Xenogears

Discussions about non-Evangelion related video games, board games, card games and gaming in general.

Moderators: Rebuild/OT Moderators, Board Staff

NemZ
Token Misanthrope
Token Misanthrope
User avatar
Posts: 15804
Joined: Jun 28, 2008
Location: St. Louis
Gender: Male

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby NemZ » Wed Jul 20, 2011 5:03 pm

View Original Postgatotsu911 wrote:As I said above, the battle system is very good, its only real weaknesses being its slowness and the lack of challenging enemies, and I find it disappointing that no game since has revisited and refined it.


I didn't much care for it, though a lot of that may simply be bias because it is so very different from CT, which is really what I wanted. Unfortunately it seems a common trait of many JRPG series to reinvent themselves every iteration rather than refining and building upon the previous systems. It's like they don't understand what the word 'sequel' means.
Rest In Peace ~ 1978 - 2017
"I'd consider myself a realist, alright? but in philosophical terms I'm what's called a pessimist. It means I'm bad at parties." - Rust Cohle
"Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize that half of 'em are stupider than that." - George Carlin
"The internet: It's like a training camp for never amounting to anything." - Oglaf
"I think internet message boards and the like are dangerous." - Anno

gatotsu911
Nerv Scientist
Nerv Scientist
User avatar
Age: 32
Posts: 1674
Joined: Dec 17, 2010
Location: US of East Coast
Gender: Male
Contact:

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby gatotsu911 » Wed Jul 20, 2011 11:06 pm

View Original PostSailor Star Dust wrote:Slow-moving (I intentionally don't want to discuss where I am since I'm avoiding spoilers anyway) but so far, so good.

Oh, god, yes. Xenogears is slow as hell. The plot does not get truly interesting until around 45 hours into the game. Seriously. Might as well tell us where you are in the game, though, it's not like any of us are insensitive enough to spoil it for you. Well, I'm not anyway.

Sailor Star Dust wrote:The dub is grating, but usually it's impossible for me to hear during the anime cut-scenes anyway.

Fortunately you'll barely ever have to hear it. Seriously, there are like maybe five cutscenes in the entire game with actual voiced dialogue.

Sailor Star Dust wrote:A remake (at least for the dubbing I mean) would be wonderful, but eh, whatever.

Personally I think a remake of Xenogears would be advisable for a lot more reasons than just the dubbing, but considering that the game's development team now neither works at Square Enix nor own the rights to the IP (they're currently owned by Nintendo), that doesn't seem too likely.

Sailor Star Dust wrote:The game is very nostalgic with the RPG feel so far and I can already see the surface-level similarities between Eva, but it's not enough for me to say "oh yeah, they copied each other". It really strikes me as surface-level more than anything.

The real Eva influence doesn't become really obvious until near the end of the game, where there is at least one particular sequence that is unmistakably inspired by EoTV.

Sailor Star Dust wrote:And I felt that village sequence was important to take as long as it did to emphasize how Fei really was a member of the community before things went to shit.

I agree; I thought the Lahan chapter was one of the best and most well-written parts of the game. Enjoy it, because that is the closest Xenogears will ever come to being down-to-earth. It only gets wackier from there.

Sailor Star Dust wrote:"Doc" is great so far, very mysterious but he seems like a good-hearted and wise man. Fei's a "do the right thing" kind of guy, too, I think.

Personally I hate Citan; from a narrative perspective he is deus ex machina personified, and from a gameplay perspective he is obscenely overpowered. Fei is a pretty good character, but expect him to be relegated to practically a supporting role for several of the game's (very long) story arcs.

Sailor Star Dust wrote:Maybe once I beat this game within the next decade :tongue: , I can make a point of finishing up FF6, Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross. (Although I'd have to buy a PS1 or PS2 to finish CC (yes, I've been spoiled on CC due to watching my dad and brother play it years ago) and continue CT on emulated SNES; or just buy that PS1 version of it.)

