RPGamers Network > Reviews > Game Reviews > Xenosaga
The prologue from the booklet that comes with the game has this to say about the story: "Thousands of years into the future, mankind has abandoned Earth and exists only in deep space. Having used their advanced technology to unlock the secrets of the universe, humanity hopes to do the same with the Zohar, a powerful and mysterious artifact reputedly existing since the dawn of time. But a hostile alien life form, the Gnosis, brutally attack at every turn. Why? Unbeknownst to mankind, the race to unlock the final mystery, and to embrace an uncertain destiny, has begun." We hardly learn the final mystery in this game but we're given plenty of clues and things to speculate about until Episode 2 is completed. The story opens with the main character, a young scientist named Shion, testing KOS-MOS, a female, armored android designed to battle the Gnosis. Very quickly they're embroiled in political and supernatural plots. The story has a definite science fiction feel to it that is very pleasing after seeing so many RPGs with medieval settings. Several of the main characters are not human; MOMO is a humanoid "Realian"--a being created through nanotechnology, Ziggy is a cyborg, and KOS-MOS is an android. Aside from the Gnosis, we don't see any classic "aliens" and this adds to the realistic feel of the game.
If I have one main complaint about the story it would be how linear it is. We start at point A and are taken very directly to point B with no opportunity for deviation from our set course. Side quests that might answer some questions or flesh out the main characters are non-existent. The majority of story telling is done through in-game cinemas that last anywhere from 1 minute to 45 minutes. A secondary complaint about Xenosaga would involve the duration and flow of these CG scenes. In at least three cases I started to get bored and just wanted the scene to end so I could save and take a break from the game. Skipping cut scenes is not a great idea, though, if the player wants to get the most out of this game, but there is a way to skip them so replays won't be quite so time-consuming should the player wish to bypass the longer scenes. So, I would've rather seen the existing cut scenes either shortened or divided up more evenly among game play. Keep the same content but space them differently to give a better sense of balance to the game overall. As it is, sometimes it's difficult to sit through the extended scenes. I would've like to have "played" Xenosaga a lot more than I was able to. And I would've liked to have seen a LOT more story! Xenosaga is far too short in my opinion and not for lack of a story to tell but from lack of telling it! So much more could've been done with this installment story-wise. Though the back of the game boasts 80+ hours of game play, this simply isn't true unless you spend a lot of time playing the mini-games and leveling up. A video game player of average abilities can expect between 30-50 hours of play time. The "dungeons" can be quite long and tedious but with a little leveling up shouldn't be too difficult. There are no random encounters and enemies can be avoided though this isn't as easy as it might seem at first. Still, it's nice to have the option of avoiding battles.
Speaking of game play, I did enjoy the battle system. Each character begins battle with 4 Ability Points (AP) of which 2 are expended when a basic attack or ether attack technique is executed. Basic attacks are divided into long and short range attacks while ether attacks can be used at any distance and require ether points in addition to AP points to execute. AP that isn't expended during a round is carried over and can be stored up to execute more powerful attacks. Battle order is clearly displayed in the Group Turn Window (GTW) on the lower right side of the screen which is very handy for anticipating attacks and working out effective attack strategies. Another very nice feature included in the Xenosaga battle system is the boost ability. Each character has a Boost Gauge (BG) that fills with each attack. When the BG has filled, a number appears to the right of it telling how many boosts are available. By "boosting", a player can have characters cut in line and beat their enemies to the punch or jump in to do some emergency healing..
Where are the Gears? Well, now we have Anti-Gnosis Weapons Systems or AGWS (pronounced "eggs"
. Unfortunately, they're practically an option in Xenosaga and using them is not necessary. Still, for those who were fond of their Gears in Xenogears, the AGWS are useful in battle if you chose to use them. Hopefully, they'll play a bigger role in future installments.
