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[alf717]

Blade>Gears>Saga

Xenogears is really good but has been surpassed by Xenoblade. It was a good decision on Takahashi's part to finish the story with a montage of events with disc 2 but it really does bring all of what made disc 1 so great to a screeching halt. Blade has seen more success with each new entry. Dumping the heavy scientific and religious stuff was a good move on their part. Gears will always have that soft spot for me. I didn't understand it all at first in my teen years but the game still holds a solid beginning and end without having to understand all of its intricacies. I'm glad we still get to see Takahashi's work. Not many series or creators get that chance and given the rough years before with Gears and Saga having Blade come along just feels right even with its flaws.

 

[saintjules]

Completely amazed by the game at the time back in 1998. First played this when I was 14 (39 now). Definitely took a few playthroughs to understand the story back then. Why JRPGs have gone backwards since then I'll never understand.

Let me say, Xenogears has a one of a kind battle system that hasn't been duplicated. It felt like Dragonball Z could have ripped from it (timestamp)

 

[sigmaZ]

 

[Platinumstorm]

I've had to play this game several times due to PS1 memory card corruption issues always around the sewers. I finally beat it on the PS3. Xenogears has wonderfully fun gameplay, and the story falls apart horrendously towards the end. I have never thought it as being one of the best stories because of the end.

 

[Alphagear]

Unfortunately I never had a chance to fully experience it.

The only RPG I quit playing cause I was sick and tired of that Doctor talking so much.

Doctor Citan?

 

[Touch fuzZy. get BizZay]

I think I gotta play xenogears.

I reeeeeally like muh xenoblades, I see level of effort and investment from the creators that other jrpgs don't have imo, so I wanna try gears

Not this year tho, there's way too many games this year

 

[UnNamed]

Xenoblade 1 has a pretty ordinary and sometimes confusing story.

I played Xenogears back in the day, it was confusing as well sometimes, but it was good for its time.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

The sewer level can go fuck itself. Almost as bad as the damn veil in Dragon Age 1.

 

[E-Cat]

That's my fault. I am so terrible at math.

It’s not math. It’s arithmetic

 

[lh032]

xeno

 

[Gaelyon]

I would love a remastered Xenogears. I have fond memories of it, awesome lore and story (and music) but the game wasn't totally what it could be due to budget constraint.

 

[MagiusNecros]

Eh at the end of the day I still prefer Blood Omen: The Legacy of Kain in it's entirety for it's storytelling and top class acting. But that's a preference.

Takahashi is still trying to tell his big story and was split across different companies to do it and constantly had to reshuffle between Xenogears, Xenosaga and Xenoblade to do it.

Xenogears probably still takes the cake among all the Xeno games. Saga is too convoluted for it's own good. The Blade games are split but ultimately boil down to kill the creator/god to put mankind back in control of their own destiny kind of stories. XBX is a paradox in itself and is IMO very fragmented.

Disc 2 of Gears being rushed was it's failing as it could of been much more if Square didn't jump the shark.

 

[Thirty7ven]

It’s anime to me. Nothing more.

 

[anthony2690]

German Hops have you played Lost Odyssey?

Also I'm only 32 years old, so it isn't possible for this game to be 35 years old.

 

[KiteGr]

I'll play it when they release it in Pal territories...
Along with Xenosaga and Parasite Eve.

 

[AngelMuffin]

 

[rahuljx]

Xenosaga 3 was incredible and probably my favourite Xeno game. But it's the culmination of 3 games and like Gears requires some reading to really understand some of the concepts and inspirations. I love the Xenoblade games but they are too long.

 

[SeraphJan]

Surpass? I don't think so, story is a subjective thing, what is the criteria for one to be better than the others?

In terms of personal preference for JRPGs, I like the story of Suikoden 2, Tactics Ogre, Xenogears, Final Fantasy Tactics equally, I like political and philosophical type of story, its my thing

 

[Outlier]

I'd like a proper remake of this game. Even if they have to make it in two full games, to tell the story properly.
I never played or even desired to play it's cousins, cause they're so different.

 

[ValiantTraveler]

I think it's because of 3 main reasons:

1) Brilliant minds like those of Takahashi and his wife are extremely rare.

2) Video game companies/publishers and players alike don't really reward this kind of massive endeavor that puts story above gameplay. Square did not greenlight a Xenogears 2. Even when Takahashi created his own company to pursue the same kind of project, the Xenosaga trilogy wasn't exactly a smashing hit. The sales potential to support this kind of insanely ambitious narrative endeavor is not present in the gaming industry. Which is why Takahashi changed his approach with the Xenoblade series, focusing on the world and gameplay while still delivering an epic story, though not of the same level as Xenogears/Saga. That being said, since XB1, 2, and 3 are connected, you could argue that together they rival Xenogears or Xenosaga in terms of massive scope.

