The problem with having to save the world is that, more often than not, it doesn’t wait until you’ve had a full nights sleep. The eldritch abomination, the never-ending war that has reached your doorstep, the great civilization threatening calamity, a doting mother- these are all things that are sure to pull a hero out of his or her much needed slumber. They are all also very likely to appear in role-playing games. This may seem like a cheap plot device, but it actually makes a lot of sense- it is scientifically proven that you are 60% more likely to participate in an important adventure if you are woken up first, as opposed to just waking up naturally. That must explain why so many games start off with someone rolling out of bed.

10.

To the younger crowd, or to the vile casuals, LucasArts is just the company that makes all the Star Wars and Indiana Jones games and SCUMM is just the name of a Napalm Death album. Well, maybe they don’t think the Napalm Death thing, but they probably think the LucasArts thing. That is a definite shame, as LucasArts were the creators of some of the most important and entertaining adventure games in history including Maniac Mansion, Grim Fandango, and the Monkey Island series to name a select few. One game that gets sort of lost in the shuffle is Loom.

Loom was an ambitious game, and one that took a lot of chances with the adventure genre. It was one of the rare LucasArts adventure games to take itself seriously, and its gameplay was a departure from the conventions of the genre. Instead of using objects to interact with the environment and advance the game’s plot, you used your trusty distaff to play enchanted notes. Think of it as a distant cousin to Ocarina of Time except with way more weaving.

It also started with the main character, Bobbin Threadbare, being woken up on a cliff side by a messenger fairy. Actually, I guess the Ocarina of Time comparison is more apt than I thought. Although Link wasn’t waiting for a swan that visits him on his birthday every year. At least I don’t think he was, sometimes I’m not very observant.

09.

Possibly unpopular opinion time; I really liked Final Fantasy VIII. Despite my cold, tough, grizzled exterior and my overwhelming manliness, my distaste for gender roles begets a soft spot for well told love stories. That was all Final Fantasy VIII was to me, the first real love story in the series. I liked the characters, the story had more than a few genuinely emotional moments, and I’m pretty sure Quistis Trepes is the reason I developed a teacher fetish.

Final Fantasy VIII first gives you control of Squall after he finds himself in the infirmary due to getting the business end of a sword to the forehead in a training session. You would think after a steady dose of head trauma they would encourage you to stay in bed for a little while longer, but not in Balamb Garden! There are dastardly reality threatening plots to unravel and wars to fight- after class and acting like the world’s worst loner tour guide of course.

08.

Arguably the most well known entry in Namco’s legendary Tales series, Tales of Symphonia continued many of the trademarks of its predecessors while updating them for the 3D world of the 2003- spirit summoning, oodles of character development, and bad guys who actually have real reasons and depth to what they do, it was all here. It also featured the generally great Tales battle system, as well as a plot so intricate and well done that it may as well be an anime. Actually, they ended up making it one.

It also features one of the most enduring hero types in RPGs, the dense one. Lloyd Irving might not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he makes up for it with logic and loyalty, and also awesome fighting skills. Fighting isn’t the only thing he is adept at though, he can also fall asleep standing up, which is where Tales of Symphonia starts off. I’ve had some boring classes before, I’m looking at you every math class I’ve ever had, but even I don’t think I could doze off on my feet during them. I also don’t think I could protect my friend as she goes on a quest across the world in order to awaken a goddess and save the world. There is way too much to do on the internet first.

07.

Originally scheduled as a launch title for the PlayStation 2, Dark Cloud ended up being released a few months afterward. It became one of the first “must have” RPGs on the console and is remembered pretty fondly for its unique combination of action-RPG and city building mechanics. I’m hard pressed to think of a game released between Dark Cloud and Fable 2 that attempted to mesh the two, let alone succeeding at it. I’m sure you fine readers will remind me of a few in the comments though. Most likely angrily.

Dark Cloud takes a while to get to it, but the game proper starts off after the main character, Toan, is knocked unconscious when his village is destroyed by a giant flying genie who shoots energy beams from his legs. It isn’t all bad though, as a Fairy King wakes him up after transporting all of the villagers away before they can be killed. He also tells Toan that he has to go save the world and rebuild civilization against enormous odds and at a great risk to himself and the friends he makes on his journey. There is always a catch with these magic fairy types.

06.

I vividly remember purchasing this game the day it was released in America, which was now over a decade ago. There are some other games on this list I played before this, but I definitely forgot how old this game was now. Nothing makes you grapple with your own mortality more than video games. Maybe music I guess. Did you know “Calculating Infinity” and “Domestica” both came out over ten years ago now as well? I can’t even fathom how I would have turned into the pretentious musical elitist aficionado I am today without those two albums. If they don’t invent immortality pills soon I’m going to be so pissed.

