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Deep...Very Deep...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: October 02, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game is one of the best games that I have ever played. Period. It rivals the Final Fantasy series in terms of gameplay and visual impact. The story is deep and convoluded and full of twists, making you scratch your head at one moment and then at the next- you get this great AH-HAA! moment where you piece something together. True, Some of the cutscenes are quite lengthy, but if you watch them, you get the feeling that you are playing an interactive movie...they are important to getting all the story. In the beginning of the game, they may seem quite boring, but as you progress deeper into the world of Xenosaga, they become necessary and more involved.

The gameplay is great! Xenosaga has one of the most innovative control/battle schemes that I have ever seen in a game. You have skills, tech attacks and ether. Each of these can be upgraded to make them more powerful, faster, and in some cases- easier to pull off. The ether (magic) system is neat too; ether can be evolved into better spells and bigger status effects. During battle, you have the option of jumping into an A.G.W.S. which is basically a big mech that can pound the heck out of the opposition. These battle machines can also be upgraded, outfitted with different weapons, generators, and armor- all depending on your taste and the style of gameplay that you prefer.

The game has a great help system as well. You can enter a simulator to teach you the basics of battle and item management. There is a "dictionary" of sorts on the game disc. When you stumble across a "keyword" or phrase, it will show up in this database. I have found myself referring back to this in order to clear up some points in the game and some pieces of conversation that dont seem to make sense at the time. It is a great help and a wonderful addition to the game.

Personally, I reccomend getting the strategy guide so that you can go through the game and acquire all the secrets and cool items that you would have missed or otherwise not known about.

This game is a great additon to any RPG fans library of titles, and I am eager to see the entire six-part saga unfold itself. Anything that can effortlessly incorporate elements of psychology, biblical refrence, philosophy and a lively debate on humanity and the soul should definatly prove to be worth the time and effort that I put into it. This game is superb, simply elegant.

A few problems but still incredible.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: October 15, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Fans of Xenogears who have been waiting for five years for this will almost certainly not be disappointed. While many things have been given an overhaul (the battle system and the character development being the most major), it still feels like good ol' Xenogears. For the new player, there's enough for it to stand on its own just fine, but for a Xeno fan, it's fun spotting all the things that come into play later.

The gameplay is almost perfect, the only downside being the steep learning curve. It took me some time to figure out how to effectively distribute my tech points, use the boost system, etc., and the A.G.W.S. things I still never got the hang of. They were far too expensive to keep up and nowhere near as useful as Gears.

The characters and the story are all well-developed and rivetting. Each character has his or her own demons which they must deal with, and I think that each character is very sympathetic.

Overall, this is a must for any RPG fan and a good edition to the Xeno series. Square was insane for letting this team go.

A critical review

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 10
Date: April 03, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Let me start off by saying that I definitely enjoyed the game. I agree with almost all of the praise that it is receiveing. That being said, I would like to focus on some of the shortcomings that I think could be improved upon in the future installments.

First of all the game was too short. I really took my time and it took me just under 50 hours to beat. Many people beat the game in about 30 hours; however, the back of the box advertises 80 hours of gameplay. There aren't enough enemies to max out your sats and abilities especially if you are using all six characters evenly. You have the ability to extract certain skills from items, which I never got to use because my skill level was still too low at the end of the game or I wasn't able to earn the necessary skill points for the abilities. Either that or the particuliar skill that I wanted to extract (ie. protection from a certain status ailment) was useless at that point in the game.

The next problem I had was with the magic, or ether as it is called here. I have a few problems with this one. Why do they need to call it ether to begin with. Ether was once considered to be a mystical substance that filled the heavens. Nowadays ethers are a class of organic compunds. I thought that they just should've come up with a more original name, or just called it magic. Some of the spells are utterly useless, not to mention the fact that they take up ether weight (you can only equip a certain weight of spells at one time, with the good ones obviously weighing the most). The attack spells were worthless next to the powerful tech attacks that most characters could unleash. The healing spells were the only ones that I even needed to complete the game.

Some (and I stress some) of the science was really bad. They wanted to talk about nanotechnology nonstop becasue that is a hot topic today. It was as if they really knew nothing about the science, but thought that it sounded cool. When a Star Trek movie is made, scientific advisors are hired. They keep the writers/characters from looking like idiots by trying to use big words that they don't understand.

I only liked playing about half of the characters. Some of them were kind of cheesy and unbelievable. I guess jr was put into the game for some of the younger players. Being a grown man, I have no desire to play as a 12 year old running aroud with a pair of Glocks.

