art styles between the 3

[chi_z]

My search skills are either nonexistent, or the compendium needs better search function as I didnt really find much on the topic. Which of the 3 games has the better art style? CT, despite being a toriyama work, is generally darker in pallate than CC, perhaps except 65 mil BC. Though suddenly in CC, you're thrown from verdant greens and amazingly amazing tropics into the grayness of eden/dead sea/fort dragonia/terra tower. Even the grass in CT seems a bit darker than CC for the most part, such as 600 AD with the dreary overcast skies. I think I might care for the style in RD the least, character wise anyways. Environs are fine as I've never really had problems suspending disbelief from that or anything. In case this has been done to death, which of the 3 has the best soundtrack? If thats been done to death, how was your day? 

[Mr Bekkler]

Best soundtrack is going to be harder than best art style.

I love the Cross soundtrack except for two things. First, the battle song is hard for me to listen to because of the time signature (I'm told it's 9/8 by Jormungand). I think that's fine for a boss battle, but anything other than 3/4 and 4/4 is rather unsettling and I don't think that should have been the main battle theme since you have to listen to it a million times through the game. That's probably what kept me from finishing for so long. I know that's the same battle theme that's in RD but for some reason it doesn't bug me as much there (also I haven't finished RD). Second, I don't like how the tropical island feel bled into every piece of music in CC. It would have been more effective in some areas than others, but perhaps Mitsuda could only use one set of instruments, I don't know.

CT's soundtrack is more memorable for me, but also overplayed, my own fault.

RD's soundtrack is probably my favorite actually, excluding Gale, it's got some clean non tropical versions of melodies that were re-used in Cross that are just so catchy I get them stuck in my head all the time. Only problem there is it's short.


As far as the art styles, RD is definitely my least favorite, but there's no official art that I know of either, so that's a huge factor. I personally prefer Toriyama's style to the Cross style. I think both are very lively and work very well for their respective games, though I would have preferred a consistent style throughout. My vote's on CT for the playable characters being more distinguished and because Schala's hair is blue.

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

Chrono Trigger is my favorite soundtrack of all time. It beats Radical Dreamers and Chrono Cross.

I think it's the most memorable, and I may be a bit biased, as Chrono Trigger holds a special place in my heart (as the first true RPG I ever played, plus I was a young child when I played it). There are some really stand out tracks that are just completely epic for various reasons... Silent Light is so dark and mysterious, Chrono Trigger (theme song) is so epic and fist pumpin' radical, Memories of Green is haunting and serene, Wind Scene has a darkness and curiosity that screams "things aren't right", Brink of Time is majestic and yet foreboding, Sealed Door is so bittersweet, etc... I think each of these themes is a truly standout example of emotion in the video game art form. These are just a few themes off the top of my head and there are just so many great, memorable songs in Chrono Trigger.

I think overall there are more memorable themes in Chrono Trigger than the other two. And the thing is, I don't think many of the Chrono Trigger themes translate well to orchestration. This is where the Chrono Cross soundtrack really shines. Chrono Trigger, because it's in mini-form, is simply able to do more than the Chrono Cross soundtrack.

I haven't given the Radical Dreamers soundtrack enough time to really consider it, though...

[Kodokami]

Personally, I can't take Toriyama's style seriously. It never changes. All his character resemble one another, no matter where they are from (Chrono Trigger, DBZ, Dragon Quest, etc.)

[Lennis]

And the thing is, I don't think many of the Chrono Trigger themes translate well to orchestration.

Oh, really?  You might want to take a gander at this:  http://dangoodale.wordpress.com/downloads/chrono-trigger-remixes/

As for art styles, honestly I have to go with Chrono Cross because it's less cartoony.  When I visualize the Chrono Trigger characters in my novel, I don't see them looking like Toriyama drawings, I see them in a much more realistic fashion.

[utunnels]

Personally, I can't take Toriyama's style seriously.

I agree with you on this, hehe.
But despite that, CT is more of sprites and tiles, unless you are talking about concept art.

As for music, it is interesting many games have a good ending theme, the three are not exceptions.

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

Oh, really?

I didn't mean that none of them translate well to orchestration... There are plenty of good ones out there. I don't think I've heard the ones you linked, so I'll have to check them out. Chrono Symphonic, for example, had a lot of missed opportunity...

[Kodokami]

But despite that, CT is more of sprites and tiles, unless you are talking about concept art.

Ah. In that case, Radical Dreamers has the best art style of all: no art! Everything is left to your imagination!

More seriously, while Cross has quite the visual appeal, Trigger's in-game art style is a collage of all the greatness that came before it. And that, to me, is unique.

[chi_z]

anything can be orchestrated, but yeah some things lend themselves to the art more than others. try orchestrating gonzalez's theme, then try magus' lol.

[Kodokami]

try orchestrating gonzalez's theme

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysznU8zQHjw&feature=relmfu

OK, so it's not orchestra... But it fits, me thinks.

[Lennis]

I didn't mean that none of them translate well to orchestration... There are plenty of good ones out there. I don't think I've heard the ones you linked, so I'll have to check them out. Chrono Symphonic, for example, had a lot of missed opportunity...

Dan Goodale's work is far superior to anything heard in Chrono Symphonic.  Symphonic was good in its own right, but suffered from poor instrumentation.  Both projects were done with computer software, but Goodale's sounded less like a computer and more like a real orchestra.

[utunnels]

Oh, really?  You might want to take a gander at this:  http://dangoodale.wordpress.com/downloads/chrono-trigger-remixes/
...

I must say thank you for the link.

I recall I heard one of them somewhere, but I never knew that page (maybe because I need a proxy to access wordpress).

[Mr Bekkler]

Justin St Charles also made some amazing Chrono music, like perfectly clean versions of the original songs.


Found it:
http://chronofan.com/Black/Music%20(Chrono%20Trigger)/Justin%20St.%20Charles%20-%20Chrono%20Trigger%20Reflections.rar

[Beach Bum]

To be honest, each art style works for the specific games. So I wouldn't say one is better then the other. Chrono Trigger would not be Chrono Trigger in Cross art style, and Chrono Cross would not be Chrono Cross in Trigger art style.

I do think Belthasar looks better in Chrono Cross. He looks less goofy and more darker, partly because his eyes aren't visible, which suits him as he is a schemer.

However Chrono, Robo, Schala, and Magus are all TYPICAL Toriyama style, which is great. It suits them. And the exaggerated action scenes from DBZ also very much fit Chrono Trigger.

I have to say though that Yasuyuki Honne did an AMAZING job on Chrono Cross' level design. The world maps, Chronopolis, the Dead Sea, Fort Dragonia... And how he revived Leene Square and Nadia's Bell was just spectacular.

[Nangbaby]

I prefer Chrono Trigger's art style by far, even though I like Chrono Cross' art.

There's something about Toriyama's style I like.  Yes, it's cartoony and sometimes suffers from the whole "only five faces" deal, but it appeals to me on a level that Chrono Cross' art does not.