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Replaying Xenogears... was a HUGE mistake :(
- Thread starter The Praiseworthy
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I think Persona 4 doesn't take itself as seriously as Xenogears. I think that's why the Tales games get a pass also.
SniperHunter
Banned
Disc 1 is sooo good! Lahan village, amazing music, redrum prison mystery with creepy music, Yggdrasil with Bart and Co, that desert town....so many amazing memories! I loved this game back in 1999.
Lactose_Intolerant
Member
OP just hasn't experienced enough good stories from other sources than video games. I would say Xenogears has an ambitious storyline.
Omegasquash
Member
Xenogears was awesome back in the day, but I do recall finishing the game out and thinking that the game wasn't actually finished, like it was just too rushed at the end.
Pinko Marx
Banned
It wasn't finished and it was rushed. It's pretty well known.
Why does this argument always come up? Is it not possible that XG just hit all the right notes for OP?
SniperHunter
Banned
Yea disc 2 was just a wall of text...best thing about disc 2 was, raiding that super expensive item in Shevat after it crashes on land.
Omegasquash
Member
Then there's my answer. Oh well. Maybe one day it'll see a proper life, but I'm not holding my breath.
The main plot definitely takes itself seriously, and the game is filled with animu bullshit.
Hell, the Japanese Goodness
of creation turns out to be a Gas Station Attendant
Jrpg have always been full of religious references, Valkyrie Profile uses the Norse Mythology, Glory of Heracles uses the Greek pantheon, SMT makes use of shitons of religious figures and whatnot (Sup Yahweh), but only Xenosaga gets attacked for it.
I'd rather have a more light-hearted plot that doesn't try to be more than it needs to be (see: Chrono Trigger) than a plot which tries to act very deep but ends up being rather shallow.
Omegasquash
Member
I didn't feel like the plot was shallow in XG at all, but I did feel like it tried too hard at certain points. Few and far between, though. Something about the hand to hand combat just pushed all my buttons.
Nice. Glad the game holds up for you. I haven't played it in 5 or so years, but I remember really enjoying my last playthrough. And the story is legendary. It truly changed my DNA after I played it way back when it came out.
Don't be so sad about us not getting all the chapters. I think Xenosaga ended on a wonderful note, and Xenogears does not need a sequel. OP, have you played Xenoblade yet? It is full of shout outs to Xenosaga and Xenogears. You need to play it ASAP if you have not already.
Don't be so sad about us not getting all the chapters. I think Xenosaga ended on a wonderful note, and Xenogears does not need a sequel. OP, have you played Xenoblade yet? It is full of shout outs to Xenosaga and Xenogears. You need to play it ASAP if you have not already.
Oh, I wouldn't criticize the gameplay in Xenogears. I think the battle system is actually very well done, and barring the few platforming sections, I think it plays great.
I just can't help but roll my eyes endlessly due to the story.
Silvawuff
Member
I remember putting in the next disc and it started a 2-hour-long cutscene gauntlet with sparse saves between. Also the game play and music were both amazing by what I recall.
OP brings up a good point: different games age differently for different players. Some more gracefully than others.
OP brings up a good point: different games age differently for different players. Some more gracefully than others.
Hesemonni
Banned
I see someone hasn't played Nier.The story of Xenogears was WAAAAAY ahead of it's time.... still do, it's so depressing to know that it's almost impossible to get something as dark and complex as Xenogears and Xenosaga stories again in gaming, over time I see developers losing interest and talent to create something on the same par as this story
E: Fuck me skimming. Nier isn't really complex, but it sure is depressing!
Babel Tower isn't that bad. There's just that one thing that
drops from under your feet and sends you to the bottom.
IIRC
Yoshichan
And they made him a Lord of Cinder. Not for virtue, but for might. Such is a lord, I suppose. But here I ask. Do we have a sodding chance?
The art design, the pace of the story, the music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzhWuriX9Ws
The moment you reach (almost) the top. Perfection. Xenogears is perfection.
Yoshichan
And they made him a Lord of Cinder. Not for virtue, but for might. Such is a lord, I suppose. But here I ask. Do we have a sodding chance?
Yup! But you pretty much knew that before you reached the top, I'm pretty sure it was explained even before entering the tower, right? Still amazing nonetheless.
edit: Also, I can't get enough of Miang. Straight up one of my favorite characters of all time, for multiple reasons.