Wait, what was I talking about?

Oh, video games.

Golden Sun is a game for the GBA that still holds up as one of its better RPGs. An impressive feat considering the longevity of that lovable handheld. It follows another popular character archetype in the silent protagonist Isaac. Isaac has the misfortune of being awoken by his mom when a gigantic boulder is threatening to squash their town. On the list of things to be waken up for, “a huge rock is going to kill us” might be one of the least appealing. Right up there with “you have an appointment with the dentist” and “today is election day.”

05.

Dragon Quest-slash-Warrior, while never as popular in America as its Final Fantasy counterpart, is more popular in Japan than slightly disturbing pornography. It is so popular in fact that, after Dragon Quest III was released, Enix decided to stop selling Dragon Quest games on weekdays because of mass absenteeism to places of education and employment across the country. Who knew the way to defeat wage slavery and the for profit education system was just to release Dragon Quest games?

Depending on who you ask, Dragon Quest III is either the best Dragon Quest game or the second best Dragon Quest game. It really doesn’t fall much further than that. It was such a great representation of traditional Japanese RPGs, and it was a fitting end piece to the original trilogy. It also begins with- you guessed it- the heroes mom waking him up on his sixsteenth birthday so he can meet with the king and be sent on an epic world saving journey. On my sixteenth birthday I got a PS2. Equally as important, honestly.

04.

This could have just as easily been Ocarina of Time, but I’m a retro gamer at my core so I’ve always considered this to be the best game in the series. Besides, this whole list could have been Legend of Zelda games. It would probably be easier to pick a game that didn’t start with Link waking up.

How much do I actually have to say about A Link to the Past?

If your answer is “more than that” you haven’t played enough video games yet.

03.

Where do you even start with Planescape: Torment? One of the single greatest gaming experiences in the history of our fine hobby, Planescape: Torment made breaking genre conventions its job. This game has so many choices and so many consequences that it makes Deus Ex look like a rails shooter. You could essentially avoid every combat situation in the game with the right amount of stealth and dialog choices. In a way, Planescape: Torment was one of the first examples of a successful narrative based game, and more of an interactive novel than a traditional RPG. This is why it was so perfect though.

If ever I could pinpoint the exact moment I decided I would rip my shirt off, bare my chest, and defend PC gaming to my very death, it would be the first time I played Planescape: Torment.

Of all the dudes-waking-up moments on this list, Planescape: Torment probably sports the darkest. The Nameless One isn’t woken up by his mom, he is woken up in a mortuary. He doesn’t need to meet the king for his birthday and save the world, he needs to recover his lost memories after being killed.

If you take anything from this list, it should be going out and playing Planescape: Torment. Oh, and also you should be entertained by the list. I forgot about that part.

02.

Chrono Trigger is perhaps the best known example of this. Since it is considered to be one of the best RPGs ever made, it is understandable. I certainly wouldn’t argue anyone who told me it was, although since this is number two you have probably deduced that there is a game I would rank above it. We will get to that.

In Chrono Trigger, the titular-minus-the-H character is woken up by- you guessed it- his mom. Instead of being sent directly to save the world from the time devouring evil, he is sent to the Millenial Fair for merrymaking and a good time.

Until the whole rip in the space-time continuum sends him to save the world from the time devouring evil.

Better than most state fairs I’ve been to. Usually they just have funnel cake.

01.

Earthbound is my number one choice for every list ever. Best RPG? Earthbound. Best quirky game? Earthbound. Best first person shooter? Earthbound. Best vegetarian Mexican restaurant in the Philadelphia region? Earthbound. Luckily for me, Earthbound is actually relevant to this list so I don’t have to bullshit you about how good its veggie burritos are.

Ness, the quiet hero of Onett, is just a normal kid with a hyper-intelligent dog until he is woken up in the middle of the night by a meteorite crashing to earth in the hills outside of his home. As any curious kid would do, he eventually goes to explore before being turned back by the long arm of the law. With nothing else to do, he goes back to sleep.

A full night’s sleep is not in the cards for Ness, however. When his frustratingly annoying neighbor wakes him up later on with the incessent knocking of “shave and a hair cut” he finally gets his chance to see the meteorite up close. Then he fights a huge silver robot and a time traveling bee tells him that he has to somehow save the world from an evil alien that might also be a fetus. Don’t worry, it all makes perfect sense in the end.

