Ep. 005: Chrono Trigger

MAHQ's general podcast for nerdy things, which ran from 2011-2017.
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Ep. 005: Chrono Trigger

Chaos Theater Ep. 005 - "Chrono Trigger"
- Download Now: 64 kbps - 98 mins, 04 sec. (1:38:04) 44.9 MB

Special Guest Host: Angel De Fana (opening and Chrono Trigger)

Segment Breakdown for this Episode:

01. Intro: "What We've Been Up To" and "Slaying the Sacred Cow"
Runtime: 0:00:01 - 0:26:45

02. Discussion: "Chrono Trigger"
Runtime: 0:27:10 - 1:01:50

03. Outro: "Chaos Theater Mailbag" and "Internet whoring"
Runtime: 1:02:22 - 1:37:00

What's this, another episode already? Well, since episode 4 was delayed for so long, we're playing catchup and this is really the first episode of May. We roast another sacred cow in the opening, and we're joined by Angel De Fana (formerly of EpicSugarWorks) to express our man love for the classic RPG Chrono Trigger. Next time, we'll be getting out our Dick scales for double duty in a discussion covering Philip K. Dick's classic novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? as well as the film it inspired, Blade Runner.

Music Featured in this Episode:
"Boing Zoom DAKOTA!" from Rock Candy 1 by Shadow
"Gato's Theme" from Chrono Trigger by Yasunori Mitsuda
"Frog's Theme" from Chrono Trigger by Yasunori Mitsuda

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Re: Episode 005: Chrono Trigger

Great podcast guys. Chrono Trigger is one of my favorite RPGs of all times. I must've played that game to the point that I had 99 of every single item. How lucky of Pedro that he was able to buy the rental copy he was playing. The damn rental place wouldn't sell me the copy I was playing so I had to buy a fresh one and do everything all over again. Good times and good memories.
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Re: Episode 005: Chrono Trigger

Ok this episode was pretty interesting Chrono Trigger is one of those games I want to get around to playing since I got hold of the DS version before it probably becomes harder to find.

The mailbag had some interesting bits in there, also I agree with Chris on PSP and DS, I have both systems and I would NOT call the PSP a failure it's just Sony lack interaction with their consumers.

As edvinced when PS3 decided to remove or drop support from PS3 models for PS2 games.
So that is just me, since they could have worked that out if they put money in to fixing that.

Not to mention their screwed up logic of.
"Oh well you'll buy the PS3 for it's games, we're trying to get people not to look to the past"

*AHEM* that was one of the PS2's biggest selling points as well as being a cheap DVD player and even to this day the PS2 still sells games and systems, so to me it's just silly.

That is all I have this time for a reply though.
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Re: Episode 005: Chrono Trigger

Great episode, even if someone used the word 'charm' to describe Chrono Trigger (haha, I just thought it was weird that you would fall back on the least helpful descriptor after saying about 100 poignant things about what makes the game great)! I'm about as taken with Chrono Trigger as all of you, and for good reason, it's one of the most instantly gripping RPGs there is. They throw you straight into the time travelling and the adventure never seems to slow down. Honestly, I think if there are people on the internet who are going to try and blow it off as mediocre, it's a case of what DestinyGundam was talking about - people hating just because they see so many other people loving the game.

I totally agree with the whole 'innovation' thing too. Like your guest, I've done the Final Fantasy I-XII run-through, and taken one by one the series seems more like a testing ground for whatever director takes the helm of the latest project (this is in contrast to something like Dragon Quest, which has remained fairly consistent through the years). Like Angel explained, FF2's battle system wasn't scrapped by Square, they just gave Kawazu (FF2's director) his own series to play with. The system that started in FF2 was tweaked and refined until we got the awesome SaGa remakes that came out on the DS in the past few years (well, by 'we' I mean gamers as a whole, they never saw a release outside of Japan).

