Prop 8 The Musical

I know this is about a month old but, in light of Obama's moving inauguration speech about turning the country around, I thought this was an appropriate post for anyone that hasn't already seen this video.

Chrono Trigger: Timeless

After almost 14 years, countless overwhelmingly positive reviews and a status that borders on legendary, I can tell you there’s not much I can say about Chrono Trigger that hasn’t been said already.

The game was an instant smash when it was released in 1995, peaking the twilight years of the SNES. Fans and critics alike loved the concept, which took the masterminds behind Japan’s twin role-playing colossi, Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, and fused them together to create a sprawling, time-traveling epic. They loved the execution even more.

Six years went by. Square decided to re-release the game for the ps one, complete with a vastly improved translation and an assortment of flashy new anime cutscenes from the game’s character designer, Dragonball’s Akira Toriyama. Gamers everywhere went ga-ga, myself included.

Now, with the treads of the Square-Enix remake machine running arguably past full power as they have since 2006, Chrono Trigger is back for round three, this time on Square-Enix’s perennial favorite, the DS.

This new, travel-friendly edition has all the bells and whistles included with the ps one release, plus a touch screen mode which unclutters the game’s battle screens, an improved (read: richer and more nuanced) translation and a goofy monster battling mini-game reminiscent Dragon Quest VIII’s monster arena, among a few other surprises.

And while I could spend this review saying what’s already firmly been established—that Chrono Trigger is without a doubt one of the best RPGs ever made, as many so fervently believe—that would be a proverbial waste of breath.

What I can tell you is this: when you have a host of next-gen games at your fingertips and you still find yourself gravitating towards a 14-year-old game that made its debut before today's run-of-the-mill gaming technology had really even been in use, you know it’s something special.

The remake angle is not a new concept for Square, who have been re-releasing past Final Fantasy’s and other titles since well before they gave Chrono Trigger another chance in the limelight.

But unlike even past Final Fantasy reworkings, Chrono Trigger has arguably retained its damn-near immortal status not because just because it’s good, but because it’s a game with personality and character.

Sure, there’s plenty of games that have great characters or an engaging story, but few can pump the kind of blood into a tale like this one does—a tale of friendship, heroism, and good old fashioned good and evil. Like revisiting a classic film, the straightforward charms of both the game’s characters and gameplay will bring a smile to the face of even the most jaded gamer, something few games can pull this off this well, even today.

So, can you really improve on a classic? That seems to be the question that Square-Enix is driving at (or attempting to) with the changes pumping blood through this new iteration.

The new translation is, for the most part, a much deeper and more subtle script that adds to the overall experience, if in a slightly superfluous way.

The ps one’s translation was perfectly fine, and in some cases even better—for example, the decision to eliminate Frog’s quasi-Shakespearean mode of speech, present in the ps one edition a la Vagrant Story or the PSP’s Final Fantasy Tactics redux The War of the Lions, is a definite tragedy.

However, this is a minor complaint amidst a host of new or improved features.

The DS edition’s touch-screen capabilities are a nice touch, as is the handy and ever-present map that occupies the lower screen. The sweeping score remains an aural treat, and the anime cutscenes, ported over from the ps one release, look cleaner and (for the most part) sharper than ever. Even the little pauses that cropped up in the playstation edition after winning a battle have been (seemingly) reduced, and drastically.

And while its important for those of you who haven’t played Chrono Trigger to know that it plays like a game that was made in 1995, that shouldn't be a deterrent. In all likelihood, games wouldn’t be the same today without the important innovations Square first unveiled here.

Aside from the game’s engrossing clockwork narrative, Chrono Trigger set precedents with its multiple endings, unique battle system (goodbye, random battles) and new game plus, a concept that allowed you to take your leveled-up characters and play through the game with them again. All of these concepts have since been used in countless other RPGs.

