* * * * * 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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I just wish I could do this with Hahn:



"Just shut up and cast RES!"

@Mop it up
Oh yeah! They did an "aging" thing with the levels. I think some of the first releases of Final Fantasy IV did it as well. After about level 40 or so, you start LOSING stats as you gain levels. Once you hit 40, you'd better hope you're near the end of the game!

Jew Drop said:

Anyone else talk to the stripper/hooker in the upstairs room of the tavern in Kadary?

Nikki said yesterday when I showed her: "..wow."

@VickiL

He's doing decent enough damage for me.. I mean, its not 40 something, but he still has enough oompf to finish some guys off.

@Jew Drop
Yes, I saw that part too. With that and the dancing girls, this game is saucy! I love it.


As for double shield, I hadn't considered that. Most of my guys don't even have 1 shield. I like to attack, attack, attack. Like others, I have had to head back to town more often than I'd like. I do not like progressing with that poor, non-moving dude, whoever it is.

Maybe put shields on the characters who aren't so buff and you won't have to retreat to town often. I've only had to do it once, when a few enemies got lucky criticals on Hahn on the same turn.

@nate38

I'm sure that would help. I mostly have been using 2-handed weapons, so there's no space. Thankfully, I'm now sporting some nice revive spells, so my trips back to town are far less frequent!

I have two-handers on Chaz and Gryz, two claws on catgirl, a shield on Alys, and two shields on Hahn. Working out pretty well so far.

I just checked. I have exactly 0 shields equipped. I don't need no stinking defense!

@Koovaps
Haha. No shields here either. Best defense is the speedy slaughter of your enemy (or HINAS/RYUKA like a bitch)!

No shields for me either, at least not now that my party has changed. I made it to Ladea Tower last night and stopped there. I don't have too much planned for tonight, so I might try to finish off this week's goals tonight.

I only ever used a shield on Hahn since he's a glass lab coat, everyone else had weapons in hand. Since I power level everywhere, I just make up for the lack of defensive equipment with higher levels, and haven't had much trouble so far. Alys and Gryz didn't make it through the battle with the Sand Worm, but that's the only time I scraped through a battle. And that one seemed tougher than anything else the game has thrown at me so far.

I'd also like to know if the order of members matter. I have been assuming it does like in Dragon Quest games, where people in the bottom get targeted less. But I have no idea if that's actually the case.

I looked it up, and the level 99 thing is indeed a glitch. Stats are reduced to around level 40-50, and you can even keep leveling to make them go down further. I don't know how realistic a possibility it is to reach level 99 without trying, but it seemed like a good thing to mention here in case anyone was thinking about it.

Koovaps said:

"It's not nice to open cabinets in other people's houses without their permission!" And yet I check every one. This is where all my time goes.

I do this too. Sometimes, you find different stuff. I found a Game Gear in one cabinet that Chaz wanted to play (but didn't, sadly).

This game is kind of starting to anger me. I just basically get my ass handed to me everywhere I go. I mean, literally to the point where in a single battle with everyone at full health half my team might die before I even get to attack. I am pretty equipped up so I must just be underleveled?

Annoying.

@Zero What levels are your dudes, and what place in the game are you at?

I was at around level 7 in the first section for week 2. That was not wise. Got up to around level 10 and then it was manageable.

At least leveling up doesn't take very long in this game.

Wow, I'm impressed you managed to make it there with those levels. I was about 12 going through there.

I didn't hit level 10 until this week. That could explain why Hahn keeps dying so much.

@Mop it up

And yet I missed the Game Gear. I'm gonna have to double down on my snooping.

@Zero

Yeah, I just think you were a bit under leveled. I know some here seemed to have no problem, but I was pretty regularly having a character DYING on me, especially early on. Escapipes were very useful. Having to go back in to fight enemies then would help level up my guys a bit.

I guess I'm just trained to grind maybe too high on these old school rpgs. I didn't get to play at all like I planned last night but through 2 of this week's 4 goals almost everyone in my party is currently level 19. Even at that I've lost a character or two in battle occasionally when every enemy gangs up on the same person in one turn, but I haven't had a game over yet.

Mop it up said:

I'd also like to know if the order of members matter. I have been assuming it does like in Dragon Quest games, where people in the bottom get targeted less. But I have no idea if that's actually the case.

GameFAQs says yes. And it's worked like a charm so far for me. Enemies seemed a bit more likely to hit my lower-order characters in the last section I played, but most of the time Alys or Gryz have taken the lion's share of hits for me at the top of the order.

As for level, I believe I was at Lv 10 coming out of the wreckage, then I beat the first optional boss and got 2-3 levels per character from that, so I assume I'll be in good shape for the near future. I've got pretty much optimum equipment for this stage of the game, too.

@Zero

I'm up around 11 and I haven't stepped into Zio's Fort yet.

I haven't really "grinded," but I did work up enough dough to get the best equipment before advancing.

Also, whenever Hahn bites the big one, I shoot back to town and Revive him. That means I gotta go through the stuff I just did -- again -- which gives me another "cycle" on XP.