Did you just hear the collective fanboy squee? Square Enix has announced that they are porting Chrono Trigger to the DS. Chrono Trigger is one of the Super Nintendo`s most beloved classics, and is arguably considered to be Square`s finest RPG. Fans have been clamoring for a portable version for years, and they`ll finally get one this holiday, with a new touch screen interface and a brand new dungeon. Expect an official press release shortly, but until then, you can check Kotaku`s coverage.

I suppose it's true that some people would complain if they didn't change the graphics at all, but I take issue when you say that the original Super NES game's graphics don't stand up. Okay, I'll give you that they aren't super amazing 3D polygonal graphics. But I think they do hold up, especially because it still has that hand drawn look to it. I would argue that the 16-bit games hold up better than the 32- and 64-bit titles. Part of the reason for this is because the 16-bit generation was about perfecting 2D graphics, whereas the 32- and 64-bit generations were about starting over and learning how to make 3D games. Now that we know exactly how to make 3D games (and what they are supposed to look like) it's really hard to go back to the Saturn or PlayStation. But the Super NES and Genesis are a different story. Their simplicity holds up for the exact same reason that Steamboat Willy holds up better than Reboot (that crappy CGI TV show).

Actually, no I don't. The "newer technology" you are talking about is the Nintendo DS, which basically has the power to push out Nintendo 64-style graphics (which is exactly what I mentioned above). If they decide to remake it with brand new 3D graphics it is going to look ugly, just like all PS1 and N64 games. That was my point. Would it be cool if they went back through it like UDON is going through Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix? Of course it would, but it's also taking UDON two plus years just to get that game out. There's no way they are going to put that much time into a role-playing game that has about a million more things to re-draw.

For what it's worth I have decided to bring some visual aides to prove my point. Check out these pictures from the original Chrono Trigger, released 13 years ago on the Super NES ...



Now take a look at what Square Enix did with the Final Fantasy III remake on the Nintendo DS. I can only assume that Chrono Trigger will get a similar make over. Check these out ...



Now, c'mon, you have to admit that the hand drawn graphics of the original Chrono Trigger looks WAY BETTER than what Square Enix was able to do with the "newer" technology. Instead of cool looking characters, the Final Fantasy III remake had boxy art and backgrounds that got cluttered with ugly polygons. Maybe it's just a personal preference, but I do not agree at all that "newer technology" means "better looking games".

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd the debates over. Kotaku has the trailer up (well they got it from game videos). http://kotaku.com/502237...rono-trigger-ds-trailer
The graphics look like just about every other SNES port.