The AGWS (like mechs or gears) were useless. There were one or two battles in the beginning where they were of some assistance, but once your HP got high enough you didn't need them. They were very slow in battles, and you were better off with your normal characters.

Here are a few other things. There were not enough different types of enemies. I would guess that there were about 25-30 types excluding the bosses. Sadly, the game is very linear like so much of this genre has become. It is alot like FFX were your course is set, and you aren't really able to explore. What happenned to the games like FF2-FF7 where you could go wherever you wanted to? People rave about the music, but I thought it was median at best. It was well performed, but the score was to short. The cutscenes really didn't bother me as much as they did most people. Hope some of this helps.

|2.5| It has an interesting story, but that's basically it

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 9 / 15
Date: April 03, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Xenosaga is not a true RPG, nor is pretty much any console game out there. Saga to me, however, doesn't really even qualify as a game, considering you do roughly half as much watching as you do playing, which is extrememly ridiculous. Believe me, I have patience, but when it comes to watching dozens of 30-45 minute cutscenes, you can count me out.

If Xenosaga is to get credit, it is for it's plotline. While it is interesting and thought provoking, it also doesn't bother to explain ANYTHING. Yes, this is Episode 1 of a 6 part series, but who cares; this is a game, it has a 50 dollar price tag, and I damn sure don't want to pay that much for a game that pretty much rips you off.

On one hand, the cutscenes are well made, almost on the lines of MGS2. On the other hand, the first half of the game features mostly extrememly tedious and boring cutscenes. It is only in the next half of the game where things get interesting, but a lot of people will stop forcing themselves to play by then. Yes I said 'forcing', because the gameplay is utterly BORINGG.

If theres one word that I would use to describe Saga's gameplay, its LINEARITY. Stick with me here: you watch a 45 minute cutscene, you run down a hall, take a few turns, fight some random battles, watch another cutscene, run down a hall, fight some battles, watch another cutscene, play through a long, tedious dungeon, watch another cutscene. You get the picture now? You see, the problem here is, the gameplay and story feel completely seperate. Its almost as if your watching an anime movie, except there are a few playable parts. The big problem is that the few playable parts are extrememly boring. Sure, the battle system isn't that bad by any means, but by the 20th battle, you'll be wondering why the hell your even playing.

And that's what I asked myself while playing the game: why the hell am I forcing myself to go on? Just so I can watch another 45 minute cutscene? From what I remember, games are suppost to be 'played', and are suppost to be 'fun'. Xenosaga is not an RPG. You want a 'real' rpg? Play Morrowind or Neverwinter Nights on multiplayer. Don't get me wrong here, Saga isn't a failure, it's just that the gameplay feels like a poor excuse to keep watching more cut scenes. I sure as hell am never going to play this game again. I am a huge Xenogears fanatic, and I really hope that Episode 2 doesn't turn out like this one. Xenosaga Ep1 is easily the biggest dissapointment for me in a long, long time, considering I have waited for this game for years. Thumbs down.

Just The Beginning- For Better or Worse

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: March 30, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Since this game is so good in so many areas, I'll start with my criticisms. First of all, the box says 80 gameplay hours, but that only applies if you're Ray Charles. Gamers with functional vision should finish in about 30-35.

That hurt because I was hoping this would be an RPG series with every game being its own somewhat separate story. But this game ends way before you expect it to, and left me with characters that I was still building up for some other big fight. In retrospect, this experience was just exposition for the future episodes. The plot is quite fantastic, but it dictated that this game (episode) remain completely linear. All of this would be OK if we weren't talking about a $50 game, but I feel a little stale about where I'm at now- having to wait months and pay another $50 to continue the story.

The battle system was fantastic, with two problems. First, Tech attacks take WAY too long, with no button to skip. These aren't as long as some of the FF7 summons, but when you do Shion's "Spell Ray" 7 times in a battle then is really tends to lag. Also the mechs, or "AGWS" weren't necessary at all. I tried them out but NEVER ended up needing to use them.

I like the characters' skill, attack, and ether building systems. However, it takes SOOO LONG to set these up once you learn how they work. At least 5 gameplay hours were spent arranging character attributes and equipment. Add more time to that if you actively update and improve your AGWS.

Read other reviews to hear about the story, graphics, and music. It's really fantastic. The top-notch presentation is why this game gets 4 stars from me instead of 3. I truly enjoyed the cut-scenes, which I felt were a reward for completing game sequences.

Like I said, though, there's months and money between myself and the continuation of the story. Consider this before buying.

Interactive Movie?

