Xenosaga III, story focused RPG

Petco · January 2007

<div class="IPBDescription">A great RPG for PS2</div>Xenosaga III(It's on the PS2), buy it if you like storylines, cutscenes, dialogue in RPGs. If you don't, maybe you'll like it, though I certainly enjoyed it as I like storylines, cutscenes, and dialogue in RPGs.

Table of Contents/FAQs:
I. Introduction
II. What's the gameplay like?
III. How would I understand the story without playing the first two games?
IV. Conclusion(For the main part anyway)
V. How would I play it from another region?

I. Introduction: Xenosaga III is an RPG that focuses on story more than gameplay, it is for the PS2 and was $40USD at launch(It came out in August 29, 2006). I'm not sure, but unfortunately I believe that it is currently unavailable in Europe(Look at section V. How would I play it from another region, for more details if Xenosaga III is currently unavailable in your location).

I was a new fan and bought Xenosaga III. Yes it continues from episode 1 and 2.

I enjoyed Xenosaga III, and *consider it my #1 favorite RPG of all time. I played Chrono Trigger, I played FF1-11(Except 3), I played Final Fantasy Tactics, I played Star Ocean 3, I played VP2, I played Legend of Dragoon, and a few other RPGs. Out of those, XS III is my favorite.

So if I enjoyed it that much, and many many other people according to review sites, player reviews, etc, they all enjoyed it too.

*Xenosaga III is my favorite overall RPG, though some other RPGs I prefer in gameplay. Like Final Fantasy Tactics and Valkyrie Profile 2. Though, the fast battles and gameplay in Xenosaga III fits the game.

II. Gameplay:

Have you played FFX? If so, that's what the gameplay is like, the gameplay is like Final Fantasy games, but closely resembles FFX in gameplay. *You can switch characters during battle, and it doesn't have an Active Time Bar like FFX.

*Fortunately, all your characters level up, whether you used them in battle or not. Unlike FFX where you have to switch to every character and make them do something in battle to get them to level.

There is no random battles, enemies are on screen, and you can run into them or just avoid them.

The difficulty is about the same as most FF games, except there is a smaller gameplay portion compared to the other FFs, and you don't need to level at all as long as you fight every monster you see.

There are two types of battles:
Character Battles - You fight with your characters. Character Battles are generally longer in length than E.S.(Giant Robot) battles.

You can switch characters during character battles.

E.S.(Giant Robot) Battles - You fight using E.S.es(Giant Robots). Generally, battles are more straight forward and much quicker than character battles. Though, E.S. Battles are still enjoyable even though it is pretty straight forward and quicker.

You cannot switch characters during E.S. battles. When one of your E.S. is K.O.ed, one of your characters that are not currently in battle will take it's place. You cannot revive E.S.es either.

That is all you need to know for gameplay, if you actually buy the game, the rest will be explained during the game.

III. How would I understand the story without playing the first two games?

Here is what I did, I read <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenosaga#Playable_characters" target="_blank">Character info on en.wikipedia.org</a>, wiki has a nice article on Xenosaga series.

I read info about all the playable characters, I also read about Albedo. That is pretty much all the info you need to know to understand Xenosaga III's story.

Afterwards, I bought Xenosaga III. You don't even have to read the Xenosaga I and II summaries they've included in the ingame database. Why do you not have to read it? Well, it'll be confusing for you, as it is meant to refresh those who actually played the first two.

Don't worry, you'll understand the story as long as you read info on each of the main characters. Also, you could read the summary after you beaten the game to reflect back on what happened, it's easier to understand it that way, trust me.

Anyway, you'll understand the story as long as you read the character info on wikipedia.org . Now, there will be some confusing terms like UMN, A.G.W.S. , A.M.W.S., E.S., Hibert effect, Realian, U-DO, and so. Fortunately, you can quickly look up these terms in the ingame database no problem, and it'll explain it to you. 

Why did I type "You'll understand the story" three times already? Well, because you will, trust me. I speak from experience.

IV. Conclusion
Xenosaga III is an RPG that focuses on story. To understand the story, if you're a new player, look up information on characters on en.wikipedia.org . Gameplay is like FFX, except no random encounters, and it is shorter in terms of gameplay portion.

