While Chrono Cross takes up many of the threads woven by Chrono Trigger,
it is not exactly a sequel per se. It was predated by Radical Dreamers,
the actual sequel to Chrono Trigger on the Super Famicom than never made
it to the States.
Aside from that, it happens to be a kick ass game; easily one of the best
I've ever played. It has a kick ass play system, and the plot is simply
stunning. You don't often find such plot complexity in a video game, and
all the twists and turns, not to mention the sheer number of characters, reminds
me of Tolstoy, or Robert Jordan.
One of the best features is the fact that you can avoid the random battles
that become so tedious in the Final Fantasy series. Now don't get me wrong,
I love Final Fantasy, but it can get extremely annoying when you're really
high level, and are trying to complete some archaic sub-quest, only to be drawn
into some stupid battle every five steps. In Chrono Cross, you
can see "battles" as enemy creatures on the World Map. If you run
into them, then you go into Battle Mode. Otherwise, both parties go their
merry way. Some are harder to avoid than others, but almost all of them can
be.
All in all a great game, with some serious replay value, and the "good"
ending is really kick ass. That scene as the credits are rolling where she's
waiting at a cross walk, fufilling her promise to somehow find you, is
truly awesome. Gotta love video games :0)