Abel in Xenosaga III looks just like Fei

[edczxcvbnm]

Yes...you are being a bit too nice. For a game that came out last year the character models were awful. The only decent part of the game were the lifeless backgrounds...which were murdered by their own lifelessness. I can't think of many worse games last year than that one. Xenosaga I deserved 7s or maybe 8s. No 9s or 10s...it was too flawed to get those marks(major pacing issues being one of them). When the next game does everything wrong I compare it to the first one. I would say episode 2 deserves 3s or 4s. No higher.

I can't think of many RPGs this generation that were that flawed. You come up with the list of RPGs that are actually worst than that by the truck load and I will consider changing my rating of the game.

[DMKA]

How can people still say there's no connections between Xenogears and the Xenosaga series? Thirty seconds into Episode 1 already shows that that's bs.

Yeah, he does look like Fei. Just like Fei.

[Ultima Shadow]

Heh, I would personally give Xenosaga something like 9/10... and Xenosaga 2 would get about 6/10. Atleast, most of the cutscenes were cool in Xenosaga 2. The cutscenes, ending and the fact that I actually could play the game for hours without throwing the controller into the wall in frustration... that alone is enough to give it something higher than a 3/10.

Ah, whatever. Unlike the rest of you, I still think there's hope for XS3. That's all.

[Germ Hamee]

Um, what a concept. Abel in Xenosaga looks just like Abel in Xenogears. Let me guess that you probably completely missed that Nephilim looks just like preincarnate Elly.

There was hope for Xenosaga when we still had four games coming that could make up for all the early crappiness. It was too early to tell with XS1. It had it's faults, but it wasn't bad. XS2, I approved of the new charactor designs, but the new voice actors threw everything off. My biggest issue with that game was that nothing happened. You can't have an entire installment in an epic six episode series where nothing happens.

I'm not going to kid myself and try to say that I won't by XS3... but my hopes aren't up. Better luck next time, Monolithsoft.

[Rengori]

I would like to play it more but the combat system is just so... anal.

And holy crap, that isn't Fei?

[Azure Chrysanthemum]

I'm betting if they can, they are going to make that the Abel who is the preincarnation of Fei. The fact that he looks just like Fei and the fact that his name is Abel is way too much of a coincidence.

On the Nephilim thing though, as I understand it Elly was based off a girl Abel had met earlier, who is supposedly the daughter of the Captain of the Eldridge (you see him open a picture of his wife and daughter, both of whom look like Elly before the ship goes down).

Anyway, Kos-mos could very well be Deus, so it's not at all inconceiveable that Abel is indeed the Abel that eventually reincarnates as Fei.

[edczxcvbnm]

He looked like Fei WAY back in 2001 so this is no surprise. It is a reference to Xenogears and nothing more. Same thing with Nephilem looking like Elly. People looking for the connection to be there and it isn't. Namco and Monolith have said this series has nothing to do with Xenogears. It is a reinvention of the original story.

STOP YOUR STUPIDITY BEFORE IT ENGLUFS US ALL!
*fights massive amounts of ignorance*

[Azure Chrysanthemum]

The point here is that they may be trying to push the limits of the copyright with all of this.

[edczxcvbnm]

Nope. It is way too different and you are looking for something that isn't there. Just like people look for meaning in "I am the Walerus" song by the Beatles. It just isn't there even though you want it to be.

[Azure Chrysanthemum]

Of course, given how Xenosaga has been turning out, do we really WANT it to be connected to Xenogears?

[LunarWeaver]

He looked like Fei WAY back in 2001 so this is no surprise. It is a reference to Xenogears and nothing more. Same thing with Nephilem looking like Elly. People looking for the connection to be there and it isn't. Namco and Monolith have said this series has nothing to do with Xenogears. It is a reinvention of the original story.

STOP YOUR STUPIDITY BEFORE IT ENGLUFS US ALL!
*fights massive amounts of ignorance*

He's right, they've already said it was a sort of retelling not anything leading up to Xenogears. I know they show similarities, like the Zohar or the Uzuki name, but those are things to make you grin and go "yippee" not fool you into thinking this is a prequel to Xenogears. Case and point is Namco owns Saga and Square owns Gears, and that's that.

As far as Episode II goes, I liked it quite a bit. It was far, far from anything resembling perfect, and it was an overall downgrade from the first big time. I don't like the changes they made either, but it's not like it was a catastrophe of an RPG.

99% of all RPGs not Final Fantasy or Xenorelated are just spikey haired boys with swords and their sort-of girlfriends saving the world, usually hitting up temples or getting gems along the way. (Yes I know Final Fantasy has used this formula, but it always changed pretty drastically in my opinion....That's not the point anyway ) So I was still happy with the narrative and characters...

As far as the battle system goes, I liked it a lot actually. Just like Episode I, it was a "good enough" battle system that needed to be handed to someone who knew what they were doing and could tweak it into "greatness". At least by the end of II I wasn't going "Can't...watch...any more....tech animations..." I also understood II's battle system entirely right off the bat, as most people think all the characters are the same, Stock is optional, that when Zone Break pops on the screen it means it's broken for the whole battle, boost is something you rarely use, and that Shion or MOMO are useless rather then necessary. And that's just for anyone who figured out there was a menu. I understand the battle system got monotonous, and it needed work, but I thought it was a nice change to the usual Attack/Magic/Item.

The character models needed some work. I didn't like they were "split" in such a drastic way. Half of the cutscenes are block hands and mouths that open and shut while their faces do nothing and they repeat one animation over and over.... Then the other half are real time and motion acted character models that look amazing. THESE cutscenes look better then those in Episode I, but given how it switches back and forth I would rather have I's "Good all the time" rather then II's "Half awesome and half complete crap" approach.