Now go buy Xenosaga III, play it, and ENJOY IT. If you are not in North America area, or in Japan, and want to play it, read below.

V. How would I play it from another region?
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IMPORTANT: On the site you get(that I'm asking you to google.com for), it'll tell you which PS2s are compatible with this product. You have to check the model number on the PS2(Don't worry, you don't have to open anything), and then check on the site if the "Swap Magic Disc" is compatible with your PS2. Most PS2s should work with it.

Also, make sure you're buying the right version of the disc. I forgot exactly if this is the case. "Software for all PlayStation consoles contains one of four region codes: for Japan and Asia: NTSC/J, North America: NTSC-U/C, Europe and Oceania: PAL, and China: NTSC/C" So if you're importing from North America(and you're in Europe), see if the Swap Magic Disc is used for PAL PS2s, to convert to NTSC-U/C.
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Note: It doesn't have to be "Swap Magic Disc", but that is one of the more popular ones I believe.

Google "Swap Magic Disc" (Or disk). There should be something that also replaces the front part of your PS2, which makes it easier to swap discs. Buy the disc, buy the cover.

With these two, you don't need to open up your PS2, and anyone can swap discs, so no need to weld in mod chips or mess with your PS2.

When importing the game, make sure it is the right region for your Swap Magic Disc.

After you get it, follow instructions, then enjoy.

Nemesis_Zero · January 2007

I'll disagree on one major point: Xenosaga is not a story-focussed RPG (Planescape: Torment is one such), Xenosaga is a OVA series that allows you to take control of the battles. Which is fine, but frankly, I did not feel the dialogue carried the concept.

UltimaGecko · January 2007

Can you influence the story line in anyway and is there exploration? I played Final Fantasy X recently, and I was not pleased at the limitation placed on my playing. There was very little exploration (usually you're running in a straight line, with tiny short little branches giving you an extra chest to open). Unlike the other FFs I'm used to (III, VII, VIII) there's very little to interact with (VII takes a while to get to more open freedom, but it's there a little in Midgar, while X has ...like none).

I remember I liked the original Xenogears (up until the useless Tower of Babel climbing, which I just quit out on, because I didn't want to deal with lame jumping puzzles with horrible control in an otherwise good game), and I think I heard somewhere that Xenosaga is like a continuation of Xenogears - but maybe I'm irred somewhere.

Anyway, how's the freedom? I don't mean like Oblivion or KotOR 'completely change the story' freedom, but at least a modicum of exploration and choice?

(I've heard FFX 2 has more freedom than the first one, but I've never played that either)

OrganoX · January 2007

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(UltimaGecko @ Jan 7 2007, 03:10 AM) [snapback]1595659[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'>
Can you influence the story line in anyway and is there exploration? I played Final Fantasy X recently, and I was not pleased at the limitation placed on my playing. There was very little exploration (usually you're running in a straight line, with tiny short little branches giving you an extra chest to open). Unlike the other FFs I'm used to (III, VII, VIII) there's very little to interact with (VII takes a while to get to more open freedom, but it's there a little in Midgar, while X has ...like none).

(I've heard FFX 2 has more freedom than the first one, but I've never played that either)
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If you want more freedom, then you should try FF12. The world is much more open compared to FFX. You can travel anywhere and explore the world. Like it should be in the first place. I'm playing FF12 right now, and i truly love it. The boring part is that when you are done exploring the world, you ending up twice as higher level then the monsters in the story.

About Xenosaga III, i have it next to me but haven't tried it yet. I will when i have some time.

Petco · January 2007

You can't influence the storyline in anyway. It'll always be the same thing.

The dungeons and so are pretty straight forward. Though there are the usual two or three doors/paths, and the two paths lead to treasure/items while the other path leads to where you should be going. There are also other puzzles where you have to go to one place, activate something, then go to the other.

The towns/cities are explorable, though not by much. You can press "Square" in this game to attack/blow up breakable objects everywhere, and in towns, you do a lot of that to find items and so. There are also some sidequests which involve running around talking to one NPC, then finding the other, etc.

It actually is a lot like FFX in terms of exploration and freedom, there is no world map either.

Xenosaga III does have a lot of homages to Xenogears, you'll probably notice a lot of them while playing. For example, there are a lot of characters that you'll meet, that looks like one of the main characters in Xenogears.

