How are the Xenosaga games?
- Thread starter Lamine
- Start date
I will say this. Back in the day I liked Xenosaga 1 more than Xenogears or Xenoblade 1.
But I never actually finished Xenoblade.
Xenogears is probably a better story but I really don't like the gameplay and it's very slowly paced. Xenosaga had more enjoyable gameplay to me and while it's also slow it doesn't feel like it drags as much as Xenogears. Xenoblade has so much filler quest content I bounced off it. But I want to go back and give the series a proper try again.
But now I kinda want to replay Xenosaga and maybe finish it with the third one.
But I never actually finished Xenoblade.
Xenogears is probably a better story but I really don't like the gameplay and it's very slowly paced. Xenosaga had more enjoyable gameplay to me and while it's also slow it doesn't feel like it drags as much as Xenogears. Xenoblade has so much filler quest content I bounced off it. But I want to go back and give the series a proper try again.
But now I kinda want to replay Xenosaga and maybe finish it with the third one.
They are amazing. It's worth it if you're able to play them.
But you won't fully know until you try them for yourself.
But you won't fully know until you try them for yourself.
The Xenosaga series is an experience lol. I usually tell people to just play XenoGears and XenoBlade but if you want to go down that road, you gotta overcome the roughness of 1 and 2 before you get to the the 3rd one which is the best one in the trilogy.
Man, we really need a remaster. I loved the trilogy. It's pretty much set the bar for me when it comes to sci-fi JRPGs.
😂
This gif, with Ziggy's swimsuit, and then Jr running in his swimsuit all THAT BASTARD and running off hahaha.
My favourite trilogy of all time… especially Episode III is a fucking masterpiece and soooooooooooooo rewarding for investing in the first two games characters and story wise, like the most rewarding third entry in any trilogy I ever experienced in any media <3
I only watched the cutscenes on YouTube, but I can say that the gameplay does not look fun at all. It especially lacks the good exploration of the Blade games, and even Gears.
The story is good, but uber complex and you might need a wiki just to understand all the terms it throws at you
The story is good, but uber complex and you might need a wiki just to understand all the terms it throws at you
It's really been too long for me to have anything but the vaguest takes on these games. Like, back then they were almost comically overloaded on cutscenes compared to other games but I wonder how they come off in 2024.
Weirdly enough I have good memories of 2. Like, they definitely cooked too hard with that battle system and it just ends up being tedious sometimes. And the art style change was jarring. But I don't regret playing it.
3 I recall being a huge step up in terms of the gameplay but it was pretty obvious how badly they had to cut the game down from their original vision. Not Xenogears level, but still.
Weirdly enough I have good memories of 2. Like, they definitely cooked too hard with that battle system and it just ends up being tedious sometimes. And the art style change was jarring. But I don't regret playing it.
3 I recall being a huge step up in terms of the gameplay but it was pretty obvious how badly they had to cut the game down from their original vision. Not Xenogears level, but still.
Episode I has it's own faults but much better than the "changes" in II.
III try to redeemed it from II & somehow succeeded, in my opinion. 🤷
But for the climactic final boss in the final episode, Zarathustra was really disappointing design wise... 🙄
Even Deus was better for all the supposedly 'rushed' second disc.
III try to redeemed it from II & somehow succeeded, in my opinion. 🤷
But for the climactic final boss in the final episode, Zarathustra was really disappointing design wise... 🙄
Even Deus was better for all the supposedly 'rushed' second disc.
Episode 1 is one of the greatest games of all time
Episode 2 is one of the worst games of all time
Episode 3 is very very good
Episode 2 is one of the worst games of all time
Episode 3 is very very good
I think if I played xs again now I would think that it hasn't aged well. That being said I remember xs1 very fondly. I think it has a number of issues even back when it first released but the potential it promised was really exciting even if a lot of it went unfulfilled.
