Xenosaga III Review

[Miyamootoo]

GameBrink (http://www.gamebrink.com/) has an early review (http://www.gamebrink.com/playstation-2/1041-Xenosaga_III-reviews.html) of the Japanese version of the third game in the Xenosaga series.

...a game that’s every bit as fresh as the best non-traditional RPGs. With every gameplay and technical issue of Ep1/2 fixed in Ep3 (plus an actual ending), those who’ve played previous entries in the series will definitely want to experience Ep3, In fact, the game is such a great RPG that even those who’ve avoided the series until now might want to give it a try (Ep3 comes with text summaries of the previous games). As far as traditional RPG games go this year, you can’t get much better than Xenosaga Episode 3.

What?? Xenosaga III is good??

[Syl]

Gamebrink is wonderful about getting early reviews of japanese titles, it's a shame the writing isn't better.

Still, my main want out of Xenosaga III was a good soundtrack - I'm sure that Yuki Kaijura won't dissapoint.

[JazGalaxy]

I've lost interest in these kinds of games as they've grown to predictable and similar.

[Zurik]

I'd just like to watch the whole thing like a movie. After the first two, I just can't take the slow gameplay anymore.

[theguido]

To say I'm skeptical is an understatement. The first Xenosaga, while not awful, took the over-long cutscene to a new extreme. Once I can get a video summary of the game I may "watch" it but I can't see myself "playing" it. Not that you really "play" the game much anyways.

[captainstrombosis]

I'd just like to watch the whole thing like a movie. After the first two, I just can't take the slow gameplay anymore.

Yeah I hated the game while playing it. However when my Ex-girlfriend got really into the first two, I got to watch them from beginning to end. Was actually really enjoyable. Too bad she was a bitch ;)

[Siraris]

It got great reviews from Famitsu as well, so I'm looking forward to it..

Xenogears was one of the best RPG's ever created, and it's unfortunate Square rushed it out and now we're left with the saga games. I really enjoyed Episode 1 as it brought up a lot of story from Xenogears and got me excited about parts 2 and 3. I tried playing 2 for a while but it got REALLY boring. I'm not giving up in hopes for some answers!

[Zeal]

Xenogears > Xenosaga

Accept no substitutions.

[Deadend]

Xenogears > Xenosaga

Accept no substitutions.

......
I agree with Zeal on this.
Crazy, huh?

[Lunar Blue]

At times like this, i hate living in europe. And more than that, i hate french, german, spanish and italian people for NOT KNOWING ANY FUCKING ENGLISH! teh h8!

[Rirath]

I have no idea why you all hate Xenosaga Ep 1 so much, but so be it. I loved it, thought it was one of the better RPGs in a long time. Shion, Kos-Mos, how can you not like it? And cutscene length? Please. The game had an excellent battle system, it was far more than a movie. At least the cutscenes were worth watching, unlike so many other games out there.

Why is it people knock RPGs for having off the shelf cookie cutter stories, but when one comes along that actually puts effort into the presentation, it gets knocked just the same? I'll agree Ep. 2 is of lesser quality, but disregarding the series because of this is foolish.

[mikeohara]

Gamebrink is wonderful about getting early reviews of japanese titles, it's a shame the writing isn't better.

Still, my main want out of Xenosaga III was a good soundtrack - I'm sure that Yuki Kaijura won't dissapoint.

I happened to get a copy of the soundtrack for XSIII (through less legal means I should add ...) and I'll be screaming this to the high heavens until the game is released here stateside ... that being Kaijura has done it again!

[NonSoft]

If I had to pick a favorite game, it would probably be Xenogears. To say that I was looking forward to Xenosaga would be an understatement, too bad I've never been able to finish it. The story was great, but the battle system was terrible, and incredibly slow. One of these days I will play through the series though, I have to know how the story ends, because if nothing else the series has an incredible plot.

[Ph00p]

Ah fuck the DS game will be Saga not gears.

[Heretic Machine]

I have no idea why you all hate Xenosaga Ep 1 so much

It was a bad CG-movie marketed for $50 under the guise of a video game. That kind of shit went out with the Sega CD.

[EvilBob46]

I happened to get a copy of the soundtrack for XSIII

Is that a "Best Tracks" collection or the complete soundtrack?

[Rirath]

It was a bad CG-movie marketed for $50 under the guise of a video game.

Then I guess I must have been playing some OTHER game all them hours. Fairly odd, that.

How anyone can sit through MGS and complain about Xenosaga is beyond me. Though, I'm sure there wouldn't be half as many complaints if -saga wasn't so anime inspired. You all act like you've never played an RPG with a long story before.