Oh, Itoi. Don’t ever change.

Did I miss anything? Are there any heroes that could have used a few extra hours sleep that I didn’t include? Let us know in the comments.

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It’s the cast of Chrono Trigger, the beloved classic RPG, re-imagined as terrifying nightmare people! Get the hell out of my head, Chrono.

Five O’Clock Fan Art is perfect for wrapping up the work day. You don’t want to think anymore, you just want to look at awesome things. And there’s nothing more awesome than a well crafted piece of videogame fan art. If you don’t agree, what the hell are you doing at a gaming blog?

Ushio18 likes to freak me out.

• Five O’Clock Fan Art: Chrono Futurama
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• Five O’Clock Fan Art: Waluigi
• Five O’Clock Fan Art: Prototype
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• Five O’Clock Fan Art: Red Dead Redemption

Good news, everyone! Someone combined one of the best television shows of all time with one of the best videogames of all time.

Five O’Clock Fan Art is perfect for wrapping up the work day. You don’t want to think anymore, you just want to look at awesome things. And there’s nothing more awesome than a well crafted piece of videogame fan art. If you don’t agree, what the hell are you doing at a gaming blog?

Tom Preston has good taste.

• Five O’Clock Fan Art: Chrono Trigger
• Five O’Clock Fan Art: Cammy
• Five O’Clock Fan Art: Waluigi
• Five O’Clock Fan Art: Prototype
• Five O’Clock Fan Art: Samus and The Cat
• Five O’Clock Fan Art: Red Dead Redemption

Nostalgia alert!

Chrono Trigger, Square’s 1995 SNES hit is finally available for download on the PlayStation Network. Hailed by many as one of the greatest RPG’s of all time, fans can’t seem to get enough of these ports. Nintendo released a Chrono Trigger release on DS in 2008, but the Sony loyal are just now getting their hands on a port of their own.

For $9.99, this game can live forever on your Playstation 3 or PSP.

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PlayStation 3

• Dark Souls
• Eufloria (PSN)
• NBA 2K12
• NBA Jam: On Fire Edition (PSN)
• PayDay: The Heist (PSN)
• RAGE
• SEGA Bass Fishing (PSN)
• Space Channel 5, Part 2 (PSN)
• Spider-Man: Edge of Time

Xbox 360

• Dark Souls
• Just Dance 3
• Motion Explosion
• NBA 2K12
• NBA Jam: On Fire Edition (XBLA)
• Orcs Must Die (XBLA)
• RAGE
• SEGA Bass Fishing (XBLA)
• Space Channel 5, Part 2 (XBLA)
• Spider-Man: Edge of Time

Wii

• Ferrari: The Race Experience
• Just Dance 3
• NBA 2K12
• Spider-Man: Edge of Time

3DS

• Ben 10: Galactic Racing
• Face Racers: Photo Finish
• Gabrielle’s Ghostly Groove 3D
• Spider-Man: Edge of Time
• Tetris: Axis

DS

• May’s Mystery: Forbidden Memories
• Spider-Man: Edge of Time

PSP

• Chrono Trigger (PS1 Classic)
• NBA 2K12

PC

• Airline Tycoon II
• NBA 2K12
• RAGE
• Sid Meier’s Civilization V: GoTY Edition

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As we all wait for the world to end tomorrow (according a handful of nutjobs) we’ve been doing some thinking around the RipTen offices.

If the world does indeed end tomorrow (which it won’t) what video game (that currently exists or not) would we want to be playing as we’re going off to that spirit in the sky?

Well, we asked around and these were what we came up with:

Chad Lakkis: Darksiders 2 (He sort of has a thing for Joe Mad)

Dave Oshry: Planescape: Torment (He’d like to go out while pondering the nature of man)

Bryce Wilson: DiRT 3 (This choice paid for by Codemasters AU)

Dani Cantrell: Chrono Trigger (She likes bosses named Lavos and boys with spikey red hair)

Steph Gutowski: Mass Effect 3 (DUH)

Brandon Fenty: Super Mario World (He’d like to relive his childhood)

Dylan Duarte: BioShock (DOUBLE RAPTURE)

Sam Naylor: Half Life 3 (Who wouldn’t?)

Aaron Alexander: GTA IV (He wants to shoot innocent bystanders while eating hot dogs…)

Dave Ernst: Earthbound (It’s his favorite game of all time)

Justin Berube: Super Mario Bros. (Spoken like a true Nintendo Fanboy)

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So, that’s what we’d like to play, how about you?

Feel free to let us know in the comments or @RipTen on Twitter if you’re not too busy being sucked up into the sky.

