Visible scanning lines, muffled sounds, flickering graphical blotches and terrible loading times = bad PS emulation!
Chrono Trigger has less problems than Final Fantasy IV, but that's not saying much. If you can stand it, there are ridiculously long loading times between the in game display and your menu screen. When they ask you to name a character, be prepared to wait a good solid 15 seconds before it loads up. This may not seem like a big deal at first, but it gets old pretty quickly. There's also a shorter but uncomfortable loading time between every battle and at every end of the battle.
I can't decide which makes me more sick: The fact that retro gaming stores across the U.S. are selling this cheap emulation for $30.00 or more, or the fact that my Windows ME computer back in 2001 could emulate these games better than Squaresoft's pathetic PS emulation of the same year. Please listen to me! I love both of these games, and I know you probably do as well or you wouldn't be reading this review. Note the following:
"If you are plaining on purchasing this disc set, please do the following instead:
1. Pay $40.00 on Amazon for a used copy of Chrono Trigger, and I'll mail you a SNES for just $25.00 or go find one on Craigslist for almost nothing. And you can find countless ports of Final Fantasy II (IV) for GBA or the Wii.
2. If you are patient, Chrono Trigger was just released for the Nintendo Wii Virtual Console in Japan, which means it's only a matter of time before it reaches these shores on the Virtual Console. Final Fantasy II (IV) is already available on the Virtual Console.
Because I'm so dead serious about this, and because I want to motivate Nintendo to start releasing better games on the VC, the first person who sends me a message with their Wii Friend Code will receiver a free download of Final Fantasy II for the Virtual Console. To know that you actually read my review here is what I want you to type in your message to me:
"Squaresoft's sucks at emulating SNES games"
Send me that and your Wii friend code, and I will personal buy Final Fantasy II as a gift for you, because Final Fantasy Chronicles isn't worth one iota of your money or time.
P.S. No, I don't have money to blow, but I can trade this terrible game package in for $10.00 back at 3D Games, and I'm using that money to buy you your free gift of Final Fantasy II for Virtual Console. If it will motivate Nintendo to release better titles and keep you from buying or supporting this terrible game package then it is more than worth it.