Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra

"The Grande Finale Of A Beautiful Series"

Firstly, it must be made clear that Xenosaga is most definitely a “love it or hate it” type of game. While a lot of gamers may be put off by the series due to the lengthy cutscenes and intricate storyline, the people who enjoy this series absolutely love it. In the case of Xenosaga Episode 3, Namco realized that the Xenosaga series was failing to meet financial success and thus cut short the series making Episode 3 the final game in the series. Knowing this, the developers made Episode 3 a game more for the fans, although there were many inclusions to the game that were made to appeal to people not familiar to the Xenosaga series. I must say that I am a huge fan of Xenosaga, although I believe this game truly is deserving of this score (especially after playing the disappointing installment of Episode 2).

Visuals: 8.5/10
Graphically, this game is sublime. The environments featured in the game take players into the Universe of Xenosaga. From sandy beaches to sterile research facilities, the environments are one of the strongest points of the game. The character models are also very well done, as well as many of the battle animations. Another great thing about the game are the intense battle scenes in the game which provide players with a sense of awe while watching. The only strong negative to the visuals section is the framerate slowdown that occurs in cutscenes that have a lot of objects on the screen at once; thankfully, these are not present in any of the FMV's.

Audio: 8.5/10
Namco was smart enough to bring back the original voice actors of Shion and Kos-Mos from the first game, back to the third, greatly improving the copious amounts of dialogue in the game. The voice acting is top notch and the voice actors bring emotion to many scenes. The largest problem I have with sound is that they reused some of the songs from the second game, although that isn't too big of a deal. The dungeon themes range from perfectly fitting the actually dungeon, to feeling quite out of place.

Gameplay: 9/10
Ah, gameplay, how you have changed over the years. Yes, Xenosaga Episode 3 features the most radical change in terms of gameplay as the combo system is gone in exchange for a more standard rpg battle system. Characters have their standard attack, tech attack, ether, and special attack. This change of combat means that the battles are much shorter in comparison to the first two games, which is a good thing. A completely revamped break system is also featured, in that every character has a certain amount of break damage they can take before being unable to battle for 2 turns. This doesn't affect the gameplay all that much although it can be quite handy to break a character, spend one turn healing your characters, and the next attacking the disabled enemy. Another change to the gameplay is the skill line, which is kind of like a cross between the ether line in Episode 1 and the skill tree in Episode 2. This skill line is nowhere near as complex as the one found in Final Fantasy X, but it provides some choice to player as to how they want their characters to turn out. However, one of the best things about the gameplay is the E.S Battle mechanics. Equipping the E.S.s with various weapons and watching the outcome provides a lot of enjoyment. Also, watching your E.S. take down 5 enemies at once with a spectacular Anima attack makes one realize how much fun the battles are.

Story: 10/10
The story is pretty much the reason people play Xenosaga and not much can be said about it without fear of ruining the complex plot that is retained throughout the series. What can be said is that the trilogy has one of the best stories in a video game ever, and that the third game provides an amazing conclusion to the series. While not all questions are answered, the player is left with a sense of fulfillment of happiness that the series has ended in the way that it did.

Misc
One thing that has to be mentioned is the fact that the game has little to no replayabilty factor to it. After beating the game, a cutscene viewer is unlocked, completely eradicating the need to play through the game again to see the cutscenes. Another issue is that Xenosaga Episode 3 does not include that many sidequests, which may be disappointing to some, however there are still some in the game and the inclusion of 2 optional bosses provides an extra challenge for those seeking one. The segment files are back and they provide a reason to actually use the EVS plate and go visit the old areas in the game, but most importantly is the inclusion of the GeMix minigame. This game provides many hours of entertainment with 6 worlds to play and also a level builder/editor! The fact that you can play it with another person also adds to the enjoyment.

Final Verdict: 9/10
Xenosaga is truly a great series if one takes time to enjoy it. The story alone is worthy of the purchase of the game, but if that does not completely do it, an intuitive battle system that mixes things up with giant robot battles, great voice acting, and a fun minigame that is GeMix earns this game the score of 9!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/07/06