Hironobu Sakaguchi on Chrono Trigger 2 -PLUS- Video Games Live's Chrono tribute

[Magus22]

The year of 2014 is nearing its end, and the last of the remaining holidays are fast approaching. As we forever wait for Crono to rise from the ruins of Guardia, we should follow Guile's lead and continue searching for our own new enigmas. Perhaps some of you are in the process of solving them! In any case, I hope you all are striving to better yourselves and the world with each passing day. Before I delve into a wonderful tribute to Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross from a live concert, I would like to share some information I recently found (in case anyone may not have heard) about the fate of Chrono Trigger 2 from PAX Prime 2014.

A very special thanks go to GameFAQs user W_Mark_Felt_Sr who I credit for sharing this information. During one of the many PAX Prime panels, Hironobu Sakaguchi shed some light on trying to make Chrono Trigger 2 possible, and his efforts to push the Chrono name forward with a series like Final Fantasy.

You can watch the full feature below this paragraph. The Chrono-related content can be found at time index 12:22 of the video. However, I highly recommend watching everything in its entirety if you have the free time (or watch it in small portions). I personally found it to be an excellent view. Sakaguchi talks about the most prominent and influential RPGs spanning the past 30 years. Also, you can watch the video here on Twitch for better quality.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCA5PFYZ_1k


Further related articles on this video can be found here, and here.


Moving forward...


I had the privilege to attend a Video Games Live (VGL) concert in Rochester, NY (USA) on November 21st, and it was an experience I will never forget. For those of you who may not know about this incredible experience, I would invite you to check out their official website here and to read up on Tommy Tallarico, the creator of Video Games Live.

Additionally, I will quote a portion of background info taken directly from their general "About" page:

"Video Games Live™ is an immersive concert event featuring music from the most popular video games of all time. Top orchestras & choirs perform along with exclusive video footage and music arrangements, synchronized lighting, solo performers, electronic percussionists, live action and unique interactive segments to create an explosive entertainment experience!"

The event took place at the Eastman Theatre; named after George Eastman, the founder of Eastman Kodak. I took the liberty of scanning the program for those interested in learning more about the venue and people involved:

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q3/GUILE22/VGL0001.jpg

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q3/GUILE22/VGL0002.jpg

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q3/GUILE22/VGL0003.jpg

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q3/GUILE22/VGL0004.jpg


If you hover over any of the images from Photobucket, javascript should display a zoom option if you need. I also took additional pictures from inside the theatre so you can check out the surroundings and stage setup:

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q3/GUILE22/IMG_1942.jpg

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q3/GUILE22/IMG_1947.jpg

http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q3/GUILE22/IMG_1946.jpg


This was VGL's 301st concert, and they had just recently performed in Budapest, Hungary. Their visit to my hometown was a first, and I was pleased to have been there in person. One of my main motivations for going was to hear music from Chrono Trigger and Cross that had been reported by others who had attended live performances from around the world. Overall, they performed a wide range of diverse music spanning more than 30 years of video game history. Before and during the live performance (between songs), they added humorous skits (sometimes with dubbed voices) that you would normally see on YouTube or meme sites from classic or current video games. Below is a picture I took featuring scenes from Super Mario World before the live performance began:



You can watch the actual video they used here.

The concert was divided into two acts with an intermission. The first act included music from Castlevania, Shadow of the Colossus, Resident Evil 5, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Journey, God of War, and Cave Story, to name a few. Additionally, they performed an amazing choir rendition of Liberi Fatali, one of the main themes of Final Fantasy VIII.

One of the "interactive" performances in the first act included Tommy selecting a random concert-goer from the audience to play Space Invaders, while the orchestra played in the background to mimic his every movements as the in-game timer counted down.

As the first act came to its conclusion, a very clever mock "Loading" screen popped up, essentially counting down/loading up the next portion of the concert. This was the scene during the intermission:




The second act began with a Codec call from Solid Snake (David Hayter), personally addressing the audience to make some noise so he could hear them. He then told them get ready for the next act in the performance. Music from the second act featured scores from even more amazing titles such as Kingdom Hearts, Skyrim, Mass Effect, Street Fighter II, and Final Fantasy VI, which consisted of the opera scene. What was great about this sequence was that the vocalist, Jillian Aversa, cosplayed as Celes (Maria). The second act ended with a truly unique Tetris opera, which can be viewed here. One interesting fact about Jillian is that she was one of the founding members that made OC Remix possible.