Saving Chrono Cross for last is probably a good idea. It was recently released on the Japanese PSN, so you can probably expect it to hit North America's some time within the next year or so. Hopefully. As for Chrono Trigger, if you have a Wii you can download it for $8 and play it on a TV screen (as god intended), and I highly encourage you to do so. There is also the DS version, which you can still find for a reasonable price on Amazon, or if you're lucky, a retail store, which features anime cutscenes, a different translation, and a bonus ending that helps tie the plot into Chrono Cross. I'd strongly encourage you to purchase one of these versions.

SSD wrote:I plan on this being my only post in-thread until I beat the damn game. I'm sure my impressions afterward will be interesting.

If you'd care to, I'd be interested in hearing your impressions as you play the game via PM or MAL comment. I've been doing the same with some people I know who have played the game themselves, and now that I'm almost done with it, it'll be interesting to get the perspective of someone playing the game for the first time as I myself am looking back on it in retrospect. As a final bit of advice, here is something I did not figure out until very late in the game (and I am now at a point where I'm pretty sure there are only a few hours left), but would have likely increased my enjoyment of it considerably had I accepted it earlier: Do not even try to apply real-world logic to Xenogears. It just doesn't work. If you try, nothing will make sense, at all, ever. The game is living in a wild and wacky world entirely its own. The best way to enjoy the game is to sit back, veg out, and let its wild yarn take you where it will.

arkiel wrote:Was this game always wicked slow, or does the PS3 just suck at dealing with it?

Xenogears has always been sluggish, and ugly too. It is not exactly the most technically proficient game.

NemZ wrote:Unfortunately it seems a common trait of many JRPG series to reinvent themselves every iteration rather than refining and building upon the previous systems.

Either that or ferociously resisting change like their life depends on it, c.f. Dragon Quest, which up until its last couple entries retained the same battle and progression system, virtually unchanged, that it had since the NES (and even the new battle systems are only slightly tweaked to add depth).
"I am shocked, SHOCKED, that a regular on an Evangelion forum would be a self-hating mess." - Tarnsman, paraphrased

"Jesus Christ, why are we even still talking about this shit?" - The Eva Monkey, summing up Evageeks in a sentence

Avatar: The Frozen Flame ~ Where Angels Lose Their Way

Sailor Star Dust
Kept you waiting, huh?
Kept you waiting, huh?
User avatar
Age: 38
Posts: 23063
Joined: Aug 13, 2006
Location: 私の中いる自分の心
Gender: Female

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Sailor Star Dust » Sat Aug 06, 2011 4:36 pm

I finished it today. (My PSP's screen still reads "XENOGEARS Episode V THE END".) Holy shit, best game of all games. The dubbing is cringe-worthy (I wouldn't mind a re-dub, my other nitpick is I could barely hear the voices during animated cut-scenes anyway. As well as some occasional game-play glitches or lags where resets were required.), but otherwise, highly recommended. The game is dense as hell with the information thrown at you, but everything ties together nicely in the end, thankfully. (I was able to watch some secret scenes with the help of a walk-through and a friend.)

People seem to think this game has Eva under/over tones but it really reminds me more of Star Wars and Gurren Lagann (some FF7 elements too, but then again it IS Square). The psychology AND the religion in Xenogears have true meaning, unlike Eva.... Well, psychology does apply in Eva but that's Freudian where XG is Jungian, from what I know about both (while religion in Eva has no deeper meaning but certain elements are important of course).

I was hooked up with Xenogears: Perfect Works so I'm going to give that a read. And either eventually buy or download the OST, assuming it's not OOP or anything.
~Take care of yourself, I need you~

gatotsu911
Nerv Scientist
Nerv Scientist
User avatar
Age: 32
Posts: 1674
Joined: Dec 17, 2010
Location: US of East Coast
Gender: Male
Contact:

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby gatotsu911 » Mon Aug 08, 2011 11:16 pm

I would argue that Eva and Xenogears express pretty much the same ideas about religion (not surprising, given that they draw from many of the same influences), but Eva is (ironically) more subtle about it.

