I’ve been reading the video games threads and it looks like a lot of us are playing the same game at the same time. SO lets get a head count. Who’s playing Chrono Cross? Favorite playable character so far? How far into it are you? Anything else?
NO SPOILERS PLEASE!
I’ll answer my questions:
I’m about 27 hours into the game and still on disk 1.
Favorite playable character? Starky (renamed Xemu). I have an afinity for the cute characters and he’s fun.
I’ve played it and beat it. It took me 36 hours. My favourite character was Karsh probably. There are 11 endings to this game; I got the best one.
I finished the game for the first time, and I’m going on to play again, using a different path. On my second game, I’m right before Fort Dragonia. I don’t know how many hours. As for playable characters, I kind of like Mojo. Macha is hilarious, especially her special techs. I usually have one character with the Steal/Pillage ability, even if that character is maxed for the time being, simply to get more Elements and items. I trade in any unused Elements and sell or disassemble unused items.
I’ve beaten it once, currently about halfway through the second time. I want to get every character, but I’m having trouble finding all of Skelly’s bones, and I can’t beat Janice–any tricks to that?
Drainy, pleas no hints here. I haven’t finished the game the first time yet. But if it’s info you want try http://www.gamefaqs.com . I like reading all the info after I’ve finished the game. 
I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who hasn’t put Skelly together. In the beginning it seemed like it would be a breeze.
I liked the Fairy. Forgot her name. I’m a big fan of using elements, and she had the highest magic rating.
My roommate was playing it and beat it. But he never figured out how to use elements. It didn’t seem like an entirely exciting game.
Actually, I think Ridell has nearly as high a magic rating as Razzly. Your friend didn’t know how to use elements? What a retard.
Well, I’m not playing it personally, but my BF is, and I’m watching him. I also plan on playing it in the near future (if I can find time)
MOJO! without question. MOJO!!!
Although Starky was a pretty close second, if only for his really cool tech skills.
I beat it once, but I didn’t know something important for the end (anyone who’s played it and gotten to the last boss knows what I’m talking about), so I had to play it through again in a very quick fashion. I did finally get it, now I’m gonna take next weekend off and devote my time to playing through a third time and getting all chars, getting items, best ending, and completely understanding all the plots/sub-plots. My fav. char is probably either Starky or Zoah.
Minor possible sub-plot spoiler
After you’ve gotten to the end of the game, if you go to Earth Dragon Isle in Another World (I think) and go to the dragon’s lair, there’s an insanely hard monster there that I cant beat, even though my entire party is extremely buff. I don’t even get a chance to attack. Any hints on how to beat this monstrosity?
Drop me an e-mail and I’ll tell you how I beat him.
Er… Sorry, I just had to find some way to reference the original Crono Trigger in my reply and that seems about right.
I have played and completed the game. I have gotten all of the characters at one point or another except for Pierre. I didn’t get him because I stopped playing before my third run-through.
My favorite characters, hmm…
Mojo, because he’s funny
Glenn, because he’s got that ultra powerful late game dual tech.
Viper, because he has neat skills.
Harle, because she’s powerful overall.
I really liked some of the way over-the-top skills and spells.
Ok game, but not in any way as good as Chrono Trigger.
The thing that got me were all the strange places where the story branched. Giving me illogical decisions to make (there’s no real reason to have Kid not join you, for example) and then rewarding the wrong move tends to irritate me.
I was also expecting some of the zany time travel from the first game, and instead got some potentially confusing parallel worlds.
My two favorite PCs were Glenn and Norris, and the “little plot twist in the middle” (you know what I’m talking about if you’ve won the game) was a stroke of genius.
If you don’t want to know what I thought of the ending, stop now. I’m not going to reveal anything, mind you, just say what I thought about how it works (or doesn’t work) in general.
There is a problem, though: the “best” ending. Oh God, is it bad. I mean BAD. As in, “Ruin the Story of the Entire Game” Bad. Talk about your examples of appallingly sloppy storytelling–I was completely frustrated and disgusted after I saw it. Misato Kato’s penchant for overblown philosophical pretension at the cost of story cohesion strikes again (if you played Xenogears, his previous effort, then you know what I mean). Consider yourself warned…
–Calredic
Just to let everyone know, I finished this morning. Now I get to play around, read all the cheats and do all the extra stuff I missed. 
My favorite character is easily Zoah. I like to have him, Serge, and Karsh in my party. Wheeeeeeee!