Game:

Xenosaga Episode I (2002)

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Review

Duration: 7:07

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*I highly recommend this game for your PS2 collection*

From the PlayStation2 game Xenosaga I: Der Wille zur Macht
http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/rpg/xenosaga/index.html

No other single game to date is as story-driven as Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht, a rather conventional RPG at its core, but one with an exhaustively detailed and occasionally long-winded narrative. Playing through Xenosaga involves watching an inspired anime sci-fi miniseries unfold, as the game packs in literally hours upon hours of noninteractive 3D cutscenes. You do more watching than playing sometime, but scenes can be skipped. Also, the emphasis on story means that Xenosaga isn't always the most riveting gameplay experience. However, the story is what will prove to be the main attraction for many fans of the genre--especially for fans of Xenogears, a daring 1998 RPG published by Square that, like Xenosaga, is long, complex, and heavily focused on storytelling. Both games' stories touch on some decidedly sensitive subjects, most notably by making numerous allusions to various religious faiths--and in this case, all in the context of a sweeping, melodramatic space opera. Not everyone will enjoy Xenosaga, but serious fans of RPGs or anime almost certainly will. Regardless, Xenosaga is by all means an impressive and genuine effort, one that legitimately deserves both praise and attention.

Published by Namco rather than Square but designed by the same developers as Xenogears, Xenosaga isn't directly related to Square's cult classic, but the similarities between these games will be unmistakable to those who remember Xenogears. Xenosaga is a science-fiction-themed game set thousands of years in the future, when humankind is being threatened by a mysterious, ethereal alien menace called the gnosis. Shion Uzuki is a young scientist heading up the development of a female android equipped to deal with these bizarre monstrosities. To say much more about the story would be to give away some of its surprises, but suffice it to say that some surprising events bring Shion and her android creation into league with some other unusual characters who, coincidentally or not, are headed to the same destination. Along the way, they will face the wrath of the gnosis, a number of shadowy political factions, a deranged and masochistic villain, and more in a story that's rife with intrigue. All this unfolds in cutscenes that sometimes go on for more than 30 minutes at a time, so thankfully you can pause them.

Religious references come into play in Episode I, filled with monsters, giant robots, and science-fiction conventions. The game's use of things like images of crucifixes, the Hebrew alphabet, the number 666, and direct references to the Bible and cabala seem as though they're in there for shock value at points. Some may be offended, while others may find it unusual, along with the game's subtitle, which translates as "The Will to Power" and is a reference to the work of German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. Others will probably think it's cool. Definitely unusual material to see in a role-playing game. Refreshing and new from the usual Final Fantasy doldrums of late.

Xenosaga(R) EPISODE I &(c)2001-2004 NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc.

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