Don't feel bad, I didn't care for it either. I actually didn't like the combat system all that much either. I would have to put that game on my list of most overhyped games of all time. I have played many RPG's that are much better than this one. I sometimes don't get it when people give you trouble just because you don't like a game that everyone who plays games seems to think is a great game.

@Chris I've finally found a brother to share my feelings about Chrono Trigger! Yay!

I made a site long ago that was frequented by a number of RPG fans, and a few of them didn't like Chrono Trigger, so there are definitely plenty of others that agree with you.

Oh man, this is gonna stir up something fierce. We'll put extra security detail around your home, 24/7.

You probably also hate puppy dogs, a child's laughter and Freedom. I Hope you're happy with yourself, Satan.;)

I love Chrono Trigger, but I can admit that if Pokemon had never existed, CT would be the lightest runaway success RPG ever.

I'll play along with you Jason because I may have a reason to be hated even more than you. Fact is, I haven't played more than 5 or so hours of Chrono Trigger. For whatever reason, like you, it just didn't grab on to me, but has always been one of those games I meant to get back to. Now, I have a reason.

@Shoe Good thing I'm heading out of town for a few days!

@Raymond I don't hate puppy does, but I do hate kitties. Sorry, @Shoe.

Wait, what about Back to the Future? How do you feel about that film?

@Cosmo I enjoyed it as a kid, but now, I can't stand it. Even when the manure cascades on Biff.

@ Jason - Yeah, it's kinda cheesy. :) I never finished Chrono Trigger, maybe I'll pick it up and play along with you.

Damn it, Jason. I was literally in the middle of typing up an article about how I just played Chrono Trigger for the first time and didn't like it. You beat me to the punch. :)

good luck with that... i couldnt finish it. just didnt care about any of the characters.

Only once has somebody ever said to me face-to-face "I played chrono trigger... Didn't care for it." ... may he rest in peace. I will play along with you. I shall use my PSX version and develop a hatred for the load times and by extension the game... and I shall blame you for it.

We should get Greg Sewart to play it with you in parallel.

I just beat this game for the first time last week and loved it. Perhaps we just have different tastes, but I have no idea why I didn't play through sooner. In any case, I'm totally in for playing along again. I still need to get all of the endings.

If you don't like it you don't like it. Don't force it. I'd play along but I just played it recently and I feel like I probably won't need to play it again for a few years. But yeah, if you don't like it don't beat yourself up. I personally didn't like and couldn't get into Fallout 3 and I tried many times too. Eventually I just accepted that it wasn't for me and was actually grateful of the hours of my life that were spared. ;)

The “I generally think too many writers turn to time travel as an easy way to add "excitement" to their stories“ argument doesn't really work in this case. Not any more than “Mobsters, again!” works with The Godfather. One of the reasons time travel is used so heavily in modern video games is because it was done so well in Chrono Trigger. What do you detest about the combat? I'm just trying to understand your perspective on this, since compared to every other JRPG I've played the combat is excellent. Then again, JRPG combat tends to be boring and repetitive. Anyway, I'm looking forward to hearing more about your opinion of the game in the future, though I'd like to echo some other posters here and say that if you don't like it you probably shouldn't keep playing it. If something about it, perhaps its hype, has already turned you off than you'll spend all your time nitpicking the tiniest flaws and trying to come up with a reasonable justification for your opinion. I'd be glad to hear that justification, but I think you'd have more fun doing something else, and in the end playing games is all about fun.

Meh. It's pretty much one of my favorite all time games but I would never expect everyone to agree with me. I do hope you enjoy it more this time though. I know I did when I played the DS version. Just keep in mind, even though you are playing the new version, that it is a 15 year old game!

@Louie I play plenty of old games. That's not why I don't care for it.

Good idea! I'll play along as well. I bought it for the SNES, and played it through two or three times. But you're right, it's over-hyped. It's a Good Game(c), probably one of the better RPGs on the SNES for sure, but I wouldn't say it's the best. I'm looking forward to the shared experience!

Jason, do you plan on doing this semi-game club style and assigning points to play up to each week? Or do we just go crazy on it?

Look at the link I provided. I'm playing one section per week.

I beat it for the first time last spring on the DS and it was OK but I think it benefits from nostalgia. After having played Dragon Quest V I think it is a superior game.

Hey I'm already playing this game. I started it last month sometime, maybe even September, and I'm still trying to make my way through it. It's not that I don't like it but I'm also playing other games and reading books at the same time. You'll probably beat the game before I do actually.

Just last night I was playing me some Chrono Trigger and suddenly the game froze up. When I restarted it I found that all my save data had disappeared. I can't help but believe that this is your fault. I blame you, Jason Wilson, and will curse your name forever!

To be honest with you Jason, I'm not sure that another shot at this game is gonna change your mind. From what you said it would seem that Chrono Trigger just isn't your bag. That's the thing about opinions, you're always right from your point of view. It should make for an interesting article either way though.;D

I love Chrono Trigger. The freeflowing RPG combat, the choice to go real-time RPG or turn-based, the awesome soundtrack that complimented epic boss fights and story sequences, the humor, oh, there was so much to love about this game! I don't see how anyone can dislike it. Well, nonetheless, it's great that you're jumping into it to give it another chance. Hope your thoughts have a change of heart and realize how amazing this game is.

