Xenogears

The Good
Xenogears is truly an incredible experience, and much of it comes thanks to the fact that it is a very experimental, chance-taking game. Riding hot on the success of FF7, Square took a big chance and released a very atypical rpg with the knowledge that even if it bombed due to it's weird graphics, complex and philosophical story, etc, etc. FF8 would redeem it since it was tailor-made to please the masses. I really don't know if Xenogears was a commercial success or not, but I do know that it is one Square's greatest games.

The game takes place in a fantasy world (which is, in turn, surprisingly similar to ours) where two powerful nations are at war with powerful mechs named Gears, and secret organizations move all sort of strings from the shadows. Suddenly the war will reach an innocent village, home to an orphan named Fei, and when said village becomes attacked, the naive Fei will take control of a Gear and in a sudden release of power, destroy his enemies, the village, and everyone he loves in it. That small confrontation will be the stepping stone to one of the most complex and ground breaking stories I've ever encountered in a game, as Fei leaves the remains of his village in a self-imposed exile, he'll become entangled in the war that is brewing and find out that his release of power wasn't all that accidental. He'll eventually join a revolutionary movement and discover that the war is secretly being motivated by a shadowy nation whose objectives will grow to be larger than the typical "world domination" scheme and actually include human evolution and very deep religious and philosophical affairs. And if you think you have seen that before you are right, the game is heavily inspired by that masterpiece of animation known as Evangelion. But Xenogears, free of the constraints that a tv show has, is able to go the extra mile and pose all sorts of questions regarding life, religion, and our own identities. But perhaps the finest achievement in Xenogears is the way the story is presented, instead of marching proudly to accomplish an objective or perform a specific task, the plot is revealed in layers and layers that transcends each other, the patented Square "complex hero" plotline reveals a deeper dilemma when all reality is shattered and exposed as a lie, after which you find yourself confronting god itself (if it can be called that) and the source of all creation... and after which you come full circle in a... well, let's leave that as a surprise ;)

The graphics in the game are also very rare, instead of CGI cutscenes Square used traditional cel-animated ones, and for the in-game graphics they used a mix of 3D backgrounds and objects, with 2D characters! That's right, I told ya this game took chances and none are more evident than the graphics. Plus instead of going the super-realistic route, the characters are rendered in the traditional "Super Deformed" way that make them look like they were ripped right out of a Snes, given a technical workout, and placed in a fully 3D world. You may ask how can I include such an unholy union in the "good" part, and that is simply because it gives the game a unique and excellent style that no other has. It takes the subtleties that only simpler art can give you and the freedom of exploration that a 3D environment give to make one stunning game world.

Also interestingly inventive is the game system, which includes some platform-game touches (tough don't worry... or actually do! [read "the bad"]) and features a fighting game-like fighting system. Fights are turn based, and can be on Gears or mano-a-mano, but instead of being handled over a buttload of menus, they are controlled by your pad's buttons: press X and you execute a hard blow, press O and you do a kick, etc. with your only limitation being a series of Action Points. As your character goes up in levels you'll be able to execute "special moves" by pressing sequences of buttons and even unleash combos by not attacking and storing those APs. Once again this system works perfectly with the game and seems like a breath of fresh air by cutting out the hassle and enhancing the action for each encounter.

The Bad
Well for starters some of the stuff in the game are, due to their experimental nature, love-or-hate. I loved the graphics and the arcade-like battle system, but I'm aware that some of you will grow to hate them (especially the graphics), ahh...what can you do...

The only big gripe I've got with the game is that it is completely linear in nature, even for a console rpg! Save for some secret items and the choice to finish the game with merely a competent cast or with every character at level 1.000.000 there's not much you can do. There's one BIG (and I do mean BIG) side-plot that explains some stuff, but all there is to do is obligatory, so there's no "buttloads of secrets" in this one like on the FFs. Also, for as chance-taking as the storyline is, there are unfortunately quite a bit of the Square-touches (cue in the patented flying ship, the cutey character, the "big-strong-character-that-is-menacing-but-really-has-a-heart-of-gold", the hidden traumas for the main character, etc. etc. etc...) not enough to detract from the experience, but enough to make you think "Couldn't they leave those things out at least ONCE??!".

The other big gripe I've got is with the platform touches, they include some stupid jumping puzzles and obstacle avoiding, I said don't worry because unlike other console rpg's (hello Nintendo!) they are few and far between, but this is also bad because it means that when you get to them you'll be ill prepared and get incredibly frustrated as you fall, get killed, etc.

Lest I forget, the dubbing is HORRIBLE! I hear this is not Electronics Arts fault since the animation wasn't even done for Japanese dialogue in the beginning, but still... the mouths keep moving for up to 5 seconds after the dialogue has ended!!

The Bottom Line
A very odd console rpg that holds one of the most complex and well constructed stories ever to grace a computer game. I usually tend to think of this one as FF7.5, but it is actually a great game in its own right. Despite it's few flaws (which were something to expect in a game that is really one big experiment) it is quite simply a game that is too good to be true. If only Square dedicated to take chances more often instead of trying to keep making "hip" pseudo rpgs...