Game Review: Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Bose

By By Nick Finnegan (Contact)

Thursday, March 31, 2005

Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Bose

PS2

Xenosaga is one of those games that makes you feel just like you’re inside a dark theatre watching a sci-fi flick, and not a bad one at that. There are so many cut-scenes in this game you’ll be leaning back in your chair watching the story unfold rather than having control over your characters. It’s not quite as annoying as in Metal Gear Solid 2.

The story is complicated and has its share of plot twists and craziness to keep you entertained. You have to keep track of several characters in this epic RPG. Each playable one has his or her own attacks, but any one of them can learn skills from points earned during battle.

The battle system is seemingly standard at first, but after playing a while you’ll see that it can be used in various ways to take out your enemies. You can have a character attack normally, cast a spell (if they know any) and even team up with another character to perform combo moves. Figuring out the nuances of the battle system is probably the most important thing in the game so you can successfully defeat bosses and advance the story. It’s not an easy task, but for any RPG game fan Xenosaga II will provide hours of entertainment.

Grade: B-

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