Poll: Is Xenogears worth playing?
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Xenogears is great. Admittedly there are parts that feel rushed or incomplete but i'd say it was more fun than any final fantasy game. One warning, it is VERY story-heavy and if you don't feel connected to the characters, you will probably not like the game.
Xenosaga, i played and finished all 3 episodes and was left very unimpressed. The characters are just not ask likeable and the combat is unnecessarily slow-paced. The story is also just disappointing, you only get a full explaination of what's really going on until the very end and are left with 'oh, that makes no sense. That one guy was the main villain the whole time?'
Xenosaga, i played and finished all 3 episodes and was left very unimpressed. The characters are just not ask likeable and the combat is unnecessarily slow-paced. The story is also just disappointing, you only get a full explaination of what's really going on until the very end and are left with 'oh, that makes no sense. That one guy was the main villain the whole time?'
The thing to keep in mind with Xenogears when talking about disc 2 is it's the gameplay that breaks down, the plot/story still keeps going strong. I just replayed it again 2 years ago, and was rather impressed in that it's one of the few JRPG's that keeps it going right down to the very end. Typically with a JRPG you get to a point right before the end where all that's left to do with the story is get through the last dungeon beat the final boss, there's no mystery left plus you pretty much know what's going to happen and suddenly it just feels like a chore that maybe you don't feel like doing.
Xenogears on the other hand if you're invested in the characters & story keeps the intensity up right down to the very last boss fight. So while the gameplay cuts off due to no more budget that part at least is good.
Xenogears on the other hand if you're invested in the characters & story keeps the intensity up right down to the very last boss fight. So while the gameplay cuts off due to no more budget that part at least is good.
As others have pointed out, they literally ran out of money. So it was either "Tell you the rest of the story" or "End the game at the end of the first disc and leave the story hanging".Atmos Duality said:
I still prefer the first choice over the second any day. Sure, it's weird but at least we weren't left hanging for a sequel that would never happen.
Xenogears is... not really what I would call a good game in the traditional sense, the gameplay is deeply flawed, the story is convoluted, the pacing is questionable, ect. But at the same time I would still recommend it, because none of its flaws make it unplayable, and simply as an experience its incredibly unique, and extremely memorable.
Xenosaga won't leave you with nearly as much of a lasting impression but I would still recommend it. A very fun RPG series, the major caveats being that the second game is by a wide margin the worst of the three, the ending feels slightly rushed because the devs didn't originally plan for 3 to be the last game, and the voice cast changes a fair amount every game which can be jarring.
Xenosaga won't leave you with nearly as much of a lasting impression but I would still recommend it. A very fun RPG series, the major caveats being that the second game is by a wide margin the worst of the three, the ending feels slightly rushed because the devs didn't originally plan for 3 to be the last game, and the voice cast changes a fair amount every game which can be jarring.
This is probably the clincher for me. I could probably begrudgingly forgive the gameplay issue if the story holds up. I just don't want a situation where the narrative abruptly ends, or tons of lose ends are left unresolved. If the narrative can hold up then I'll probably be willing to give it a try.RandV80 said:
Thing is I liked the playable characters in Xenosaga or at least found them interesting and wanted to see where it was going with them. Except for Shion. The not-protagonist we're clearly supposed to root for. I don't think I have ever seen an RPG heroine more unlikable, selfish, useless, and pointless to the plot than Shion was. You can cut her from the entire series and the plot doesn't suffer in the slightest.jademunky said:
Yeah, she was certainly the weakest link. I really hated how she was just so clueless about Allen being head-over-heels for her.Aiddon said:
But it was not just Shion though. I'm sure that there was a legitimate reason the ultimate ghost-killing-superweapon just happened to look like a 15-year-old, blue-haired-girl wearing a wristband for a miniskirt but for the life of me, I just cannot see it. I'll just chalk that one up to "because Japan".
Wow, I'm actually a little surprised that so many people didn't like Xenosaga. But first, to answer the OP, yes, you should go and play Xenogears.
For me, Xenogears was amazing. One of the best games of the PS1 era. Though I have to admit, the last half of the game would've been a lot cooler if we could've played through some of the stuff that was happening instead of just hearing about it. I also heard the rumor the game went over budget at that point, but it was still an awesome game.
Now, should the OP play Xenosaga? Well, answer this question first. Did you absolutely love Xenogears? If so, then you have to play Xenosaga. The game is crammed full of Easter eggs and throw back to the original. I'd list some, but spoilers. Still, be prepared. It's three games after all, and they are all pretty long. But taken as a whole, I loved Xenosaga. But they are not without their flaws.