Nearly every Final Fantasy game has made a 180 from the previous title (FF3 started the 'job system', 4 scrapped that for characters with fixed jobs, 5 brought it back, 6 flipped again, and so forth). Whether or not you like FFXIII, it was the direct result of people complaining about FFXII, and no more or less 'innovative' than the past 5 entries. I don't think the games are getting worse (at least gameplay-wise, narrative wise.. to each their own), people are just getting whinier.
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Re: Episode 005: Chrono Trigger

Chris, I hope you realise that you people are actually part of the problem; the people that won't watch a show in its 1st season, and should the show be subsequently cancelled, will say "see good shows are always getting cancelled! I'll never watch a show in its 1st season again!"

I'm not saying you're that's your reasoning per se, but it's certainly detrimental to the fact.
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Re: Episode 005: Chrono Trigger

Shinigam_Newtype wrote:Chris, I hope you realise that you people are actually part of the problem; the people that won't watch a show in its 1st season, and should the show be subsequently cancelled, will say "see good shows are always getting cancelled! I'll never watch a show in its 1st season again!"

I'm not saying you're that's your reasoning per se, but it's certainly detrimental to the fact.
Hey, I can't be concerned with everything that other people are watching or not watching. I have no control over that. From my perspective, I'm tired of getting invested in shows that get canceled, so what can I do? Besides, the shows I like that do survive, I support them by purchasing merchandise, so no, I don't think I'm part of the problem. The bigger problem is that broadcast networks, as opposed to cable, don't really give shows time to grow and will cancel them with itchy trigger fingers.
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Re: Episode 005: Chrono Trigger

good show guys

I paticularly enjoyed this episode's "slaying the sacred cow". One thing that has always bugged me about fandom in general is that fans always bitch about getting what they asked for. Fans ask for something new and original and then they complain its too different, and when they get the same old same old they bitch about how its copying other shows/movies/books. You mentioned gundam but this pattern can be seen in fandom of numerous other things.
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Re: Episode 005: Chrono Trigger

Chris wrote:
Shinigam_Newtype wrote:Chris, I hope you realise that you people are actually part of the problem; the people that won't watch a show in its 1st season, and should the show be subsequently cancelled, will say "see good shows are always getting cancelled! I'll never watch a show in its 1st season again!"

I'm not saying you're that's your reasoning per se, but it's certainly detrimental to the fact.
Hey, I can't be concerned with everything that other people are watching or not watching. I have no control over that. From my perspective, I'm tired of getting invested in shows that get canceled, so what can I do? Besides, the shows I like that do survive, I support them by purchasing merchandise, so no, I don't think I'm part of the problem. The bigger problem is that broadcast networks, as opposed to cable, don't really give shows time to grow and will cancel them with itchy trigger fingers.
Yes, but I'm sure you're aware, shows are cancelled if they're deemed unprofitable. Networks, particularly FOX, don't air shows just to cancel them. What would the point of that? If a show is getting low ratings in it's 1st season, why would they "give it time"? The opportunity cost is too high. Also, the dynamic between cable and network is very different.
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Re: Episode 005: Chrono Trigger

Shinigam_Newtype wrote:Yes, but I'm sure you're aware, shows are cancelled if they're deemed unprofitable. Networks, particularly FOX, don't air shows just to cancel them. What would the point of that? If a show is getting low ratings in it's 1st season, why would they "give it time"? The opportunity cost is too high. Also, the dynamic between cable and network is very different.
Yes, I am aware that the dynamic between cable and broadcast is different. But from a creative standpoint, cable does allow shows more time to grow than broadcast does. And yes, sometimes networks do air shows just to cancel them. There are lots of complicated politics in network broadcasting. A show that was approved by former executives may not be in favor with the current leadership, so they cancel it or send it to a death timeslot to kill it off. It even happens on cable shows too. In 1999, TNT canceled the Babylon 5 spinoff series Crusade before it ever even aired, but they aired the show so that it wouldn't be a complete loss for them. Finally, sometimes broadcast networks (especially Fox) are confusingly inconsistent. Fringe has been hovering near cancellation for years, and even though its ratings are far lower than The Chicago Code, it was renewed for another season while Code got canceled.
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Re: Episode 005: Chrono Trigger