Improving each character requires both leveling up and earning different types of points. Defeating enemies earns varying numbers of experience points (XP), tech points (TP), skill points (SP) and ether points (EP). Earning enough XP will increase a character's level resulting in an increase in statistics including hit points, ether points, strength, defensive abilities, and evasion. TP, SP and EP points have to be spent by the player using the various sub menus in the main menu. Skill points are used to extract abilities out of items and armor and may be set and used by characters without having to equip those items or armor. Ether points are used to learn new ether abilities as well as transfer these spells between characters. Tech points can be used to improve tech attacks or improve character statistics.
Xenosaga incorporates a novel idea into game play with its Unus Mundus Network (UMN) which is basically Shion's in-game email server hosted by a goofy looking bunny. Through the UMN you can receive and send email, check Shion's database for statistics on Gnosis and also access Keywords that give interesting background information on lead characters as well as other elements of the game, and use the Environmental Simulator (EVS). If you find yourself short on XP, TP, EP, or SP the EVS is a place you can go to remedy this! The EVS allows you to revisit previous dungeons, pick up any items you missed, and fight enemies all over again. Email often contains attachments containing new weapons, offers of employment, and even spam from Namco.
The outstanding young composer, Yasunori Mitsuda, wrote the music of Xenosaga. I've already enjoyed the soundtracks of Xenogears and Chrono Cross and his style is very evident in Xenosaga as well. Though I enjoyed the music overall it was used very sparingly within the game. Themes were not as distinctive as they could've been and I had the feeling at times that the entire score was written in one key. Still, there are some soaring moments and it was a pleasure to hear Joanne Hogg (lead vocalist for eclectic Celtic musical group Iona who sang on the Xenogears OST) used once again as a vocalist for the haunting final song "Pain". Technically, the music could have been mixed better. There are times when music was accompanying voice-overs that the music almost drowned out what the characters were saying making it difficult to understand them. Thank goodness for sub-titles!
I don't have much to say about the voice actors used in the cinemas. I'm still getting used to voices in video games and consider them "icing on the cake" but unnecessary overall. I would've liked to have seen better dubbing--matching the voices to the lip movement of characters, but that's a small complaint. The voices used were appropriate for the characters and not annoying in the least, especially the voice of MOMO, the 12-year-old Realian. Her voice was appropriately childish but not whining. That's really all I ask of any voice-overs; the voices themselves must not be annoyingly whiney or high-pitched or stereotypical. So, I'd say Xenosaga successfully used voices.
The graphics in Xenosaga are simply outstanding. The sterile environment of space, the gleaming metallic structures, the sleek spaceships, the gelatinous Gnosis, the blazing laser-like attacks--all of these were rendered with an attention to detail and polish that was just a pleasure to look at. The anime style of the characters worked very well in the sci-fi environment too. Everyone looked natural despite the stylized forms.
Ultimately Xenosaga was an enjoyable and entertaining experience. It didn't overtake my life in the way that many classic RPGs have done; the world just wasn't big enough, but it left me caring about the characters and wondering what will happen to them next. I can't say that Xenosaga is for everyone. The flow of the game is uneven; between the short, linear game and the long cut scenes, many gamers might have a hard time sitting through Xenosaga with any satisfaction. So much more could've been done with the story-- there is certainly plenty of sub-plot fodder but we're only given crumbs--so much more given to us to play, to put together, to think about. I'm optimistic that Episode 2, when it is released, will be an improvement... and that means it's sure to be completely outstanding!
