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[DarienA]

I spent a little bit of time with it yesterday(yes I've had it since release, yes this is the first time I've ripped the seal and fired it up)... and the battle system came across as just needlessly convulted... ok you can break armor to get more damage but you have to figure out the combination... and it might actually be a four button combination required to characters to attack right after each(boost), but how the hell would you figure out what the four button combination is?

Then you can also move occasionally which means you could get behind characters.. that's cool.. oh you also have ether and sometimes double team attacks.. but only once per fight on the double team attacks(or something like that).

In addition anyone can learn skills, but additional skill levels and classes can't be unlocked until all the lower skills are learn... I think... Uh wtf?

 

[akascream]

I think the game was unnecessarily contemplated tbh.

 

[LittleTokyo]

The problem is the tutorial does a shit job of explaining everything. The combinations are easy to figure because if you get the attack righ, it's red, otherwise it's white. That said, there are only three zones, and usually only two or three button possibilities. Attack with square, square.. if they are both white, then the weakness is triangle, triangle.

As you play on, the battle system will become more and more fun. Honeslty, if the game would have focused on cooler tech attacks, and dropped the rather worthless double tech/ether attacks, which I beat the game without using, then it would have been a really cool system.

By the way... press triangle on your ethers when two people, one on turn and one boosted, have the same attack to make it apply to everyone. I didn't even know this until the 20 hour mark (about a 25 hour game).

 

[TheJollyCorner]

how many episodes are there suppose to be again? 4? 5?

$5 Monolith doesn't finish this and Xenosaga becomes the next Shenmue.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

When I first got the game I thought the battle system was pretty decent. Once I got a bit farther I realized that this whole system boils down to nothing more than guessing zone break combinations and then stocking enough turns to do a big team combo. In short, yes it is unneccessarily convoluted, slowing battles to a crawl and boring the hell out of me. If we ever get an Episode III I hope to never see it again.

 

[LittleTokyo]

how many episodes are there suppose to be again? 4? 5?

$5 Monolith doesn't finish this and Xenosaga becomes the next Shenmue.

Six, and I hope they finish, I've been a supporter of the series the whole time and it's one of the few turn-based RPGs that come out these days. Even though Episode II is average in a lot of respects, it is still my RPG of the year.

 

[Prince of Space]

I honestly wouldn't recommend playing Xenosaga II unless:

A. You're a HUGE fan of the series who hates gameplay and MUST know how the story continues.

B. Episode III is 100% confirmed for a US release, since Xenosaga II does end with a pretty big cliffhanger.

 

[duckroll]

How can Ep3 have a 100% confirmed US release date when it has a 45% possibility of even ever existing at this rate? Every single one of Monolithsoft's games have been bombs. After Namco x Capcom fails to reach the 500k mark in a few months I won't be surprised if Monolithsoft ceases to exist completely.

 

[TheJollyCorner]

what happened regarding Monolithsoft and Square back in the day, anyway? I can't remember...

 

[Prince of Space]

How can Ep3 have a 100% confirmed US release date when it has a 45% possibility of even ever existing at this rate?

I'm speaking hypothetically.

I mean you should only play II if III is coming out, which (most likely) won't happen.

 

[LittleTokyo]

Is episode I considered a bomb? I know it reached greatest hits, but what did it sell, particularly in comparison to expectations?

 

[duckroll]

Is episode I considered a bomb? I know it reached greatest hits, but what did it sell, particularly in comparison to expectations?

It did do very well in the US, enough to warrent the sequel XS EP2 to be produced. But every single one of their games have failed to meet expectations in Japan. XS Ep1 did 450k in Japan when Namco expected 600k, Ep2 did 250k when Namco expected 600k, Baten Kaitos did like 90k, not sure what Namco expected but I think about 500k, Namco x Capcom has sold 110k so far, but it will never meet Namco's expectations of 500k either. >_<

 

[LittleTokyo]

Eek! That's unfortunate. Those Baten Kaitos numbers are depressing.

 

[∀ Narayan]

what happened regarding Monolithsoft and Square back in the day, anyway? I can't remember...

Squaresoft lost interest in the Xenogears project, therefore Tetsuya Takahashi left the boat to continue his vision by other means.

 

[CO_Andy]

I find the combat system to be fun, because it actually iz challenging when contrasted to others in the genre.

Yes, Namco did a horrible job with its tutorial (it should be progressive instead of stuffing everything all the info in like 2 practice battles).

 

[FortNinety]

I think I heard somewhere that two key folks left the company, so the next chapter may not carry on the original story or vision of the series.

 

[CO_Andy]

Alota people don't like Xenosaga, particularly the die-hard Xenogears fans.

 

[∀ Narayan]

I think I heard somewhere that two key folks left the company, so the next chapter may not carry on the original story or vision of the series.

The main scenario writer (Xenogears/Xenosaga Episode I) is no longer in the Xenosaga project, and Tetsuya Takahashi is no longer the director of it.

 

[Prince of Space]

Namco actually expected XSII to sell 600k units? :lol :lol :lol

 

[CO_Andy]

I guess even the anime series can't save Xenosaga.

 

[∀ Narayan]

Unfortunately, too, but I suppose it's for the best; seeing as how Takahashi's vision doesn't mean anything now.