Ending the saga with a bang

User Rating: 8.2 | Xenosaga Episode III: Zarathustra wa Kaku Katariki PS2
By IpodHero176 | Review Date:
Story: The story is very well written. It closes the Xenosaga series on a good note. Episode 3 takes place a year after Episode 2. Shion Uzuki has now joined an anti-Vector resistance, Scienta(along with Mizuki and Caanan) to uncover the secrets of her former employers. After a few events, she gets back with the old gang, and they start tackling their problems. I like how the game gives each character equal time(or close to it) on their problem, which in turn, actually ties into another character and their problem(e.g. Shion, KOS-MOS, and chaos). I also like how they add to the characters' backstories, even though this is the final game, and how they leave us with questions(like about Wilhelm). One thing I didn't like is how they changed Shion's personality. In Episode 1, she was ok, while in Episode 2, she was a whiner. Now in Ep 3, she's very bossy that you just want to slap her(I'm serious, she is that annoying). They did do a good job on giving KOS-MOS a personality. She's more softer than the previous games, but she still packs a punch. Some surprises in the story aren't big shockers, but some will leave you stun for awhile.

Graphics: The visuals are better than in previous game, but not that amzing or great compared to the first game. The characters' designd look like a mix between Ep 1 and 2, which is a good thing since they don't overdue the realistic(Ep 2) or fantasy(Ep 1) look, so you get a good balance between the two. There is a little bit of lagging between battles and shifting from a major cutscene to an in-game one, but they are very short(like almost one second).

Sound: The score is pretty good. Some of the cities' music is very catchy(Miiltia). Some of the tracks sound similar to some of the tracks in Xenogears(like Abel's Ark), which will instill a nostalgia from Gears fans. The character themes are pretty good. I don't see any downside on the sound part.

Gameplay: The developers reworked the gameplay, making it more like Episode 1, instead of Ep 2, which most people will like, since Ep 2's battle system wasn't favored much. The ES thing is still like Ep 2, so they will still be separate battles from the characters. The skill system has a new design, which will remind you a little bit of KOTOR's skill system, but downgraded. It is split between Attack and Defense branches. The Attack branch is explanatory, you learn attack moves and attack ethers(like status inflicting moves). In the Defense branch, you learn support and healing ether(like medica). Each character's skill branch is mostly different from the others, with one or two skills being in the same place as another character. I like the idea of the branches since you have more control over what your characters learn, or what skills they will actually use. You can have a team completely different from your friend's team.

Let's recap

Pros:

+ The wrapping up of the story
+ The balance in the characters' detail
+ The skill system
+ The gameplay

Cons:

- The lagging between going from the field mode to the battle mode
- Shion's personality change(yes, it's that important)

Conclusion: The game is a good conclusion to an amazing series. You will not be disappointed with this game. One thing that might annoy you is how you still don't know everything about Wilhelm, but that's it. The ending is good, and it leaves room if they want to do an Episode 4 in the near future(I hope they will). I recommend getting this game and finishing the saga.

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