| Game Stats | |
|---|---|
| Genre | RPG |
| Platform | PlayStation 2 |
| Format | CD-ROM |
| # of Players | 1 |
| Released Jap | 02.28.2002 |
| Released US | 02.25.2003 |
| Released EU | N/A |
| Aprox. Length | 30-50 hrs. |
| Reviewer Rankings | |
| Battle System | 9.0 |
| Gameplay | 7.0 |
| Music | 8.0 |
| Originality | 8.0 |
| Plot | 7.0 |
| Replay Value | 7.0 |
| Sound | 6.0 |
| Visuals | 9.0 |
| Difficulty | Medium |
| Overall | |
| 7.6 | |
Xenosaga
By: NamcoReviewed By: Avenzatha
Xenosaga: Der Wille zur Macht is the first episode in a series of six anticipated episodes in Monolith Soft's Xenosaga epic. With the burden of setting up the story for the rest of the series falling to this episode it didn't surprise me to find plenty of confusing plot points and an ending that left me hanging. Not hanging in a bad way mind you, but the story definitely left me with a lot of unanswered questions and wanting more.The prologue from the booklet that comes with the game has this to say about the story: "Thousands of years into the future, mankind has abandoned Earth and exists only in deep space. Having used their advanced technology to unlock the secrets of the universe, humanity hopes to do the same with the Zohar, a powerful and mysterious artifact reputedly existing since the dawn of time. But a hostile alien life form, the Gnosis, brutally attack at every turn. Why? Unbeknownst to mankind, the race to unlock the final mystery, and to embrace an uncertain destiny, has begun." We hardly learn the final mystery in this game but we're given plenty of clues and things to speculate about until Episode 2 is completed. The story opens with the main character, a young scientist named Shion, testing KOS-MOS, a female, armored android designed to battle the Gnosis. Very quickly they're embroiled in political and supernatural plots. The story has a definite science fiction feel to it that is very pleasing after seeing so many RPGs with medieval settings. Several of the main characters are not human; MOMO is a humanoid "Realian"--a being created through nanotechnology, Ziggy is a cyborg, and KOS-MOS is an android. Aside from the Gnosis, we don't see any classic "aliens" and this adds to the realistic feel of the game.
If I have one main complaint about the story it would be how linear it is. We start at point A and are taken very directly to point B with no opportunity for deviation from our set course. Side quests that might answer some questions or flesh out the main characters are non-existent. The majority of story telling is done through in-game cinemas that last anywhere from 1 minute to 45 minutes. A secondary complaint about Xenosaga would involve the duration and flow of these CG scenes. In at least three cases I started to get bored and just wanted the scene to end so I could save and take a break from the game. Skipping cut scenes is not a great idea, though, if the player wants to get the most out of this game, but there is a way to skip them so replays won't be quite so time-consuming should the player wish to bypass the longer scenes. So, I would've rather seen the existing cut scenes either shortened or divided up more evenly among game play. Keep the same content but space them differently to give a better sense of balance to the game overall. As it is, sometimes it's difficult to sit through the extended scenes. I would've like to have "played" Xenosaga a lot more than I was able to. And I would've liked to have seen a LOT more story! Xenosaga is far too short in my opinion and not for lack of a story to tell but from lack of telling it! So much more could've been done with this installment story-wise. Though the back of the game boasts 80+ hours of game play, this simply isn't true unless you spend a lot of time playing the mini-games and leveling up. A video game player of average abilities can expect between 30-50 hours of play time. The "dungeons" can be quite long and tedious but with a little leveling up shouldn't be too difficult. There are no random encounters and enemies can be avoided though this isn't as easy as it might seem at first. Still, it's nice to have the option of avoiding battles.
Speaking of game play, I did enjoy the battle system. Each character begins battle with 4 Ability Points (AP) of which 2 are expended when a basic attack or ether attack technique is executed. Basic attacks are divided into long and short range attacks while ether attacks can be used at any distance and require ether points in addition to AP points to execute. AP that isn't expended during a round is carried over and can be stored up to execute more powerful attacks. Battle order is clearly displayed in the Group Turn Window (GTW) on the lower right side of the screen which is very handy for anticipating attacks and working out effective attack strategies. Another very nice feature included in the Xenosaga battle system is the boost ability. Each character has a Boost Gauge (BG) that fills with each attack. When the BG has filled, a number appears to the right of it telling how many boosts are available. By "boosting", a player can have characters cut in line and beat their enemies to the punch or jump in to do some emergency healing..
