Xenogears - Is it a game that really draws you in?

[NorthernChaosGod]

its amazing. it really sucks you in. Fast. it has a great story. wonderful music, words cannot describe how good it is. great character development. its just an amazing game.

[Lilian]

Xenogears is my favorite RPG, but it does have its issues. If you're the kind of gamer that doesn't like reading, values gameplay over story, and wants a game that starts out and gets into the action very quickly, then you probably wouldn't like it. On the other hand, if you don't mind lots of reading, think the story is the most important part, and don't mind making your way through some very boring parts, chances are you'd like it.

The second disc is very different from the first in that you end up watching the story unfold more than you actually play it. On the other hand, it's on disc two that the story really gets good and starts getting you utterly hooked, so that's not as big of an issue as it could be. The music is excellent--Yasunori Mitsuda's best work, in my opinion. The graphics are bad, but that's to be expected from a PSX game. And the gameplay is mediocre at best, but that's not what Xenogears is about. It's about the story--and yegads, does it ever have a great story.

Yes, it does draw you in, although it's slow starting off. There will be more than one time you'll probably have to force yourself to keep going (coughBabelTowercough), but I can promise you it's worth it. The good part about the slow beginning is it gives you plenty of character development first, so that when the action starts, you'll actually care about the characters and what's happening to them.

It is an extremely long game, especially if you take the time you need to really savor the story. It's not really all that challenging, although there are a few boss battles that are pretty difficult.

So...yeah. In summary, it's a pretty flawed game, but it makes for it by having a story so utterly awesome that words simply cannot do it justice.

Wow, this is a long post. I think my Xenogears obsession is showing. o_o