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: February 28, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht has a challenging, but not overwhelming, battle system... in-depth character customization... interesting and memorable characters... and enough cut sequences to drive you bonkers. They're everywhere. There are more of these voice-acted invaders than there are Gnosis (a storyline-important type of monster) in some places. Fortunately, they're nowhere near as frustrating.

First, if you're really impatient or in danger of falling asleep without some serious Mountain Dew, you can always skip the cut sequences. That's a handy feature if you for any reason had to restart after watching fifteen minutes of cut scenes and would really rather not watch them again (of course, skipping isn't recommended if you haven't seen them before, as you may miss something important). Second, skip or no skip, you can still pause them. So if nature calls--or more like screams at--you, fear not. However, even with these very important and practical features, it sometimes feels like you're watching a movie, not playing a game. So how can you expect to keep entertained?

Well, even if some of the voices aren't top notch, and people's clothes and hair do materialize through other objects on rare occasions, the storyline and characters still make it feel like a good movie, not some made-for-video Disney sequel or something. The characters and plot are mysterious and captivating, and leave you hungry for more. Only the hardcore action-game-only gamers are likely to find the cinematics a major problem. But those types of gamers wouldn't likely pick up a turn-based RPG anyway.

That leaves just one more potential problem: if you buy this game, be prepared to buy II and III. It seems obvious from the title ("episode I"), but to be more specific, you will probably end the game with more questions than you started with. And it's the same way with the second one. So if you plan on playing any of them, you'll more than likely want to play all of them. The extra money involved in that is definitely something to keep in mind.

But if that's not an issue to you, I would encourage all fans of RPGs and good storylines to go ahead and pick up Xenosaga. It may seem like an interactive movie at times, but that's part of its charm.

The longest game you barely play in

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: January 16, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Back in 1998, Square released Xenogears, a massive game that caused a stir due to its heavy religious and philosophical overtones. It was also a great RPG with some memorable scenes and a rather interesting but heavily complicated story. Flash forward couple years and Monolith announces that they're making a "prequel" to Xenogears, and it'll come out in 5 parts and probably span 3 systems by the time they're all finished. Reason why I say prequel in quotes is that it's not an official prequel like Resident Evil Zero let's say.

Story: The story picks up when archeologists find a massive artifact somewhere in Africa. Many many years later it's discovered in space and a ship captures it with some casualties due unknown energy. Meanwhile, Shion Uzuki is developing KOS-MOS, a Realian(basically human-like robots) that could fight off the Gnosis, a ghost-like alien race that absorbs the energy of whatever it touches and crystallizes them and shatters them. They're like ghosts so you can't shoot the things, so that's where KOS-MOS comes in. Of course, the Gnosis attack and they have to escape the ship and that leads them on a quest on finding out what was that artifact and what the Gnosis are after.

Graphics: Took a long time in development so the graphics don't have that finesse of Final Fantasy X but it looks pretty good.

Music/Sound: Done by Yasunori Mitsuda(Chrono Trigger/Cross, Xenogears) and with the London Philharmonic Orchestra so the arrangements are definately epic...whenever you hear them anyway. Levels tend to be devoid of music sometimes so all you hear is your footsteps going "clank clank".

Gameplay: Pretty much typical RPG-fare. Going into A.G.W.S(pronounced like eggs) take the replacing of gears and they're the same thing only different name. Unlike in Xenogears, enemies appear on screen and also there's damage effects where you can lead them somewhere, blow something up and the resulting explosion will provide a bonus for you in the fight.

As for the cutscenes? There's a LOT. Well, I'll put it this way: there's cutscenes but they're not like 50 5 minute ones, more like 20 15-30 minute ones. Seriously, some of these seemingly go on forever. You'll be hard-pressed to ask "oh, I can play now?" Then you play for 10 minutes and there's another one! Go you! You're watching a movie with some gameplay thrown in. But honestly? The plot's so interesting-and just like Xenogears, oh so complicated-that you wouldn't mind but then you start getting itchy fingers and want to play some more.

I often found books to be the best form to tell a story. You can be as long as you want like Wheels of Time, which still hasn't ended or short like Lord of the Rings with just 3 books. You can't see it and that's where games come in. With Xenosaga, this would be one of the most interesting and longest books in quite awhile, but because it's a game, you have to actually play it to get there.

RPG of the year

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: March 12, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Xenosaga will blow you away. I felt i should start the review with that statement. Everything about it just oozes quality. The character development is beyond anything seen so far. Every character feels like an individual and has many secrets in their past that you can't wait to uncover. The music is done by Yasunori Mitsuda (Xenogears, Chrono Trigger/Cross) and it is truly amazing. It could easily pass as a major motion picture's score. The music accompanies the cinemas beautifully and just seems to be tailored for each part of the story.