Where are the Gears? Well, now we have Anti-Gnosis Weapons Systems or AGWS (pronounced "eggs"
. Unfortunately, they're practically an option in Xenosaga and using them is not necessary. Still, for those who were fond of their Gears in Xenogears, the AGWS are useful in battle if you chose to use them. Hopefully, they'll play a bigger role in future installments. Improving each character requires both leveling up and earning different types of points. Defeating enemies earns varying numbers of experience points (XP), tech points (TP), skill points (SP) and ether points (EP). Earning enough XP will increase a character's level resulting in an increase in statistics including hit points, ether points, strength, defensive abilities, and evasion. TP, SP and EP points have to be spent by the player using the various sub menus in the main menu. Skill points are used to extract abilities out of items and armor and may be set and used by characters without having to equip those items or armor. Ether points are used to learn new ether abilities as well as transfer these spells between characters. Tech points can be used to improve tech attacks or improve character statistics.
Xenosaga incorporates a novel idea into game play with its Unus Mundus Network (UMN) which is basically Shion's in-game email server hosted by a goofy looking bunny. Through the UMN you can receive and send email, check Shion's database for statistics on Gnosis and also access Keywords that give interesting background information on lead characters as well as other elements of the game, and use the Environmental Simulator (EVS). If you find yourself short on XP, TP, EP, or SP the EVS is a place you can go to remedy this! The EVS allows you to revisit previous dungeons, pick up any items you missed, and fight enemies all over again. Email often contains attachments containing new weapons, offers of employment, and even spam from Namco.
The outstanding young composer, Yasunori Mitsuda, wrote the music of Xenosaga. I've already enjoyed the soundtracks of Xenogears and Chrono Cross and his style is very evident in Xenosaga as well. Though I enjoyed the music overall it was used very sparingly within the game. Themes were not as distinctive as they could've been and I had the feeling at times that the entire score was written in one key. Still, there are some soaring moments and it was a pleasure to hear Joanne Hogg (lead vocalist for eclectic Celtic musical group Iona who sang on the Xenogears OST) used once again as a vocalist for the haunting final song "Pain". Technically, the music could have been mixed better. There are times when music was accompanying voice-overs that the music almost drowned out what the characters were saying making it difficult to understand them. Thank goodness for sub-titles!
I don't have much to say about the voice actors used in the cinemas. I'm still getting used to voices in video games and consider them "icing on the cake" but unnecessary overall. I would've liked to have seen better dubbing--matching the voices to the lip movement of characters, but that's a small complaint. The voices used were appropriate for the characters and not annoying in the least, especially the voice of MOMO, the 12-year-old Realian. Her voice was appropriately childish but not whining. That's really all I ask of any voice-overs; the voices themselves must not be annoyingly whiney or high-pitched or stereotypical. So, I'd say Xenosaga successfully used voices.
The graphics in Xenosaga are simply outstanding. The sterile environment of space, the gleaming metallic structures, the sleek spaceships, the gelatinous Gnosis, the blazing laser-like attacks--all of these were rendered with an attention to detail and polish that was just a pleasure to look at. The anime style of the characters worked very well in the sci-fi environment too. Everyone looked natural despite the stylized forms.
Ultimately Xenosaga was an enjoyable and entertaining experience. It didn't overtake my life in the way that many classic RPGs have done; the world just wasn't big enough, but it left me caring about the characters and wondering what will happen to them next. I can't say that Xenosaga is for everyone. The flow of the game is uneven; between the short, linear game and the long cut scenes, many gamers might have a hard time sitting through Xenosaga with any satisfaction. So much more could've been done with the story-- there is certainly plenty of sub-plot fodder but we're only given crumbs--so much more given to us to play, to put together, to think about. I'm optimistic that Episode 2, when it is released, will be an improvement... and that means it's sure to be completely outstanding!
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