Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Bose

"Yeah, it's... um... well it's not bad... it's really... hrm..."

Show of hands. How many of all of you have played Xenogears? Good, good. This is, of course, the third American game of the Xenogears saga. In fact, it's the second game in the set of two prequels. Xenogears was the first game to be made, yet Xenosaga 1 and 2 have been made around the 2000's, although really taking place in the past according to Xenogear's time-line,

Xenogears was an excellent game which really stood out in its time. In fact, it's even hailed by some as one of the best RPGs of all time, and I would agree that it's a close contender. Xenosaga came out about a few years ago, and forced its way to the top of the charts in no time. This game, Xenosaga 2, is the latest installment of this great series. So if I would be one to rate the previous RPGs as some of the best every made, then what about this game?

Firstly, the graphics are great. You can't really go wrong. I love the character models, there's nothing wrong here. Of course, I can't say that I care for the character's new costumes (except for KOS-MOS), but that's just an opinion of an opinion and does not subtract from the overall score. Everything runs well, everything is smooth. Everything looks great, from the towns to the lakes, to even the opening action scene; everything looks great.

To be honest, I really like the anime style characters more, but the change is something that I can live with.

The sound is all right. I didn't care for it as much as I did the first game, which featured a famous group dedicated to its soundtrack, but this game, nonetheless, has some really good music and sound effects. I simply cannot complain about that area.

However, it would be the gameplay that I would have trouble with. I simply don't care for the changes that were made to the battle system. Why? Because they seemed unnecessary. Excuse me, I'll correct myself: I did like the changes made to the AGWS (is that what they're called now? It's been a while) and their battle system, as I enjoy the way it now works; I also like the fact that you have some neat movements outside of battle, such as destroying debris using your GEAR (sorry, old-school terminology).

But the battle system isn't as good as it used to be. You see, they've eliminated everything good from the first system, and have instead replaced it with something which is at nice. Sadly, this is the blemish on an otherwise great game; I simply don't like the "downed" feature or any of that in which they've changed from the battle system.

And then there's another complaint. There are NO SHOPS in this game. I'm not speaking figuratively. There are, literally, no shops in this game. In fact, there's not even currency. I'm not kidding. It was eliminated from the title all together, forcing you to find items outside of battle. I both love and hate this system, making you scavenge all that you can from battles and destructible objects; but still, I don't necessarily care for the fact that I can never be fully prepared before heading into battle.

On the upside, the story is nice, and it picks up right where the first title left off. For some reason, it seems even more darker than the first story. I really can't say much of the story because it spoils the first game's story, as well as ruins the impact of the start of the second. To be honest, though, the Nietzsche references are ever-more present; something which seems to come out all too often within the game. I could ignore them in the first title, yet they're ever more present in this game.

Overall, yeah. It's all right. It gets a 7/10. I liked it, yet at the same time I didn't care for some of the sidequests. The game seemed short, and possibly even a little rushed. I think this game could have done a lot better than it did. I enjoyed the entertaining aspects which were prevalent in this game, but the down-sides to the gameplay were very noticeable. My only hope is that the game will get better with time, such as Xenosaga III, is being worked on.

So should you rent it or buy it? I'd say buy it. I did. I'm actually satisfied that I purchased the game: I made no wrong move whatsoever. However, if you are new to the Xenogears story and prequels, I would recommend you rent this game, and buy the previous two. If you purchase this game without playing the previous, it may put a foul taste in your mouth. If you play this game without following the excellent story of the previous games, you just may not wait around for the third installment of an otherwise excellent series.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/15/06