3) A game featuring a story with the same staggering scope and depth as Xenogears would cost way too much to develop. Look at the development hell other ambitious RPGs go through. The games with the best stories tend to be of smaller scope, length, or budget, or huge budget and scope but with cut/rushed content.

 

[Toots]

loved the characters (except maybe Chu chu)

Chu chu died for your sins bro you should be more respectful

 

[ChazAshley]

Chu chu died for your sins bro you should be more respectful

What chu talkin aboutchu.

Also, as I went down the youtube rabbit hole, totally forgot that Xenogears also had a versus mode with the different gears for NO REASON OTHER THAN BEING AWESOME.

 

[Manji Uzuki]

Xenogears is one of my all time favourite games and where the Uzuki of my nick comes from. I just adore this game and how ambitious its story is. Sure disc 2 is completely unfinished but still manages to be a masterpiece, just shows how good this game is. Also the soundtrack is god tier. I really wish square releases a good remaster of it

Xenosaga was generally good and enjoyable for me, but some parts were a bit rough and the story has its bad moments

Xenoblade 1 was a big dissapointment to me, specially the story which I really didn't enjoy. To a point I have no interest at all on playing 2 and 3.

 

[Bragr]

Why do RPG fans always overrate RPGs to the point of absurdity?

For as cool as Xenogears is, the random encounters and slow systems make the game a mess for anyone not either filled with nostalgia or out of touch.

 

[xpresstuning]

For as cool as Xenogears is, the random encounters and slow systems make the game a mess for anyone not either filled with nostalgia or out of touch.

Nah, it'll always be complete bullshit to throw a blanket dismissal like 'uuuh nostalgia' or hasn't "Ag4d w33ll" for a game you don't like regardless of its age. It's just a useless, lazy diss. It's like me arguing that my favorite color is better than yours because your color sucks ass and hurts my eyes. It's totally subjective, but you did point out a couple of issues you had with the game. Also But! For this particular game, i agree, man.

You see, i really like this game because of its characters and story beats. Not that it's particulary well written, because it's not, damn is it not. Though, it was one hell of a story that kept my interest, it is very interesting to just see where the Hell everything goes. And as i said, i really like the characters a lot.

But i've refrained from ever replaying it, because i will never forget the pain i endured trudging through that painfully, burning Hell fire of a maze in the last section of the game, all while being constantly bombarded by extremely repetitive random encounters. Every damn time i think of replaying it, i am reminded. Fuck ..

 

[delfrickintree]

Imagine thinking a game that lives on m’ladies and simps is more ambitious than a game that had 4 prequels and sequels planned if it wasn’t for the botched budget the team got.

I played a couple hours of nier automata last year on ps.now before it expired. It wasnt bad or good from what i could tell, but i know it has high praise and a following. I know nothing about the series. Whats the story with all the simps? Lol

And heres hoping we get a classics release of xenogears someday. It was on ps3 store if i recall

 

[hyperbertha]

It’s anime to me. Nothing more.

And? Anime>western stuff.

 

[Patrick S.]

Will anyone sell me a copy of Xenogears and ship it to Germany for a reasonable price? Please?

 

[Bragr]

Nah, it'll always be complete bullshit to throw a blanket dismissal like 'uuuh nostalgia' or hasn't "Ag4d w33ll" for a game you don't like regardless of its age. It's just a useless, lazy diss. It's like me arguing that my favorite color is better than yours because your color sucks ass and hurts my eyes. It's totally subjective, but you did point out a couple of issues you had with the game. Also But! For this particular game, i agree, man.

You see, i really like this game because of its characters and story beats. Not that it's particulary well written, because it's not, damn is it not. Though, it was one hell of a story that kept my interest, it is very interesting to just see where the Hell everything goes. And as i said, i really like the characters a lot.

But i've refrained from ever replaying it, because i will never forget the pain i endured trudging through that painfully, burning Hell fire of a maze in the last section of the game, all while being constantly bombarded by extremely repetitive random encounters. Every damn time i think of replaying it, i am reminded. Fuck ..

If anything, I think phrases like outdated and nostalgia should be used more. The number of games that truly stand the test of time from the 80s and 90s is far fewer than people want to admit.

People don't give nostalgia enough credit. It makes things fun and interesting that aren't. Some of the elements of Xenogears are ONLY interesting because of nostalgia.