Also, if you liked the soundtrack (and how could you not?) be sure to check out the album Myth on iTunes, which features stunning orchestral remixes of several themes from the game arranged by the original composer, Yasunori Mitsuda. Here's a taste.
"I am shocked, SHOCKED, that a regular on an Evangelion forum would be a self-hating mess." - Tarnsman, paraphrased

"Jesus Christ, why are we even still talking about this shit?" - The Eva Monkey, summing up Evageeks in a sentence

Avatar: The Frozen Flame ~ Where Angels Lose Their Way

AngelNo13Bardiel
Still Ill
Still Ill
User avatar
Age: 40
Posts: 1932
Joined: Jun 17, 2010
Location: The Great Northern Kingdom of Canadia
Gender: Male

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby AngelNo13Bardiel » Tue Aug 09, 2011 5:16 am

Yeah, just came off my own recent play-through about a week ago. Still a great game, although it's right up there with FF7 in the "games I'd love to see get remade" list.
Evangelion fan since 15 October 2002, Evangelion fanfiction writer since 1 April 2004. (FFN) (AO3)
Current avatar: Don't mind Mr. Joel--after all, he didn't start the dumpster fire that is 2020.
Don't bend; don't water it down; don't try to make it logical; don't edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly. - Franz Kafka
Clones to the left of me, tsunderes to the right...and here I am, stuck in the middle with Shinji. - how I view my experience with Evangelion
-When it comes to Asuka/Shinji, pre-EoE is like moving Mount Everest and post-EoE is like moving the Olympus Mons. Either way, it's moving a mountain. It's just the size of said mountain.-

insan3soldiern
Embryo
User avatar
Age: 35
Posts: 7
Joined: Aug 28, 2011
Gender: Male

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby insan3soldiern » Sat Sep 03, 2011 12:10 am

Yeah, I remember that this game was great when I played it so many years ago. I recently bought this on PSN and played up to the part where Fei meets Elly in the forest. I love the scenes in that forest. I ended up picking up the Xenosaga series, though and decided to play them as I never completed the series.

Xenosaga is a great experience btw, IF you can put up with a game that treats its story as though it is equal or maybe MORE important than the gameplay. Personally, I love it. Has great characters to. I'm at episode III, btw.
My name is Commander Shepard and Evangelion is my favorite anime on the Citadel.

Quiddity
Lilith
Posts: 132
Joined: Jun 21, 2004
Location: Boston, MA
Gender: Male

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Quiddity » Sat Oct 15, 2011 9:43 pm

Its my favorite game of all time, and I know its probably heresy to say so around here, but I found its story far superior to that of Eva's. If anything, as much as I loved Eva I was dissappointed about it not being as good as Xenogears. :lol: The gameplay certainly could be improved (and generally is in the future games, aside from XS 2 which has arguably the worst battle system ever), but story is where things really count with me and it brings things big time there.
"Quiddity is the sea. And in it are islands, called the Ephemeris. Three dips in the dream-sea. Any less, and we'd be insane. Any more and we wouldn't be human"

Reichu
Admin Emeritus
Admin Emeritus
Posts: 24046
Joined: Aug 21, 2004
Location: Sailing for the white shores
Gender: Female
Contact:

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Reichu » Thu Mar 07, 2013 3:33 pm

So I'm finally trying to get through this game again. I'm pretty spoiled plot-wise -- i.e., I know what's going on in the opening movie, more or less -- but it's still a challenge trying to keep track of EVERYthing.

Also, in D Block right now, and hating it. Damn, this game can really drag sometimes.
さらば、全てのEvaGeeks。
「滅びの運命は新生の喜びでもある」
Departure Message | The Arqa Apocrypha: An Evangelion Analysis Blog

Redtophat
Potential Pilot
Potential Pilot
Posts: 1836
Joined: Nov 18, 2012

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Redtophat » Thu Mar 07, 2013 7:02 pm

I was surprised by the amount of thought that the director put into the game when he was writing the story, I mean it was still a pretentious piece of garbage but it had potential. What killed the game for me though was how horrendous the gameplay was, simple and stagnant with a boring battlesystem and cumbersome mandatory, and bad platforming segments.