Even as a fan of these games (technically my introduction to Xeno) I'd say to only play them if you like Takahashi's style. The first two games are quite rough, the third one is great but it's a very direct sequel to them.
In a meta sense it can be fun to revisit them and see how many elements Xenoblade is taking from these titles. Like the idea of breaking enemies into topple/launch first appearing in Xenosaga 2. And of course some quite similar story elements and philosophical undertones.
In a meta sense it can be fun to revisit them and see how many elements Xenoblade is taking from these titles. Like the idea of breaking enemies into topple/launch first appearing in Xenosaga 2. And of course some quite similar story elements and philosophical undertones.
XS3 is one of the best JRPGs of all time.
There is a super-detailed in-game glossary for all of the terms.
There is a super-detailed in-game glossary for all of the terms.
My point is that needing a glossary to understand things is a bad sign.
I was actually just trying to let someone who might be interested in actually playing the game know that they don't need external wikis to understand the terminology.
Xenosaga was such a trip of a series that made me realize I'm a sucker for space operas with secret fantastical elements to it. Any other games that can scratch that itch? The closest since has been Xenoblade X and we all know what happened there…
Hot take: Episode 3's combat is the favorite because it simplified itself due to being the cheapest option out of necessity. The Break system's an engaging one but otherwise it's a pretty standard "Fight/Skill/Magic/Item" approach; nothing so convoluted as 2's Stock system or 1's take on Gears's combat. Budget affected the story too: very few new characters are introduced, far fewer fully animated cutscenes, the enemies and bosses are mostly repurposed from or are important antagonists introduced in previous games.
(3 Endgame spoilers) That unfortunately extends to the final boss who's compiled from all the ES's and mysterious artifacts throughout the trilogy. Never got the chance to punch Wilhelm's smug face..
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 in many ways feels like a fully realized version of the Saga trilogy, tackling many of the same themes but better. Kinda hard not to recommend playing that over tackling the full trilogy. If you can manage though, I think it's worth. There's nothing else quite like it in the JRPG world IMO and if nothing else you can see the starts of what would become Xenoblade. The Topple/Launch has been mentioned already, but the Boost mechanic across all three games can fulfill a similar role to Chain Attacks offensively (not to mention its defensive use being reinterpreted as Visions in XB1 and Future Redeemed). 3 even made an attempt at an Aggro system, underdeveloped as it was.
Hot take: Episode 3's combat is the favorite because it simplified itself due to being the cheapest option out of necessity. The Break system's an engaging one but otherwise it's a pretty standard "Fight/Skill/Magic/Item" approach; nothing so convoluted as 2's Stock system or 1's take on Gears's combat. Budget affected the story too: very few new characters are introduced, far fewer fully animated cutscenes, the enemies and bosses are mostly repurposed from or are important antagonists introduced in previous games.
(3 Endgame spoilers) That unfortunately extends to the final boss who's compiled from all the ES's and mysterious artifacts throughout the trilogy. Never got the chance to punch Wilhelm's smug face..
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 in many ways feels like a fully realized version of the Saga trilogy, tackling many of the same themes but better. Kinda hard not to recommend playing that over tackling the full trilogy. If you can manage though, I think it's worth. There's nothing else quite like it in the JRPG world IMO and if nothing else you can see the starts of what would become Xenoblade. The Topple/Launch has been mentioned already, but the Boost mechanic across all three games can fulfill a similar role to Chain Attacks offensively (not to mention its defensive use being reinterpreted as Visions in XB1 and Future Redeemed). 3 even made an attempt at an Aggro system, underdeveloped as it was.
They're certainly not as good as Xenogears, but I had my fun with them. The battle mechanics took some time getting used to and evolve/change from game to game (iirc) and the story was very confusing to say the least.
Which doesn't mean bad it was just extremely hard to follow and half of the time I was like whaaaaaaaat? But I'm certainly not the sharpest tool in the shed, so take that with a grain of salt.
Probably over ten years ago since I played them so I can't remember much besides that. Overall I'd say 3.5/5. Given how extensive the PS2 JRPG library is there are better games..but also a lot of worse ones.
Oh and I loved Shion if I remember correctly, I mean I can still remember her name so thats a good sign..oh and that blue haired lady ^^
Which doesn't mean bad it was just extremely hard to follow and half of the time I was like whaaaaaaaat? But I'm certainly not the sharpest tool in the shed, so take that with a grain of salt.
Probably over ten years ago since I played them so I can't remember much besides that. Overall I'd say 3.5/5. Given how extensive the PS2 JRPG library is there are better games..but also a lot of worse ones.
Oh and I loved Shion if I remember correctly, I mean I can still remember her name so thats a good sign..oh and that blue haired lady ^^
episode 1 is my favorite too. fantastic turn based combat with intricate customization (love to grind a bit to break the game), and the mystery throughout is so intense, continues to haunt me
If anyone playing Episode III after II, I suggest to watch Xenosaga: A Missing Year, basically a collection of the English translation of the series of flash animations that span the one year gap between Xenosaga II and Xenosaga III.
View: https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhkdGQOixb1cbR4UDX1iFT1M_ErV5dWxA
I had to do this & read the summary of Pied Piper (prequel of Episode I) before playing Episode III & gave me understanding some of the contexts.
This IP definitely not perfect & lore/history too cumbersome to understand/follow, but I am glad I have experienced all of it.
View: https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhkdGQOixb1cbR4UDX1iFT1M_ErV5dWxA
I had to do this & read the summary of Pied Piper (prequel of Episode I) before playing Episode III & gave me understanding some of the contexts.
This IP definitely not perfect & lore/history too cumbersome to understand/follow, but I am glad I have experienced all of it.
Sure wish we got more than just Xenosaga 2 over here (Europe only ever got 2), so I could try these games (no way would I ever start with 2, what were they thinking?)
Suppose I can just emulate them, I actually imported 1 just in case Bamco never did a remaster for these games, which is looking likely to never happen now.
Apparently the I & II DS fan translation never got finished, which is a shame, I would have opted for that instead nowadays probably.
Suppose I can just emulate them, I actually imported 1 just in case Bamco never did a remaster for these games, which is looking likely to never happen now.
Apparently the I & II DS fan translation never got finished, which is a shame, I would have opted for that instead nowadays probably.
They'll probably show their age now, but I think Xenosaga 1 and 3, particularly 3, are great JRPGs. Xenosaga 2 is indeed really rough, but it's an integral part of the story, so play it at your own risk.
Yeah, you pretty much have to read Pied Piper if you want to know Ziggy's backstory and his relationship with
Voyager
I love Xenosaga so much, but it is another Takahashi series that was too ambitious for its own good, which resulted in some drama and cuts during development.
XS 1 is good, but shows its age.
XS 2 is trash. They changed half of the voice cast, changed the design of the characters for the worst and standard battles take way too long. Play it for the story though.
XS 3 is the best of the bunch. The story moves fast though, because the game tries to wrap up as many plot points as possible.
I watched the entire DVD than came with my copy of 2 which combined all of 1's cutscenes. I hadn't played the first game and it was very difficult or expensive to find it in PAL.
I then played the game for less time than I had invested watching that "movie" before deciding I really disliked it and never went back.
I then played the game for less time than I had invested watching that "movie" before deciding I really disliked it and never went back.
Really enjoyed 1 when it came out, think I played it fully through twice. Battle system gets nice once you've found enough upgrades for boost points.
XS2 was a slog. I definitely dropped it when I got through a long, slow dungeon, only for the next area to be the exact same place with a seasonal palette swap. Eventually went back and played following a guide to cut out unnecessary annoyances.
XS3 was awesome. They knew it was the end, so they dropped in as many Xenogears references as possible.
Cutscenes in all three go on too long. I'll never forget reading the Iwata Asks for Xenoblade where they say "we hired this guy who worked in anime, so he could look at the script and tell us how long the scene would be." Incredible.
XS2 was a slog. I definitely dropped it when I got through a long, slow dungeon, only for the next area to be the exact same place with a seasonal palette swap. Eventually went back and played following a guide to cut out unnecessary annoyances.
XS3 was awesome. They knew it was the end, so they dropped in as many Xenogears references as possible.
Cutscenes in all three go on too long. I'll never forget reading the Iwata Asks for Xenoblade where they say "we hired this guy who worked in anime, so he could look at the script and tell us how long the scene would be." Incredible.
I can imagine it being difficult since there is no PAL version of Xenosaga 1! In general Europe was still getting shafted hard when it came to jrpgs during the PS2 era. (No wonder I couldn't get into the series back in the day as well)
3 is the best Xeno game besides Xenoblade 1 (I haven't played Gears or X though)
Great story, music, graphics (for the time), solid battle system including fun mech battles (the mech battles in 2 were lame; 3 is a huge improvement in every way)
You just have to slog through 1 and 2 to get there but it's worth it.
Great story, music, graphics (for the time), solid battle system including fun mech battles (the mech battles in 2 were lame; 3 is a huge improvement in every way)
You just have to slog through 1 and 2 to get there but it's worth it.
Way better than Xenogears and Xenoblades. They are flawed games though that's for sure. Xenogears would've been better but the second disc completely tanked the game.
Xenosaga series is my favorite out of the Xeno games. The story GOES places. 1 and 3 are the best.
They are injecting so much Xenosaga lore in Xenoblade, I really feel like they should make a modern release happen somehow. I would love to play them.
Damn should've went with my gut and said it wasn't available at all!
I just vaguely remembered a magazine review of it which in hindsight must've been an import review. I did a quick search before posting that and seen the first game available to buy in €.
If I scrolled an inch down I would've seen it was as you said, not released.
I'm gonna test my memory and without looking it up, I want to say we at least then got Xenoblade way before the US.
That's correct. US needed Operation Rainfall to get Xenoblade here. By then, I had already imported a UK copy.
Xenosaga 1 came out when I was as deep as I've ever been into contrived JRPG plots and anime nonsense and I still thought it was unbearable. You're hit in the face with a wall of terrible storytelling and your reward is an awful game to play from time to time.
The Xenosaga series is the second time Takahashi tried to tell this story and the second time it failed to come together. As a trilogy, Xenosaga wasn't so great, but individually the games have merit. Although out of the three XS 3 is the only one I would consider replaying today. It is just too bad that Monolith Soft didn't get its shit together till the final game.
Love these games and they so need the HD treatment. Because the 3rd one used is over $300, lol
If .hack and baten kaitos can get re-released so can this!
If .hack and baten kaitos can get re-released so can this!
I remember getting 1 at launch, hyped as hell after experiencing Xenogears.
Ended up one of my biggest gaming disappointments ever. No matter how much l liked the sci-fi setting and story setup, it was not enough to make it a good game. The choice to take 1/6th of a story as is with no sense of pacing or structure and make a game around it was catastrophic. You get a couple of cool moments along the way but that's all there is. By the end, when you'd think the plot would progress and lead somewhere, it's finished. What remains is a heavy dose of second tier anime dialogue mixed with some limiter-off pretentious mumbo jumbo.
Unfortunately the "game" part is even worse, revolving around a slow battle system and boring dungeons. Meanwhile even the music ends up repetitive, while most of the awkward cutscenes meander and are there just for the sake of being there.
All that sealed the fate of the series and ended any chance of it becoming something big.
2, l never touched after hearing that it's even worse in many aspects.
3 is... somehow a good game and very much worth playing. I was so disappointed by the prior titles that l put off playing it for more than 15 years. It still managed to impress me when l tried it.
