Xenosaga II

[LunarWeaver]

Hmm...I'm a huge fan of the first Xenosaga, obsessive even! Normally I wait and wait until games are at least 20 bucks then buy them used for around 10, but I'm just itching to play it. The more reviews I read though, the more I get the impression it isn't really good. Game journalists are all about duty though, I only trust my fellow gamers. What can anyone who has played it tell me?

[Destai]

Its good. Just not as good.

[LunarWeaver]

What exactly is pikachu doing in that picture lol

[Dreddz]

Who knows, wants food most probably.
I havent played any of the xenosaga games, Im still going through Xenogears. When I have the money/time. Ill consider.......

[Dark Matter]

I love Xenosaga more than anything! well, I'm not at home currently... I've to wait for 4 or 5 more weeks to play the episode 2.However, I've got the OST, it's great!!!


What exactly is pikachu doing in that picture lol
a chest massage. Dreddz is very naive, ...

[edczxcvbnm]

I think the game is such a mistake I have no want or will to play episode III. The game is crap on every single level.

Graphics are worse.
Gameplay is bad all around.
The voice acting is worse by a considerable margin and it is only amplified by the lack of music during cutscenes(yes. The first game lacked dungon music and other stuff but at least it had music when it mattered).
Most of the music that is there is terrible(the soundtrack you have is not used as much as it should).
The story seemed to be half of what it should have been.
On screen enemies no longer matter as there is no way in hell to run away from them. They are just too fast.

[LunarWeaver]

I was surprised to hear all the voice actors save Ziggy and Jr. changed too...but...Shion doesn't sound all bad, but I watched a movie clip with KOS-MOS talking and didn't find it all too enjoyable.

I've read a lot about the battle system and I'm not sure I'll like it either. It seems like this one was made much more mainstream where the first one flipped the bird to everyone but hardcore RPG fans. Even more disturbing, the head writer is gone!

Some voice actor or another did say he was doing recordings for Xenosaga III though, so the series seems to keep on trucking anyway.

[Destai]

I think the game is such a mistake I have no want or will to play episode III. The game is crap on every single level.

Graphics are worse.
Gameplay is bad all around.
The voice acting is worse by a considerable margin and it is only amplified by the lack of music during cutscenes(yes. The first game lacked dungon music and other stuff but at least it had music when it mattered).
Most of the music that is there is terrible(the soundtrack you have is not used as much as it should).
The story seemed to be half of what it should have been.
On screen enemies no longer matter as there is no way in hell to run away from them. They are just too fast.Graphics and lip synching have vastly improved and the voice acotrs are just about all improvements expect for KOS-MOS who had hardly any lines in this game anyway. Yuki Kajiuras tracks werent used nearly enough as you said but the majority of people who have had a listen at both soundtracks usually find Yukis soundtrack better. Episode I's soundtrack was boring. The story focused on developing the characters and actually answering questions instedad of making more (yeah there were still questions asked in this game but less). And from what I hearthe battle system isnt all that bad.

[Azure Chrysanthemum]

It's a decent game, I still need to beat it.

I'm still fostering some deep hope that it will someday equal the greatness that was Xenosaga, but with firing of the head writers (a.k.a. the ones that made Xenogears so freakin' amazing) I'm losing hope. I'll probably keep up the series, but I really do hope they get their act together.

[edczxcvbnm]

I think the game is such a mistake I have no want or will to play episode III. The game is crap on every single level.

Graphics are worse.
Gameplay is bad all around.
The voice acting is worse by a considerable margin and it is only amplified by the lack of music during cutscenes(yes. The first game lacked dungon music and other stuff but at least it had music when it mattered).
Most of the music that is there is terrible(the soundtrack you have is not used as much as it should).
The story seemed to be half of what it should have been.
On screen enemies no longer matter as there is no way in hell to run away from them. They are just too fast.Graphics and lip synching have vastly improved and the voice acotrs are just about all improvements expect for KOS-MOS who had hardly any lines in this game anyway. Yuki Kajiuras tracks werent used nearly enough as you said but the majority of people who have had a listen at both soundtracks usually find Yukis soundtrack better. Episode I's soundtrack was boring. The story focused on developing the characters and actually answering questions instedad of making more (yeah there were still questions asked in this game but less). And from what I hearthe battle system isnt all that bad.

I highly disagree with the graphics being improved. I thought the enviornments and cutscenes overall from the last game were better. Also the hands look like ass in episode II. That automatically makes it lose 100% of all graphical credibility right there :D

My problem with the story is that while it answers questions it still leaves a lot of important things out that almost seem to come out of no where. For as big of a part as Febronia plays in episode I and II I feel that part of the story got cut short(and that part really was cut from episode II majorly). There is a lot that got cut short.

