Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra

""If God didn't hurl lightnin', he'd sure be playing this right now""

At last, the much-anticipated if not pseudo-cultish series "Xenosaga", finally reaches its conclusion. While many have been skeptical on the first two, this is easily one of the PS2's best RPGs.

Quick History
The epic saga began in 2003, when fans of the unique PS1 RPG "Xenogears", discovered that there was going to be a sequel-like game called "Xenosaga". With its new storyline, rich and deep characters and otherwise fantastically different background setup, it seemed like almost a flop. The biggest downfall? The massive length of time for cutscenes. Two years later, after everyone forgot Xenosaga existed, "Xenosaga II" was released...having undergone a complete makeover. With realistic-looking characters, some different voice-acting, and the feel of an entirely different game, Xenosaga II made even the die-hard fans a bit skeptical as to where this series was going.

Finally, "Xenosaga III", the conclusion of the space opera, arrives, giving the series as a whole a poignant farewell. For those of you wondering, Xenosaga was originally meant to be a 6 Episode series, but due to financial failures, the last 4 episodes were cut and a newly revised, final “Third Episode” was added in place of them. The outcome is magnificent, which should be expected in terms of story quality, the foundation of the Xeno series.

Story: 9/10
Ah, the story; the only thing keeping the Xenosaga series alive, along with many other RPGs today, sadly. As expected, the story is extremely well-done, but sadly doesn't retain the "mystery and suspense" of the past two, as it's been dumbed down further. One year after the events of Episode II, our ditzy heroine Shion abandons Vector and joins a rebel organization called Scientia to expose Vector Industries' crimes. Our heroine's gone from looking like a nerdy scientist in Episode I, to a fashion statement in Episode II, and now borderlines a ritzy-looking hooker in Episode III. I blame the fan service, not that I'm complaining, heh heh...Anyhow, old friends return and the advent of the enigmatic Red Testament marks the series' newest, and final, villain.

Due to the fantastic amount of nothing being resolved in the last two episodes, this finale will seem very fast-paced and high in adventure, with very little character development, mainly, because you've already seen it. However, this lack of character development does not bode well for the villains, who arguably make up the "good stuff" of an RPG. Villains like the dastardly scientist Dr. Yuriev, the sinister serial killer Voyager, and the all-new babealicious KOS-MOS counterpart, T-elos, plague the heroes left and right, but sadly, don't hold the "oomph" that a certain milky-haired villain had in the past two. Why, you ask? Many of these characters may have been mentioned and shown briefly in the past two episodes, but let's face it; none of them made an impact and received around 10 minutes of screentime, tops. Another thing I have never liked in the series as a whole is its religious references. Now, before you go and click "Back" on your computer's menu bar, know that I'm not a religious person or anything of the sort. However, it seems like half the time, they're throwing in religious references for no other reason other than to make the story look "mystifying", when as a whole, it's really not (in that aspect, anyway).
Does this make the story horrific? Of course not. It's very enjoyable and arguably better than the first two...mainly because you get to see what happens to your worst annoyances (Here's lookin' at you, Yuriev). Overall, like the past two, I found the storyline to be remarkable and well worth your time. Also, there's a unique database, complete with voice-overs, that explain the past two episodes.

Graphics:10/10
I shouldn't have to say anything on this. They're spectacular, both in and out of cutscenes, and better than both episodes thus far. How's THAT for keeping it short?

Gameplay: 10/10
All I can say is w00t! The gameplay and control has been revised to ultimately rise over both Episodes I and II. You play the role of one of the main heroes (I used Shion because at the time I didn't know you could switch your field character, thus I'll refer to Shion as the "main hero") and spend your time traversing bizarre locales, dungeons requiring a fantastic amount of time and that are actually fun (similar to the DDS duo), and engaging in battles that no longer take a frustrating amount of time to find your opponents' weaknesses.
Similar to Episode I, your characters can learn both unique and the same skills via a grid system called the Skill Line. After every battle, each party member acquires some skill points that can be used to sort of “buy” new skills. A new rendition to the battles includes having a bar that fills up whenever your party is attacked. This is called the Break Limit/Line. When it's filled up completely, your party member(s) become stunned for a fixed amount of time and can be easier for the enemies to kill. On the opposite end, the same can be done to your enemies, making critical hits fantastically easy to accomplish.

The best part of Episode III's gameplay is the E.S. battles. At last, the E.S. get to play a major role in the story and be on the lookout for some amazing graphics and fantastic challenge! The E.S. share similar aspects of the character battles, including the Deathblows, and finally, the ability to heal. Of course, they can now equip new circuits and parts to make your ever-so-cool mechs become lean, mean fighting machines. Fantastic combo blows are made with the all-new Anima Awakening option. Finally throwing the Anima Vessels into the fray, the E.S.s have a special meter that fills up with each blow they perform. When it's filled to the max, the Anima Awakening can begin and some very brutal and mind-numbing HP critical hits can result from your E.S.'s new (and brief) power. Of course, as expected, your enemies are going to have to survive such awesome blows, and so look for enemy HP totals to be shockingly high.

Music: 10/10
I give this a 10/10 because the music fits each scenario perfectly. It's done by the same composer who did Episode 2's music, Yuki Hajiura. It does remind me a little of Episode II, however, which captured the nostalgic feel of the old PS1 RPGS. That is, scenes with major battles will have "heroic-sounding" pieces, scenes with conspiring villains will have "dark and eerie" pieces, etc. Nothing bizarre, in other words…and the various boss battle pieces is to die for. The cutscene music remains spectacular as well, just like the former two Episodes. I just wish Xenosaga could've stuck to a single theme song for the whole trilogy.

Replayability: 5/10
Sure, there are unlockables, such as swimsuits and Shion's sexy blouse, but ultimately, it comes down to whether or not YOU had fun with the game. Personally, I enjoyed Xenosaga Episode I, for example, but I've only played through the whole thing twice just because I found its gameplay to be rather boring. I would say though, that Xenosaga III is definitely worth replaying.

Biggest Downfall
Whoops, this might sound rather biased, coming from someone who enjoyed every minute of the game, but I'd have to say, again, the lack of character development is a big no-no. This is easily remedied through the special database that explains the past two stories, but still, it's not the same when you're actually playing the adventure for yourself. Another downfall is the story; or rather, the story as a whole. Episode III is by far the "prettiest" of the series so far, but newcomers might not like it for its complexity, considering this is the finale and not many will find closure in the database. Other than that, I can't think of anything else. The challenge is good, the story is superb, the characters are just as pleasing as before...yep, this was a good ending.

Rent or Buy?
I'd say buy. Here in the states, it's a measly $37.99 at retail price, and considering game rentals are easily around $10 nowadays, why not cough up the extra bucks to get it? Diehard Xenosaga fans will definitely have to buy this, but if you're a newcomer to the series, I suggest renting it first.
Overall, the Xenosaga series may have failed many expectations, but despite not living up to what it could've been, it remains as an excellent story, and overall excellent RPG series. Sadly, this is the end for Xenosaga and its uniqueness, but then again, no one can say what the future has to offer. I hope this review has been somewhat helpful. Anyhow, to newcomers and veterans alike, I hope you will enjoy it :)

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/31/06, Updated 09/05/06