If you read my review of the original Xenosaga then you know how much I loved the game. I had been forewarned that Episode II changed a lot and just wasn't good in general but I threw caution to the wind and played it anyway.
A part of me is sitting here and regretting it while another part was happy with how it all ending. I guess it depends on what kind of gamer you are when it comes to the role playing games.
Do you play for the game play or for the story? Personally I play for the story and as long as the game play isn't utter garbage I can live with it (please note that Magna Carta was so bad I couldn't enjoy its awesome story).
For some reason Namco and pals thought the first game didn't sell enough so they gave this entry a total overhaul and I'll be blunt and say it was the biggest mistake they could have taken with the series.
First of all they changed most of the characters deigns. They gave them a more realistic look and it is just too drastic. When Shion goes from librarian to sexy gal and not a single ounce of her former self remains is just a shame. A few other characters go through this change and it usually isn't a plus.
That isn't the only thing to suffer though. There are fewer cut scenes but they are also of lesser quality. We do get more Earthy locations so it doesn't always feel like a sterile lab which was my only complaint with the original game.
But something else is amiss with this game as well. The story is total cannon. Well, not cannon but it could be summed up so quickly that I can't imagine the amount of time I just invested in this game only for so little to happen. It reminds me of a Wheel of Time novel where Jordan would spend 1000+ pages describing one day and not even cover all of the main characters.
The game jumps 14 years into the past and then back to where the original game ended. We learn a lot about our villain this time around and frankly this game has a truly amazing ending this is both haunting and beautiful. It actually made everything else worth while as I think only 5 things really happen in the plot that is even worth mentioning. Now I see why my friend said the entire plot is briefed to you at the start of Episode III.
I can just continue with the new flaws that have been created for this series. Next up on the serving platter is the sound. The voice cast has been given a major overhaul and it's sad because some of these new voices are terrible and while I don't have to listen to Izzy from Digimon any longer it did kind of grow on me and these new changes aren't very good. The games music also feels a bit tamer and not as emotional (excluding the finale). Sadly the vocal tracks are ear bleeders and no one should ever be forced to hear them again.
At the core of it's game play, Xenosaga Episode II remains the same. It's the little tweaks that have been made that really push the game play into a new realm and it isn't exactly an enjoyable one.
A quick refresher for those who haven't played the original (seriously, why play a trilogy out of order...). This is a turn based role playing game. Enemies are seen on the screen and you need to be near each other for combat to kick in.
Combat still maintains a front and back row for you and the enemy. Not only that we still have the little bonus bar which gives you a special bonus after each fight but I found myself worrying less about getting a good bonus and more about trying to get the game play under control.
You still string together attack with the square and triangle button. It's a little easier to figure out the moves and the menu is much more clean cut which is nice. The problem is that you get a few extra options like storing attacks and gaining extra multipliers. it sounds good but it becomes overly complex and the difficulty is rather high when it shouldn't be.
I'm not sure what really ruined it for me but it felt like the game was just trying to hard to be different that it not only alienated the typical role player but also the fans of the series.
It's not terrible by any means, it just isn't as solid and focused as what we had in the first title. I really don't know what else I can say about the game play. You can still use items, use your mecha unit and all that jazz. it's just the tweaks to the game play that hinder the enjoyment.
So while we fixed my only complaint with the original game we have also created many flaws along the way. Some fans may be offended by the changes and others might find them refreshing. I felt like I was more in the middle ground with being all for some change but the design changes the the lack of a real plot really hurt it all for me.
I hear this entire game is summed up in the third title and we'll find out soon enough. So much happens with the characters and yet it can be summed up much quicker that I can't figure out why they wasted an entire game with it. It was nice though to have some side quests which is something the original seriously lacked.
Story - 7/10
Graphics - 7/10
Sound - 6/10
Control - 9/10
Game Play - 7/10
Replay Value - 4/10
Final Score - 6/10
No comments:
Post a Comment