My Review: Xenosaga Episode 1: Der Wille Zur Macht

It’s no secret that I am a big fan of storytelling in videogames. Oftentimes, I have praised videogames for their ability to immerse me in a story, but it is important to recognize that when I review a game- discussing story, gameplay, and presentation- I am talking about three equal parts of a greater whole. If one of these aspects is lacking, then the whole is greatly weakened. The best games are ones where the gameplay, story, and presentation are of the highest quality, and this brief tangent brings us to the subject of what I hope will be a three-part review of the Xenosaga series.

With the Playstation classic Xenogears being one of my favorite games, I was certainly interested in Tetsuya Takahashi’s first project after departing from Square and forming Monolith Soft. Originally meant to serve as a six-part, multi-generational epic that would encompass the entire universe from beginning to end (and perhaps include a remake or reimagining of the tale told in Xenogears), Xenosaga would instead be remembered as a case of failed ambition, and was cut to only three games after seeing disappointing sales. Still, the question does remain whether Xenosaga was able to still provide something special and unique, even if it would never reach its full potential. So, let us discuss the first entry in this most troubled of sagas, Der Wille Zur Macht- The Will to Power. 

Top Ten Battle Music

As promised, here is a second top ten list of video game music, this time focusing on battle themes.

Honorable Mention: The boss battle music from Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga.

While I’m not sure this song was good enough to make the top ten, a friend of mine brought it up recently, and Superstar Saga is an awesome game that deserves at least an honorable mention. What I didn’t know back when I played the game was that the soundtrack was done by none other than Yoko Shimomura. No wonder it’s so good.

Top Ten Pieces of Game Music

Whether you are watching a film or playing a game, music can play a large role in defining the experience. Those memorable pieces stick with us long after we’ve shut our systems off or walked out of the theater, and they’re a large part of what makes visual media so engaging. Being a fan of RPGs, I have heard many wonderful pieces of music from many talented composers. What follows are ten pieces of non-battle music from games I have played. A list of battle music might come somewhere down the road.

10- The Poem for Everyone’s Souls (Persona 3)

Rogue Galaxy First Impressions, Crisis Core, and Updates

This rather large update is on my next couple of games and a change to my reviews. I’ve finally had an opportunity to make some progress (you’d think that school being out would give me more free time), and this is what I’ve been doing for the blog.

First of all, I just started Rogue Galaxy, an action-RPG by Level 5 that’s been on my list to play ever since it came out. Released at the end of the PS2’s life cycle after Squares epic Final Fantasy XII, Rogue Galaxy remains one of the little black box’s RPG classics. In a system known for having a large amount of fantastic RPGs, Rogue Galaxy manages to stand out in a crowded market- it’s arguably Level 5’s best game to date. It’s easily one of the best looking games I’ve seen. Level 5 proved with games like Dark Cloud 2 and Dragon Quest VIII that they were masters of cell-shading, and Rogue Galaxy may end up being their ultimate visual achievement (at least until Ni no Kuni graces us with its presence). Gameplay-wise, while it’s impossible to judge seeing as I’m only an hour into the game, but Rogue Galaxy is a sci-fi action RPG in a similar vein to the Star Ocean games, and features a lot of the item and weapon synthesis elements from the Dark Cloud games (or at least the game’s menu bears a striking resemblance to Dark Cloud 2’s and has similar statistics). What I have played left me with a favorable first impression, and I’m excited to continue.

My Review: Xenogears (PS1)

Tetsuya Takahashi is a game designer I’ve always admired. As someone who enjoys epic storytelling in games, it is hard not to appreciate his work. With his latest game Xenoblade Chronicles making headlines all over the gaming press, I thought I’d finally try to gain a larger frame of reference for Takahashi’s past projects by playing Xenogears, the 1998 mecha-themed RPG that has maintained a large fanbase over the years. Xenogears certainly isn’t lacking for ambition, but does this Squaresoft classic hold up today?

STORY

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

A Fresh Start and Future Plans

Well, it’s been a fun year for me. A few lows here and there, but overall I think this year has gone splendidly. This is easily the best time I’ve had at school, both because of my newfound privileges as a senior and a newfound work ethic that has enabled me to become a far better student than I was during my morose early teen years. I’m currently trying to find a job and plan for college, the next major step in my life, on the path to adulthood.

            It’s strange. I really don’t feel like an adult. It’s easy to look back and wonder where all the time went, but the truth is that I’ve sort of been dreading this moment. I’m deciding what college to go to this afternoon (between Aquinas College and Grand Valley State University), I still have to get my driver’s license, try to find work and earn some money, wrap up the projects my teachers decided to spring on us for the end of the year, study for exams… it’s a lot to take in.

            Fortunately, nobody said I had to grow up entirely. I’m planning on writing a young adult novel over the next couple of years. How well this turns out, I don’t know, but the story I’m hoping to tell is one that myself and a very good friend of mine, Alex, came up with when we were kids, and since then has sort of ‘grown up’ with me. This story defined the play of my childhood, morphed and changed as I did, and now I hope to actually turn it into a clear narrative, one that will (hopefully) span five parts. Then called ‘Mujara’ (some gobbledygook Alex and I came up with), the first book is tentatively called ‘The Paths Between’. The story follows a group of teenage kids who become embroiled in the ancient conflict of Heaven and Hell, and through their proximity to this battle begin to develop magical powers, and eventually are forced to choose a side. It was, and is, heavily inspired by the kinds of fiction I read growing up, and hopefully I can make it into a worthwhile story. I’m not sure if it will ever be good enough for publishing- the story is, technically, about fantastic versions of my friends and I- but at the very least I hope to have it somewhere on the Internet (who knows, maybe even on PG’s Game Room!), and possibly self-publish it.

