XenoSaga Episode 1: Der Wille zur Macht

XenoSaga Episode 1: Der Wille zur Macht

PS2

Publisher Namco

Developer Namco

The most important factor when playing an RPG has to be the story. XenoSaga has an extensive storyline with several 20-40 minutes scenes and depending on your taste, you will either love it or hate it. I personally enjoy the long scenes, and find them part of the encouragement I get for playing. There is nothing driving you to complete a game with a boring story, especially if you are constantly being beaten by the big boss character. This game’s story tackles such issues as religion, human rights, and the rights of “realinas” — robots that look like humans. In XenoSaga, you control a “party” of characters, ranging from an android built as a weapon to fight the Gnosis (alien bad guys, who resemble jellyfish) to a scientist who can jump into their A.W.A.G.S. which seem to be a cross between Gundam’s and Escaflowne’s robots. The visuals may not beat games like Final Fantasy X or Final Fantasy X-2, but they definitely put every other RPG game to shame.

When it comes to voice acting, especially games translated from Japanese to English, the quality is usually very bad. Even games like Metal Gear have a few voice actors that seem to be reading lines from a book instead of speaking naturally. Namco did a good job translating this RPG into English, even though it doesn’t have the same feel of the original Japanese version. An option for changing the in-game language might be a good feature to solve this problem.

The game play itself is pretty good. When you are not watching half an hour scenes, you are walking around space ships or docks, exploring the universe, doing tasks, looking for someone, taking over a space ship, or running away from enemies Metal Gear Solid style.

Another good feature is that while you walk around some areas, you have the ability to see your enemies before they see you. This means you can avoid these soldiers, robots, or aliens if you are not ready for a fight. You have the opportunity to recharge your power or build up your character’s level before taking them on. Many RPGs only have “Random Battles” that happen as you progress.

The Score: 8.0 (out of ten)