I used to play so many old games, it was my diet, but once I tried games outside of the genre preferences that I grew up with (platforming, action-adventure, and shooters), I noticed how hard it was to get into. Street Fighter 2 and Streets of Rage 2 were my revelations, in a bad way. I love most genres today and play a ton of fighting games, and I tried forever to enjoy these classics, and I could see the quality in them and I didn't dislike playing them, but they are so outdated compared to current games that it's a joke. And I had to accept that my old favorite was too.

Technology not only changed technical aspects, but the gameplay, and the gameplay that came in during the PS2 generation and Xbox 360 generation, radically altered gameplay standards. Like going from horse and wheel to cars.

 

[Celcius]

Now you've got me wanting to play the game again
I never should have sold my ps1 copy

 

[BacklashWave534]

Nier/Automata is better and more ambitious.

Fight me!

Xenogears would make Nier it's bitch. I challenge you to Mortal Kombat .

 

[BacklashWave534]

I have not played it at the time and now i think its too old and the gameplay isn't good anymore for me to play it, i am sure its a great story but i dont know if i can get into it, especially considering the pace new games are coming out and how i have work and all that, my time is more limited at this day and age.
For me the best JRPG story was Suikoden 2.

But i did play Xenoblade Chronicles and it wasn't good, just recently Xenoblade 3 in particular was a mediocre story, it falls apart chapter 5 towards the end, i also hated Xenoblade 2, so i dont know if i will love the old classic or not, but my friends who generally share a similar taste to mine say that Xenogears is great, while Xenoblade is waifubait mediocrity, so i'd rather believe that indeed Xenogears is amazing, granted we all agree Xenoblade 1 is the best of the trilogy when it comes to story, but best in gaming? hell nah.

Xenogears -> Xenosaga Ep1 - Xenosaga Ep 3 -> everything else. The Xenoblade series has to many mindless fetch quests and boring plot points. The other hold up well though. I highly recommend you consider playing them.

 

[xpresstuning]

If anything, I think phrases like outdated and nostalgia should be used more. The number of games that truly stand the test of time from the 80s and 90s is far fewer than people want to admit.

People don't give nostalgia enough credit. It makes things fun and interesting that aren't. Some of the elements of Xenogears are ONLY interesting because of nostalgia.

I used to play so many old games, it was my diet, but once I tried games outside of the genre preferences that I grew up with (platforming, action-adventure, and shooters), I noticed how hard it was to get into. Street Fighter 2 and Streets of Rage 2 were my revelations, in a bad way. I love most genres today and play a ton of fighting games, and I tried forever to enjoy these classics, and I could see the quality in them and I didn't dislike playing them, but they are so outdated compared to current games that it's a joke. And I had to accept that my old favorite was too.

Technology not only changed technical aspects, but the gameplay, and the gameplay that came in during the PS2 generation and Xbox 360 generation, radically altered gameplay standards. Like going from horse and wheel to cars.

There are about a billion influences and biases that'll form your perspective on a video game, yeah, nostalgic feelings for a game can influence your opinion on it as well, but it's not like it'll happen to every person or to the same degree. And it's not like you're possessed by it, man. It's so damn subjective, and it can be a revelation to admit that your truth on the matter, which i will suppose is 100% spoken with honesty, may not apply to another person.

I don't put much thought into this, i just play games regardless of their age. I believe that whether a video game is outdated or not depends whether or not the whole design was replicated and improved upon.

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

Even before playing Xenogears, I have heard how much of a masterpiece it’s story is. So naturally, that the biggest thing I was looking forward to when I played this game. And you know what? This story is a masterpiece. There's simply nothing like it. Easily on the level of Xenoblade 1 or even higher than that. The opening cutscene had me intrigued from the start and while the Kislev arc was pretty slow, I still found myself wanting to keep playing. I’ve heard about the complexity of Xenogears’ story, but I didn’t see it at first. I’m one that tends to look at things at face value. However, after reading about the themes and topics of the game, I came to appreciate it more and holy shit, there’s a lot. There’s the obvious stuff like religion, which every Xeno game has, but then you get to stuff like the deeper meaning of society, human nature, etc..









So yeah, this game is a JRPG masterpiece and if you haven’t played it, you should.

As for where I would rank it compared to the other Xeno games, well, I’ve only played Xenogears, Xenoblade 1, and Xenoblade 2. I haven't played X or the Xenosaga Trilogy but X will be in some of the rankings below since i'm decently familiar with it:

• Story: Xenogears=Xenoblade>Xenoblade 2>>Xenoblade X
• Characters: Xenoblade 2>Xenoblade 1>Xenogears (but Fei x Elly>>Shulk x Fiora>Rex x Pyra/Mythra)
• Gameplay: Xenoblade 2>Xenoblade 1>Xenogears
• Music: Xenoblade 2>>Xenoblade 1>Xenogears>Xenoblade X (but Small Two of Pieces>Beyond the Sky=One Last You)
• 
  
• Overall: there is no ranking overall, I love them all equally. I mean, Xenoblade 2 is still my favorite but that’s only because one of them has to be the favorite. Of the three Xeno games I’ve played, they are all masterpieces. You can’t rank masterpieces. You can rank their individual parts but you can’t rank the overall package. These games are just that good.