            Speaking of PG’s Game Room, I apologize for the lack of productivity, but there’s really not much I’m going to be able to do about that. With the ‘Blog As My Senior Project’ thing out of the way, I need to focus on other things, and as I mentioned earlier I simply can’t keep a reliable schedule for new material. Of course, the blog is far from done. New reviews will still be written and posted as I continue to play games (I’m about eight hours into Xenogears at the time of this writing, and I should have a review up sometime in May), and as I work on my story I’ll post some material related to that as well. It may be the start of a new chapter in my life, but I don’t plan on cutting loose the old anytime soon.   

Xenogears: First Impressions

So, Xenoblade Chronicles recently saw its US release to great critical acclaim and (so far) success. But, while I did preorder and receive a copy of this wonderful RPG, and play a little bit of it, I simply do not have enough access to a Wii in order to properly sink the required time into a massive title such as Xenoblade. You see, the Wii in our house belongs to my sister, and me being the ever-so-gracious person that I am, I decided not to impose upon her belongings and will wait to play Xenoblade and The Last Story for when I get my own Wii somewhere down the road.

That said, I wanted to start something. So, in the spirit of all things Xeno, I started playing Tetsuya Takahashi’s original masterpiece, the 1998 Squaresoft classic Xenogears. I’ve always admired Takahashi for being such an ambitious storyteller in his games, but I’ve never actually played Xenogears, despite having bought it on PSN shortly after it was rereleased.  So, what are my initial thoughts on this classic? Well, after playing the game for a couple hours this morning, I have come to a few conclusions:

My Backlog

Just posting what games I currently have on deck to eventually play. This doesn't include games on my 'to purchase' list, and this list will be bigger after Christmas. xD

CONSOLE

Final Fantasy IX
Xenogears
Vagrant Story

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (I've had this game since I got my PS2, and Ive tried to play it at least three times. I keep getting sidetracked.)
Dark Cloud

HANDHELD
Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation

I'm looking forward to playing all of these games. I'm not sure yet what I'll be playing after Chrono Cross, but stay tuned.

Chrono Cross Delayed, and Future Plans.

I'm really loving Chrono Cross. The game is one of the best Playstation RPGs I've played, with a really interesting storyline, great music, and a fun combat system. Unfortunatly, I have exams coming up, so I won't be able to play as much as I would like for the next week or so.

On the plus side, I'm on the part where you got back to Fort Dragonia and get Serge's body back, so I'll hopefully be able to play for a couple hours this weekend. After exams, I'll try to beat the game and have my review up before Christmas.

After Chrono Cross, my next game will depend on what games I end up getting for Christmas. I will hopefully be playing and reviewing both Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Xenoblade Chronicles as soon as they come out, and there are quite a few other new games coming out soon that I am eager to play. I'm hoping to find and play the Digital Devil Saga games for PS2, but I want to finish the games in my backlog before buying any older releases (I need to play Xenogears, Vagrant Story, and Final Fantasy IX). I'm also planning on obtaining the Xenosaga trilogy and the .hack games (the original series and .hack// G.U.) when I'm in college and have a bit of income from whatever work I can find.

Anyways, that's all for todays update. I've got a lot of great gaming to look forward to in the future. Any games you're planning on playing soon? Post them in the comments.

                                                   Easily the game I'm most looking forward to purchasing once I have time.

Christianity in Games

This is a really interesting article I found on The Escapist, just thought I'd share it. The writer makes a few interesting points concerning religious symbolism in various game series, including one of my favorite Square classics, Xenogears.

For those who don't know, Square has worked religious references into their games for a long time. It's no surprise that Final Fantasy VII's main villian is named after the Sephirot (look it up), or that his final battle music and form draw inspiration from Seraphim. But in Xenogears, Square took religious symbolism to an all new high. Xenogears is easily one of the most philosphically drenched games out there, beginning with a bible quote, featuring allusions to Cain and Abel, the Ark, and ending with the player literally killing 'God'.

Here's the link: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/features/9200-Turn-the-Other-Cheek

Final Fantasy VIII/V Progress

Made it to disc 3 in Final Fantasy VIII. I'm kind of punching myself for stupidity, because I forgot to draw Alexander from Edea. -_- Going to have to work harder at Junctioning, I plan on taking on Ultima Weapon for Eden and the Ultima Stones you get from him, which should make the game considerably easier. Of course, beating Ultima Weapon is never easy. Right now I'm in Esthar.

In V, I'm in the open-ended third act of the game, where you can go do sidequests and get the Legendary Weapons before going into the Rift to fight Exdeath. I've gotten six of the tablets right now, as well as the Fork Tower quest. I also got Syldra from the Pirates Cave, and the Magic Lamp. I'll go to North Mountain and get Bahamut once I have the rest of the Legendary Weapons. Right now, Faris is training as a Ninja after mastering Samurai, Lenna is finishing up mastering Black Mage, and Bartz has mastered Knight and Dragoon. I'm having him train as a Monk for the extra HP once he masters it (and Counter).

Well, that's where I am right now. I'm not sure what I'll play next, I have a rather large backlog that will only grow larger with time (Skyrim drawing nearer...). The only handheld I have on deck (for after FFV) is Dragon Quest VI on DS. I have five games in my console backlog- Xenogears, Final Fantasy IX, Vagrant Story, Dark Cloud, and Dragon Quest VIII. I want to play something short before the holidays, so if I have time I'll probably try Vagrant Story once I'm done with VIII, but if I don't I might just replay Twilight Princess for the fifth time. :)