retro Game Club. I'd like to see us get a FRESH title here! I wouldn't be opposed to any of those other ones, INCLUDING Final Fantasy (1) on NES, which you didn't list.

@GameDadGrant
@ludist210

Lou refuses. And I don't like to lock people out who ACTUALLY WANT TO PLAY. Know what I mean?

If Lou sits -- and it seems like you want to sit -- sounds like the only people who'd be playing anything would be me...and possibly HOH? Nothing against him, or anyone, but this thing should be setting out with a fleet of ~10, regardless of how many make it back to port.. Hell, even Ogre Battle which everyone APPARENTLY hated had 13 people on Day 1.

@Mr_Mustache

I'm not playing through Super Mario RPG again. It's not a very good RPG (although it is a good game).

Yeah, I'm probably sitting this next round.

@ludist210

Well, if you're out, and Lou is holding himself out for stuff only on Wii U, it appears as if the barn doors are wide open.

HOH, if you can rally the troops, I'll play whatever..EXCEPT for StarTropics! I don't have the oomph for it now.

@Mr_Mustache

Well that and StarTropics isn't an RPG, so...

Hmm, what about Tales of Symphonia? Skies of Arcadia? SHOULD WE ALL FINISH XENOBLADE?

@ludist210

I've heard it classified as such before.. I hear ya though.

@Mr_Mustache

No interest in ToS again...right now. Skies is a probably since I've never finished it. Xenoblade is a definite no. I want to enjoy that at my own pace once I crack it open.

I think StarTropics is more like Zelda and less like any RPG on the market at the time (Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior, Ultima), and I don't consider Zelda to be an RPG either.

Also, did anyone else get (already have) Illusion of Gaia? That has been rotting on my shelf for over a year now.
I'd still be game for Muramasa, or Last Story. Or Arc Rise Fantasia. (EDIT- Ooh! Or what about Puzzle Kingdoms!? Less than 5 bucks on Amazon!)

@ludist210

There are different ways to qualify and RPG, but I've heard Zelda II being referred to as an RPG, simply because of the XP and use of spells.

I'm down for Paper Mario 64. Never played it and always heard it was good. I enjoyed 1000 Year Door

@Hero_Of_Hyrule

Polls for this thing don't work. Last time we had 4 things get 2 votes.. Blah.

I'm fine with PM64. I guess I'll have to download it, unless I can wrangle up an N64 copy!

@Hero_Of_Hyrule

Are you DM'ing, HOH? That would be splendid. And like I said before, we'll start the weekend of February 2nd.

@Hero_Of_Hyrule

Just set the schedule, week-by-week, you can PM me or simply post the Week's duties here on late Saturday night sometime. If someone has a question, hopefully you can answer it, haha, but that isn't mandatory. I generally pull from a walkthrough, but if you know it enough, do what feels right. I try to include sidequesty type stuff if available, because I don't want anybody to miss anything. Again, not mandatory.

I'll track the progress up there, you don't need to worry about that stuff.

Any advances on Week 6 for Breath of Fire II? Anyone else stuck on something? Whats the scoop?

@Hero_Of_Hyrule

Sounds like a plan! I'll have to see if the Mrs_ can re-wrangle her Wii from her parents.

I don't want to have duplicate games!

I'd prefer the GCN Paper Mario to the Nintendo 64 one, though I'm not really a fan of Paper Mario. It's a little too simplistic and dumbed down for my taste. It's been a long time since I played either, but I recall liking the GCN game more since it has a better story and a little more to the gameplay so that it feels a bit less like "baby's first RPG." Might be interesting to go back and see if my opinion has changed.

@Mop it up

If anything, GCN's was basically a remastered version of the original. By that I mean it's basically the same game (even though it isn't the same game). I prefer the original, but both are solid games IMO...but if you're looking for a long grindfest, none of the Paper Mario games are going to give that to you.

I got HoH's pm the other day and I did reply with, YES.

I have never played any of the Paper Mario games, except for the Wii's Super Paper Mario, which is completly different than the N64/GC's versions. I actually own the N64 version on the VC, which was gifted to me in 2012's secret santa, but I've not played it yet. Sounds like a good game to start off on, esp. since it shouldn't be too difficult, ect.

I promise to follow thru and play the game from beginning to end as well.

@ludist210Hm, I don't see it. Thousand-Year Door has new worlds, new characters, a new story, an expanded battle system... it seemed like a completely new game to me. Sure, a few things are similar, but that's true of any sequel.

Sooo..did people want to play the GCN one MORE than the N64 one?? This is stuff we should talk about, haha!

Woops! Forgot to put this up Sunday AND Monday. Hrrm.

--Anybody else making progress / catching up / getting pumped for Paper Mario?