Chris wrote:
Shinigam_Newtype wrote:Yes, but I'm sure you're aware, shows are cancelled if they're deemed unprofitable. Networks, particularly FOX, don't air shows just to cancel them. What would the point of that? If a show is getting low ratings in it's 1st season, why would they "give it time"? The opportunity cost is too high. Also, the dynamic between cable and network is very different.
Yes, I am aware that the dynamic between cable and broadcast is different. But from a creative standpoint, cable does allow shows more time to grow than broadcast does. And yes, sometimes networks do air shows just to cancel them. There are lots of complicated politics in network broadcasting. A show that was approved by former executives may not be in favor with the current leadership, so they cancel it or send it to a death timeslot to kill it off. It even happens on cable shows too. In 1999, TNT canceled the Babylon 5 spinoff series Crusade before it ever even aired, but they aired the show so that it wouldn't be a complete loss for them. Finally, sometimes broadcast networks (especially Fox) are confusingly inconsistent. Fringe has been hovering near cancellation for years,
and even though its ratings are far lower than The Chicago Code, it was renewed for another season while Code got canceled.
But the reason cable give shows more time to find an audience is because ratings aren't essentially the end all be all factor. For example, The Wire(An excellent show) flopped in the ratings every season but was still subsequently renewed because it was so critically praised and HBO execs stated time and time again, they wished for the story to come to an end naturally. Also cable is primarly funded though subscriptions so I still think it's slightly unfair to compare as we're primarily talking about Networks, their ratings and their decisions.

In regards to new execs coming to a network, I can concede to the fact that it does occur, however, it's such an extraneous variable that wouldn't even occur if again, the right ratings were there.
Lastly, as you mentioned FOX can be inconsistent with their renewal of shows. In the case of Fringe, it's only because JJ Abrams is attached.
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Re: Episode 005: Chrono Trigger

Hey guys, I just listened to the episode, and thanks for answering my question. I think it was interesting discussion, and you guys made some interesting points. About the NGP, or rather Vita now. You guys speculated on the price point being around $400 and you mentioned that as a point of contention. Now that E3 happened, we have a firm price point of $250 for the wi-fi version, and $299 for the Wi-fi + G3 version. At the $250 price point it's the SAME price as the 3DS, which is a major coup at this point. We now have some nice details on games for it as well. I also heard a lot mention of the lack of a second analog on the PSP, but the PSV fixes that with two analogs. Does the new info on the Vita change your opinion much?

Great show, btw. I'm subscribed so the episodes download as they release, I just take a while to get around to them. Keep up the good work.
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Re: Episode 005: Chrono Trigger

I just had a conversation with Pedro about the Vita's price point. I was quite surprised by the $250 for the wi-fi version, and to me that makes it a better value for $250 than the 3DS. To me, the 3D ability of the 3DS is just a gimmick, and I'm waiting to see a better selection of games before I hop on board. Since I own a DS Lite and PSP, it's likely that I'll eventually get both a 3DS and Vita, but the question is which I'll buy first.
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Re: Episode 005: Chrono Trigger

The times I've discussed the NGP in the past before all the news came out, I've speculated that it would have to be competitively priced against the 3DS, so the $250 wasn't very surprising. what was however was that the 3G model is only fifty bucks more. In any case, everything about the Vita is looking attractive to me. The games shown off, and the potential for more, as well as the hardware.

