2/12/05 - What was the most dramatic moment in the series?

[Leebot]

Vote!

My vote goes to the Dead Sea event in CC.

[Chrono'99]

The burning orphanage scene (CC).

I sometimes replay the game only to see this scene actually...

[V_Translanka]

I always saw it more as "Crono's Sacrifice", but, whatever...That's what I vote for...

Learning that Lavos destroyed the world (CT) is definately a Top 3. Up until that point, the major villain wasn't really clear. And boy did they give Lavos an entrance into the series. A wasteland future brought to you via the havoc of one intersteller organism of mass destruction. And it shore is funny to turn down Marle when she says that they should save the future!

Frog harnessing the Masamune (CT), while cool, and, heck, even a little dramatic, wasn't that big of a deal. You see it coming (both times really...), but whenever Masa & Mune talk, it's normally a cool lil' speech to wrap your mind around. Like mind over matter.

Lavos killing Crono (aka Crono's Sacrifice) (CT) was one of the major factors in the entire series that really made it what it is. It's yet another Chrono claim to fame. It's one of a very select few RPGs where not just a character bites the dust (which is actually very common), but the main character takes the dirt nap. He also does it against none-other than the main baddy (who else could the main goodie die against?) and manages to save the party (unless you think someone else did that I guess...). It was his ditch effort to stop Lavos at all costs.

Crono's resurrection (CT) another pretty dramatic moment that was pretty obviously coming...In fact, some people believe it might have been better had Crono stayed dead (could you imagine?).

The confrontation with Lynx on the roof of Viper's Manor (CC) was kind of dramatic, but since at that time you really still have next to no clue as to what Lyxn is or what he wants or what all of it means in relation to Serge, it takes some of it out of the equation. It's more dramatic looking back on. Plus, I guess, it tried too hard to try to be dramatic with the whole black backgrounds and no music...It's actually pretty cool once you're on New Game+ and you can Slow Motion it...Heh.
   
Dark Serge stabbing Kid (CC) was dramatic in the sense that Serge (as Lynx) could do nothing to stop it. You knew from pretty much the start of the game that Serge was probably going to stab Kid (although you might have tried and tried to stay away from her to prevent it), you just didn't know how or why it was going to happen. Cool scene none-the-less. That expression on Kid's face kills me every time.

The accusations of Crono, Marle, and Lucca's ghosts (CC) was really killed when Miguel explains them and says not to pay attention to them...Before that, it was like, "WHAAAAT!??!"...Like a lot of Chrono Cross...

The burning orphanage scene (CC) was one of the most dramatic scenes in CC. Although Kid tells (or at least, she can) Serge a little about it on Water Dragon Isle, you never really know what you're getting into...Unless you saw some of the first screens of CC like everybody else...Man...What was with that? They release screen shots of one of the most important scenes in the entire game?!? I never even thought about that...Well...Whatever...Little Kid at the end is as bad as stabbied Kid in Fort Dragonia...

But hey, there's a LOT of dramatic moments in the series...Why nothing from Radical Dreamers??? That's what over half of that game is...Drama drama drama...I think Kid & the Sunflower at the very least deserves an honorable mention...Then probably the Lynx Confrontation at the end game.[/i]

[Leebot]

Well, I didn't include scenes from RD for a few reasons:

1) Fewer people have played it than CT or CC, so it would skew the voting.

2) If I included any scenes, I'd have to include a lot, and there are limited options.

[Sentenal]

hey, I'd replace "Frog harnesing the Masamune" with "Frog facing Magus in his Castle".  That would have easilly nabbed my vote.

[Leebot]

Well, you can interpret it as any of the Frog/Magus scenes if you wish (just note which one in a post). That one was just my personal favorite (that beam of light into the sky plus the music was just so cool), so I put that one up. I didn't want to have too many choices centering around the same series of events.

It's turning out that my predictions for dramatic moments aren't all that accurate, but that's why we have these polls. In fact, the current leader (the burning orphanage scene) was the last one I put in, almost as an afterthought.

[Radical_Dreamer]

Hmmm. I'm probably going to put in a vote for Frog Harnessing the Masamune (haven't yet though) because I'd say it's the most dramatic of the options. I'm just debating whether it's more dramatic than the fall of the Reptites.

The scene after the battle with the Black Tyranno is one which I found incredibly dramatic. With the age old conflict settled, Ayla offers to save Azala, despite that they were mortal enemies moments ago. The two were enemies in the most natural way; for one to survive, the other must perish, and yet Ayla offered her hand to Azala. Azala, the wiser of the two, declined, accepting the natural order of things, but asking one request of Ayla: To remember the Reptites, and how bravely they fought. It shows the ability of two mortal foes able to reconcile when their generations long conflict finally ends.