The Killer of Heroes
Armisael
Armisael
Age: 32
Posts: 944
Joined: Sep 29, 2012
Gender: Male

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby The Killer of Heroes » Thu Mar 07, 2013 7:11 pm

Still on my first playthrough over here, just met a dude named Billy and getting ready to head to the Ethos Transport Ship. This game is definitely growing on me the more I play it, and the music in particular is pretty fantastic.

The battle system is pretty fun too, and I like the flashy animations (At least for the time). While a little clunky I like how it actually has real platforming compared to say, FF13-2 where you had a jump button just because.

Dream
Evangelion
Evangelion
User avatar
Posts: 3284
Joined: Dec 08, 2011

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Dream » Thu Mar 07, 2013 11:49 pm

Is this an RPG in the same vein of, say, FF4 or the like?
"Every line is a joy" -Kaworu Nagisa.

"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." - Ralph Waldo Emerson.

NemZ
Token Misanthrope
Token Misanthrope
User avatar
Posts: 15804
Joined: Jun 28, 2008
Location: St. Louis
Gender: Male

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby NemZ » Thu Mar 07, 2013 11:56 pm

closer to a sci-fi version of Valkyrie Profile, really. But yes, it's a JRPG.
Rest In Peace ~ 1978 - 2017
"I'd consider myself a realist, alright? but in philosophical terms I'm what's called a pessimist. It means I'm bad at parties." - Rust Cohle
"Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize that half of 'em are stupider than that." - George Carlin
"The internet: It's like a training camp for never amounting to anything." - Oglaf
"I think internet message boards and the like are dangerous." - Anno

Reichu
Admin Emeritus
Admin Emeritus
Posts: 24046
Joined: Aug 21, 2004
Location: Sailing for the white shores
Gender: Female
Contact:

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Reichu » Fri Mar 08, 2013 7:51 am

View Original PostJune wrote:What killed the game for me though was how horrendous the gameplay was, simple and stagnant with a boring battlesystem and cumbersome mandatory, and bad platforming segments.

Hells yeah. The battlesystem I can live with (somehow...), but the platforming is just terribad.

The environments are also pretty poorly rendered. Almost everything is butt-ugly and it's really easy to get lost on account of everything looking the same, not to mention the awful camera angles. [On the other hand, the sense of scale in some areas is still pretty impressive.]

And the text speed... lol! (No, I'm not using an emulator, and I don't know where the heck the Pro Action Replay is... Why do you ask?)

This Nortune area is pure garbage. Brings the story to a grinding halt. I've had to read mockery like this (actually pretty funny; Xenofans should take a look) to keep my morale up.
さらば、全てのEvaGeeks。
「滅びの運命は新生の喜びでもある」
Departure Message | The Arqa Apocrypha: An Evangelion Analysis Blog

BrikHaus
Dokutah Tenma
Dokutah Tenma
User avatar
Posts: 6301
Joined: Feb 11, 2006
Location: Attending Physician - AKA: Hell
Contact:

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby BrikHaus » Fri Mar 08, 2013 10:54 am

Xenoblade Chronicles is by far the best in the Xeno series: [url]http://awesomelyshitty.wordpress.com/2012/11/02/xenoblade-chronicles/[/url]
Awesomely Shitty
-"That purace has more badassu maddafaakas zan supermax spaceland."
-On EMF, as a thread becomes longer, the likelihood that fem-Kaworu will be mentioned increases exponentially.
-the only English language novel actually being developed in parallel to its Japanese version involving a pan-human Soviet in a galactic struggle to survive and to export the communist utopia/revolution to all the down trodden alien class and race- one of the premise being that Khrushchev remains and has abandoned Lysenko stupidity

The Killer of Heroes
Armisael
Armisael
Age: 32
Posts: 944
Joined: Sep 29, 2012
Gender: Male

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby The Killer of Heroes » Fri Mar 08, 2013 3:27 pm

I was under the impression that there isn't even a "Xeno series", just a bunch of unrelated games with Xeno in the title.

Hell Xenoblade was called Monado to begin with IIRC.