My all-time favorite title. It might never be topped.
The Lighthouse was decent also. There was actually stuff to do!
Yoshichan
And they made him a Lord of Cinder. Not for virtue, but for might. Such is a lord, I suppose. But here I ask. Do we have a sodding chance?
Also,
when you're in the tower, at some points you can clearly see that you're in a ship. There are some parts where you can see ruins of old buildings, roads, traffic lights etc. You even get to the control board of Eldridge!
Xenogears had a fascinating universe and characters. The deep plot background was an interesting aspect about the game.
If you don't want to play the game to find out, then listen to the hip-hop version.
Also this one.
If you don't want to play the game to find out, then listen to the hip-hop version.
Also this one.
Refreshment.01
Member
I haven't had the chance to experience the game yself, but this seems to be the reign opinion of those who played the game recently.
Back in the Square golden Age the game was something special, today it isn't. Or so the people i know that replayed it recently think.
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
Nah, it's still great. It's just kewl to hate on it.
If you have the time, I suggest you play the game on a PSP. Then decide instead of going for what you believe the majority opinion to be.
Yoshichan
And they made him a Lord of Cinder. Not for virtue, but for might. Such is a lord, I suppose. But here I ask. Do we have a sodding chance?
I played it recently. It's even better today because you realize how shit everything else is this generation.
Yeah, I'm salty.
edit: Also, this:
Nah it was even bad back then. The utter shit that the 2nd disc is, was even apparent when it got released. It's almost like people block out their memories of the 2nd disc.
Or some people like the 2nd disc for what it is. It wasn't utter shit, it had some incredibly memorable scenes. And the ending is perfect.
Meccanical
Member
I don't even remember anything about this game except for the battle system.
I bought it again on PSN like a couple of months ago, but I lost interest.
The only thing I would say I truly remember from this game is the walrus captain talking about how he's a "man of the sea" a lot and it being hilarious, turning that green haired girl who weighed way too much into a woman somehow, fighting in those kick ass robots, and having your limiters removed giving you super powers or something.
And there was this guy named Billy who used a guns who was a prostitute at some point I think...I remember that too.
CookedChocobo
Member
Well...a lot of console RPGS of this generation have below average storylines, so I agree to your sentiment to some extent.
Gameplay has definitely improved tho, by a ton. But I guess that's only natural that gameplay would improve with better hardware along with graphics.
You mean Handheld remakes right? I agree nonetheless tho....my psp library has bunch of Square Enix remakes (along with Atlus, NIS, etc remakes).
Tho...they might have to fix the game lil bit tho.
Um...
if you turned Emeralda into a grown woman, you were close to the end of the game I believe. BEAT IT!
As someone who played it for the first time when it was released on NA PSN, the story and characters are pretty good. The soundtrack is up there as one of the best too.
All the complaints about the battle system and the nature of Disc 2 are valid, imho. The game being unfinished is largely recognized and I agree. Some of the platforming was horrible and completely unnecessary and it has some of the worst dungeons you may ever have played (it did for me).
It's a flawed masterpiece, if that means anything. Perhaps with a bigger budget and certain better design choices, it may have been one of the greatest of all time. I cannot, in good conscience, ever call it that in its current form.
HD remake plz.
Weltall Zero
Member
Xenogears has always been a hugely (and i mean HUGELY) divisive game from day one, and time has, if anything, exacerbated that further. I don't think there's many people out there that don't either consider it one of the best games ever made, or a vastly overrated game with nothing special at all going for it.
I think the issue is the story. It's so complex, dramatic and grandiloquent that either you buy into it (and therefore enjoy one hell of a ride), or are utterly disgusted by it's self-importance. It's a very fine line between or the other, and once it's crossed, there's no turning back. It actually happens with a lot of Japanese games, particularly ambitious ones; this is, for example, the signature of the Metal Gear Solid saga (more so in later installments).
The unfortunate result of all of this is that discussion about Xenogears' story is incredibly boring, as it amounts to little more than two opposing camps exchanging "it sucked" "it ruled". :/ I for one am aware of the fact that the game has HUGE issues, both story-wise (that pacing) and gameplay-wise (that encounter rate), and to compound the problem many of them are further exacerbated as time goes on, but there is simply nothing like it.
