New CT DS content... (major spoilers for new DS content)

[GhaleonOne]

So apparently the game is already out in Hong Kong (go figure). However, there's a snapshot of the new final boss already, and it's what everyone speculated... Time Devourer/Schala.

http://www.chronocompendium.com/Forums/ ... pic=6260.0

So the CT team takes on the CC boss, though Schala is in her CT form. What's unknown is how this affects Chrono Cross and it's events in the Chrono universe. I'll probably stay away from spoilers at this point, as the game is only a week away, but I'm glad they gave us some substantial new content. Along with the new boss, there's a new ending, and 2-5 new dungeons (I've seen so many different conflicting stories about how many actual new dungeons there are). Not sure what else is involved though. I'm pretty excited for this. Probably the most excited for a game I've been since Twilight Princess came out.

[Werefrog]

Hopefully, it negates Chrono Cross. Just kidding. I liked some parts of Chrono Cross.

Edit: I'm surprised nobody is talking about this. It's a pretty significant addition. I can't wait to see how this affects the storyline of the series.

[GhaleonOne]

I'm not sure how many people know about it. I think people thought it would just be a straight port. Sounds like quite the addition. I keep having to will myself not to look through the new content spoilers anymore than I already have.

[Werefrog]

Yeah, I'm the same way. It comes out next Tuesday though, so it won't be much longer.

I hear that they've changed a lot of names in the translation which is kinda disappointing to me. I mean... it doesn't seem like any of the re-translations have any impact on the storyline, so why not keep it the way we're familiar with.

[GhaleonOne]

Yeah, there's a few lines I'm hoping stay in. Mostly Magus lines. Pretty much that entire bit about the dark wind howling and all that. That line better be intact.

[Sonic#]

Agreed. I also have this fear that they will make Frog speak normally.

[GhaleonOne]

Actually, that might be a reality. I dunno though. I did hear rumors that they at least toned his accent down a bit.

[captaindax]

I can't wait for this, pre-ordered back in August and am really excited. I'm so glad I have Thanksgiving off because this is all I'm going to be doing.

The pre-order bonus kind of sounds like it sucks though...

[Werefrog]

Wait... preorder bonus? What preorder bonus? Oh, it's just a CD with two tracks. I'll pass and buy it from Amazon instead.

[GhaleonOne]

Amazon was offering it too. Keep in mind, one of the songs on the CD is over 10 minutes long or so and is a medley of a few songs.

[captaindax]

Amazon was offering it too. Keep in mind, one of the songs on the CD is over 10 minutes long or so and is a medley of a few songs.

I got mine at GameStop but yeah, I'm not saying it won't be cool, I just expected something more I guess.

[captaindax]

Alright I hate to double post but I should give a proper update here...

**POSSIBLE SPOILERS**

UPDATE:

Okay I got my copy this morning and I have to say I'm most impressed. (Though the UPS Man was giving me a look for running out to collect the package from him)

First of all the preorder CD is nice. The Orchestrated version of the main theme is well done and the medley is nice though I don't know where this 10 minutes came from because it's only 4:11. Nevertheless I didn't feel too cheated, more like praying that they do a full orchestrated soundtrack and release it soon. (The whole CD is about 6 minutes and 18 seconds, which feels like a waste of a CD. And yes I double checked it for extras etc...nothing sadly)

The game comes in a nice standard DS package, and includes a decent looking poster of the cover art. The Manual isn't anything particularly special, not that I ever read them anyway. Although it does have some nice artwork of each character and a description.

Crono: "A young man living in the present age. An unexpected chain of events draws him into an adventure that crosses the boundaries of space and time.

Marle: "An energetic young woman with curiosity to math. Marle's optimism an enthusiasm prove an invaluable boost to party morale."

Lucca: "An inventor with a knack for building and repairing machines. Lucca has been Crono's friend since childhood."

Frog: "A consummate swordsman, this proud, solitary knight hails from the middle ages."

Ayla: "A ferocious and powerful tribal chief, this primitive woman lives in the ancient past."

Robo: "A robot built in the distant future. Crono and his companions discover Robo broken and forgotten."

Notice something missing? Where's Magus?!?

It also has this written on a page near the begining:

The Gates of Time Stand Open...
Beyond their darkened threshold lies the path ordained by fate.
Journey to the forgotten past,
the distant future,
and even to the very End of Time.
An epic tale that spans the ages has already begun.

As far as the game is concerned I've only just started it and the only thing I noticed right away were rewrites of the script. Things have been rephrased for some reason, which I feel is rather foolish and distracts me since I normally expect something different, but it doesn't detract from the game or change it significantly...that I've noticed anyway.

There are two modes "Classic" and "DS" which is nice to have.

The DS mode is fun, though I find myself using the touchscreen very little because I'm used to just jumping in with the buttons.

Anyway, I'm off to play for now. Cheers.

UPDATE 2:

The preorder CD comes with a small two page piece of paper that lists the two tracks and on the other page has something typed up by Yasunori Mitsuda as well as a picture of him. I'm not going to type it all up but I will give you a short excerpt.

"Music is a strange thing; for each person who listens, there is a different interpretation. I would be honored if those who have continued to love these songs would continue to love and feel the music of Chrono Trigger in their own way..."

UPDATE 3:

Okay I saved my game for the first time and it said I had access to the extras. So the first thing I did was restart the game to see what I had to look at.

When you press extras you get a choice of what save game to load. When I loaded mine up I'm presented with a screen of 8 options. Theater, Art Gallery, Music Box, Bestiary, Item Encyclopedia, and three "???".

