Xenogears

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[Video Games] Xenogears

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Postby OKdesuKA » Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:53 pm

I don't see many video game threads around here (which is surprising). So I decided to make a thread dedicated to another classic.

A lot of people refer to this game as the Evangelion of JRPG's. It's pretty amazing, for those of you who have never heard of the game..

Xenogears initially takes place on Ignas, the largest continent of the Xenogears world, and site of a centuries long war between the nations of Aveh and Kislev. A church-like organization known as the Ethos has excavated giant fighting robots called Gears in the name of preserving the world's culture. These Gears have had a major effect on the war and have almost entirely replaced the need for human infantry. Although Kislev originally had the upper hand in the war, a mysterious army known as Gebler appeared and started providing assistance to Aveh. With Gebler's help, the Aveh military not only recovered its losses, but began making its way into Kislev's territory.


It's a complex, very controversial story. What with trying to destroy God and what not.

The battle system is one of the games biggest highlights. You can also fight with the characters as they are without Gears. It's a little cool and clever combo system. You build up your attack level by doing regular attacks and not following them up with combos until at least level 1, 2, or 3 so you can pull off some flashy, damage dealing stuff. It also works this way for the Gears too but a bit more complicated and limited movement compared to being on flat ground.

and if you are dedicated enough or know how to use google you can use the latest pixel shaders to make the game look even more epic.

Image

Image

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Postby NemZ » Wed Jul 15, 2009 6:28 pm

Quite an enjoyable game, though the second half was incredibly rushed and the opening Villiage scenes seemed to drag on forever. The majority of the game was good times though, and the system was indeed engaging even when exploring area maps because of the pseudo-3d and jumping involved.
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Postby OKdesuKA » Wed Jul 15, 2009 6:41 pm

Hell yes, I loved going through dungeons with the gears. Entering secret rooms you can only get into if you are off them and stuff, I don't know why such small things are exciting. If any of you haven't played this, you really need to asap.

FYI it came out in 1998 for the PS1, I think 1997 in Japan.

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Postby Eva Yojimbo » Wed Jul 15, 2009 7:11 pm

It was an awesome game. Probably the best RPG I've ever played outside FFVI and Chrono Trigger.
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Postby Orphan Of Darkness » Wed Jul 15, 2009 7:22 pm

Yeah I generally regard Xenogears as an rpg masterpiece. I always wanted a remake or a re-release of it but the videogame industry is to busy shitting its pants right now to do anything of the sort.

What made this game stand out for me (back when it was released) was the mature themes in it. Sex, religion, politics and all that other good stuff can be found within the epic storyline.

I recommend it to anyone if you can actually find a copy of the game.
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Postby Otakon 08 Ikari » Wed Jul 15, 2009 7:24 pm

I've never played this, care to explain the whole "Destroy God". I assume its on google but I rather hear it from someone who played the game.
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Postby The Bastard King » Wed Jul 15, 2009 8:51 pm

I'm trying to get it working on my PSP. It's giving me a hella hard time, I'll tell you what.
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Postby oOoOoOo » Wed Jul 15, 2009 10:58 pm

Otakon 08 Ikari wrote:care to explain the whole "Destroy God"
It is an RPG. From Japan. They all have the same end boss. ^_~

In all seriousness, this does have a bit of that Evangelion mystique, although I sort of just realized that now. I really like this game, especially the "classic" feel it has. I actually wish they didn't bother with the mechs as much, to be honest, since I liked regular combat better. (Yeah, yeah, I know it is the point of the game, but... pffffssst~)

Regardless, part of my JRPG triumvirate of awesomeness, which also includes FF VI and Chrono Trigger. Xenogears is very much a "niche" taste, though.
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Postby OKdesuKA » Wed Jul 15, 2009 11:07 pm

The Bastard King wrote:I'm trying to get it working on my PSP. It's giving me a hella hard time, I'll tell you what.


Yes there are a lot of freezing issues with trying to run Xenogears on PSP, very picky with firmware version, IIRC. I highly suggest you play on emulator with some revamped graphics.

oOoOoOo wrote:
Otakon 08 Ikari wrote:care to explain the whole "Destroy God"
It is an RPG. From Japan. They all have the same end boss. ^_~

In all seriousness, this does have a bit of that Evangelion mystique, although I sort of just realized that now. I really like this game, especially the "classic" feel it has. I actually wish they didn't bother with the mechs as much, to be honest, since I liked regular combat better. (Yeah, yeah, I know it is the point of the game, but... pffffssst~)

Regardless, part of my JRPG triumvirate of awesomeness, which also includes FF VI and Chrono Trigger. Xenogears is very much a "niche" taste, though.


I agree completely. It's honestly a very dark, cruel story surrounded by a cast of characters that really grow on you. Despite all the heart string tugging moments, the game's world itself is very interesting to explore.

I took some more screenshots to reinforce that this game is actually very deep. Perhaps one of the deepest.

Image

Image

Image

Image

If anyone is interested in the Xenogears 2.0 project, shoot me a PM.

Changes include:

* Controls are put back to the original Japanese controls.
* In-game battle combos are back to the original Japanese ones (matching Japanese controls).
* Audio in the Full Motion Videos is in Japanese with English subtitles.
* Voices in the game are back to the original Japanese ones (in battles + certain cutscenes).
* The weight unit in character's stats is back to kilos (.kgs instead of .lbs).
* Emeralda's icon eyebrow transparency is corrected.
* The selection arrow in shop menus doesn't overlap choices (Buy, Sell, Exit) anymore.