Xenosaga's universe doesn't seem to be connected to Xenogears, as the developers/creators said in an interview.

Like I said, gameplay isn't anything like Xenogears, more like FFX.

Xenosaga I and II had similarities with Xenogears in terms of gameplay - like you press "Triangle" for a light attack, "Square" for a medium attack, and "X" for a strong attack, and you can do combos.

Though *it seems a lot of people didn't like the battle system in I&II(Though, some did, but the majority preferred XSIII's battle system), so that's why they changed it to more simple style, like FFX.

*Most disliked the slower paced battles in XSI&II, players say that the battles were drawn out and long. The combo system which is based off of Xenogears does not seem to work well on Xenosaga I&II.

Note on all three games: Each game is significantly different in terms of graphics, models, gameplay, and everything else. Most players/fans say they like XSIII the best, while XSI is second, and many people say XSII was the worst as the battles were long and drawn out and the story focused on Jr. and MOMO, which are not the main character. Shion is the main character, and all three games are considered Shion's arc of the storyline.

Edit: Incase you wanted to read the reviews of XSIII, <a href="http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages4/929933.asp" target="_blank">click here for a list of the sites that reviewed XSIII</a>

Petco · January 2007

Bump, anyone else interested or have tried XSIII yet?

DiscoZombie · January 2007

I just picked up the first Xenosaga, so provided I finish it and like it, it'll still be a while before I play 3. maybe I'll skip 2. 1 is pretty good so far though. I'm impressed with the quality of the dialog/translation, as well as the animation. slow-moving though. I'm not sure I'll have the patience to watch 50+ hours worth of cutscenes.

Khaim · January 2007

XSIII is good, but you really should play I and II to get the full effect of the plotline, just three = fail(By comparison). Although admittedly II was a HORRIBLE game gameplay wise. I was pretty decent, It's one of the PS2 greatest hits atm I believe, you can pick it up for 10-15 USD.

One thing though. Ziggy has the singularly most awesome move/tech names in XSIII. FEAR THE PENETRATOR! XD : P

(Also, one of my favorite game endings ever, also, check out XenoGears, the semi-not-really-related sequel/prequel to the XenoSaga series. (Think Related in the same way Supreme Commander and Total Annihilation are.))

Storyline Chronology: (In Character Developement/advancement plotlines.)
XSI: Shion,KOS-MOS&Ziggy Plotlines.(Also introductions for most others)
XSII: Jr. & MOMO Plotlines.
XSIII: Jin, Shion, KOS-MOS & Chaos Plotlines.

Also of note, the XS series was origionally supposed to be a 6 part series, however, due to the bombshell that was XSII, they cut the series to 3 games which makes 3 flow far faster and feel better than the others. (They did a suprisingly good job condensing them down, plotline wise, although they did leave it somewhat open for future, perhaps the other 3 were supposed to go from there later?)

Petco · January 2007

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Khaim @ Jan 15 2007, 03:07 PM) [snapback]1599087[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'>
Also of note, the XS series was origionally supposed to be a 6 part series, however, due to the bombshell that was XSII, they cut the series to 3 games which makes 3 flow far faster and feel better than the others. (They did a suprisingly good job condensing them down, plotline wise, although they did leave it somewhat open for future, perhaps the other 3 were supposed to go from there later?)
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I wouldn't say it was because XSII. I mean, there were 300,000 less sales than XSI when XSII came out.

People didn't buy XSII because it was bad, they didn't buy it because they didn't like XSI or want to continue the series.

The reason why XSI did so "well" was because players thought it'd be more like Xenogears, or even connected in storylines. Once they found out XS was not connected to Xenogears, and the gameplay and pace of the story is not the same, they stopped at the first game(XSI).

Though if they had the same graphics, gameplay, and everything else like with XSIII from the beginning, the sales probably would have been much better.

With each game, everything changes drastically.

I heard XSIII's sales in just Japan, is better than XSII sales in Japan. Though, I've heard from many people that XSIII sold 30,000 copies only, to 70,000, then back and fourth. The last person I heard about sales on a forum, said the total sales in Japan is 180,000+ I believe, don't know though.

Xenosaga III, story focused RPG

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