I feel warm inside reading these responses. You don't know how much I have to deal with these stupid Cross haters. I recognize two real legitimate flaws in the game:

-Too many characters forced developers to cut Guile's backstory as Magus
-Spot of poor direction means a LOT of plot is dumped on you at the end of the game

but other than this, Chrono Cross took the action flick of Chrono Trigger and made it into the Chrono Series. Cross is like a refined masterpiece that you can sink your teeth in to and savor, like a fine wine. The themes of the series really blossom, and the intricacies of time travel are allowed to weave a deep plot that's completely consistent with Chrono Trigger's and expands upon it. If anyone ever tells you that "Cross is full of holes," they haven't played it.