Xenosaga

[Malacite]

Re: Xenosaga

The nice thing about X3 is it has the database that fills up as you progress and basically catalogs everything including a lot of background info that isn't revealed in the main story or side quests.

[Mhurron]

Re: Xenosaga

The nice thing about X3 is it has the database that fills up as you progress and basically catalogs everything including a lot of background info that isn't revealed in the main story or side quests.

The database is not a high point. It is required because they left so much important information out of the story because of the waste of time that Ep2 is, a great deal of back story is told in other Japanese only games and the fact that the year between Ep2 and Ep3 has so many significant events occur that had a major impact on the story and characters, for instance turning Shion into a complete bitch at times.

The database is there to make up for some retarded decisions in the same way that PAL Ep2 shipped with a dvd of pretty much the important cut scenes from Ep1 to bring Euro players up to speed. As if that was going to make people want to play a sequel to a game they couldn't play in the first place.

[Malacite]

Re: Xenosaga

They could have at least kept the graphical style of 2, it was one of the most impressive looking PS2 games IMO. Shion was hawt.

Wish they hadn't brought back the stupid random wheel thingy from 2 in 3 though. Could have done without that crap. And WTF was up with all the censoring in 3?!

[Mhurron]

Re: Xenosaga

All three games were censored in the US in order to get a lower ESRB rating. Also, Episode 2 sucked in every possible way except for the opening movie, that includes character design.

Actually, the area design for all three was lacking. Except for that one area in the first one, the asteroid with the slums on it looked liked they actually tried, every area was far too clean. It looked like nothing had been used, ever.

[EternalMalachi]

Re: Xenosaga

I don't know how everyone can hate on ep2 so much. I probably played that one the most. It had the most interesting combat system. Its kinda like the junction system in FF8, in that its a bit of a pain getting into it, but once mastered, makes you godly. MOMO ended up being my heaviest hitter. ^^"

But yes, yes yes, you should pick up that series. You should also read Pied Piper, which is essentially the script of the cell phone game that was jp onry. It really fleshes out one of the characters. I think the best time to read it would be after Xenosaga2.

My only major complaint (well, aside from the fact that they aren't continuing the series) is that they censored the games. It wasn't REALLY terrible until ep3, in which there cuts made certain scenes incredibly more difficult to understand. You can go to Blue Laguna and see the original scenes, though I recommend that you don't do so until you've seen the scene in game first, just to avoid spoiling anything for yourself. ^^

[Icemage]

Re: Xenosaga

Uh, count me in the camp that hated Xenosaga II.

Xenosaga I was actually quite good. I thought they did a good job at keeping the epic feel from Xenogears, and the new combat systems worked pretty well. Also has by far one of the best card minigames in a JRPG ever.

Xenosaga III was pretty good too. Not as coherent as X1 but that's (as mentioned above) due mostly due to the steaming pile of nonsense that was X2.

Xenosaga II has virtually no redeeming features. Terrible combat. Terrible storyline. ESPECIALLY terrible voice acting (I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet).


Icemage

[Malacite]

Re: Xenosaga

Xenosaga II has virtually no redeeming features. Terrible combat. Terrible storyline. ESPECIALLY terrible voice acting (I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet).

Am I the only one who enjoyed 2 for the plot between Rubedo and Albedo? Towards the end it got kinda "wtf is going on?" but I still don't think it's as bad as everyone claims. There's no excusing the combat system in that iteration though, WTF was Namco thinking.

[Mhurron]

Re: Xenosaga

Episode 2 was nothing but subplots (as someone else said) horribly stretched out to a full game, and the background between Jr and Albedo is just that. There was no reason to spend that much time on any of Jr's background, not with Albedo and not with Sakura. You don't actually get back to the Xenosaga main story until the last quarter of the game on Miltia.

The last bit with Albedo and the Kirschwassers was just shitty writing. They couldn't think of anything good so they just poorly rip some messianic symbolism and tack it on to Albedo. It doesn't fit, it has not meaning or purpose. Of course, I suppose that makes it a fitting closing to Episode 2, you could almost say the same thing about Ep 2 contribution to the arc.