It's also rather obvious a lot of story and a lot of character development got dropped. But I expected all that. They're doing this series in this gen and next-gen is around the corner (and here if you own a 360). Given four years and I'm sure the game would have been better, but it is what is I guess.

I also loved they used one weapon throughout the whole game. Buying stronger weapons and armor to deal with stronger enemies is the same as just getting better attack and defense naturally. Shops are mostly an illusion of RPGs and not much else. Even if you could buy med kits, who would use it over the double ether Medica 2 in battle? I didn't mind there were no shops since I felt they were tossed into Episode I. I've never used a single med kit or ether pack in all the three times I've played Episode II. I used revives and that's all. The EP of everyone not in your party refills, so teach everyone Medica 2, heal after every battle using someone else, and there you go. Focus I is also pretty much given to you, so your active battle characters refill EP with stock. Not to mention the save points auto-refill you. I just didn't have too much stress over it.

I'm surprised to see this game get such a worse reception then Final Fantasy X-2 (not saying that game got a wonderful welcome either, but still). All the same complaints are here really. A general worse game, worse story, worse models, not really anything to equip, short (unless you're going to 100% whoa), and nothing like the first. I would say overall X-2 is better but barely.

On a critic level I would rate Episode II a 7/10, and I don't think that's bad at all. For the RPG world I still thought it was a very good game. They just made one disappointing change after the other and fans were so blindsided it's become every little thing about the game is hated with passion rather then a lot of good with some really bad choices. So I'm still looking forward to Episode III...But games are just games and I just enjoy them for what I got and try not cling to the lost potential so much it ruins it for me. If you do hate Episode II then you do, no harm done in the realm of opinion.

But Episode II IS lost potential, no getting around that... To the point that even though some major events happened, uh eventually anyway, it didn't really feel major, like this wasn't the game where any advancements should have occured. Gamespot put it well in saying it feels "just like, well, another episode". Yup. But for me it was like the second Matrix... The innate coolness is there and I feel everyone exaggerates how bad it is, but it sure isn't the first.

And one last thing, the soundtrack to Episode II is amazing (I'm talking cutscene soundtrack not that stuff used in towns and dungeons). I think Mitsuda is a genius but II's was straight up better in my opinion. The only problem is they didn't USE any of it. I didn't know it was awesome until I got the CD and listened to it. Sure, some of the cool songs are in the game, but most of the good ones aren't. Jr. alone has like four theme songs and they used the piano part of one.

Anyway...that was a really long ramble ... I'm still going to buy Episode III and I'm rather excited, but I can understand why so many fans are pretty put off.

[edczxcvbnm]

I will write a better reply later but for now...

1) People didn't bitch about the second matrix so much as they bitched about the third matrix. Everyone was fine with how the second one went because they knew it was supposed to be unfinished and just open up some questions for the next one to answer. Episode II didn't do that. I pretty much answered all of its own questions and none from the last episode. This is like a side story to the real story.

2) Episodes II battle system was worse than the tried and true 'Magic, Attack, Heal' thing that you had said. It had a 100% exact system of victory. If you did the same pattern for the entire battle you would win no matter what and at pretty much any level.

3) The magic system was retarded. Everyone pretty much had to learn everything to keep moving on in the system making so everyone is the same.

I used the Ziggy, Momo, Jr team the whole game.

[LunarWeaver]

Yeah Episode II did try and be a more full experience in itself and less open ended, so it DOES come off feeling like a side story. They won't answer most of what was poised in I though just so they have something left for III, in which I'm sure KOS-MOS will be a central figure again and not just a blue figurine that stands there.

Probably just saving the best stuff for Episode III? Unless it ends up rolling downhill even more and it IS like the third Matrix... And it better not be!!

Well, when all is said done I liked the game quite a bit despite its faults... But I didn't buy it right away either. I'm a cheap piece of crap and I wait until games are like 10-15 bucks used on Amazon.com before I buy anything, so I had already read all the bad reviews and gamer comments and kind of knew what to expect. Even if I didn't, I still would've enjoyed it. The true test for me is do I want to play it not. If I play through a game multiple times I know I liked it, and I have this game. I guess that's enough for me. III is still high on my list of wanted games. I'd probably buy anything with Shion in it though...

And on the matter of the battle system, I didn't mean to imply that you or anyone else here didn't know what was what or how to function it properly... I re-read my post and it did come off that way, but I just meant in general. And it's very true Bosses were just figuring out their Break and exploiting it like mad.

I feel they should just combine the two. Give everyone two zones A through D in different combinations, as in Shion could hit A and B while KOS-MOS could his C and D, then JR. would be an A and D. Then when you break someone, you should get a Technique Point. With a TP you can open a Tech menu with circle and use it, then your turn ends and the zone goes back to being unbroken. If you save your TP, you can use level two techniques or some such (As you level your base TP or the amount you earn for breaking would have to go up or battles would take forever though). Then let you switch characters in and out swiftly and conveniently (Has FFX taught no one anything?!) and you've got a good system. I suppose there aren't enough combinations of A-D though so maybe MOMO will have to be different, like EP based and a healer or something. That's my idea on the whole shebang. Episode III is using a format similar looking to Final Fantasy games though, with the bars on the right and a menu on the left, so what will happen awaits to be seen I guess.

They are going back to Techs in III, and my hope is SHORTENED animations, either auto after 3 or 4 times or turning from long to short in a config menu. I'd actually like to see an RPG where the battle system speeds up when you hold down a button, probably R2 or something of that nature, like in Chrono Cross's New Game +. I don't expect RPGs to be fast paced but it couldn't hurt to let you zip through animations.

All I can say is I hope everyone likes III more then II. I would like the Xeno-universe to continue! *Cough just remake Gears cough*