On the other hand, we have the scene where Frog reclaims the Masamune. This scene may as well be considered Frog's death, because this is the point where Glenn returns, if not in form, in spirit. After having spent the last decade hiding in shame as Frog, the return of the Masamune gave Glenn the strength he needed to return to his former self. Gone from the game is Frog, the knight paralyzed by doubt and remorse; Glenn lives again as he proclaims his return and his mission. The only scene that compares to this one in the development of Glenn's character is the scene where Glenn lays Cyrus (and symbolically, Frog) to rest.

Tough call.

[sarua]

From this ones burning orphanage scene, most shokings was burning picture of Lucca.

But most shoking and probably dramatic event for me was destruction of FATE, when i understood that they killed their own protector, yes FATE was evil, but she was guarding mankind from even greater evil.

[Arc Impulse]

There are many, many scenes in the games which moved me.  (For the poll's purposes I voted for Frog unleashing the Masamune.  That scene always gives me goosebumps.)  But the one that comes instantly to my mind when I think of memorable Chrono scenes is in the Japanese version of Chrono Trigger, when Magus reveals himself to confront Lavos at the Ocean Palace.  The English version of this scene, which of course I saw first, was very moving too, but it's the Japanese version that stands out in my mind--the way the quiet Magus lets loose the full force of his anger and his sheer hatred on Lavos, discarding the neutral, polite way he normally refers to himself, "watashi", in favor of the angry, aggressive "ore".  It really conveys the depth of his feeling and how much of himself he's willing to let loose, if he's only able to defeat this creature.  Such a huge change for such a normally inward-centered, self-contained person.  I used to have that line in my sig, the first time he refers to himself as "ore".  When I first read it in the game it gave me the chills.

My third choice would probably be the resurrection scene.  I think that image of Crono lying under the single tree at the top of Death Peak will go down as one of the great iconic moments of video game history.  And also, well, the game was named after it. X3;

[razor's edge]

I voted for Crono's death, because, damn.  Using oneself as a shield to protect the others is a big thing. Not to mention that this comes immediately after Magus tries to take on Lavos and realizes just how powerful Lavos really is.

Second place goes to Frog unleashing the Masamune. The burning orphanage gets third place.

[SilentMartyr]

A very good poll, wow, just an awesome question. For me it is Crono sacrificing himself. There is just so much going on plotwise in that scene. Besides Crono dying there is, Magus revealing his true self, Marle's love for Crono is solidified here, Magus being defeated by Lavos, Schala sacrificing herself to get the others out of the palace. That scene changed the game from being really good to the pinnacle of RPG's that it is.

I would list others, but in comparison to Crono's death it just at a different level then the other scene's. Maybe (a big one) when Magus tells you who he really is, for that is a huge character developing moment. That scene changes Magus from being some evil villan bent on the destruction of the world to one most popular characters in video game history. All of the things he did are jusitfied in that scene, and Frog not fighitng him pushes the point home evern further.

Recently I played from the beginning no new game + to show my friend the game. He is a very casual gamer, only plays a few select playstation 2 games and the occasional SMB. After Crono's death played through he was blown away. He couldn't believe the events that transpired in front of his eyes. It was really cool watching him see the game unfold. It was like going back in time to 1995, and seeing my own reaction to the game the first time I played it. It really rekindled my love for the game, it made me remeber exactly why I spent so much time on it. I recommend doing this, when you get as deep as we get into the game you kinda forget how it all started, the more obvious parts of the storyline that we tend to take advantage of. I know I do sometimes, it sounds really corny and all that but it really makes you reappreciate the game at all levels.

[V_Translanka]

I think it's obvious that each game should eventually get their own "most dramatic moment" poll...

[GreenGannon]

THe fact that Crono knew he couldn't defeat Lavos, but tried anyway for the sake of his friends makes it all the more dramatic.

Of course, if it was up on there, I would have voted for the part right *after* the temporal vortex. That's the part where the player realizes that no one recognizes him.

To think Serge's life in Home is gone now, thanks to this, and even in Another his good name is slandered. He know has no one, save for Harle who was fighting for the enemy only just before.

[Ed]

I'm going to have to agree with Leebot on this one... just reaching the end of the Tower of Geddon and seeing Leene Square was a major shocker.... that whole scene gave me chills.

Fun times.

[Lord J Esq]

None of the above, is my answer to the poll. To me the most dramatic moment in the series was in the Dead Sea, in one of the surviving control centers where you can see the water frozen in time as it rushes to flood the room.