Speaking of cinemas, the in-game character models easily rival anything else on PS2. Definitely the closest thing to playing an anime, the characters express emotion realistically and the voice acting is top notch. There really isn't anything to complain about when it comes to the voice acting. Some of the best in a video game to date.

The battle system is most relatable to Xenogears(PS1)or Chrono Cross(PS1).You have a set number of ability points for each turn and different attacks take a different number of them. Just like Xenogears, you can jump into a A.G.W.S (big robot) mid battle for the upper hand. After battles you can use different points accumulated to upgrade your character.

It is quite refreshing to see in a game with so much emphasis on story that the gameplay doesn't take a back seat. There are many mini games and side quests added for good measure, also. Just about the only thing to complain about is that the ending just makes the wait for episode 2 that much more agonizing. So if you like RPG's or just good storytelling do yourself a favor and pick up Xenosaga.

Quite possibly the greatest game since Final Fantasy VII

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: May 15, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I'm not gonna write a long, tedious review. I'm just gonna tell it straight. Xenosaga is great. The cinematics are perfect, the characters are some of the best ever in a RPG (when you meet Albedio you'll know what I mean), and the story is absolutley mind blowing. The battle system fits like a second glove, while the leveling up design is near perfect. When was the last time you were happy with a RPG's ending? Xenosaga's is 15 mins of pure excitement. Not since FFVII have I seen an ending so emotional, exciting, and epic. When all other recent RPG's endings are flat and anti-climatic, Xenosaga offers a truly satisfying ending to a truly satisfying RPG. I can not recomend it enough.

Wow and whoa...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: August 12, 2003
Author: Amazon User

First let me begin by saying wow. This games graphics matches any on the playstation 2 with in game play and cut scenes that rival even the most graphically advanced games ever. Furthermore, the futuristic effect the game gives makes the player feel totally embedded in a world where your only limitation is the amount of imagination you have.
Additionally the game offers everything to the average hard core RPG player, delivering every aspect of a great RPG that the RPG player dreams about in his or her sleep all packed into one game.
This in theory then creates the best RPG ever known.
However, unless you are the gamer who has to be a part of the action in every game you play, this is not a game you would do well with. The cut scenes in this game are very long and sometimes not so entertaining. Although graphically beautfiul, these cinematics can be the games high point and low point.
The game is very good don't get me wrong, just be prepared for some watching. Overall you will watch almost 4 hours of the game, before you hit even hit the half way point. The battle system is good, although a little underdeveloped. Enemies are not to diverse (as seen in any final fantasy, there are TONS of enemies) and battles do not seem to come along often. At times the player may feel like he is only fighting to get to the next cut sceen, because the battles are short lived, and sometimes seemingly pointless. The point system however is good. you build up points to put toward each attribute, which can make the average perfectionist gamer go insane with 100+ hours attempting to max out all stats.
Quick tip to the wise, save as much money as you can, because it is really hard to come buy. You only get money from fighting soldiers and machines, and it is in small amounts.
Also, the ability to jump back to any spot you have visited is an EXCELLENT IDEA, except that the difficulty level remains the same as the first time you visited. Basically most places from the beginning of the game are not challenging at all, which is not too much of a surprise. The only beef anyone may have is that they might want to go back to get items they missed, AND gain some decent exp and skill points.
There are some mini games and sidequests, but not to many. There is a casino, but the payout is ridiculously high, and it is very easy to get come cool items from the prize exchange.
There is a sidequest to build the ultimate A.G.W.S (giant robotic units much like summons in final fantasy games, and equally as cool looking, although maybe a bit odd) and there are also units you can buy, even the monster AGWS that costs 300,000 gold. Which may take a LONG time. I battled in a spot with high payout for over 2 hours and came up with 97,000. =(
So, finally, every aspect this game has seems to be wonderful, but as with every game it has a couple of down points, but it is absolutley enjoyable and I recommend it to anybody that doesn't mind watching the equivelent to two or three full length movies (total) before completing the game.
The ending will totally blow you away and chances are you won't even know you are at the end, I know I didn't and was very surprised when I saw the ending credits.

Pros:
Game has beautifully rendered graphics
Cut scenes are breathtaking
Always keeps you guessing, and is never predictable
Has battle system the RPG perfectionist would drool over
Squishes all aspects of a great RPG into one insanely long game

Cons:
Cut scenes tend to be overly long and not too entertaining

Your family might miss you because you will be addicted to the shear greatness of the game
Your buttocks may become glued to the couch or chair and require prying off. =)

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