Newsgroup: it.comp.console.playstation
Titolo: Chrono Cross uscito oggi

SQUARE SHIPS CHRONO CROSS FOR THE
PLAYSTATION® GAME CONSOLE
Sequel to Award -Winning Role-Playing Game Offers Supernatural Adventure and
Action
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COSTA MESA, Calif., August 15, 2000 - Square Electronic Arts L.L.C. (Square
Electronic Arts), the exclusive publisher of all SQUARESOFT® products in
North America, today announced the release of Chrono Cross™ for the
PlayStation® game console. Chrono Cross, sequel to the award-winning Chrono
Trigger™, is an action role-playing game that follows two young heroes on
their search for a mysterious artifact. Chrono Cross offers players multiple
endings, an extraordinary cast of more than 40 playable characters, and a
combat system which allows players to customize characters with a variety of
magical spells and combat techniques.
The story takes place 20 years after the events in Chrono Trigger and
centers around a seemingly ordinary boy named Serge and a young woman named
Kid. Serge's simple life in a small fishing village takes a turn for the
worse when his presence suddenly triggers a portal to a parallel universe,
leaving him in a strange yet familiar world where his alternate self has
been dead for 10 years. Even before he has time to ponder his situation, he
is confronted by bandits, and rescued by a young woman named Kid. Caught up
in events beyond his control, Serge agrees to follow Kid on her quest to
retrieve an artifact, unwittingly embarking upon an adventure that will span
time and space. Adding a new layer of complexity to his quest is the shadowy
pursuit of an unknown entity bent upon his capture. In a race against time
to find the artifact, Serge is forced to delve into his past for answers to
the mystery posed by both his pursuers and the artifact itself. This mystery
must be solved before the malevolent entity can bridge the gap between
worlds, and bring ruin to both.
An epic saga spanning two worlds, Chrono Cross expands beyond the
traditional linear plot line by providing players with multiple choices that
can culminate in one of 10 different endings. Complimenting this dynamic
story element is a cast of more than 40 interactive characters, each with
its own particular strengths and weaknesses.
Players face their enemies using a combination battle system that provides
flexible fighting options. For example, there are three levels of
hand-to-hand combat and special fighting techniques that allow two or more
party members to team-up and execute powerful combination moves. The battle
system offers players variety and an added action element to the fighting
that traditional turn-based fighting games don't. Players are further aided
by an overhead view that shows enemies approaching. This gives players the
option of choosing when to fight and eliminates random encounters for which
they may not be prepared.
In addition to traditional combat, players can also use magic on their
enemies. Chrono Cross' magic system incorporates supernatural elements that
are strategically placed in a character's "grid", a panel of slots which can
be assigned elements. The grid gives players the flexibility to tailor their
spells to the mission at hand. As a character becomes more powerful, the
number of slots on their grid increases, allowing access to more spell
elements. Spell placement on the grid determines spell attributes. The
higher on a grid a spell is placed, the more powerful, though it takes more
effort to cast. Spells at the lower end of the grid don't pack as much
power, but can be quickly executed.
Chrono Cross is compatible with the DUALSHOCK™ analog controller and has a
suggested retail price of US $40. The game carries an ESRB rating of "T"
(Teen).
Buona lettura :)
Tet_Zuo

Da IGN:
Presentation
It doesn't have as much CG as Square's Final Fantasy games, but handles the
story transitions extremely well with a mixture of the CG scenes that it
does use in-game cut scenes.  9.5
Graphics
The level of detail in the textures and animation are amazing. The 3D
backgrounds are immense and have an insane among of detail to them.  9.8
Sound
The music is beautiful and almost all of the songs are really good. However,
there's nothing that really stands out as being a step above the rest.  9.0
Gameplay
Battles in the game are rather deep and enjoyable -- quite rare in RPGs.
EVERY traditional RPG should handle random battles like they do in Chrono
Cross.  10.0
Lasting Appeal
There's so much to this game -- diehards could play through Chrono Cross
multiple times and still not see everything.  10.0
OVERALL SCORE (not an average)  9.7
Tet_Zuo