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Nintendo of America has just announced the latest titles that will be available on their digital services today.  The Wii’s Virtual Console service will see the release of CHRONO TRIGGER, formerly for the SNES.  Wii fans can also look forward to getting Gabrielle’s Ghostly Groove: Monster Mix and a demo version of Lead the Meerkats for the WiiWare service.  DSiWare will also see the release of Big Bass Arcade, Word Searcher 3, and Hellokids – Vol. 1: Coloring and Painting.

For more information on these titles be sure to check out the official Press Release below.

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Want to stay up to date on the latest Nintendo news, information, editorials, and more?  Follow me on Twitter @KingNintendoFan or Like Me on Facebook.  Be sure to let me know what you think about the latest Nintendo Download.

NINTENDO DOWNLOAD: GET TANGLED IN TIME OR ANGLE FOR A BIG CATCH WITH THE LATEST GAME DOWNLOADS

May 16, 2011

Ready to switch up your routine – or even your century? With the arrival of the Super NES™ favorite CHRONO TRIGGER® on the Virtual Console™ service, Wii™ owners can liven up their living rooms with a classic time-twisting adventure. For the Nintendo DSiWare™ service, Big Bass Arcade invites players to cast away boredom by casting a line in search of mighty fish, while Word Searcher 3 offers fresh puzzle-solving challenges that can be enjoyed anywhere. Gabrielle’s Ghostly Groove: Monster Mix for the WiiWare™ service sets monster-themed fun to an irresistible beat. Delightful deviation from the norm is just a download away.

Virtual Console

CHRONO TRIGGER
Original platform: Super NES
Publisher: Square Enix
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points™
Description: A young man is transported into the past, altering the course of history and the outcome of the future. He has to find his way home, but first he must travel to the outer edges of time to repair the world’s chronology. On the way, he encounters strange friends and foes, uses incredible devices and vehicles, and penetrates and neutralizes the fortresses of the past, present and future. A paradox has been created. If he does not restore the order of time, nothing will ever be the same. He is the one who will become a hero. He is Crono.

Nintendo DSiWare

Big Bass Arcade
Publisher: Big John Games
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Big Bass Arcade is all about the action where the bass are biting and fighting. Catch a boatload of fish and take a shot at the world-record bass. The game is packed with features: seven different lakes, nine lures, three multiple-lake tournaments, 42 events, high scores for each event and the elusive world-record bass. Big John Games brings 17 years of fishing game experience to Big Bass Arcade to create incredible fish behaviors, spectacular animations and second-to-none fish AI. Putting the fun back into hand-held fishing is the name of the game. Players choose from two control options – stylus or +Control Pad – for casting, reeling and controlling the fish-fighting action. Big Bass Arcade appeals to fishing enthusiasts and gamers alike by capturing the adrenaline rush of fish-fighting in an arcade-style game.

Word Searcher 3
Publisher: Digital Leisure Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: You’ll need a keen eye and a quick mind to complete 100 themed word-search puzzles. Word Searcher 3 contains fun words from multiple categories including astronomy, currency and rivers. Packed with a huge assortment of subjects to choose from, there’s sure to be a puzzle anyone can enjoy. Keep your vocabulary, memory and problem-solving skills sharp with these challenging puzzles. Keep track of – and try to beat – your own play-through times again and again as words are scrambled every time you play.

Hellokids – Vol. 1: Coloring and Painting
Publisher: BiP Media
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Imagine a coloring book on your Nintendo DSi™ system, add the ability to create your own drawings and to draw over photos, and you’ve got Hellokids. Color and draw using the Nintendo DSi stylus. Enjoy more than 150 drawings you can color with three difficulty levels, including a “color containment” assistant. A Freehand Drawing mode includes simple, practical tools, such as an automatic fill function, a color palette and decorations. You can also draw on a photo you’ve taken or uploaded from your Nintendo DSi album. Hellokids is a great pocket companion for all budding artists.

WiiWare

Gabrielle’s Ghostly Groove: Monster Mix
Publisher: Natsume Inc.
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Join Gabrielle and her monster friends as they dance along to a spooktacular selection of songs. Grab your Wii Remote™ controller and dance along as you shimmy, shake and spin in time to the music. There’s trouble in Monster Town: Vlad the Vampire’s loyal zombies have disappeared. Gabrielle and her monster friends will have to bust some serious moves on the dance floor in order to lure them back. Along the way, maybe they can uncover the identity of the mysterious creature that’s terrorizing Monster Town’s zombies. Up to four players can show off their best moves in the game’s multiplayer mode. (Additional accessories are required for multiplayer mode and are sold separately.) Short and full versions of songs let you dance as much as you want. Unlock tons of outrageous outfits and items.

