* * * * * 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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@Koovaps It might not have been in a regular cabinet, it may have been a fancier one or a bookshelf. Have you been checking bookshelves too? Sometimes there are some interesting titles, including some that reference other Sega Genesis games.

On that note, I find it kind of annoying how your characters will automatically move around an object or wall if you move against the corner of it, it's made me unable to search a few spots since they kept moving around it when I was just trying to turn to face it. Similarly, it's annoying how a message pops up saying there's nothing there when you press the check/talk button, it slows things down when I'm trying to talk to someone and they just barely move out of the way.

@Mop it up Yeah I hate the "nothing here" message. I don't mind the moving around corners as much, but I could take it or leave it.

Went through Zio's Fort....I'm feeling a lot more vulnerable without those dudes in my party, especially since the scrub enemies are hitting a good bit harder now.

Just finished Ladea Tower and saw the one part of the game I actually remembered happening from the first time I played many years ago. I think I'm going to stop here for the night.

@Mop it up
@nate38

AH! I was reading through the VC Operations Manual (trying to learn about Macros..), and if you HOLD B on the Classic Controller, you will TURN WITHOUT MOVING. This allows you to inspect a statue or something that you would otherwise go around. YEAHHHHHH!!!

Did I help anyone? EPIC CENTERRRRRR!

Is the Classic Controller B the same as Sega Genesis B? What does the B button do in the VC version? I have to figure out how to translate this to the PS2 controller.

@Mop it up

By default, it's the Circle button.

@Mop it up

I think I check most things, but I must be missing a few. And I, too, am gonna have to try that turn without moving trick. Slipping around stuff is definitely a pain.

Aaaaaand things are getting rough now. The Ladea Tower was really annoying, had to HINAS/RYUKA out of there several times to revive characters who got double critical'd. Enemies are targeting my low-order guys a lot more often, and their attacks in general are just way more effective than they were two dungeons ago. And equipment prices just skyrocketed, too. I really don't want to grind, but it may be unavoidable if I can't make it through a dungeon without getting one-turn-KO'd so often.

I skipped the Plate System though...I guess I should go back and do that.

Are there any negatives for fighting in the Land Rover?

@gojira
Only that you get virtually no meseta for those fights.

Man, I'm getting my pants ripped off (the wrong way) some places.

Had Alys go down in the fight with..Zio's bud. I was miffed about it until Zio destroyed her "for good" and now she's out of the group, so I guess missing that tiny bit of XP isn't going to bother anything.

Did the Sandworm bonus mission with the four folks we're left with.

Ripped around in the Land Rover driving like crazy. Ended up in Termi. I HOPE I'm supposed to be there..
Stuff is EXPENSIVE.

Wow, had no idea my words would ring so true.

Alys: the Original Aeris. RIP


Dealing with Nurvus now. Lootville!

@Mr_Mustache
That actually wasn't even the first time something like that happened in a Phantasy Star game. It was the one thing about the plot I still remembered though.

Done with week 2. I was totally lost in between the tower and the fort. I had to look up a map online to remember where to go.

@gojira

Can we do anything with the..whatsthenameofthatplace with the barrier across? Not Zio's Fort, the other place. Some station thing?

EDIT- Also, Guild Style, did you find the dog? Don't tell me where, just tell me IF. I might need a hint.. I don't want to spoil anything for you in case, so I'll wait to write back before saying what I've done so far. I was hot on the trail..

I don't see any reasonable way for me to finish this week on time. See Mustache, this is why I wanted to rush ahead! Now I'm behinddddddddddddd.

@Zero In the time it took to write that up you could've fought a minimum of two random battles!

@Zero

Are you kidding? This week didn't take THAT long.. Bing Bang BOOM! (EDIT- Where'd you leave off?)

@Xbob42

TOTALLY.

@gojira Thanks mate, I left the circle button as default so I figured it out. It appears to work only when facing a corner, and no other time. How odd. Also, I've gotten a bit lost as well, an in-game map would have been a nice thing to have.

@Mr_Mustache I found the dog for the guild quest just on my merry way, wasn't specifically looking for it.

@Xbob42 Or he could write posts in the middle of battles after he issues the commands, like I've done with most of my posts in this thread!

@Mop it up

Huh. I noticed that there was a really fat dog in one of the towns, and when I went back they were like "Dog?" and said how he hadn't been fed lately and probably went North. I scoured the cave (didn't see him), and ended up in Tonoe(?). Did I miss something?

Confirmed: Zero is totally poor at Epic Center time management.