I can find most of what was cut if you really want me to.

Also...for a mainstream battle system it sure was
1) boring
2) long and excrutiatinly(yeah...I can't spell) annoying
3) piss easy

I did the exact same thing the whole game ever battle. It never changed or threw any sort of challenge at me. Boss battles would have at least been satifiying if they were challenging but seeing as how my /xxx.gif/xxx.gif/xxx.gif/xxx.gifty plan never deviated.

I never even bothered doing the side quests because I couldn't stand playing it any more than I already had...which as it turns out means I missed A LOT of spells.

[fantasyjunkie]

The above posts pretty well confirm my suspicions about Xenosaga 2...

[Germ Hamee]

Yeah, it was pretty lame. Then again, hello, so was Xenosaga I. The only thing Xenosaga had going for it was the soundtrack. They killed that by getting Yuki Kajiura, who made a soundtrack that sounded like one long, repetitive song. I will, however, hold out until Episode IV, after this whole pointless story-arc is good and over (at least it's supposed to be >.>). If things don't pick up by then, I've done given up. They need to stop bull/xxx.gif/xxx.gif/xxx.gif/xxx.gifting around and move the story along. Nothing has gone anywhere.

[Destai]

I think the game is such a mistake I have no want or will to play episode III. The game is crap on every single level.

Graphics are worse.
Gameplay is bad all around.
The voice acting is worse by a considerable margin and it is only amplified by the lack of music during cutscenes(yes. The first game lacked dungon music and other stuff but at least it had music when it mattered).
Most of the music that is there is terrible(the soundtrack you have is not used as much as it should).
The story seemed to be half of what it should have been.
On screen enemies no longer matter as there is no way in hell to run away from them. They are just too fast.Graphics and lip synching have vastly improved and the voice acotrs are just about all improvements expect for KOS-MOS who had hardly any lines in this game anyway. Yuki Kajiuras tracks werent used nearly enough as you said but the majority of people who have had a listen at both soundtracks usually find Yukis soundtrack better. Episode I's soundtrack was boring. The story focused on developing the characters and actually answering questions instedad of making more (yeah there were still questions asked in this game but less). And from what I hearthe battle system isnt all that bad.

I highly disagree with the graphics being improved. I thought the enviornments and cutscenes overall from the last game were better. Also the hands look like ass in episode II. That automatically makes it lose 100% of all graphical credibility right there :D

My problem with the story is that while it answers questions it still leaves a lot of important things out that almost seem to come out of no where. For as big of a part as Febronia plays in episode I and II I feel that part of the story got cut short(and that part really was cut from episode II majorly). There is a lot that got cut short.

I can find most of what was cut if you really want me to.

Also...for a mainstream battle system it sure was
1) boring
2) long and excrutiatinly(yeah...I can't spell) annoying
3) piss easy

I did the exact same thing the whole game ever battle. It never changed or threw any sort of challenge at me. Boss battles would have at least been satifiying if they were challenging but seeing as how my /xxx.gif/xxx.gif/xxx.gif/xxx.gifty plan never deviated.

I never even bothered doing the side quests because I couldn't stand playing it any more than I already had...which as it turns out means I missed A LOT of spells.I;d love a link to the deleted cut scenes if you have one. I dont think Febronias been servered from the story yet as shes still got a connection to the testemants to be explained. I'll just agree to disagree with you on everything else.
Yeah, it was pretty lame. Then again, hello, so was Xenosaga I. The only thing Xenosaga had going for it was the soundtrack. They killed that by getting Yuki Kajiura, who made a soundtrack that sounded like one long, repetitive song. I will, however, hold out until Episode IV, after this whole pointless story-arc is good and over (at least it's supposed to be >.>). If things don't pick up by then, I've done given up. They need to stop bullting around and move the story along. Nothing has gone anywhere.Episode II's movie scene soundtrack (The one Kajiura did, not the tracks you're complaining about unless you've got no taste in music) was better than episode I's by leaps and bounds if you ask me. Kajiura did the music that played mainly during movie scenes and some guy whos name is significantly less known did the back ground music in dungeons and stuff. Episode I's soundtack was a bit boring if you ask me. Powerful at times but repetitive alot.

[edczxcvbnm]

I would link you but that would be linking to another forum. AH smurf IT! bbs.The-ethos.org . They no longer have a front site really so it is just the forums. Broswe around in there and you will find it.

On a side note Episode III will be the last in the series or so say the latest article on the game.