Lead the Meerkats™ (demo version)
Publisher: Lapland Studio
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Animated Blood, Mild Violence
Price: 0 Wii Points; full version available for 1,000 Wii Points
Description: In Lead the Meerkats, you are a young meerkat who has a lot to accomplish. You’ve been separated from your pack, and the time has come for you to form your own meerkat pack. Are you ready for the challenge? Name your pack and its meerkats. Dig burrow networks and enlarge your territory. Forage for food and grow your pack size. Stay on guard and be ready to make quick decisions. Run to the safety of the burrows or fight your enemies. Go head-to-head with a rival meerkat pack. Lead your pack to victory and rule the savanna. Lead the Meerkats is the first game to simulate the exciting life of meerkats. Lead your pack and enjoy the company of these lively and endearing animals. Lead the Meerkats offers fun game play for animal lovers of all ages.

Note: Some demo versions do not support all game features, and players cannot save their in-game progress in demo versions.

Nintendo adds new titles to the Nintendo DSi Shop and the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Mondays. Users with broadband Internet access can redeem Wii Points or Nintendo DSi Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo DSi Points can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop. A Nintendo Points Card™ can be purchased at retail locations. All points from one Nintendo Points Card must be redeemed in either the Nintendo DSi Shop or the Wii Shop Channel. They are not transferable and cannot be divided between the two systems.

Remember that both Wii and Nintendo DSi feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://wii.com or http://www.nintendodsi.com.

• Nintendo Download 4/18/2011
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Square Enix, Inc. has just announced that Chrono Trigger, the SNES classic, will be arriving on the Wii’s Virtual Console May 16th, 2011.  For more details be sure to check out the official press release below!

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Want to stay up to date on the latest Nintendo news, information, editorials, and more?  Follow me on Twitter @KingNintendoFan or Like Me on Facebook.  Be sure to let me know what you think about Chrono Trigger arriving on the Wii’s Virtual Console.

CHRONO TRIGGER TELEPORTS ONTO NINTENDO’S VIRTUAL CONSOLE

The Past, Present and Future are in Your Hands…

LOS ANGELES (May 12, 2011) – Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of SQUARE ENIX® interactive entertainment products in the Americas, announced today that CHRONO TRIGGER® is headed to Nintendo’s Virtual Console™ service for the Wii™ console on May 16, 2011.

Originally released in 1995 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System™, CHRONO TRIGGER was created by a talented development team – Yuji Horii (script creator), creator of the DRAGON QUEST® series, Akira Toriyama (character design), creator of Dragon Ball®, and the creators of FINAL FANTASY – all of whom were key contributors to the game’s success.

CHRONO TRIGGER has been hailed as one of the greatest games of all time by critics and fans alike. With a unique and multifaceted storyline, the game revolutionized the world of RPGs with never-before-seen features, including an unprecedented soundtrack and multiple endings determined by side quests and the player’s actions.

In CHRONO TRIGGER, the notion of time is turned upside down as players race against it like never before, while all the decisions made along the way will affect the past, present and future.

STORY

When a newly developed teleportation device malfunctions at the Millennial Fair, young Crono must travel through time to rescue his unfortunate companion from an intricate web of past and present perils. The swashbuckling adventure that ensues soon unveils an evil force set to destroy the world, starting Crono’s race against time to change the course of history and bring about a brighter future.

 

FEATURES

• A masterpiece with an engaging and unparalleled storyline, leading to the discovery of multiple epic conclusions to a journey that transcends time
• An inspiring musical score created by Yasunori Mitsuda
• An intriguing battle system made possible by the unique combination of the Active Time Battle (ATB) system and Tech skills
• Famed character designer Akira Toriyama lends his signature art style to create the vibrant world that has captivated gamers around the world

CHRONO TRIGGER is rated T (Teen). Please visit the Entertainment Software Rating Board website at www.esrb.org for more information about ratings. For more information, please visit the official website: http://dlgames.square-enix.com/na/vc.

About Square Enix, Inc.

Square Enix, Inc. develops, publishes, distributes and licenses SQUARE ENIX®, EIDOS® and TAITO® branded entertainment content throughout the Americas as part of the Square Enix Group. The Square Enix Group operates a global network of leading development studios and boasts a valuable portfolio of intellectual property, including: FINAL FANTASY®, which has sold over 97 million units worldwide; DRAGON QUEST®, which has sold over 57 million units worldwide; TOMB RAIDER®, which has sold over 35 million units worldwide; and the legendary SPACE INVADERS®. Square Enix, Inc. is a U.S.-based, wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.