It is too heavy game to play but at the same time it is very badass game.

I have to pick it up again some day, I stayed in the scene where I meet Maroeur in the church...

 

[Arsic]

I love Xenogears but even in every comment here you see people stating why it isn’t the goat. The games second half is a dud, the ending mid, and the gameplay for todays standards doesn’t withstand the test of time.

You need a gameplay loop like Chrono Trigger to be timeless, and a cohesive plot with depth that delivers on its whole journey from start to finish.

The blueprint of Xenogears is a game that if it had been built right would indeed trump the entire genre, and be heralded as a goat game across gaming as a whole. However, what we have isn’t that.

I still don’t have a JRPG I could say trumps this without falling into similar pitfalls. There’s just a bunch that go head to head with Xenogears like Suikoden 2, Chrono Trigger, etc.

 

[German Hops]

German Hops have you played Lost Odyssey?

I have not. Tell us about it.
Does it have a story comparable to Xenogears?

 

[radewagon]

One day I should give this one a go. What's the issue with the second disk? I've seen people say it's pacing is shit or something and that has put me down on playing it a few times. Is it that bad? Or just a meme?

Not bad. Just different. The story goes from being a slow burn to being rushed to a finish. They needed to get the game out the door and speeding through the end was the best way to do it. I like to compare it to Firefly. The series is clearly what the creators wanted, but when the series failed to continue, the movie set out to rush through the main conflict of the series to give it some much needed closure. While both are good, there is an obvious shift in how the narrative progresses. It's jarring at first, but you get into it. It's fine.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

Not bad. Just different. The story goes from being a slow burn to being rushed to a finish. They needed to get the game out the door and speeding through the end was the best way to do it. I like to compare it to Firefly. The series is clearly what the creators wanted, but when the series failed to continue, the movie set out to rush through the main conflict of the series to give it some much needed closure. While both are good, there is an obvious shift in how the narrative progresses. It's jarring at first, but you get into it. It's fine.

This is correct.
The biggest problem with the second disk is it’s very linear and plot-heavy. You aren‘t free to roam around and level up/rack up money if you didn’t before, and this can leave you woefully unprepared for the final bosses. I remember spending literal hours trying to get past two infamous back-to-back boss fights that are preceded by minutes of scrolling through text. Somehow I managed to beat the game anyway, but there’s some serious potential there to get stuck in an unwinnable situation after 40 hours.

 

[SkylineRKR]

NieR Automata and Xenogears both are heavily about nihilism. I can see why NieR is brought up. But as far as they are comparable, NieR is much smaller as a game and I would also say not nearly as good. And I liked NieR. Xenogears just left a bigger impact on me, but it took me almost 100 hours to beat it first time. At a time when there was no save everywhere, quick resume etc. I left the PSX on at night to not lose progress as I had to sleep and go to school.

Disc 2 may have been rushed but it will take you like 70 hours on average to get there. Most RPG are already done by then.

The story was amazing, but the game would probably need a revised translation. And the scrolling speed of the text was slow. The 3D platforming didn't work... worse; random encounters during them... I wouldn't replay it. I am not asking for a remake, but something what they did to Tactics Ogre or FFVIII. It has more QoL features, and you can play the games at your leisure basically. Speed up features, along with optional trainers and no encounters do wonders to experience these classics again.

I wonder if its themes won't go untouched if this ever gets a new release. This game deals with MANY things that don't fly today.

This is correct.
The biggest problem with the second disk is it’s very linear and plot-heavy. You aren‘t free to roam around and level up/rack up money if you didn’t before, and this can leave you woefully unprepared for the final bosses. I remember spending literal hours trying to get past two infamous back-to-back boss fights that are preceded by minutes of scrolling through text. Somehow I managed to beat the game anyway, but there’s some serious potential there to get stuck in an unwinnable situation after 40 hours.

You could exit the ark before taking on the last boss, roam the world map and find some top tier stuff, grind levels and also buy the most powerful engines from the hidden shop. You could trivialize the final battle. I usually didn't even bother doing the 4 orbs. I just looked up this final boss music... its glorious!

 

[Satansblade]

the second disk could have been done better, but it's still among my favourite games of all time.