The first one had way too many anime cliches in it. The afore mentioned short skirts and heels and lets not forget magic girl transformations that are never to be heard from during the rest of the series. The combat is also pretty slow and the battle music is sort of bland. Also, I don't know if anyone mentioned it or not, but the first game is loaded with cut scenes. So many that they put it on a DVD and let people watch it as a movie. It was like a pre order gift or something.
I personally hated the second game and couldn't bring myself to finish it. I watched my best friend play and beat it . The combat system is terrible and the largest side quest is almost entirely non-combat. However, things change a great deal with the third game. That one is of a more universal appeal, though...again with some of the anime cliches... Still, I consider it the best one.
So, if you really, really end up liking Xenogears, then Xenosaga might be worth it. I was a huge Xenogears fan and playing Xenosaga was very rewarding. Though, if you do decide to play the games, understand the developers wanted at least four more games in the series, but couldn't due to not meeting sales goals.
For me, Xenogears was amazing. One of the best games of the PS1 era. Though I have to admit, the last half of the game would've been a lot cooler if we could've played through some of the stuff that was happening instead of just hearing about it. I also heard the rumor the game went over budget at that point, but it was still an awesome game.
Now, should the OP play Xenosaga? Well, answer this question first. Did you absolutely love Xenogears? If so, then you have to play Xenosaga. The game is crammed full of Easter eggs and throw back to the original. I'd list some, but spoilers. Still, be prepared. It's three games after all, and they are all pretty long. But taken as a whole, I loved Xenosaga. But they are not without their flaws.
The first one had way too many anime cliches in it. The afore mentioned short skirts and heels and lets not forget magic girl transformations that are never to be heard from during the rest of the series. The combat is also pretty slow and the battle music is sort of bland. Also, I don't know if anyone mentioned it or not, but the first game is loaded with cut scenes. So many that they put it on a DVD and let people watch it as a movie. It was like a pre order gift or something.
I personally hated the second game and couldn't bring myself to finish it. I watched my best friend play and beat it . The combat system is terrible and the largest side quest is almost entirely non-combat. However, things change a great deal with the third game. That one is of a more universal appeal, though...again with some of the anime cliches... Still, I consider it the best one.
So, if you really, really end up liking Xenogears, then Xenosaga might be worth it. I was a huge Xenogears fan and playing Xenosaga was very rewarding. Though, if you do decide to play the games, understand the developers wanted at least four more games in the series, but couldn't due to not meeting sales goals.
Xenosaga Episode II is still great. It just has a battle system that takes some learning, and some battles take a LOT of time. But once you get the hang of it, it's actually the most interesting battle system in the series (all 3 games have different battle system mechanics, I and III are somewhat similar, II is quite unique).Kirbys said:
Uh... Shion is quite clearly meant to be hard to relate to. Heck,Aiddon said:
you fight her at one point in III because she's being dumb and stubborn!
having summoned the Gnosis and all...
To me, it seemed she was intentionally giving Allen the cold shoulder becausejademunky said:
obviously she hadn't gotten over Kevin yet...
As for KOS-MOS, 15? More like 20-21. And her design is quite badass. MOMO was the underage one (she looked 12).
Not just that, she acts like a petulant, arrogant, self-righteous brat at every turn. When Jin showed up I wondered how he managed to tolerate her for so long without slapping her so hard she was knocked into a coma. And as for Allen, I thought of what it would be like if I switched their genders...and suddenly that whole relationship became VERY UNCOMFORTABLE. She was a giant asshole who was a danger to everyone in that plot.jademunky said:
Ah yes, the last resort for character with no redeeming qualities: "they're SUPPOSED to be unlikable!" Bull. Freaking. Crap. It is quite clear from the beginning onward we're meant to empathize and like Shion. They try to tug at our heart strings with the deaths of her parents and her boyfriend. But then they fumble it and make her an irritating asshole. And that's before we get into how you can make a character unlikable without sacrificing depth or making them insufferable such Sherlock Holmes or Guts from Berserk. She's not some sort of deconstruction or subversion, she's just a badly written character. And like all badly written protagonists she also suffers no consequences for her selfish actions that only put herself in danger but also put others in danger. Her brother should have had her take a psych eval because she clearly needs to be institutionalized.Vlado said:
Which was quite clearly pulled out of the writer's ass due to the lack of any sort of foreshadowing and the setup had to bend over backwards and through logic to make it happen. And that's before we get into how her sole defining action that is of any significance in the entire series is her putting billions of lives in danger. Ouch. It made no sense when I saw it and it STILL makes no sense years after. You could cut that entire section out of the game and nothing suffers for it except maybe having better pacing.
Well, I'll tell you right now that the story of Xenogears SEEMS to have a lot of loose ends. I say seems because it's simply a matter that the story is so heavily involved that you will miss a lot of stuff that you might consider a loose end. I've lost track of how many times I've played it and I'm STILL finding out new stuff in the story.Fox12 said:
