PlayStation 2

Xenosaga: Episode I - Der Wille zur Macht

Any seasoned gamer will immediately recognize the numerous parallels, in both appearance and feel, between Xenosaga and Final Fantasy. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering that many Monolith employees formerly worked at Square. Fortunately, this obvious appropriation of FF elements has been done with smart discrimination. Monolith essentially took everything that makes FF successful, filtered it into Xenosaga, and then cast out everything bad. The final result: a nearly flawless RPG experience.

The amount of playing time between save points and the lengthiness of the story segments might annoy a less patient gamer, but if you wanted a shallow storyline, why are you buying RPGs? XenoSaga is all-new while having enough in common with the original title in the series to call to mind Xenogears. While the game may make you wait for the battles, those battles are pretty darn fun when they arrive. While the game may not have quite as many mini-games as Xenosaga, but it’s not likely anyone will notice since the story moves along well, albeit in big chunks at a time. A must-have.

The only flaws I see are bad lip-synching, and not being able to tell if the for-sale equipment is superior to what you have. Xenosaga is truly a triple-A title, and destined for RPG greatness.

Overall, Xenosaga is nothing short of fabulous. With breathtaking visuals and sound complimenting a compelling story of human nature in all its forms, this is one game that should definitely not be missed, especially by those looking for something different. While the lengthy cut scenes may be a turnoff for some, anyone who puts just a little bit of time into this game will most likely be hooked by the amazing presentation.

Xenosaga is an interstellar otherspace opus of the most magnificent kind, an intelligent and surprisingly intelligible Final Fantasy styled symphony of psychotic robots, hyperspace travel, and eerie religious debates. But a warning goes out to potential spacefarers: Embark on this journey, and you'll do as much watching as you will role-playing.

In the end, Xenosaga’s an all around excellent game that’s marred only by tiny flaws. From its cryptic opening moments to its startlingly unresolved ending, it’s unlike that which has come before it. When the team that completed the development of Xenogears cut loose from Square after frustration at the company’s disinterest in non-Final Fantasy products, a bold new competitor in the field of RPGs was born. While Xenosaga’s first episode can’t quite take down that pillar of the industry, this monster of their own creation could shape up to be Square's most formidable competition yet.

For those of us who like this sort of thing, however, Xenosaga is a deeply enriching thrill ride towards the cosmos. Realistically vanquished in 30-40 hours, this epic space opera is truthfully described as a member of the PlayStation 2's elite RPG club. Not without a few gameplay-to-cinema pacing problems, Der Wille zur Macht can still stand toe to toe with the best of them; and what's most exciting of all, is that it's only the beginning of something much larger to come.

Overall, it's a great game that is worthy for play, but it doesn't measure up to Xenogears; just don't let that sway you away from it.

Not everyone will enjoy Xenosaga, but serious fans of RPGs or anime almost certainly will.

This is one of those RPG's that I would highly recommend... though only to certain people. With it's long, drawn out storyline, many people will pass the game up simply due to time constraints. The battle system is also a bit slower than normal, though I didn't personally find it to be that bad. On the plus side the game manages to acheive levels of graphics and aural brilliance. Still, the storyline is worth the ride and I can easily say that Xenosaga is one fantastic RPG and I look forward to the next installment.

When does a game become not a game, but a movie or the like? When 50% is cut-scenes? 75%? It’s a fine line that still hasn’t been truly decided. Xenosaga walks this fine line, and I still can’t figure out which it is. The cut-scenes, which take up the majority of this game are wonderfully done, and the gameplay, when you finally do get to play, is also well done. But does that truly lead to a good game?

Ja, jag kommer att få skit för att jag skriver det här, men jag tycker inte att Xenosaga är någon direkt fullpoängare. Visst, det är ett trevligt spel, men den som förväntar sig att det är Gud själv som har suttit och kodat ihop ett himmelskt underverk kommer att bli besviken. Det har för många svagheter för att nå hela vägen fram. Grafiken är en sådan. Faktum är att flera andra på redaktionen har kommit med kommentarer som "vilka tråkiga miljöer" eller "det ser ju faktiskt inte så jättesnyggt ut" när de har sneglat över min axel i spelrummet. Och ärligt talat har det lite för mycket story för sitt eget bästa, framlagd på fel sätt dessutom. Xenosaga är inte på något sätt en kandidat till det bästa spelet någonsin. Långt ifrån. Däremot har jag inte sagt att spelet är dåligt.

Para todos os efeitos, "Xenosaga" é 50% um RPG experimental de uma equipe talentosa, e 50% algo parecido com o que George Lucas faz com "Star Wars": tentar encaixar sua grande história numa série de produtos que uma distribuidora quer apenas colocar na mão de seus consumidores. Trancos e solavancos à parte, o game tem sucesso - talvez não como uma evolução do gênero, mas como uma maneira totalmente nova de se olhar para os RPGs.

You take the good. You take the bad. You take them both and there you have...the facts of life. Sit MOMO, sit. Good girl.