As a late gen title, this is one of the better looking PS2 games. It holds up really well. Cutscene direction is fortunately much better. Oh, and they finally found a nice balance on the look of the character models.
Ost is legitimately good and really adds to the whole experience.
Battle system is relatively simple, yet fast, with no big drawbacks. Mech encounters are also a highlight. Very cool, adding some needed diversity and elevating some encounters.
Plot is still a bit too much but at least the pace is brisk with events constantly happening and plot points as well as character arcs reaching a resolution. The game flows well, remains entertaining throughout and never gets boring or tiring.
Maybe it's not the grand finale originally envisioned by the developers but a more abridged version. That said, l 'm not confident they 'd able to achieve something better at the time even with more time and budget if not for the fallout of the first 2 games.
It seems that it was all those constraints and limitations along with the need wrap things up that ultimately led to this being a good game.
TLDR: watch some plot summary video on youtube for the first 2 games and just play 3.
Ended up one of my biggest gaming disappointments ever. No matter how much l liked the sci-fi setting and story setup, it was not enough to make it a good game. The choice to take 1/6th of a story as is with no sense of pacing or structure and make a game around it was catastrophic. You get a couple of cool moments along the way but that's all there is. By the end, when you'd think the plot would progress and lead somewhere, it's finished. What remains is a heavy dose of second tier anime dialogue mixed with some limiter-off pretentious mumbo jumbo.
Unfortunately the "game" part is even worse, revolving around a slow battle system and boring dungeons. Meanwhile even the music ends up repetitive, while most of the awkward cutscenes meander and are there just for the sake of being there.
All that sealed the fate of the series and ended any chance of it becoming something big.
2, l never touched after hearing that it's even worse in many aspects.
3 is... somehow a good game and very much worth playing. I was so disappointed by the prior titles that l put off playing it for more than 15 years. It still managed to impress me when l tried it.
As a late gen title, this is one of the better looking PS2 games. It holds up really well. Cutscene direction is fortunately much better. Oh, and they finally found a nice balance on the look of the character models.
Ost is legitimately good and really adds to the whole experience.
Battle system is relatively simple, yet fast, with no big drawbacks. Mech encounters are also a highlight. Very cool, adding some needed diversity and elevating some encounters.
Plot is still a bit too much but at least the pace is brisk with events constantly happening and plot points as well as character arcs reaching a resolution. The game flows well, remains entertaining throughout and never gets boring or tiring.
Maybe it's not the grand finale originally envisioned by the developers but a more abridged version. That said, l 'm not confident they 'd able to achieve something better at the time even with more time and budget if not for the fallout of the first 2 games.
It seems that it was all those constraints and limitations along with the need wrap things up that ultimately led to this being a good game.
TLDR: watch some plot summary video on youtube for the first 2 games and just play 3.
XS1 was alright but flawed, not that bad for the time it came out honestly.
XS2 due to internal issues and publisher issues had a lot of problems, plus I believe for whatever reason Namco's western branches decided to inflate the enemy HP values leading to battles dragging out way longer than they should have.
XS3 fixes a lot of the previous issues, and the finale segment of the game is easily one of the best payoffs in an RPG series if you stuck through the previous two games.
XS2 due to internal issues and publisher issues had a lot of problems, plus I believe for whatever reason Namco's western branches decided to inflate the enemy HP values leading to battles dragging out way longer than they should have.
XS3 fixes a lot of the previous issues, and the finale segment of the game is easily one of the best payoffs in an RPG series if you stuck through the previous two games.
I'm still a little tilted. Namco had a grudge against all PAL territories for that whole generation.
It will forever be a guilty pleasure of my heart. I miss this series greatly despite all the convoluted mess the story fell into when both financial, writer, and management change happened between 1 and 2. Three is a great game that took a lot of "charm" that the 1st game had out such as character unique animations and voice-lines for using either attacks.
Still think of revisiting from time to time but yeah a movie may serve better.
Still think of revisiting from time to time but yeah a movie may serve better.