Xenosaga Episode II hits stores

Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse for the PlayStation 2 is now available in North American stores, publisher Namco announced today. Episode II comes from developer Monolith Soft, creator of 2003's Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht, which won GameSpot's award for Most Pretentious Game of 2003. The game is rated T for Teen and carries a price tag of $49.99.

Xenosaga Episode II is set thousands of years in the future, pitting humans against an alien race called the gnosis. The second installment kicks off on a new planet, Second Militia, and sees the return of many characters, such as Shion Uzuki, Kos-Mos, and Chaos.

The role-playing game lets gamers move through several concurrent storylines as they battle the gnosis to save humanity. Characters in Episode II can take advantage of more than 100 skills, such as last revenge, overload, and double power.

For more on Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse, see GameSpot's full review.