CLOSED - Rate Cross Characters 24: Nikki

[ZeaLitY]

Evaluate Nikki based on his character design, combat usefulness, and Tilt factor -- which can mean anything, from how much he strikes you as cool to how important he is to the plot.

http://www.chronocompendium.com/Term/Nikki.html

[Kyronea]

Character Design: He's a rocker, with makeup. I get a KISS vibe from his design, actually.

Combat Usefulness: The very first time I played Cross I chose his path, and he was pretty useful then. Not so much compared to others, but he has his moments.

Tilt: Okay, Nikki, you're great in many ways. You feel human, you're Fargo's son, AND you are the one playing one of the best pieces of music in the game during one of the most emotionally laden sidequests in the game. You've got a lot going for yourself.

BUT!

Problem is, you're still just a rocker. You can't use a guitar in real combat, especially not the way you use it, unless you have some sort of magical ability to utilize sound waves in a harmful manner...which might actually be possible given your Demi-Human blood.

Still, I don't think you should have been a PC. Important NPC most definitely, but not a PC.

Final Grade: B

[CelestialPhantasm]

Design: It's David Bowie! Yeah! He's a flamboyant rocker- very distinct for an RPG. I wish he upgraded his guitars instead of his picks, though. 

Combat: Good well rounded character- much better choice than Korcha

Tilt: Nikki's definitely one of my favorites.  I liked him in the past because he was a passionate musician and a very human character with a strong connection to the world of Chrono Cross.  But then I started listening to David Bowie and now I like Nikki even more because of the obvious inspiration.

Should he be a PC? Absolutely! In a world of demi-humans and time and dimensional spanning conspiracies... a musician who can manipulate sound for battle purposes isn't so far-fetched.  And he's such a fun character, why wouldn't you want him in your party?

This is an easy choice. "Easier than playing the bass"

A

[ZeaLitY]

Design: Yeah, he capitalizes on the Japanese rock opera stuff. Which makes him sort of original to an American audience!

Combat: He's got a double tech. Though not the best, he's still solid as one of the three PCs of Termina.

Tilt: He gets major development with Fargo, Kid, the people of Marbule, the Acacias, and Serge. He's a benchmark for what a good PC should be. In the world of Chrono, he's a true radical dreamer, and takes center stage in a lion's share of the plot.

A

[Romana]

Design:

Design: Yeah, he capitalizes on the Japanese rock opera stuff. Which makes him sort of original to an American audience!

Original indeed, I hadn't even seen anyone like him before. He looks alright, but his exposed chest makes him look like a leper.

Combat: I used him quite a lot actually (from Termina onwards for a significant amount of time). Nikki is pretty good in battle. I swapped him out in favour of Fargo later on, but come on, that's only to be expected. His Techs are fair, and he's decent. I don't really care that he uses a guitar, nothing else would look right for Nikki.

Tilt: Nice backstory. I also like how he's pretty determined in finding out his father and sister's identities.

Final Grade: B

[Radical_Dreamer]

Design: Well, he sure does look like a J-Rocker. I actually just now noticed the long nails. Big no-no for a string musician, but hey, it's a video game.

Combat: I actually took his path my first play through, and he was pretty decent for the first part of the game.

Tilt: He does play a rock show during the game. That's pretty sweet.

B

[maggiekarp]

I didn't actually get him in my playthrough, but he managed to show up constantly. He was the Runaway Five of CC to me.


B

[ZeaLitY]

Am I going to have to throw out the outliers because of some troll who refuses to justify his or her opinions? There's consistently one idiotic vote in the mix, like an A for Korcha or in this case, a D for Nikki.

[Kyronea]

Am I going to have to throw out the outliers because of some troll who refuses to justify his or her opinions? There's consistently one idiotic vote in the mix, like an A for Korcha or in this case, a D for Nikki.

If this person is the same person, constantly voting in opposite of the trend of votes or what have you, then yes, because they're clearly voting just to throw numbers off.

[CelestialPhantasm]

Design: Yeah, he capitalizes on the Japanese rock opera stuff. Which makes him sort of original to an American audience!

Combat: He's got a double tech. Though not the best, he's still solid as one of the three PCs of Termina.

Tilt: He gets major development with Fargo, Kid, the people of Marbule, the Acacias, and Serge. He's a benchmark for what a good PC should be. In the world of Chrono, he's a true radical dreamer, and takes center stage in a lion's share of the plot.

A

When does he get development with Kid? Did I not put him in my party at the right time for something?... (it's kind of funny that you have to know when to have certain characters in your party.  Is there any way to know that you should have Nikki in your party when you first arrive on the S.S. Invincible on your first playthrough?) Or am I just forgetting something?

[ZeaLitY]

I think you have to take Kid to see him at some point. Kid asks him about the origin of the name Magical Dreamers, and he states that when he was about to give up, Lucca visited him and said that his music was beautiful and dreamy, and that he should continue (he doesn't know it was Lucca, though). Kid says she'll tell him who that woman was after their adventure concludes.

[CelestialPhantasm]

Ohhh, cool.

[ZeaLitY]

Might as well post it from the script for others. I'd never seen it myself, and assumed it was a set of lost lines until someone proved you could trigger it.

Kid:
   ......?
   Where the bloody hell
   is Nikki?
   I wanted to ask him
   somethin'...

Kid:
   I'm gonna go look
   for him...
   Wait here.
   
Kid:
   Hey, Nikki...
   I wanna ask ya somethin'.

Nikki:
   Yes?
   What is it?

Kid:
   It's been botherin' me
   for a long time...
   How'd ya come up with
   the name of your band?
   
Nikki:
   Oh...that...
   
Nikki:
   Well, there's a story behind it.
   When I first started out on
   my own, I couldn't even break
   the top 100 chart.
   Inc17001What's even worse was
   that nobody accepted my looks,
   or the meaning behind my songs.
   I was way depressed...
   I didn't think I had the talent,
   so I stopped believing in myself.
   I was this close to quitting...

Nikki:
   But one day, a woman stopped
   by my trailer and said...
   '"Your songs sing of
    magical dreams.
    They're beautiful..."'
   Those words made me
   so happy...
   That's when I decided that
   if I were ever to have my
   own band, I would name it
   '"Magical Dreamers!!!"'
   
Kid:
   Huh...
   I think I might have
   an idea who that
   woman might be...
   
Nikki:
   ......!
   You know her!?
   Inc17002Please, tell me
   who she is!
   I've been wanting to
   thank her all these years!

Kid:
   ......
   One of these days, I'll tell ya.
   ...When everythin's over.
   
Nikki:
   Looks like you have
   your reasons...
   OK, then,
   that's a promise.

Kid:
   Yeah, sure...
   But when that time comes,
   let me hear some of
   yer old songs.

[CelestialPhantasm]

Cool, I never got that.  Thanks for filling me in.