Unique and Refreshing
The graphics of the game were very controversial. There is absolutely no denying that. Some people loved the anime look and felt that it was part of what made the game unique while others believe that the new more realistic look of the characters is more appropriate. I personally was pretty indifferent to this change. However, the enviornments and locations look better than ever which is something everyone can be happy about. However, what deters the graphic aspect of this game is the lack of attention to the hands of the characters. Damn, they fu****ked up royal for no reason. The lack of attention to sublety when drawing the hands makes the guys in Namco look lazy as hell. Gameplay 9/10
Now , here is the department which makes or breaks this game depending on who's playing it. In my opinion, the game play has alot of upsides. For one, the break and boost combination system adds challenge. You cannot just press the "x" button any more and zoom through the game. Without the use of boost and break you WILL get utterly raped. The double techs were also a breath of fresh air. Hard to use and rewarding, these double techniques are also visually appealing and can be challenging to obtain. However, they EASILY could have made triple techniques too. Double ethers were also a good idea and Im personally indifferent to Air and Down. The idea of an enemy floating in the air for a whole turn doesnt appeal to me, but the 2X damage certainly does. Now, the shortcomings of the gameplay. Where's my fu**king store!!!!!!! Thats half the fun of RPGs right there. Plus the ether system was whack. Everyone could get the same spells..... kinda bland. We also dont see any spectacular single techs like we did in the old game. Oh well you gotta pay a price sometimes. All in all however, this battle system is WAY underrated. People bash it because they cant handle the difficulty of it and the fact that it takes mastery of it in order to play effectively. Sound 8/10
The same damn problem as the first one. Where is my music. We need addictive beats that are relatively loud; not pu*sy back round music which is just annoying. Music sets the mood theres no doubt about it. Im talking Gold Saucer kinda music (FF7). The RPG genre in general, has fallen off like a hubcap when it comes to music. Its essential in my opinion to have great beats in a game. The voice overs however , are a welcome addition to the genre. Xenosaga definitely has the voice overs on lock. Some of the character's voices have changed (chaos for the better, Shion doesnt really matter, and KOS-MOS for the worse). The voices bring the characters to life and the conversations are very realistic'; much better than the stupidity they talk in Final Fantasy 10 for example (not one of my favourite games).
OverAll 8.8/10
This game is defitiely worthy of being in this amazing series and is one of the most unique RPGs. Though it can be intimidating at first with the battle menu looking like your about to build nuclear bomb, its really not that bad when you get used to it. People play the game for half an hour, trip on the battle system and bash the game. Don't be a sheep. Play the game thouroughly before you judge it. You wont be dissapointed.