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More a movie than a game

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 7 / 17
Date: September 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I was an avid Xenogears player, and I immediately bought Xenosaga when it came available. Unfortunately, however, it seems that the series has fallen prey to the increasingly-prominent trend in more recent RPGs to substitute gameplay with longwinded cutscenes with extensive exposition of the characters. Admittedly, Xenogears was a bit preachy at times, but it outweighed any negatives with excellent gameplay, involved characters, an innovative plotline, and arguably one of the most intellectually satisfying endings in video-game history. Xenosaga, on the other hand, will spend 45 minutes (not an exaggeration) at a time devoted to scenes of boardrooms of evil corporations and pointless love dynamics while limiting the actual gameplay to what the player can scrounge from whatever subgames and easter eggs they are able to discover (a lazy fighting subgame, a card-trading game a la FFVIII, and an endless string of "emails" mainly composed of product plugs for other Namco games peppered with just enough relevant stuff to keep the player checking them).

In a nutshell, I have written this entire review while "playing" Xenosaga. And if you are into 80-hour CGI movies where you push a button from time to time, this is the game for you.

And for what it's worth, let's just say that the characters have lost several points on the awesome/annoying scale.

movie or game? you choose!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 7
Date: February 06, 2004
Author: Amazon User

i really like xenosaga episode one because its story line is just awsome. the graphics are really well done too. a couple of things that bothered me is the character "momo" because all the musicle notes and stars dont really suit the serius story line. but dont get me wrong, shes a great character, i use her all the time in my party along with rubedo(jr.)and chaos.and all the attacks look cool but take too long. and for all of you new players of xenosaga, switch characters alot when you can run around as the character because each person will talk to your character in different ways.and WOW what a long game,i swear, i must have watched a cinamatic event for about an hour or something.and overall, this must be my favorite game ever made.so thank you very much namco and friends.so people, play and enjoy!!your buddy lestat

So so

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 8
Date: December 11, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game has it's good points; good animation, music, decent characters, original story line.
On the other hand, the plot is insanely complicated, and the voice acting is kind of silly. The boss fights aren't very hard, but there are many annoying little battles in each level. It must be reiterated, the cut scenes are very long and very boring. Therefore, what little time you actually spend in control isn't much fun anyway.
On a lesser note, the story is pretty dark. Which could be good or bad depending on what you like.
I don't think this is a bad game despite it's flaws. Don't expect a masterpiece, but it's entertaining enough to fill a weekend when you don't have much else to do.

Can't wait for EPISODE 2!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: May 24, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Ok, I personally think the storyline in this game is so immersive you can't wait to go to the next cutscene! As everyone here said, some cutscenes are pretty long but they're not that bothersome since it blends in with the gameplay. You'll actually want to see cutscenes as you get into the game.

Much like star wars, the story is so broad it's not like go find the bad guy, beat the bad guy, you're done. This game will keep you guessing who the bad guys are and eventually, you'll soon find out. On top of this, there's a lot of drama, and action in this game.

Imagine being in a battle and you can switch to MECH mode and use Mech weapons. There are a lot of special attacks for each character it's up to you how you want to use them or how powerful they get. Actual gameplay for me is around 50 hours plus around 20 hours of cutscenes I think so it's well worth it.

People may compare it to Final Fantasy (which I love) but I think the storyline and play of Xenosaga beats Final Fantasy hands down. Albeit, Final Fantasy has slightly better graphics.

This game is being designed to be like a movie + game as opposed to a game that has a nice story. Get this game, no doubt, it'll be one of the best RPG game you'll own!

Must Buy

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: June 22, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I'm not going to lie. I haven't actually FINISHED the game yet. But, after playing for 40 someodd hours, I think I can give a fairly decent review.
First off, the battle system is much better than in most other RPGs (*cough**cough*FFX*cough). The combo system is fun, the way attacks are upgradeable is fun, and boosting, which allows you to alter the order of turns, is fun. Also, the little doohicky that gives a different effect for each turn is great: on each turn, you either get nothing, an increased critical hit rate, an increased boost rate, or if you kill an enemy bonus tech/ether/skill points(really fun to kill everything on screen, then get 10x the normal points for each enemy).
The voice acting is pretty good, which is more than can be said for 99% of games with voice acting. Annoying thing is, the mouths don't match up with the words the characters are saying. It's a minor problem though-a nuisance more than anything.
The plot is intruiging (sorry, I know I spelled that incorrectly), complex, looooooooooooong, and not going to be relayed or summarized here-any such effort is doomed to failure.
As a few closing notes :A) Jr. has the greatest fighting style ever in an RPG, and B)the Gnosis are scary. You have to love phantasmal aliens.

Got enough game for your movie?

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: September 25, 2003
Author: Amazon User

That's the one thing you'll hear about this game all day long. Long cutscences. I'm not talking FF7 Kalm long, I am talking 30-45 minutes at some points!

