Kyle here, gaming aficionados. This time, our "distinguished panel of experts" will review a long-awaited sequel from Squaresoft, Chrono Cross. Here's a little primer on Kyle's RPG Roundtable Reviews rating scale:
		0-1 is the lowest of the low. Basically, don't even touch the game's box. 1.5-4.5 is below average. You might still like it, though. 5 is absolutely average. Most games are a 5, so don't think this is bad. I mean it. 5.5-9.5 is above average. These are damn good scores, even a 5.5. Definitely pick it up. 10 is the ultimate. If you can't afford the game, consider selling body parts.
		Chrono Cross has sort of a hit-or-miss story, you know? I mean, sometimes I liked it a lot, and other times, I really sort of didn't. Like, for a long time the game moves along pretty slow, and you know I always like it when they do that, 'cause it gives me more time to figure out what's goin' on. But then sometimes, they would advance the plot and I would totally lose track of what was going on for a while! Like they had some real major plot twists in the middle, and I never did figure out what they meant! On the plus side, though, I loved the endings, especially the 'easy' one. I don't want to spoil it, 'cause you'll sure never guess what it is! I like 'em all, but this one's a 6.0.
		Well, finally a game that doesn't pay too much attention to its cast. Although, like most games, it suffers terribly from not being graced by my presence, it is otherwise fairly good. The main character is silent throughout, which is always a huge plus for me. Most of the other characters have only a few relevant lines after their introduction, and are little more than bit players who can be recruited into your party. And, in a surprising twist, even most of the villains are not over-embellished. About the only minus, and it is a big one, is that every character other than the main hero has a very distinctive personality. I suppose these fellows deserve a 7.0.
		Gau no like! Me no play game me no like this much since me play Grandia!! Chrono Cross have avoidable battle, and Gau no like - me no want miss fight monsters. It no have so many monster, 'neither. You no get 'sperience points, just level up when beat boss. That no fun! Gau no like battle system, 'neither. It too hard. Me like element screen - it shiny, shiny! But no like use element in battle, it too hard to figure out. Stam'na system hardest, though: me no understand why me have to not use strong attack every turn! Gau glad there not so many puzzle in Chrono Cross, but that 'bout all me like. Gau give this 0.5!
		Although Chrono Cross' graphics don't sacrifice quite as much artistic integrity on the altar of realism as those of Final Fantasy 8, these are much higher-res and higher-poly. Every character has a very distinctive look, both in their in-game graphics and their uniquely high-res status portraits - Chrono Cross is even worse than Suikoden 2 for this. There's no major difference between the in-battle and movement graphics. They even compare well with the FMVs. Even the colors are rich and deep! There's nothing good about these graphics, except for some pixelation relative to a Dreamcast game. If I had to judge, I'd give it a 1.0.
		Whoa, dude! Most of this music is major suckage. I'm totally not a big fan of Yasunori Mitsuda's music, dudes, like in Xenogears and Chrono Trigger. It's just not jammable. Most of the music in Chrono Cross is this totally bogus regional stuff - a lot of orchestral Celtic and beach/island type tunes. I totally would have given this a 1.0, but it has one mega-awesomely bodacious track: my very own radical rock opera! Excellent. Other than that, it's time to start pounding that mute button and turning up the stereo, dudes. I'd crank the volume up to 2.5.
		Well... their opinions basically suck! Here's the catch: If you take their scores and reverse 'em, you'll get a pretty accurate picture. Like that little dork Gau, he gave the gameplay a 0.5? That is a 9.5, which means it's almost perfect. And Alfonso thought the characters deserved a 6.5 - yeah, right. Try 3.5 and you're closer to the mark. Now, for the real low-down on Chrono Cross, I'm your man. Chrono Cross is definitely better than the sum of its parts. The plot has its moments, but most of those are just rehashed from Xenogears, anyway. The characters are definitely nothing to write home about, since most of them have about a half dozen lines that actually develop them - tops. The gameplay is pretty weird, the graphics have an odd look, and the music takes a hell of a lot of getting used to. The thing is, though, when you do get into the groove of it, which usually takes no more than an hour or two, all of that doesn't matter. Chrono Cross is just plain fun. The gameplay, the graphics, even the music - it's all just perfect to give you a good time. This New Game + feature is probably the only one I've seriously fooled around with, because knowing the story doesn't make it any less enjoyable. Chrono Cross plays like a breeze when you get used to it, it looks great, and it sounds great. Trying out the different characters is more fun than in other games like this (Suikoden and Shining Force leap to mind), too. 3B-wise, well, quantity and quality abound, just not in the main female leads. Most of the gals of CC are worth checking out, but there's nothing even close to a Bromide-equivalent, or even FMV shots for the majority of them. Too bad. I should also point out that, as a sort of Chrono Trigger Gaiden, it's even better than it is on its own - it fills you in on some stuff you probably wondered about. Put together, it's about a 8.0!