EDIT:

I decided just to find it and here it is. Wheter the stuff that is cut will be in episode III is unknown but it seems like a lot of it was suppose to take place during episode II(the cut stuff is near the bottom).


4. Soraya decided to give answers to most frequently questions. The following are the summary of answers.

* Leaving was not Soraya's decision. Soraya was said goodbye same as in the case of other Episode I artists including
Mr. Yasunori Mitsuda, Mr. Kunihiko Tanaka,
and the Mr. you-know-who. (Please do not ask Soraya who he is.)
* Soraya is a freelance artist.
* There was no particular reason behind the displacement of old artists. The new director of Xenosaga II/III just wants
the saga all new.
* The official advertisement says the new saga will have new sounds, new designs (as seen in Epsode II) and more easier
story to read (as seen in the disc 2 of the Episode II).
* Soraya and Tetsuya Takahashi were marginally involved in the Episode II by contributing the first version of the
script. (It was not a plot outline but a complete script including actual characters' lines.)
* Soraya's last contribution to the saga was the first version of the script for the Episode II and rewrites of The
Pied Piper. (The game for Vodafone sold in Japan 2004)
* The shortened/adapted script of the Episode II is by Monolithsoft.
* You can see Soraya's mark she left to the Episode II in:
o The conversation between Juli and Ziggy
o Momo Encephalon (In first version, It was not Juli's idea of destroying Momo's memory, but a subcommitteeman's.
Juli hesitated.)
o The story about U.R.T.V. (with the exception of the chapters after Momo Encephalon and young Albedo's verbal
abuse/violent acts against Sakura. They were added by Monolithsoft.)
o Albedo's short speech about the higher dimension. (His last words "You look like you lost your sweetheart ...
anyway I hate you both" were added by Monolithsoft.)
* Soraya doesn't know what the story of the Episode III will be like. The new writer of the Episode III will write a
new story in his style. (The chapters after Momo Encephalon and Disc 2 are his style.)
* The new team has the right to change or ignore Takahashi's plot outline.
* Soraya wrote approximately half of of the script for the Episode I. She is responsible for:
o Ziggy and his family, Voyager, Momo, Mizrahis, Godwins, Yuriev, U.R.T.V.s, and the part of Shion during her
stay in Durandal and the Kookai Foundation
* Soraya is not an expensive artist.
* Soraya has created no delay.
* The parent company is not responsible to the changeover.
* The first version of the script by Soraya and Takahashi was not religiously or politically sensitive. It had just
harmless chapters like:
o Ziggy's past history (as seen in The Pied Piper)
o U.R.T.V.'s past history (as seen in the Episode II)
o Shion's past history with Febronia (removed)
o Jr's rapid growing (removed)
o Both juvenile and grown-up Jr. available in the battle (removed)
o The ghost of the old Miltia (removed)
o The death of Sakura (removed)
o Brief reunion with grown-up Citrine (removed)
o Gaignun vs Zohar emulators (removed)
o Jr.'s transformation/overdrive (removed)
o Jr. & Albedo vs U-DO vs KOS-MOS 3rd armament (removed)
o Shion's spiritual seeking/witnessing/awakening (removed)
o The truth about KOS-MOS (removed)
o Conversation between chaos and the red cloak man (removed)
o Conversation between Nephilim and the boy with the blocks (removed)
o An antimatter annihilation of Albedo (removed)
* Soraya has no intention of playing for attention. No one has to pay attention to this.
* Soraya has no option to come back. And she knows well the saga no longer needs Saga.


Taken from this specific thread which is months old.

http://bbs.the-ethos.org/showthread.php?t=21021

[Germ Hamee]

Episode II's movie scene soundtrack (The one Kajiura did, not the tracks you're complaining about unless you've got no taste in music) was better than episode I's by leaps and bounds if you ask me.... Episode I's soundtack was a bit boring if you ask me. Powerful at times but repetitive alot.

I disagree. Okay, I'm sure I would have loved it if I had never heard of Kajiura before. But owning everything she's ever released and hearing more of the same plastered all over Xenosaga drove me bonkers. Okay, while I would never in a million years call it better than XS:I's soundtrack, it was certainly good enough. But I was irked. Call it a severe grudge against the woman for not stretching her abilities. Or maybe it's all my fault for being obsessed with her for a time and now being unable to listen to her upbeat bagpipe tunes weaved through the yoddelings of the voice she uses in ALL her albums. *huff* Either way I don't like it.


On a side note Episode III will be the last in the series or so say the latest article on the game.

...Oh. So, this Xenosaga is now the Xenosaga? -.- That's the biggest disappointment I've experienced in a long, long time.