Meh, don't force yourself. There are a number of popular games from a variety of genre's that I personally can't stand. No game is going to please everyone who tries it, it's just the nature of things.;D

Ok, so I went out and picked up Chrono Trigger on DS today. At least now my DS will get some use.

[quote]@Cosmo I enjoyed it as a kid, but now, I can't stand it. Even when the manure cascades on Biff.[/quote] Christopher Lloyd is immaculate in those films. YOU'RE DEAD TO ME, JASON.

I'd also like to point out the awesome reaction from everyone at the Mobcast when you said Chrono Trigger was boring. "Awww what the hell? Let's all mass hang-up on him. Get off this channel right now!" lol

@Jason: [quote]Frankly, Chrono Trigger bored me. The [b]story [/b]never grabbed me. I detested the [b]combat [/b]and hated the [b]time travel[/b] (I generally think too many writers turn to time travel as an easy way to add "[b]excitement[/b]" to their stories).[/quote] To give us an idea of why you seem to dislike Chrono Trigger, how about you give some examples to illustrate what you do like, in terms of: 1) game (especially rpg) story 2) game (especially rpg) combat 3) use of time travel in any game and story Some quick questions to start: 1) What do you think of the time manipulation in Braid? 2) What do you think of JRPGs in general? 3) What do you think of "casual" or more action-y JRPGs like Secret of Mana? I think a few examples to make a sample set might help give people a better idea of why you don't like Chrono Trigger, to see if there's a way to reconcile your initial dislike with potential future appreciation.

@Johnathan The purpose of this wasn't to expound on the reasons why I don't like it -- it's to introduce that I'm going to give it another try. Addressing those points in detail are for the series of stories -- I need to save something for that! I like all styles of RPGs, from Japanese strategy RPGs like FF Tactics and Valkyria Chronicles and old-school experiences like Etrian Odyssey. I enjoy most of the FF series, and I have a special place in my heart for Dragon Quest. But I also like Western and European RPGs, new games like Dragon Age, The Witcher to older games like Baldur's Gate and Planescape to even older games like Wizardry and The Bard's Tale.

Your gamer card has been revoked!! .....Just kidding, but Chrono Trigger was my gateway drug into the world of RPG's, so it has nostalgic benefit to me. Objectively, it's very simplistic and the story is rather anime-esque in scope, which itself is stereotypical. It does have a load of charm, however, and it was a pure experience for me. I hope you have an opportunity to enjoy it this time around, but if for some reason you still remain unconvinced, I don't think you'll ever be able to enjoy it. Have a great play through!

So, I started a New Game this weekend. Played for a couple of hours, probably two or three sections from that link you gave. I'm enjoying it! Well, the grinding is awful, of course. In a large room with 4 or 5 potential battles, I really don't want to kill everything, I just want to keep the story going. But I kill them anyway, for the experience. And that sucks. The combat system is the same JRPG system of always. Sure, it adds Duals and stuff, but that is not nearly enough to make the grinding less awful. On the other hand, the game looks very good even today and the music is just great. The story is not bad either, even if the beginning is pretty silly. Stick to it for a bit; by the third time-jump it's already getting better. Also, even though I just panned the grinding, I think it's pretty nice to have enemies and allies assume battle positions and duke it out right there in the field, as opposed to the FF-style "blur-and-cut-to-the-actual-battlefield" effect. It keeps things flowing nicely, at least when the battles are short and not too close to one another. I probably won't play for a week, to give you time to catch up ;) But I'll be reading!

@jason: Sorry if I pressed too early, I've always had a bit of a problem with patience. You might agree from the comments though that you've riled up a good bunch of people without really giving any specific reasons beyond what I quoted. Although your response to my comment does remind me to be patient and see what comes out of your experience, I believe my intent was to get some more clarity about what you tend to look for in games that you may not have found in Chrono Trigger the first time, and in revealing that, perhaps get more constructive feedback on this entry besides "you are dead to me, j/k lol." Still, I don't mean to press, especially if you are the type of person to want to decide for yourself without being badgered or you just want to keep your experience pure and unspoiled. But perhaps you could whet our appetites by cluing us in on what you might be looking for, specifically, in your second playthrough? I suppose I could be chastised for not doing a search in case you have listed all your favorite titles and genres in the past, but can I guess that you liked/loved Fallout 1 to 3, Oblivion, Arcanum, Ultima series, Gothic 1 to 3? It's not clear though what it was about the games you listed called out to you the most to make them so memorable to you, although since you mention a fondness for Japanese strategy RPGs (would Ogre Battle be in your list?) as well as Wizardry that among your reasons a statistics/menu/info windows-driven design might be included? Admittedly, Chrono Trigger is more action-oriented than statistic/customization based, and I think that might have had the broader appeal to people who might otherwise have found other JRPGs at the time to be too menu-driven (I believe you haven't commented on Secret of Mana or Illusion of Gaia? In case you have some thoughts...). But besides the unusual take on the JRPG genre of gameplay, Chrono Trigger also had a time travel-meets-fantasy story that many found to be a refreshing angle on saving the world from an epic monster and the henchmen and side villains (some masterminds too), even if the effect of changing history did get confusing at times, and the freedom to charge into the final battle at any time could tend for some suicidal last stands. Regarding the time travel story, perhaps there's a bit of a hurdle that calls to mind Doc Brown's admonishment to "Think fourth dimensionally!"