[TheEpicOfTyler]

I liked Xenosaga Episode 1 alot, I never got around to finish Episode 2, I just couldn't get into it. Also somewhere in the game I became underpowered, and the battle just ramped up in difficulty.

[Khash]

I really want this game to be good. As a huge fan of Xenogears, I've been pretty disappointed with the direction Xenosage was taking after Episode II. If Ep. III can bring back the magic and give some actual closure to the story, I'll be happy.

[danhoo]

Ep II, while a reasonably pretty game, was a snooze-fest for me. I'll still check out Ep. III, but probably with some reservations.

[TheWookieeHasNoPants]

Ep II, while a reasonably pretty game, was a snooze-fest for me. I'll still check out Ep. III, but probably with some reservations.

I agree. I've tried to play XS2 about three times, starting from the beginning each time because I'd forget where I was and what was going on each time I'd pick it up. Someday I'll finish it. Maybe after Dead Rising. And 99 Nights.

[Spigot]

Episode Three is the final one as well, isn't it? I'll be getting it for that reason alone.

I quite enjoyed the first one but found that the lag on the battles in Ep. 2 really drove the fun factor down. I'm also got a bit distracted from it and haven't really gotten very far, though one of the people I've talked to about it locally finished it and said it was quite good as a whole.

Xenogears is most definately better than Xenosaga, but Saga is still fun, for what it's worth.

[Wasson_]

I remember seeing my friend play the first game -

One of the furity looking characters flies in the air and does a move called, "Angel Blow!"

I look at him and he says, "yeah this game is gay but I'm like just about done with it..."

and the last battle was...retarded. With some evil guy yelling "come on, come on, come on! Now Die!" nearly every move he did.

Yes, Xenogears is so ungodly better than the saga games...I can't think of a good analogy. It's like comparing Xenogears to Xenosaga...

[Spigot]

One of the fruity looking characters flies in the air and does a move called, "Angel Blow!"
Ok, I'm not really picking on you Wasson_, but I'm starting to really get tired of this coming up every time people discuss JRPG's. Can we all just agree that, yes, most of the male characters are more effeminate than the females and be done with it? Maybe it's just because I'm used to watching so much anime and am innoculated from the androgynousness of most of these stylized characters, but yeesh. It's one of the lamest excuses for disliking a game ever. I can point to many other non-fruity characters in a wide variety of games that have such horrid character design that the most girly of girly-men in a JRPG looks appealing.

*rant off*...

Plus, this kind of trope in games leads to some of the smarter developers poking fun at the androgyny of the characters. That's always good for a laugh.
Yes, Xenogears is so ungodly better than the saga games...I can't think of a good analogy. It's like comparing Xenogears to Xenosaga...
Man, if I didn't like my current sig so much that would definately be its replacement.

[Zeal]

I'm playing this right now and it's boring as hell. I better at least see some Xenogears references, like Deus, Abel and the launch of Earth's colony ship.

And what the hell is this elevator music. Horrible.

As far as I'm concerned, Xenogears was the only chapter of this series that was actually playable.

[Tyrant]

From the 3 or 4 hours I put into Xenosaga, I came upon the conclusion that as a game, it is shit. As a "movie", it's pretty bad too. Now that I think about it, Xenosaga was the JRPG that turned me off of JRPGs.

Now for a not so positive opinion piece on why Xenosaga isn't particularly great and why it has flopped commercially:

http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3370&Itemid=34

[Wasson_]

I understand what you mean...and being an anime fan as well, I really don't have too much of a problem with a little androgeny. But there was the one Xenosaga character that just crossed a line of...well I'll call it the Line of Tidus, so far that...[Cmdr. Data]My androgeny dampers were destroyed in a barrage of intense gayness particles upon the uttering of the explative, "Angel Blow!"[/Cmdr. Data]

and yes, that Ted Stevens stuff is just too much.

[Spigot]

Now for a not so positive opinion piece on why Xenosaga isn't particularly great and why it has flopped commercially:

http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3370&Itemid=34
Actually, that's a great little article about the series in general and about why it didn't do very well. While I was one of those game fetishists who dug the first Xenosaga, the second one just never grabbed me. Now I have a better idea why. I was really surprised when I read that the third installment was the final one as I recalled that it was supposed to be 6 or 7 episodes long.

Ah well. I knew going into the series that it was essentially one long cutscene with the occasionaly bit of gameplay thrown in. At least I'm enjoying it much more than I did the .Hack games. Interesting concept as they may have had, those games redefined milking a story/game idea for all its worth.

[mikeohara]

Is that a "Best Tracks" collection or the complete soundtrack?

The original soundtrack apparently according to the nfo file I'm presently looking at.