For the 3DS, I do plan to buy it. The launch line up was piss poor, but damn it, they're making Mega Man Legends 3 for it. I'm a Sony guy all the way, and I recall saying I'd buy a 360 if MML3 were made an exclusive for it. In any case, I'm sure the 3DS will get its share of good games down the line, and not just ports of older stuff.
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Re: Episode 005: Chrono Trigger

In regards to the price of the Vita, I guess you can color me pessimistic because I didn't expect Sony to learn their lesson about highly priced hardware. However, they have cut the amount of RAM in the Vita to cut back on costs, so it remains to be seen how this will affect games once they're actually out and not just nice demonstration pieces. As for the 3DS, I'm certainly impressed by the lineup Nintendo has announced at E3, but I have to wonder why they didn't just wait to launch the console until some of these games were done. I'll also probably wait until the next hardware revision of the 3DS, which you know has to be coming sometime next year.
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Re: Episode 005: Chrono Trigger

Chris, I think you're heavily missing the point when it comes to the 3DS and its launch titles. Why would they wait until the games are done? It would only hinder sales to release the 1st party titles when they could easily release the games currently available, sell 3.6 million units in matter of weeks, allow the system to saturate the Market further over the coming months through word of mouth etc, and then release the 1st party titles.
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Re: Episode 005: Chrono Trigger

So how accurate is this image in terms of characterization?
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Re: Episode 005: Chrono Trigger

I don't think I'm missing the point, because the 3DS sold 400,000 less units than Nintendo was expecting. It launched with a pretty subpar lineup, and the eShop didn't even come online until this week. It really looks as though they rushed the release of the system for no good reason and to no good effect. And Nintendo usually launches its hardware with a notable first party title. What did we get this time? Pilotwings Resort, which was a rehash of the flying part of Wii Sports Resort with a few other activities thrown in.
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Re: Episode 005: Chrono Trigger

If we're talking sales figures then I think it's fair to say guestimating 4 million sales was a gross miscalculation, considering its price point and release titles, regardless 3.6 million sales is still impressive and Nintendo know that people will buy the system irrespective of what they release for it. They're banking on this, which is why they release the 1st party titles later and procure more sales. It's also to directly support the sales of 3rd party games.

In regards to your comment about eShop not being available at launch; well...so what? Having a 3DS and having used the eShop, I can tell you it has made absolutely no difference to my gaming experience and judging from the content on the shop it wouldn't have made a difference when it was released.
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Re: Episode 005: Chrono Trigger

Shinigam_Newtype wrote:In regards to your comment about eShop not being available at launch; well...so what? Having a 3DS and having used the eShop, I can tell you it has made absolutely no difference to my gaming experience and judging from the content on the shop it wouldn't have made a difference when it was released.
The point is that virtual stores are a standard feature on all consoles these days, home and portable. To launch a console without having the store ready says to me that Nintendo jumped the gun, or illustrates further how behind the curve they are about everything online. This combined with the fact that they're only finally ditching friend codes on the Wii U shows that they don't get online functionality.
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Re: Episode 005: Chrono Trigger

Chris wrote:
Shinigam_Newtype wrote:In regards to your comment about eShop not being available at launch; well...so what? Having a 3DS and having used the eShop, I can tell you it has made absolutely no difference to my gaming experience and judging from the content on the shop it wouldn't have made a difference when it was released.
The point is that virtual stores are a standard feature on all consoles these days, home and portable. To launch a console without having the store ready says to me that Nintendo jumped the gun, or illustrates further how behind the curve they are about everything online. This combined with the fact that they're only finally ditching friend codes on the Wii U shows that they don't get online functionality.
Somehow we've diverged from the topic of the 3DS release phase to online functionality.
Again, you've stated that the eShop wasn't available at launch with the 3DS to which I again must respond: So what? Why is it so important to release it with the console? With so little content on the store as of current(none of which complement the 3DS release titles) it makes no difference whether it was released 2 months ago or 2 weeks from now.
As for online multiplayer and the friend code system, I think it's pretty apparent
Nintendon't care(See what I did there? :) ) Their core audience is the casual gamer. Why
create an infrastracture like PSN or XBL when your audience aren't necessarily inclined to
use them?

It's not that they don't "get" online functionality, they just don't see it as a priority. It's also worth mentioning the friend code system has been implemented in the 3DS but is much more effective.
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