Now, I was totally blown away by the music and talent. I did not want the event to end. The audience applauded, stood, the orchestra stood and bowed their heads, the stars of the show bowed, and then moved off stage. Everything went black. The concert really was over, and I was told by several sources that the event would feature music from each Chrono game during the performance. At the end, I felt really bad, but it was still a memorable experience. Then, all of a sudden, a classic "Continue" countdown screen popped up. At this point, several audience members had begun to leave, as is the standard at most concerts for those who want to beat the human and vehicle traffic departing the area. The counter began to slowly count down from 10...then 9...8...7... and the audience was growing ecstatic. They began to shout "YES!!!" and an individual somewhere shouted "Someone push start!!" Before the counter had almost reached zero, the screen went black, and Tommy came back out on stage. The suspense in the audience had eased, and Tommy asked if we wanted an encore. We shouted every verbal form of approval, and he proceeded to say that they would be treating us to one of his favorite songs, performed on his third Video Games Live album. That game was Chrono Trigger. The audience erupted with applause and shouts of joy. They began to play the intro jingle, followed by the main theme of 600AD, and ending with Frog's theme. I was in tears after they started playing the music of 600AD... just to be there, in that moment, hearing the music of one of my favorite video games of all time in a concert setting usually reserved for classical compositions and live ballets... words simply had no meaning. Only raw emotion ruled the air. They immediately jumped to Chrono Cross, and the audience once again voiced their approval. The entire opening FMV (Scars of Time) was performed, and Tommy was jamming on his guitar with such fervor. I managed to dig up a couple good links for you all to check out:

Here's a good reference at what the live-event was like.

A closer look at just Chrono Cross, from a different venue.

And just the music without any live footage:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x33RbKZXUP0


As I looked around at this joyful gathering, I noticed a good majority of the cheers were coming from the younger audience members. Then I started to think... hope for the future. There is already a new and fresh generation of young adults and kids who know the Chrono name. Those jubilant expressions I witnessed were not just aimed at the great music, but what the music stood for. More importantly, I saw a connected community of human beings from every demographic in peaceful harmony. Given recent national news in my country within the past several days, this concert had banished all of that unsettling imagery and conflict, much like Yuna's song in the Thunder Plains in Final Fantasy X-2 as it eased tension among the New Yevon and Youth League members in order to unite the people of Spira. I went home that night with a smile on my face that lasted well into the next day.

Video Games Live is an event everyone should try to see, and if it comes to a location near you, I highly recommend attending to support your local orchestra and to hear some excellent video game music. You can check their updating tour dates here.

I have been very troubled with the lack of Chrono news and activity here, especially from several failed attempts at contacting the organizations in the past. But the concert gave me renewed assurance that we will see the likes of Chrono/Serge and company once again. The cogs of fate are in constant motion. The fanbase we help to represent will never disappear, and it is still very much alive. Dalton is going to show his face again, so I want you all to be ready, even more prepared for those of you still waiting for the news we all want to here. The Chrono name will never die out, and as Guile states at the end of Cross, "Let us toast, in hopes that our paths may cross again...!"




With that, I leave you with one of my favorite tracks from Final Fantasy X HD Remaster :



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cb9SqrSNTmg

[Razig]

Thanks for this review. Makes me wish even more that I could attend one of these things! I'm a manly man but I doubt I'd be able to hold back the tears at such a show of love for the games that have meant so much to me for so long.

As for Chrono developing as a series, I don't know where I stand on that. I felt that Lavos was pretty soundly defeated at the end of Cross, so I'd be afraid the series would need to move in a Dragonball-esque "villain of the week" direction, constantly trumping itself with ever-more-powerful-yet-previously-unmentioned threats. The alternative would be to have Lavos constantly dodging the bullet with another Frozen Flame rescue, which would quickly get stale and give the impression that any attempt to defeat it is doomed to fail from the outset. These things would make it difficult to continue the story forward.

However, one of the great things about time travel is that you can continue the story backward. I'd love to see some games covering the interstitial periods that have only been alluded to, such as the fall of Guardia, the rise of Zeal, and the Mystic War prior to Crono's arrival.

I doubt we'll ever see such a thing, but I can dream. Someone high-up at Square must have a real axe to grind against the Chrono games, because making a new one seems like a licence to print money considering the fervor fans still have after fifteen long years.

[Magus22]

You're welcome!

haha I wept at the beautiful sounds being played. I hope you are able to attend one n the near future! Well, as far as Chrono goes, the plot possibilities are endless. Dalton is still at large, Porre still needs to be dealt with, Schala and Kid's status is still a mystery, Magus' whereabouts are still unknown, as well as just about the entire original crew. My gut tells me that we'll see the team again. All life begins and ends with Nu, after all (rampaging Nu's scourging the planet? lol)

We'll have to see what SE plans to do after FFXV is released. I doubt they will get to work on that FF7 remake that everyone seems to want. Besides, FF7 is already scheduled to arrive on consoles (again) in DLC format this year. In any case, my hope shall not waiver. I am going to keep supporting RPGs and contacting SE and other members to push for Chrono to return.