That's like saying that Space Invaders' graphics suck. You're probably telling a truth, but not a very ingenious one. Revisionism is not kind to the videogame medium.
Also, this long, even discussing about Tetsuya Takahashi at length, and nobody has mentioned Xenoblade yet? What's wrong with you people!?
I think the issue is the story. It's so complex, dramatic and grandiloquent that either you buy into it (and therefore enjoy one hell of a ride), or are utterly disgusted by it's self-importance. It's a very fine line between or the other, and once it's crossed, there's no turning back. It actually happens with a lot of Japanese games, particularly ambitious ones; this is, for example, the signature of the Metal Gear Solid saga (more so in later installments).
The unfortunate result of all of this is that discussion about Xenogears' story is incredibly boring, as it amounts to little more than two opposing camps exchanging "it sucked" "it ruled". :/ I for one am aware of the fact that the game has HUGE issues, both story-wise (that pacing) and gameplay-wise (that encounter rate), and to compound the problem many of them are further exacerbated as time goes on, but there is simply nothing like it.
That's like saying that Space Invaders' graphics suck. You're probably telling a truth, but not a very ingenious one. Revisionism is not kind to the videogame medium.
Also, this long, even discussing about Tetsuya Takahashi at length, and nobody has mentioned Xenoblade yet? What's wrong with you people!?
Pretty unlikely. No one left at SE has any interest in reviving Xenogears. If it was the case they'd have done it way earlier.
TwoDurans
"Never said I wasn't a hypocrite."
I've always felt that the Xeno series always had conclusion issues.
Disc 2 of Xenogears felt really rushed, and seemed like the story had to be wrapped up in a bow when it probably could have gone on to a third disc. The entire third game of Xenosaga felt really anticlimactic since all of the "twists" were televised as early as Ep2
and when the twists finally came to light it almost a let down.
Disc 2 of Xenogears felt really rushed, and seemed like the story had to be wrapped up in a bow when it probably could have gone on to a third disc. The entire third game of Xenosaga felt really anticlimactic since all of the "twists" were televised as early as Ep2
(Albedo being White Testament, Red being Shion's former lover, chaos being the embodiment of Christ, Kos-Mos being Mother Mary)
Sure the ending was perfect only if you care about the romance aspect of things, overall plot wise the story was already in crazy town at that point and incomplete. The 2nd disc pretty much destroyed everything gameplay wise. Even the story itself had a lack lustre presentation. Having a few good moments doesn't elevate the thing out of shit territory imo.
I remember people having sex, which surprised me. Can't say I remember Billy though.
The major problem is that most of played it years back and if you didn't like it, you aren't going to play it again. So I can't really start a proper constructive discussion, simply because I don't remember.
Meccanical
Member
Oh I did beat it, it was the second playthrough I lost interest in.
I remember the final boss being a bitch too, even though the last gear Fei gets is amazing.
CookedChocobo
Member
Sure the ending was perfect only if you care about the romance aspect of things, overall plot wise the story was already in crazy town at that point. The 2nd disc pretty much destroyed everything gameplay wise. Even the story itself had a lack lustre presentation. Having a few good moments doesn't elevate the thing out of shit territory imo.
I remember people having sex, which surprised me. Can't say I remember Billy though.
Billy was the priest who had guns as his main weapon.
EDIT: I thought Billy was a Priest? Well, he was some kind of holy man
Pinko Marx
Banned
Sure the ending was perfect only if you care about the romance aspect of things, overall plot wise the story was already in crazy town at that point and incomplete. The 2nd disc pretty much destroyed everything gameplay wise. Even the story itself had a lack lustre presentation. Having a few good moments doesn't elevate the thing out of shit territory imo.
I remember people having sex, which surprised me. Can't say I remember Billy though.
Yeah Billy let priests touch him. True story.
I remember people having sex, which surprised me. Can't say I remember Billy though.
Poor Billy. Wasn't it heavily implied he was molested by priests? I remember going D: at that.. first time I came across that in a game.
Meccanical
Member
Yeah, I remember WTF'ing at that pretty hard.
Oh yeah, they went there. It was his whole subplot when you first get him in the party. I think he was trying to save his little brother from the same fate D:
This game... truly amazing.
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