More information on Square Enix, Inc. can be found at http://www.square-enix.com/na.

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That’s right.  None other than everyone’s favorite vault dweller, Feargus Urquhart has stated that Obsidian has been talking with Square for some time and they are hell-bent on making this a reality. Read on to see everything he, as well as other top dogs from Obsidian had to say.

“I think it would be fun to take the setting of a Japanese RPG, which is a weird mix of fantasy and sci-fi mashed together and make a Western RPG out of that . . . I think that would be cool. I mean it’s kind of like Star Wars, that’s kind of what Star Wars is, a fantasy in space. I think that would be interesting.”

Well Star Wars is certainly a more western idea than most, but how would they turn Chrono Trigger, a classic JRPG into a Western RPG?  He told SiliconEra:

“It’s tough because a lot of the Japanese RPGs have very specific functions for everything. There is very specific item progression, very specific class progression, very specific everything. I think… I don’t know I’d have to think about it,”

Well he’d better think about it long and hard.  If Obsidian gets the green light to do this and doesn’t come through, we may see Godzilla on our shores very soon.

Meanwhile, Nathan Chapman, Lead Designer at Obsidian had this to say:

“I think we’re going with Chrono Trigger because it has elements of a Western RPG.  It’s more open, it’s still mostly linear, but there are parts you can explore more . . . There are lots of differences, like you can beat Lavos at different parts of the game and you get different endings based upon that. There are obvious answers like dialogue trees and all of that good stuff, but the seeds are there for that kind of development.”

We’re going with Chrono Trigger!?  Does that mean this is actually happening!?  I don’t know about you, but we here at RipTen can’t to see where this story goes!!  What do YOU think?

Source: SiliconEra

• Chrono Trigger Available Now on PSN
• Chrono Trigger Coming To North American Wii Virtual Console May 16th
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Chrono Trigger: Crimson Echoes was a fan-made ROM modification for the widely-acclaimed SNES RPG Chrono Trigger. I say “was” because Square Enix have sent the fans a Cease-and-Desist letter, letting them know that if the project is released, there will be a lawsuit. The mod “featured ~35 hours of game play, 10 multiple endings, and 23 chapters, much like the original Chrono Trigger; it was around 98% complete.” As ZeaLitY says, the game was made only out of the goodness of fan’s hearts and certainly not for profit. The video above is the trailer for the game, made this year.

I must say that I feel this is a bad show on the part of Square Enix. This was a fan-made mod, with no intent for profit, and people had spent countless hours of their lives in the process of making this game. What harm can a mod like this do? Surely it can only provide free advertisement for their game. My consolations to the fans who put all this work into the game only to have it completely trashed.

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YouTube user “TheRealPfhreak” has a girlfriend he loves with all his heart. Naturally, he decided he wanted to make her a keeper. When he decided he’d like to seal the deal, his girlfriend was in the process of a good ol’  Chrono Trigger playthrough. It all made sense. In an effort to create a unique proposal, he decided to meld his innate nerdery with what he’s learned from his Computer Science degree.In proposing to her through a SNES rom hack, he had three main goals:

First. Keep the area in the context of the original game, the proposal should be a surprise.

Second. Get it done quick! I had the ring, I had the Father’s blessing, and you can’t sit on either of those for too long. You’ll notice some of the NPC collision information is missing (the cat runs through a lot of weird places) and I didn’t have time to properly debug every tile.

Third. Place memories that might be poignant enough to remind her of our relationship, while not inadvertently giving away that this was somehow hacked.(See goal #1.)

According to TheRealPfhreak, his girlfriend was amazed by the amount of coincidences throughout the level. Every character was either him or her at one point or another in their relationship. Apparently, she fell for it, hard. Hard enough to say “yes!” After seeing her name on the screen, she glanced over and saw him bent down on one knee holding a ring. She exclaimed, “You are such a huge nerd! I love this!” and nodded. Another happy ending.

Way to go, dude! Best wishes Mr. & Mrs. RealPfhreak!

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First, the title screen from Commando.

[youtube width="480" height="378"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9mSg3urYU8[/youtube]

Now check out this Gundam clip. The track is the same as the one used in Commando.

[youtube width="480" height="378"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lM9LMxw3cY[/youtube]

Finally, here’s Chrono Trigger – the game over screen from Commando is the exact same song.