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Postby Reichu » Thu Jul 16, 2009 12:36 am

NemZ wrote:Quite an enjoyable game, though the second half was incredibly rushed

Yeah. I actually stopped playing somewhere on the second disc because I couldn't bear it any more.

"Why the hell am I sitting on this chair in a dark room being spoonfed narrative and jumping from one disjointed mission to another? I want the bloody main map back! This game sucks!"

I thought about popping in the game again within the past month or so, but then I thought about how looooong the opening segment is, and about all that shitty dubbing, and then I thought, "Yeah, never mind."
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Postby NemZ » Thu Jul 16, 2009 1:04 am

Reichu wrote:and then I thought, "Yeah, never mind."


Exactly why I traded it in rather than keeping it... as fun as it was, I can't immagine a reason to play it again unless it gets a massive overhaul and the second half is actually finished... like with actual omnigears for everyone rather than just "Rico is still stuck with Steir, LOL!"
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Postby OKdesuKA » Thu Jul 16, 2009 2:18 am

Reichu wrote:shitty dubbing

OKdesuKA wrote:
If anyone is interested in the Xenogears 2.0 project, shoot me a PM.

Changes include:

* Controls are put back to the original Japanese controls.
* In-game battle combos are back to the original Japanese ones (matching Japanese controls).
* Audio in the Full Motion Videos is in Japanese with English subtitles.
* Voices in the game are back to the original Japanese ones (in battles + certain cutscenes).
* The weight unit in character's stats is back to kilos (.kgs instead of .lbs).
* Emeralda's icon eyebrow transparency is corrected.
* The selection arrow in shop menus doesn't overlap choices (Buy, Sell, Exit) anymore.


:wink:

Also more random screens I have been taking as I have been playing this new playthrough.

They aren't really spoilers, considering I already mentioned the whole destroying god thing.

Image

lol can u say Gendo-like strategies?

Image

Also I think Grahf can probably take down the EVA's barefisted. In the middle of the game you fight him while he is in his regular form without his gear and he simply owns.

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Xenogears

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Postby ericm » Tue Jun 14, 2011 6:34 pm

I believe I played Xenogears originally before I ever watched Eva. It was my first exposure to giant fighting robots since being a young child. Xenogears became my favorite video game of all time, a title which it still holds (though Suikoden 2 is a close second), so it isn't surprising that Eva became another of my favorite works of art. Certainly Xenogears took a lot from Eva; the troubled youths and their connections to strange 'black-boxed' mechs, the religious imagery, the stories ultimately becoming about 'gods', though not gods in the traditional sense. I would think Xenogears adapted the idea of the "gazel ministry" from Seele and their 'speaking monoliths'.
Maybe a lot of the things in Xenogears are just twists on common anime/ sci-fi cliches, however?
Any opinions on the connections between these two?

Anyone here huge fan of Xenogears in general?

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Postby AngelNo13Bardiel » Tue Jun 14, 2011 7:47 pm

*raises hand*

We have a lot in common on this subject, you and I. I first bought/played Xenogears sometime in 2000. It was sorta my "finding NGE before I actually found NGE" (meaning it has a lot of similar imagery/themes/miscellaneous whatnot that would become apparent upon finding the series) and it still remains in my top three original PlayStation titles. I still insist that this is a title Square should invest some serious time in remaking (right alongside FF7...although either one has, keeping realism in mind, a snowball's-chance-in-Hell of happening).

Besides...I've been keeping this Evafic idea utilizing Id simmering in the back of my mind since around 2004 (meaning it may not happen, but you just never know about some things).

As far as connections between the two that aren't just common/coincidental? I don't have a clue...someone else around here might, however.
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Postby child of Lilith » Tue Jun 14, 2011 9:36 pm

I played it along time ago. Unfortunately I don't remember much of it. I wish they'd rerelease it.
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Postby Sailor Star Dust » Tue Jun 14, 2011 9:44 pm

Well, Eva: Proposal is from 1993... From what I've heard (ZapX played the game), any similarities between Xenogears and Eva are simply coincidences. I haven't played the game so I can't really say.
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Postby ZapX » Tue Jun 14, 2011 9:46 pm

View Original Postchild of Lilith wrote:I played it along time ago. Unfortunately I don't remember much of it. I wish they'd rerelease it.


You do know that it's on PSN right? GO GET IT! GO GO GO!
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Postby child of Lilith » Tue Jun 14, 2011 9:47 pm

I didn't know that. Thanks for the tip ZapX.
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Postby ZapX » Tue Jun 14, 2011 9:54 pm

NP.

Anyway, I'm a big fan of the games myself. There isn't the connection between it and Eva that most people make, much like RahX. Both were being written about the same time and Xenogears was conceived before Eva first aired. It has lots of similar themes, but that's because they're both rooted in Gnosticism, Existentialism, and Psychology. I've mentioned my thoughts on the games in several threads we've had here, but I'm too lazy to dig them up. The point is, yeah, they're some pretty good games.
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Postby ericm » Tue Jun 14, 2011 10:02 pm

ZapX:
When you say 'games' plural, you're including the Xenosaga games I assume?
I played the first one and never got around to playing the others..but from what I read they really have little, if anything, to do with Xenogears..not to mention being considered vastly inferior the 'original'.


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