Extra - Review

This is my somewhat objective review on Xenosaga Episode III, which was originally posted in my LJ. I decided to plug it here for the heck of it. Can't say any of you will agree with me, but you're not the one running this website.

Story and Plot

Well, Xenosaga III delivered what it promised. Basically, everything that should've been in Episodes I and II. I have to say, it felt like playing through the second disc of Xenogears all over again. Now, don't get me wrong. The story is good, and if you're going to buy any Xenosaga game, you're playing it for story. However, it was rushed beyond belief. A few points weren't as clarified as they should have been, either. And some things were put in merely to sate the Xenogears fans, such as all of the cameos and allusions to Xenogears.

However, the pacing was all wrong. It felt like I was jumping into Episode VI rather than Episode III, especially coming from a mindset that was still stuck on Episode II. All this talk about the Imaginary Realm and such really confused me at first. However, once you stop asking questions, the fast-paced story really pulls you in.

Some things revealed at the end such as KOS-MOS's blue-eyed form and Wilhelm's true intentions needed a bit more of foreshadowing, in my opinion. It felt like they were just plugged into there for the heck of it.

Gameplay and Graphics

Okay, this is way better than both Xenosaga I and II combined. It's like Monolith finally decided to take the project seriously. The graphics on a whole are amazing and smooth. The line-art makes everyone a skanky ho, but it's not as noticeable when you play the game. Seriously, how many keyholes do we need exposing girly chests?

And, OMG, for the first time ever in the Xenosaga series combat is actually fun! You actually want to get into battles! The options are surprisingly refreshing, though not as customizeable as Xenosaga II. The skill trees remind me of Final Fantasy X, though in a good way. But it's a nice way to see your characters' growth, in my opinion.

The Break System is a love-or-hate system, really. I never used it except for the last two boss battles and Erde Kaiser Sigma. All of the other times were unintentional. It's good for the enemies to have, but bad for you to have.

Sound and Music

Okay, everyone has improved. MOMO doesn't sound annoying anymore. I thought that Feb was miscasted, but that's not Kari Walhgren's fault. They got rid of "Louie". How dare they?! The music was also very nicely done, Yuki Kajiura has displayed an amazing range in her musical abilities.

Basically, it's amazing. Except for the ending song. The ending song sucks. Nothing will ever beat Joanne Hogg as the singer for the Xeno series.

Overall

While Xenosaga III is a fun game to play and I wouldn't necessarily mind replaying it, there's really not much incentive to. Basically, I don't see much replay value in this game. Maybe you'll play it once a year or something, but... there just isn't that much to do outside of the main quest. That and Namco was being a dick in the localization. They should've spent more time on it, and advertised more, and actually released Missing Year. All in all, if you're a Xenosaga fan, this is the game to play. If you're not... well, there's really no point. This game was made for the fans to finish up and kill a series.