[youtube width="480" height="378"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb4YB0ia46w[/youtube]

Source: NeoGAF 

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Retro enthusiasts and JRPG lovers alike will be pleased to know that in a press release issued today, Square Enix revealed that the DS remake of Chrono Trigger will be hitting stateside on November 25th, 2008.

Complete with the DS’s touchscreen functionality, Chrono Trigger DS will feature brand new dungeons and arenas that weren’t in the 1995 classic. Hit the jump for Square Enix’s full press release.

CHRONO TRIGGER COMES TO NINTENDO DS ON NOVEMBER 25, 2008
One of the Greatest RPGs of All Time Returns This Holiday Season
Los Angeles (August 18, 2008)

Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix® interactive entertainment products in North America, announced today that its highly anticipated Nintendo DS™ title CHRONO TRIGGER® will ship to North American retailers on November 25, 2008. A groundbreaking RPG that became an instant classic, CHRONO TRIGGER is set to be one of the most compelling handheld titles available this holiday season.

Remastered exclusively for Nintendo DS, this newly enhanced edition maintains all of the game’s original elements and spirit while introducing portability, dual-screen presentation and Touch Screen functionality.

Originally released in 1995 on the Super NES® and subsequently shipping more than 2.5 million copies worldwide, CHRONO TRIGGER is critically acclaimed as one of the greatest video games of all time. Praise continued to be showered upon the title at last month’s E3 2008 Media and Business Summit, with CHRONO TRIGGER receiving accolades including “Best RPG” and “Best DS Game.”

Players can look forward to a reunion with CHRONO TRIGGER’s multifaceted storyline, memorable soundtrack and exhilarating gameplay this November.

STORY

When a newly developed teleportation device malfunctions at the Millennial Fair, young Crono must travel through time to rescue his misfortunate companion from an intricate web of past and present perils. The swashbuckling adventure that ensues soon unveils an evil force set to destroy the world, triggering Crono’s race against time to change the course of history and bring about a brighter future.

FEATURES

# A masterpiece with an engaging and unparalleled storyline, leading to the discovery of multiple epic conclusions to a journey that transcends time
# An inspiring musical score created by Yasunori Mitsuda
# Intriguing battle system made possible by the unique combination of the Active Time Battle system and Tech skills
# Famed character designer Akira Toriyama lends his signature art style to create the vibrant world that has captivated gamers around the world
# Taking advantage of the Nintendo DS hardware, CHRONO TRIGGER makes its way onto the portable platform with all-new dual-screen presentation and Touch Screen functionality
# Brand-new dungeons and an Arena mode add exciting new dimensions to this timeless classic

CHRONO TRIGGER is rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and older). Please visit the Entertainment Software Rating Board website at www.esrb.org for more information about ratings. The official website can be found at http://na.square-enix.com/ctds.

About Square Enix Co., Ltd. and Square Enix, Inc.

Square Enix Co., Ltd. (Square Enix), with headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, develops, publishes and distributes entertainment content including interactive entertainment software and publications in Asia, North America and Europe. Square Enix brings two of Japan’s best-selling franchises – FINAL FANTASY®, which has sold over 85 million units worldwide, and DRAGON QUEST®, which has sold over 45 million units worldwide – under one roof. Square Enix is one of the most influential providers of digital entertainment content in the world and continues to push the boundaries of creativity and innovation.

Square Enix, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix Co., Ltd. with offices in Los Angeles, California. It handles operations in North America, including development, localization, marketing and publishing of Square Enix titles. More information on Square Enix can be found on the Internet at http://www.square-enix.com

CHRONO TRIGGER, DRAGON QUEST, FINAL FANTASY, SQUARE ENIX and the SQUARE ENIX logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Square Enix Co., Ltd. in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Nintendo DS and Super NES are trademarks of Nintendo.

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Reports have surfaced that the SNES critic/fan-favorite RPG Chrono Trigger may be making its way to Nintendo’s ever-successful DS by Winter in ‘enhanced’ form. Just how enhanced, altered, or improved it may be, is still undetermined has been detailed here. As of now, all we have is a scan from the Japanese Jump magazine.

Honestly, I am finding myself thoroughly confused. This makes entirely too much sense – it has near unanimous praise and it sells moderately well? Square-Enix wouldn’t do this. Wouldn’t they rather shit out the eighth version of Final Fantasy II?

And with the state of Photoshop and the internet, who’s to say that this isn’t a cruel hoax formulated by one unbelievably mean-spirited individual whom deserves to burn in the deepest darkest depths of hell? Ahem. Although unsubstantiated, I’m holding out hope for whatever foolish reasons. I’m just setting myself up for heartache, aren’t I?

