Possibly the greatest RPG of all time.
Chrono Cross is a game not to be missed by any RPG lover. It is one of the greatest accomplishments in the game industry fueled by an engrossing, complex and intricate plot coupled by stylized gameplay and beautiful music.
Chrono Cross like most JRPGs, has all your standard RPG elements. It's story driven, features a world map and expansive exploration, interactive NPCs and lots of boss fights. However, this game is terribly misunderstood.
I find that most people give up on this game very early, because it starts off slowly. Moreso, the plot is very complex and a lot of people will be confused as to what's going on. Therefore, I find it important to understand the lore of Chrono Trigger, the preceding game, in order to fully understand this game. There are so many surprises and things you can not grasp the gravity of unless you understand some of the things from the original game.
Also, the fact that the game features about 50 playable characters is very intimidating for a lot of old school and new school players alike. The fact is every character has something to offer to the plot and every character has an interesting and well thought out backstory. Whilst playing the game, you'll hardly notice having so many characters and you may even make it an objective to obtain all of the characters within a few playthroughs.
You play as Serge, a village boy who gets mysteriously transported to another dimension where he has died. He teams up with Kid, a trash talking thief who invites him on an adventure after a run in with people who seem to know who Serge is and where he came from.
Of course, you don't HAVE to go with Kid. That's the beauty of this game. There are so many different ways to attack the plot and you can go with whichever way fits you fancy. The fact is, until you come upon a new game plus, you'll always arrive at the same end (unless you defeat the last boss incorrectly, in which case you can get a "bad" ending).
You'll learn of why Serge is so special, lock horns with a few angry dragons and even save time and space as we know it. The games plot isn't forced or cliche. It's flows naturally and by the end of the game, you'll be sad to see it end.
The game features a unique battle system in which you must control the elements (magic) used to keep the field in your favor. Every element cast turns 1/3rd of the field into that elements color. For instance, casting red magic turns the field red. If you cast a red magic attack, the boss casts a red magic attack and you do it one more time, the field becomes red and red attack become stronger. You can also summon if the field is in the color of the summon you're trying to cast.
The game largely physically based however, and you can upgrade your weapons using things that drop off of enemies (much like Final Fantasy VIII). Each of your characters also has an innate elemental color. Serge's, for instance, is white. If the opposite of white, black, is cast on him he takes extra damage and vice-versa.
It's understanding these things that makes the game easier for you. It's not particularly difficult to grasp, however a lot of people don't have the patience for it.
Patience is also important as the story really jumps into high gear midway through the game. The game is story driven, but you can go off and do your own thing until the second half of the game when certain things have to be done to advance the plot.
Your actions control who is in your party and how the plot advances. In fact, the second most powerful character in the game is gotten through means that many feel is the more "heartless" way to go through the game. But, to each his own.
In addition to that, the game features a beautiful, epic soundtrack scored by Yasunori Mitsuda. The opening credits before the title screen is a shining example of beautiful music played in this game. It'll tug at your heart and this game will resonate with you for years to come.
The only features a few cutscenes, which is rather disappointing, but each cutscene is beautiful and long enough to satisfy you. Graphically speaking, it's a standard Playstation JRPG so you know what to expect.
In conclusion, if your looking a story-driven epic RPG then pick this up. I recommend it to all RPG lovers. It's truly a masterpiece and a work of art. I only wish more people would recognize it.