Xenosaga

[ZeroCool51]

Xenosaga came out today so please tell me what you think of it so I know if i should buy it or not.

[DarkMaster]

Heres what IGN said:

Closing Comments
So what does it all mean? Equipped with one of the zestier battle systems this side of Xenogears and stuffed with character development the likes of which we've never seen, you'd think that picking this one up would be a no brainer. And for hardcore RPG fans out there it will be. But for more casual followers of the Role-Playing genre and everyday gamers looking for a thrill, Xenosaga Episode 1: Der Wille zur Macht could prove too intimidating (or too inactive) for their videogaming tastes (no matter how many pretty pictures Monolith throws their way)
For those of us who like this sort of thing, however, Xenosaga is a deeply enriching thrill ride towards the cosmos. Realistically vanquished in 30-40 hours, this epic space opera is truthfully described as a member of the PlayStation 2's elite RPG club. Not without a few gameplay-to-cinema pacing problems, Der Wille zur Macht can still stand toe to toe with the best of them; and what's most exciting of all, is that it's only the beginning of something much larger to come.

-- Jeremy Dunham


Presentation
Xenosaga's cinematography and style is so illustriously presented that few mediums (be it movie or videogame) have ever come close to capturing the space opera this finitely. 9.5

Graphics
Already a year old in Japan, the game definitely shows its polygonal age. Aliasing problems and occasional camera gripes aside, Monolith has still delivered a solid effort. 7.5

Sound
Hard to evaluate really. Ranging levels of vocal quality combined with one of the best soundtracks on PS2, there's still a lack of continuous music in almost the entire game. 8.0

Gameplay
Dominated by cut scenes, there may not be as much action as you'd like. Once you get involved though, the battle system is among the premiere RPGs of this generation. 8.5

Lasting Appeal
Plenty of mini-games and hidden items add a strong bonus to what can only be described as the best RPG plot of the last couple of years. One of the few we could see playing through for a second time. 8.0

OVERALL SCORE (not an average) 8.8

Think what you will from that. I'm buying it as soon as it comes in. I'll tell you more then.

[ominub]

god damn no places have the game yet there shiping is slow so i have to wait for tomarrow to get it they said

[Rndm_Perfection]

Originally posted by ominub
god damn no places have the game yet there shiping is slow so i have to wait for tomarrow to get it they said

I'll just look at your avatar and assume something... then, in response, Xenosaga has no relation to Xenogears.

[DarkMaster]

Originally posted by Rndm_Perfection
I'll just look at your avatar and assume something... then, in response, Xenosaga has no relation to Xenogears.
That could be argued. Officially, Namco is trying to sorta make people believe that its not connected. But, according to people who have beaten Xenogears and beaten Xenosaga (like the IGN editors) say that Xenosaga takes place in the same world (or universe, whatever you'd like to call it) and there are countless references to Xenogears.

To learn more, read the Xenosaga PSQ at IGN. Jeremy (IGN editor) answers a few questions regarding this subject.

[ominub]

I have now got xenosaga and now going to play it

[ominub]

oh im about 2:30 into it and the game is great

i can also see relations to xenogears

[Rndm_Perfection]

Originally posted by ominub
oh im about 2:30 into it and the game is great

i can also see relations to xenogears

*wipes the sweat from his brow* Ah, that's just dandy. I had to attempt getting in the mindset that this will be completely separate, and that I could not compare the two (even though I didn't get the chance to play much of Xenogears). But, now that I have heard that it's actually retaining some likeness (though probably like the Final Fantasy-s...) my impression of the game is already climbing!

Now, I shall go back and listen to the soundtrack as I wait to gather the money enough to purchase the piece of work.

[DarkDemonic726]

I just got it, its a great game. I really like the battle system, the story seems great and the graphics are awesome.

[DarkMaster]

Sweet, this game owns. I didnt even play too much of Xenogears, but already from my 2 hours of play in Xenosaga, I can see connections in the stories. Regardless of what Namco has been implying, this game almost certainly seems to be connected to Xenogears, for sure.

The battle system is awesome. Graphics are phenominal, and story = teh amazing.

Truly cool game. Did anyone else get their free art book? nice :)

[CrOnO_LiNk]

What about the cut scenes? I heard they're long...

Do the cut scenes bother you...? I also heard that the game has 30 hours of cut scenes. If that's true, then Namco wasted some time... (I didn't mean that in a bad way)

[DarkMaster]

Originally posted by CrOnO_LiNk
What about the cut scenes? I heard they're long...

Do the cut scenes bother you...? I also heard that the game has 30 hours of cut scenes. If that's true, then Namco wasted some time... (I didn't mean that in a bad way)
30 hours? not likely, the game is said to be about 50-60 hours long on average, and apparently theres about 15 hours of cutscenes in the game. I'll tell you better when I beat it ;)

As to whether they bother me? No, they do not, in fact, they are so cool that I almost encourage them. And I'm not trying to stick up for the game or anything, the cutscenes (from what I have seen so far in my 5 hour play) are extremely cool and well done (voice acting is superb, I love it). the longest cutscene I've seen so far was near the starting. It was about 15 minutes long (the longer cutscenes so far are the ones with the most action).

You really have to play this game to understand it. Trust me, if you love RPGs, this game will own you. The story is absolutely awesome so far, I can't wait to see what happens next. The dialogue is very, very well written, and the characters are excellent. Gameplay is great, environments are quite interactive, and combat is really fun.

It is a challenging and breath taking game. Truly epic.

[BlueFire]

I really want the game. I just thought an hour long cutscene is going overboard.

[CrOnO_LiNk]

Originally posted by DarkMaster
30 hours? not likely, the game is said to be about 50-60 hours long on average, and apparently theres about 15 hours of cutscenes in the game. I'll tell you better when I beat it ;)

As to whether they bother me? No, they do not, in fact, they are so cool that I almost encourage them. And I'm not trying to stick up for the game or anything, the cutscenes (from what I have seen so far in my 5 hour play) are extremely cool and well done (voice acting is superb, I love it). the longest cutscene I've seen so far was near the starting. It was about 15 minutes long (the longer cutscenes so far are the ones with the most action).

You really have to play this game to understand it. Trust me, if you love RPGs, this game will own you. The story is absolutely awesome so far, I can't wait to see what happens next. The dialogue is very, very well written, and the characters are excellent. Gameplay is great, environments are quite interactive, and combat is really fun.

It is a challenging and breath taking game. Truly epic.

Thanks man, sounds great.

[Rndm_Perfection]

I rented the game and I'm two and a half hours through. So far, I enjoy the battle system and the graphics. The story only seems mediocre thus far, but... then again, I'm still in the introductory phase.

And yes, one half of the game so far has been cinematics. And, you say the game might be 50-60 hours long? I could see where 30 hours of cinematics would come into play.

But, fear not. If you're planning on beating the game in one sitting, you can skip every single cinematic by pressing start and triangle. In fact, I played thirty minutes, couldn't get to a save point, and had to shut down. THEN, once I played again, it only took me ten or so minutes to get to a save point from the beginning of the game. So, there are indeed very many cinematics.

The graphics of the game are downright stunning. However, the last 3D RPG I played was Suikoden III... so, it's a big leap up. This game truly utilizes the next-gen graphics.

Relations to Xenogears? Only the word "Xeno", the use of Mechs, and the ability to pull off combos in battle.

I'd suggest this game, of course.

[ZeroCool51]

I now own Xenosaga and I must say that it is the greatest game I have ever played.

[Crono]

I just bought Xenosaga today. I'm 1 hour and 44 minutes into the game, it's sweet so far.