UPDATE (on an update): Rumor no more. Destructoid points us to the official website, where we all just fall on the floor in happiness. I just want to leave my laptop ticking till it comes out…

Source: Destructoid

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One of the flat-out coolest endeavours I’ve seen in awhile comes from “hattoriyaro,” who’s using a specialized program to turn the individual notes of MIDI music into complex animations. Among his creations are several dedicated to classic video games from Megaman 2 to *ahem* “cult classic” Cheetahmen. Hit the jump for videos and more information on how it’s done.

Looking not unlike some crazy Beatmania video, Hattoriyaro’s creations seem to be inspired by the way that we “see” music. Not merely flashy background animations, but the kinds of patterns that emerge as a waterfall of notes cascades from the top to bottom of your screen (as shown above), or when a series of explosions look more like an elaborate bed of flowers in Every Extend Extra.

Combining that principal (and some creativity) with a freeware program called The Music Animation Machine (which represents music in terms of colored bars as opposed to traditional notes on a scale) results in the following:

Dr. Mario
[youtube width="425" height="335"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF_1eyn25eA[/youtube]

Mega Man 2 Dr. Wiley Stage
[youtube width="425" height="335"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASXnFRYf6LI[/youtube]

and my personal favorite…

Chrono Trigger
[youtube width="425" height="335"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4DjC0BdKt4[/youtube]

You can check out several more of these game-inspired videos on Hattoriyaro’s Youtube page, and there are many from other musical genres located at the MAM site linked above. The actual representations may vary in complexity, but even the most abstract moments carry with them a subtle beauty any nostalgic gamer can appreciate.

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Some developers draw inspiration from a particular genre. Electronic Arts built up some of the most successful franchises in the sports world, Id Software concentrated mainly on first person shooters like DOOM and Wolfenstein, and Lucasarts grew its fan base by creating excellent adventure games. Square Enix falls into this category as well. Their area of expertise is the RPG.

As many already know, Square and Enix started their relationship under very different circumstances than today. They were originally rivals in Japan, vying for the attention of RPG consumers in a very competitive market.

Enix made its big splash with the Dragon Quest series (known as Dragon Warrior to Western audiences). The NES game would introduce many characters, weapons, and plot lines that still appear in the series today. It turned out to be hugely successful for Enix and gave them a foothold in the Japanese role-playing game market.

What’s interesting is that Enix didn’t actually develop these games themselves. The creation process of the first five Dragon Quest games was handled by a company known as Chunsoft. Enix would merely act as publisher and maintain the copyrights.

Square, on the other hand, was a publisher. During the company’s toddler years there was the danger of having to declare bankruptcy due to some unsuccessful early releases. This impending doom led Hironobu Sakaguchi to name their last entry into the gaming industry Final Fantasy, a name that was selected to signify the company’s inevitable demise. However, the game proved to be successful, and Square was saved from the chopping block.

Many consider Final Fantasy to be the pinnacle of any role-playing series available. Fans of the FF releases could debate for hours which game has the best story line, most useless power-up, or most annoying character. Final Fantasy is one of the most loved franchises in the history of videogames and it continues to grow to this day.

Genre lines have been crossed, movies have been made, and figurines have been manufactured. Final Fantasy has gone from a last attempt at success to a household name. And through the years, the talented people at Square have been there to steer their ship into areas of new discovery.

Games like Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger, Front Mission and Kingdom Hearts pushed role-playing genre into new territory, while Final Fantasy kept sailing on with new plot situations, battle systems, and characters. But that’s not to say that Square always had to stay within the RPG genre. The company had great success with the car racing classic Rad Racer on the Nintendo Entertainment System. They also made a nice addition to the survival horror genre with the Parasite Eve games on the Sony Playstation. But for the most part, Square has continued to create what comes naturally to them– RPGs.

On April Fools Day in 2003, Square and Enix made one of the biggest mergers in video game history. The two rivals would shake hands (or bow, actually) and continue their monopolizing of the JRPG market as an unstoppable duo. The absorption of Square by Enix would bring together two of the most influential companies in gaming history, and fuse two of the most well-loved and respected catalogs by any company found in Japan or abroad.

What the future holds is yet to be seen. But if the past is any judge, these fantasies aren’t showing any signs of finality.

Must Haves:
Final Fantasy III (SNES),
Final Fantasy VII (PS),
Secret of Mana (SNES),
Dragon Quest IV (NES)

Have Nots:
Chocobo Racing (PS)

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