The best form of praise (or perhaps the most paid attention to) I can give the game, however, is that it’s still a blast to play. Now that Square has seen fit to re-release it for the next generation of gaming tykes, I only hope they too can look past age and experience firsthand all the heart and soul this game has beating inside it.

Chrono Trigger may be well into its own twilight years now, but believe me—it’s still got it.


Chrono Trigger
4.5 out 5 stars
Square-Enix
Nintendo DS
$39.99

Bodhi at PDX Pop Now!

In celebration of Alex's profile of local "relocated garage punks" Bodhi, here's a quick video of a performance at PDX Pop NOW! from a couple years ago.

Now guitar smashing (unfortunately) but there's definitely some latent violence in the air so you're welcome to use your imagination.

"The Change is In" from Fernando

Check out Rich's excellent piece on Fernando in today's issue of the Vanguard for the full story and in the meantime here's a few words from the man himself:

Banana Keeper saves civilization

I was fooling around today on Starfucker's myspace (one of the many activities I enjoy whilst pretending to work) when I was suddenly struck by a mysterious picture sitting just below the "Sounds Like" heading. What was this strangely phallic object? Why, it was the miraculous invention known as the Banana Keeper!

Apparently banana protection is a problem for the general public as there are multiple variations on this bizarre product ranging from the goofy to the overtly dildo-esque.

No longer will our bananas be subject to inopportune bruising. No longer will my repressed homosexuality have to be manifest itself through repeated viewings of Bromance. The age of the Banana Keeper is upon us!

More Mad Men!!

Fortunately for fans of period drama/blatant sexism, Mad Men will be returning to AMC this summer helmed by series creator Matthew Weiner.

Until very recently the question of whether or not he would return was up in the air as the mastermind behind the Sterling Cooper-verse apparently demanded a hefty seven figure income to stay on with the show. Thankfully, some form of a deal has been reached which will include that seven figure paycheck and is also reported to entail a movie development deal with Lionsgate (fingers crossed on that one).

In the mean time I can sit back and let my dorktastic excitement for season 3 slowly build to fever pitch.

Speaking of blatant sexism:

All the reading you could want...

The Vanguard has searched high and low to bring you the best of the best sports links and timewasters for your holiday Monday. Enjoy!!

Just to prove that there is more to the Portland Trail Blazers than Darius Miles phat salary and the latest injury update here is Greg Oden's less-than-funny undersized bus commercial. Like I said, not that funny.

Meanwhile Rudy Fernandez is headed to the dunk contest as the United States gets another taste of the potent fan reaction of international players. This after it seems like the entire Houston starting five will also be doubling as the West's team starters at the All-Star game.

Like I said before, if Rudy could just do this again... I think he'd be fine... Somehow I imagine Howard not wanting to comply.

Meanwhile, the O's high school writer, Doug Binder, had a cool story about Jefferson High School's basketball program.

In case you were wondering, it seems that the two biggest names that could be on the move before the NBA Trading block are: Jermaine O'Neal and Monta Ellis. Both seem unhappy about their current roles and O'Neal has only hindered the flair and creativity of the Raptors. Couldn't the Blazers use a productive veteran power forward to back up Aldridge? Just a thought.

One of the story's of the week was the announcement of USC QB Mark Sanchez declaring for the NFL draft and leaving a broken-hearted Pete Carroll alone at the podium. While Carroll took a bunch of heat for his unprofessional and unusual behavior Gregg Doyel presents a different side of the story. Worth a look...

Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe sums up my feelings on Arizona Cardinals and their fans nicely. Of course he wrote this before the Buzzsaw's huge victory yesterday but I think there's still some application.

And if you were wondering how Matt Leinart feels about being the backup quarterback on a Super Bowl squad, apparently he's taking it quite well.

And if you're having any college football withdrawals after what was a pretty good season, unless you're a Viking fan, check out how you can convince yourself that your other favorite team actually won the national championship. See for yourself:

Oregon

Oregon State

Of course Utah probably didn't need this kind of site... They sort of had their own parade last week...