The theater has ten movies that unlock as you find them, currently only the intro one is available. The Art Gallery has thirty entries to unlock. So far I've got a drawing of Crono and Marle. The music box...you guessed it, is music you can play back that you've unlocked by encountering it. The Beastiary is a list of all the enemies that are unlocked as you beat them, and it shows stats for that enemy. The item encyclopedia is very cool if you ask me. It'll show you all the items you've found so far and information about them. It shows how much it costs, how much it sells for, what it does, where you can buy it, where you can FIND it and where you can win it.

UPDATE 4:

I'm in the past, and they're referring to Magus as "the Fiendlord" and some of the enemies have been renamed. *sigh* This is the last update I'm just gona play through this and give a final judgement.

[GhaleonOne]

I should have known better when I read that medley was 10 minutes long on GameFAQs... Should have been my first clue not to take it to heart. Still, I'm impressed with the 2 songs we got. I can only dream of a Zeal-themed orchestrated track similiar to track 2. Imagine Schala's Theme, Corridor's of Time, Ocean Palace and other songs orchestrated into a medley. Would be amazing. They could even mix in "Girl Who Stole the Stars" from Chrono Cross, since that song is essentially Schala's as well.

Haven't played it yet, but will after my soccer game later. From what it sounds like, I hope they remake Chrono Cross as well. I've been reading that they've essentially made Magus become Guile from Cross. If they're going to do that, they need to go back and do it right. Remove 75% of all those useless characters and build more character development in that regard. The basic premise of the story was good IMO, just bad execution.

Also not liking what I'm hearing about Mystics becoming Fiends. From what I gather, it's the same issue as Lunar's Vile Tribe. Mazoku (sp?) being the Vile Tribe. Kiz would know more on that. I think it's the same word being used here, and they're translating it into Fiends now, instead of Mystics. I always liked the name Mystics. I don't mind Magus being a Fiendlord instead of Dark Wizard, but Mystics had a nice ring to it.

[captaindax]

Also not liking what I'm hearing about Mystics becoming Fiends.

Mystics sounded a lot better to me too. The whole game has been re-translated to be more accurate. What pisses me off is Frog's medieval accent has been removed which I liked. No more "Mayhap a hidden door lurks nigh? Let us search the environs".

Oh well, I guess you can't have it all. It's definitely worth a play from what I've experienced so far, and the Arena looks promising and is a fun break if you need to get away from the game for a few minutes. I've not caught any new monsters than the starter and not sure how, but once I figure it out, should be a lot more fun.

[Kizyr]

Also not liking what I'm hearing about Mystics becoming Fiends. From what I gather, it's the same issue as Lunar's Vile Tribe. Mazoku (sp?) being the Vile Tribe. Kiz would know more on that. I think it's the same word being used here, and they're translating it into Fiends now, instead of Mystics. I always liked the name Mystics. I don't mind Magus being a Fiendlord instead of Dark Wizard, but Mystics had a nice ring to it.

Well, I have Chrono Trigger in Japanese for the Super Famicom. Maybe I'll get around to playing it one day to figure this one out. But, truthfully, I never cared too much for Chrono Trigger's story enough to remember all of this. ...who are the Mystics again? KF

[captaindax]

Also not liking what I'm hearing about Mystics becoming Fiends. From what I gather, it's the same issue as Lunar's Vile Tribe. Mazoku (sp?) being the Vile Tribe. Kiz would know more on that. I think it's the same word being used here, and they're translating it into Fiends now, instead of Mystics. I always liked the name Mystics. I don't mind Magus being a Fiendlord instead of Dark Wizard, but Mystics had a nice ring to it.

Well, I have Chrono Trigger in Japanese for the Super Famicom. Maybe I'll get around to playing it one day to figure this one out. But, truthfully, I never cared too much for Chrono Trigger's story enough to remember all of this. ...who are the Mystics again? KF

***SPOILERS***



Magus (the Fiendlord) is a powerful sorcerer and the leader of the Mystics (Fiends), a race of demons and intelligent animals who war against humanity. Magus was once known as Janus, the young prince of the Kingdom of Zeal, which was destroyed by Lavos in 12,000 B.C. The incident sent him forward through time, and as he ages, he plots revenge against Lavos and broods over the fate of his sister, Schala.

-Wikipedia

[cj iwakura]

I'm just hoping this leads to a Chrono Cross port/upgrade(ideally to the PSP), rather than ruining any chance of it.

[GhaleonOne]

I would think there's a decent possibility of it. This is apparently selling well, at least in Japan (haven't seen US sales) despite Square Enix's pathetic attempt at claiming pirating was actually seriously hurting it's sales.

And I just finished the entire Zeal episode (Ocean Palace completed, just got thrown into Dalton's Blackbird jail). Should be able to start going through the new content soon. I go back to work tomorrow though, so my play time will be cut quite a bit now.

[captaindax]

I'm just hoping this leads to a Chrono Cross port/upgrade(ideally to the PSP), rather than ruining any chance of it.

I doubt it would go to PSP. God I feel so bad now, my PSP has been collecting dust and it used to be the -Dragon Diamond-. The only thing I used it for though was homebrew near the end.

[cj iwakura]

I'm just hoping this leads to a Chrono Cross port/upgrade(ideally to the PSP), rather than ruining any chance of it.

I doubt it would go to PSP. God I feel so bad now, my PSP has been collecting dust and it used to be the -Dragon Diamond-. The only thing I used it for though was homebrew near the end.

It's not impossible, Square's shown the PSP a good amount of love. Look at Crisis Core and the FF1 & 2 remakes.

I'd rather play a PS1 remake on the PSP than the DS, personally. I think it's the better fit, and it'd definitely have the stronger presentation.