Reichu
Admin Emeritus
Admin Emeritus
Posts: 24046
Joined: Aug 21, 2004
Location: Sailing for the white shores
Gender: Female
Contact:

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Reichu » Sun Mar 10, 2013 10:22 am

View Original PostThe Killer of Heroes wrote:I was under the impression that there isn't even a "Xeno series", just a bunch of unrelated games with Xeno in the title.

Xenogears is Episode V in Xeno Chronicle Ver. 1.0.
Xenosaga is Episode I thru III is Xeno Chronicle Ver. 2.0.

So, if Xenosaga hadn't been canceled after game 3, it would have eventually encompassed an updated version of Xenogears.

No idea if Xenoblade fits anywhere, or if it's just "spiritually" related to the others.

Have those Xenogears fanatics out there ever thought about updating the translation? You can tell that one guy was pulling all-nighters on this thing. Poor chap. It must have really been an endeavor of love, given the translation could have come out so much worse under those circumstances. For anyone who's into that sort of thing, I Googled up the Japanese script.

------

UPDATE: So I'm at Babel Tower. Yeah, that place. Once again, A Rope of Robots is helping me survive. (Has anyone else read this? I recommend it!) Right now, I really wish I was playing on an emulator. What the hell was I thinking? It's not like I didn't get to Babel Tower on my previous playthrough. I must have blocked out the memories very well.
さらば、全てのEvaGeeks。
「滅びの運命は新生の喜びでもある」
Departure Message | The Arqa Apocrypha: An Evangelion Analysis Blog

Quiddity
Lilith
Posts: 132
Joined: Jun 21, 2004
Location: Boston, MA
Gender: Male

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Quiddity » Sun Aug 25, 2013 5:19 pm

Xenoblade is completely unrelated. As mentioned previously, it was originally to be called Monado, which is the name of the main sword in the game and a major plot point. Due to Tetsuya Takahashi being directed they decided to rename it to Xenoblade as a homage to his prior work.

Xenosaga is essentially a retelling of episode I of the Xenogears storyline (of which the video game is episode V). Officially they are unrelated since Xenosaga was made at a separate company that didn't own the rights to Xenogears.
"Quiddity is the sea. And in it are islands, called the Ephemeris. Three dips in the dream-sea. Any less, and we'd be insane. Any more and we wouldn't be human"

Sunface
Embryo
Age: 37
Posts: 12
Joined: Jul 07, 2013
Location: North Carolina
Gender: Male

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Sunface » Sun Aug 25, 2013 10:49 pm

I was about to post in this thread last night. And now that someone else posted after I thought that I just have to say I love this game. Love love love. I forget what they called the finishing moves from the button combos but I remember those the most from when I was younger. They get pretty badass by the end. And to all you downing the battle system I say this. Haters gonna hate. Combos are great.
Don't show off. Show up.

NIkkolas
Adam
Age: 35
Posts: 98
Joined: Sep 30, 2013
Location: Texas
Gender: Male

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby NIkkolas » Mon Sep 30, 2013 4:20 am

Xenogears is a game you have to love in spite of its many, many flaws. Can your love for Fei and Elly's characters outweigh the fact most of the cast is forgotten and useless? Can your love for the larger storyline outweigh the terrible dungeons? Can your love for the music make you deal with Disk 2?

I would never ever dream of calling Xenogears perfect but I will defend it to my dying day. I adore the love story, I eat up the unparalleled worldbuilding and I can't ever stop listening to the soundtrack.

Quiddity
Lilith
Posts: 132
Joined: Jun 21, 2004
Location: Boston, MA
Gender: Male

  •      
  •      
  • Quote

Postby Quiddity » Tue Oct 01, 2013 9:24 pm

^I disagree with characters being useless, I think there is very few characters that can be classified that in the game. There are a few characters that are forgotten, yes (Jessie, Gaspar, Rico's father for example), but those characters are usually more incidental than significant, and generally the characters serve their purpose appropriately. There are some terrible dungeons, and the narrative style of disc 2 is poor, I can't deny that. :lol:
"Quiddity is the sea. And in it are islands, called the Ephemeris. Three dips in the dream-sea. Any less, and we'd be insane. Any more and we wouldn't be human"


Return to “Video Games and Gaming”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 11 guests