I bought Xenogears on it's release day and it took me a good 6 years to actually beat the game. I liked parts of it but as a whole I had some problems with it that really brought it down.
So I really didn't have a whole lot of interest in Xenosaga. It had a huge following but that doesn't always mean it's a good game but I bought them anyway when they were super cheap and all three were out so I wouldn't be left waiting if I did become hooked.
Well, I finally finished Episode I last week but I'm just now bringing myself to write this review. The fact that I tried to play Episode II and realized it was too different for me to continue that without writing this is a sign of problems to come for the series but we're just going to talk about Episode I here.
Here's a warning to the ill informed. This is a cut scene heavy title. It's very anime influenced and very wordy. Some cut scene stretches can take up to 15 minutes, sometimes even longer.
With that out of the way I must say this is one of the most visually stunning titles on the PS2. The CGI is beautiful and everything is so nicely detailed. This is mostly due to the entire game taking place in shiny ships and other sci-fi locations. It also for a more realistic look without showing real terrain. It does make for a stark adventure but it all looks fantastic.
What's odd though is the characters while heavily influenced by anime, they still have a very sharp design to them. Not only that but there's one American looking character by the name of Captain Matthews. He doesn't fit the mold of rest of the game but he's that wise-ass captain you just have to love.
Actually, all of the characters are likeable and that's the biggest draw of the game for me. I liked the characters. Shion is your Liberian like character, not some sexed up teenage girl with a bosom to smoother small tribes. But the scene stealer is Albedo who is by far the most awesome villain to grace a video game since the pure evilness of Kafka in Final Fantasy VI.
The voice work also helps to bring the characters to life and I doubt any of them made me cringe like in a few other recent role playing games. However, it does seem odd to hear the voice of the guy who did Izzy in Digimon doing the voice of Junior. I do love Crispin Freemen as Albedo, knocks it right out of the ball park.
The plot is a little tough to explain as it has a lot of backdrop to it but basically KOS-MOS is a reploid of sorts, a prototype if you will and she has unmentionable power, there is also some sort of evil conspiracy between warring nations and then throw in a tiny bit of religion and you might just grasp the plot line I really don't want to ruin anything and frankly it's just hard to talk about it as it took so much time to build it all up with over 70 cut scenes.
Sadly I can't say I found the game play itself to be overly exciting. Don't get me wrong it isn't bad but it comes off as a little too complex at the start. Fans of Xenogears will feel right at home almost as it continues the idea of have different attacks formed to the X and square button. You can then combo off of that. It's good and all but what makes it all complex is a little bar and if you finish a fight with it on a specific bonus you can get excellent rewards that will help boost your character and their moves.
AP is used to upgrade time, power and all that jazz for these skills so it becomes kind of hectic as you need that plus gaining levels so I found myself delaying wins in battles to get the perfect boost that would help me. It actually became tedious after a while.
It's almost as if the game play is in the way of the plot and maybe that is a problem but I'm a role player who enjoys a plot over the game play any day because I'm playing for the plot just to hit a button and sit and wait for my turn.
Anyway, you can also do combat in your mecha units. This plays out a lot like normal combat but placement on the grid and specific moves may be required to actually deal decent damage. You also don't have as many options as you do in human form.
So while the combat is fairly deep I just felt that it got in the way of me progressing the epic story line. It isn't as grand of a tale as Xenogears but the voice work really helps move it at a much smoother pace then reading walls of text on philosophy for 30 minutes.
To round out this entire package is one of the most beautiful scores I've ever heard. I must own this soundtrack. All of the music was done by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The Hymn in the game is hauntingly beautiful and every piece fits the moment perfectly. I haven't been this enthralled with a soundtrack in a very long time.
It might not be for everyone so you may want to give the game a rent. Remember that it's the first part of a trilogy and it has a ton of cut scenes. I do recommend it highly to any die hard role playing fans out there. It's well worth the investment and it provides a decent enough ending that you may not have to venture forth into the sequel, which uses a clear save from this title for some bonus features.
Story - 10/10
Graphics - 10/10
Sound - 10/10
Control - 9/10
Game Play - 9/10
Replay Value - 3/10
Final Score - 10/10
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