Xenosaga

There were three RPGs that defined the PlayStation era for me: Xenogears, FF8 and Chrono Cross. By defined I mean that these three RPGs are the RPGs that I'd take above any of the others that came out to a deserted island (ah, have to love that gimmick). When the Xenosaga series was announced as six episodes as a "retelling" of the Xenogears story I was naturally excited. Episode I hit, and I throughly enjoyed it. It was a good start for what would (hopefully) be one of the better RPGs series we'd see on the PS2.

Then Episode II hit.

It was like a stomach punch to all the fans of the series. The underlying game itself wasn't horrible, I enjoyed the combat mechanics of Episode II much more than any of the three. Still, the only game that seems to get a free pass when it comes to terrible storytelling and great gameplay is Fire Emblem. That's because you know what you're getting is going to be fluff. Xenosaga was supposed to be more than that. Whereas Episode I seemed like a novel, Episode II seemed more like a novella. A side bar to the real story. Yes, it contained some important plot points but after finishing III I can safely say that if they added the events of Episode II Disc 1 to the end of Episode I and the events of Episode II Disc 2 to the beginning of Episode III the series would've been much better off.

Enter Episode III.

The Xenosaga series had fallen so far off my radar that I didn't even realize it was coming out till almost a month before release. Thanks to the wonder that is Gamefly I got to try it before I bought it (and I did buy it, that alone should speak volumes since the last game I bought was Fire Emblem for the GC). As I watched the credits roll by, my prevailing thought was one of regret. Not that I wasted my time on the game, or that it didn't live up to the expectations that I initially had for the series at large. No, my regret was that this will most likely be the final entry into the Xenosaga universe. Even though there has been some hints from Bandai Namco that they'd make more if the demand was there, I'm not going to hold my breath.

Episode III can be best summed up as how the series should've been done from start to finish. Not only from a gameplay perspective (which was pretty solid) but from pacing to execution. Maybe it's because so many questions are answered about the events of the series, but I found myself wanting to play the game more and more. Let's get the traditions out of the way, shall we?

Combat in Episode III is fairly simple. You have varying attacks that accomplish different tasks. You can either damage an enemy or attempt to break them. Once an enemy is broken you are then given two to three turns (depending on when you broke them) for free. Nothing major during a regular fight but timing of breaks plays a large role during boss fights, especially in the later ones. What I miss the most in the combat system is what had become the hallmark of the Xeno series, where you could differeniate your attacks with the x, square and triangle buttons. Instead combat (for the most part) boils down to executing attacks that hit every monster with two of your characters and then using the third to finish them off with a Special Attack.

Episode III is pretty much a gorgeous game to look at, which should be no suprise at this point. The series as a whole has been solid graphically. The music was a mixed bag of spot on and WTF to me. It's like the composer was schizophrenic or something. One moment the music fits the situation completely and helps the game's grip on your attention and the other it's a bit distracting. Pretty much a wash, I'd say.

If there's one thing that nearly ruined Episode III for me it's that Shion is a raging cunt throughout the bulk of the game. Was that really necessary? One of my favorite moments is when you get a chance to beat the living shit out of her, after stealing the bitch's shirt first. Oh yea, and Hakodex or whatever it's called. Talk about an addictingly, annoying, frustrating minigame. After a certain point I said fuck it and left it alone (sorry Jr, no ultimate weapon for you).

I can't exactly recall a recent character that was as badass as Jin was. No matter if it was an ES battle or a character battle, Jin was pretty much a monster for me (and along with KOS-MOS, the only characters to have both master skills). However, it wasn't just the fact that he was overpowered, but just his character in general. I will say that, no matter what the devs have said previously, Jin is Citan. If not that, then Citan is a clone of Jin somehow (and we may never know the true answer, sadly). I don't want to spoil the story too much here, but a lot of the questions that come up through the serious are answered. What is KOS-MOS true function? Answered. Who is chaos? Answered (and this one was surprising). Who was behind the events of the entire series? Answered. What are the Gnosis? Answered. In fact, the only questions left unanswered where how everything was going to be rebuilt. If you base theory off of Xenogears, you can get an idea of how that happened.

Unanswered (but not relating to the story in any way), is does Episode III save the series? I think it does. Does it put the series into the Pantheon of RPGs? I'll need more time for that answer. I'm not sure at this point, and I think that's enough to say no right now. Could it be one of the defining RPGs of this generation? Possibly, a game doesn't have to reach Pantheon level to be defining. What I'd like to do is play all three in sequence at some point. That could be the deciding factor in where this series truly lies.

All that said, Episode III is absolutely worth playing, especially if you are (were) a fan of the series at some point. It makes trudging through Episode II worth it. Hopefully, it makes Bandai Namco realize that if given the proper time and budget, future episodes of Xenosaga could truly flourish.