But let's look at that a bit closer. The FMVs are masterfully done. The sound and graphics are superb and I certainly didn't mind watching any of them. The story is very well done on all accounts. Namco was also kind enough to include a VERY handy skip option on the FMVs, in case you die and start back before a long FMV.

So the FMVs are long, but they are quality. What about the rest of the game? Well it definately doesn't disappoint. The level of customization of character is great. Bonus points are awarded after battles which can be used to boost stats, learn new abilities, improve exsisting abilities, or pluck skills out of items. This really adds a lot to the game and makes all those battles go a bit easier knowing that you're building up those upgrades.

Xenosaga also manages to add some action elements into the game. You can shoot various things in the world to damage or paralyze enemies. In one of the earlier battle encounters you have outmanuever an invincable enemy through a corrider. It's not just random boring RPG battles.

There are also a number of mini-games you unlock through the game. The Battle game, which seems pointless but is amusing, there's a full card game very reminsince of Magic:The Gathering, the good ol' Casino where you can win some eqiupment and items, and a drilling game which also gives you items and money.

So yes, the FMVs are long, but they are well done and tell a wonderful story. But there is also so much more than long FMVs to this game. Give it a try, it's a solid RPG.

slow start- but a breathtaking finish

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: April 08, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I've played a lot of RPGs... and have been into robot anime since GUNDAM series. Xenosaga slaps all this together and adds a healthy dose of existential philosophy which is gently sugar coated so it doesn't get too thick. I have to admit the game has a VERY slow start and I almost put it aside running around the simulation level at the beginning since the between-combat movement seemed so poor (fixed camera etc). But slowly more characters join and one gets a hang of the complex 'experience' points (three types, Ether/magic. Skill and Tech-by far the most precious) and combat system. Close to the end, (not 80 hours as advertised but more like 40-50) I was hoping the game would last twice as long. So, just have patience with the first part (Woglinde) and things will get interesting very soon.

Yum.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: May 05, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Two words: space opera.

I'm willing to put up with a lot from a game for quasi-original space opera (ie - not star wars). Xenosaga was pure ambrosia. The storyline was pleasently complex without being convoluted for the sake of confusion and nothing else. And, wonderfully, the driving force behind this game was not the next shiny doo-dad you could get upon levelling up, but instead the ::shock:: story.

The cut scenes were long, and that did bother me towards the beginning of the game. It was a little frustrating in that I really couldn't play the game unless I had at least an hour of free time. The combat system was fun and rather flexible. I didn't use the mechas much and that didn't hinder me at all.

space ship space ship space ship space ship zoooooooooom!

A wonderful saga augmented by nice game play!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: March 04, 2003
Author: Amazon User

First things first- if you've never played Xenogears, then you should probably rent this before you buy it. It, like Xenogears, is HIGHLY story driven. Some of the cut-scenes are extremely long, and Xenosaga tends to feel more like an interactive movie than a game ~at times~. Having said that...

The universe of Xenosaga is incredibly deep and involving. It can seem a bit overwhelming at times, but the game provides a database feature that allows you to look up keywords. As long as you take the time to look up new terms when you come across them, you should have no problem.
The characters are quite dynamic as well. I don't want to give anything away, but I will say that the cast itself represents an array of real world problems- morality, spirituality, addiction... these issues and more within the first hour, or your money back. Well, ok, I can't promise the money thing.

The battle system is not difficult understand. Characters are allocated Action Points each turn that enable them to perform combination attacks, or they can choose to wait and accumulate AP for a larger technique. Furthermore, the new Boost/Counter Boost feature adds some extra strategy. In addition, characters can develop the ethers and techniques that the player chooses, creating nearly endless customization possibilities. Fun stuff.

Ahem.
Sorry, I have to say this... to the reviewer who seemed so upset that the controversial scene was removed... A)Don't judge an entire game based on one deleted scene! B)This game wasn't even made by Square! It's a NAMCO game. Argh.

Having said that.. this game isn't for youngsters. Some 14 year olds may be mature enough for it, but they're going to be far and few between. Despite the removal of the aforementioned scene, Xenosaga has some serious adult themes.

In summary, if you've played Xenogears and like it, then you probably already own this. If you haven't played Xenogears, rent Xenosaga and play it before you buy it.

Xenofan

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: March 12, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I have been waiting for another "Xenogame" for 5 years. I had pretty high expectations of this game. Now that I have the hang of the game I have have to say THIS GAME IS AWESOME. It is complicated, I like that, I don't know about you. The only complaints I have is that it is a very long time between save points, and the cut-scenes sometimes take near an hour. The battle system is great, the dungeouns are HUGE with many braching paths. This game can easily take up 80 hours or more. In the game you actually start to care about the characters and what happen to them. If your willing to spend alot of time playing, than this is the game for you.

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