I was discussing Xenogears last night with a couple people I know who are or were pretty diehard fans of it. Personally, I liked this game overall. I mean, I hate disc 2, and I'd never trudge through that endless sea of text again to save my life, but that's ok because its more or less just one long drawn out ending for disc 1, and you only need to see it once. Disc 2 has very little actual "game" in it.
It's also probably my 5th or 6th favorite game album of all time. The music kept me coming back, I'm sure.
But there was always something else about this game that always left me with a bad aftertaste from each session. I never knew what it was. It wasn't something obvious, like the overall lack of user-friendliness that other jRPGs offered at the time. I was ok with that. The poor dub was tolerable as well, since it was handed out in very small doses.
The real issue just struck me out of nowhere last night.
Confinement.
The game CONSTANTLY makes you feel like you are confined, or imprisoned, or stranded, or whatever you want to call it. All the fucking time. Now my memory is a little fuzzy after all these years, but this game, like no other jRPG, had like a hundred "points of no return".
I absolutely loved how this game starts out, and the first few areas. But those who've played it know how quickly you get thrown out of your hometown, then you're lost in a forest, then stuck in a desert city looking for parts to fix your transportation, then stuck in the desert itself, then you get swallowed by a desert cavein or something. After this its all a little fuzzy, but I remember you get knocked out and wake in a prison, then some kind of ocean laboratory, then a tanker with the...um...Men of the Sea, then you're up in a flying saucer city. Oh and don't forget all the fucking flashbacks. I know I have things out of order here, but I also know I'm forgetting additional confined areas you cant backtrack out of.
The points at which you could actually experience a little freedom in this game were extremely rare and were usually taken away from you faster than they were given. The game really makes you feel claustrophobic.
Anyways, just a little revelation I had.
Xenogears ~ I finally realized my issue with this game
-
peace4myheart
- 128-bit
- Posts: 707
- Joined: Fri Dec 28, 2007 2:34 am
- Location: Deep In The Heart Of Texas
So why do so many people like it?
I have yet to try it.
I have yet to try it.
Support Racketboy on Patreon
Follow Racketboy on Social: Instagram / Twitter / Facebook
Subscribe to Email Newsletter (Blog / Guide Updates Every Week or Two)
Follow Racketboy on Social: Instagram / Twitter / Facebook
Subscribe to Email Newsletter (Blog / Guide Updates Every Week or Two)
Hmm. Pretty frustrating when an otherwise good game has some glaring flaws.
Support Racketboy on Patreon
Follow Racketboy on Social: Instagram / Twitter / Facebook
Subscribe to Email Newsletter (Blog / Guide Updates Every Week or Two)
Follow Racketboy on Social: Instagram / Twitter / Facebook
Subscribe to Email Newsletter (Blog / Guide Updates Every Week or Two)
Xenogears is one of my top 5 games, and probably my favorite PS1 game. Just a few thoughts on what makes it great:
The characters are amazing - I can only imagine how awesome they would have been with a better translation.
The battle system is really cool and doesn't get old fast. It also helps the 2d martial arts moves look incredible.
The game is just filled - I mean absolutely *packed* - with memorable moments and settings. For a PS1 RPG, the variety is mind-boggling. And the freedom to explore these areas was, at the time, revolutionary. Especially compared to FF7 and its ilk with their pre-rendered backdrops - the scale and scope of the settings in Xenogears still amazes. Years later, you'll remember some of the shockingly awesome settings in Xenogears. I'll never forget them.
The storyline is an order of magnitude deeper than any other RPG I can remember short of Planescape Torment.
The music is the very best work from one of the very best game composers - Mitsuda.
On the negative front:
Yes, unskippable cutscenes. If you are playing with an emulator you can use a fast-forward mode. This is compounded by the fact text moves too slowly.
Terrible letdown in Disc 2. Square commited a videogaming sin by forcing the devs to rush and finish this game, and Disc 2 is the result. Its one of the worst gaming tragedies IMO...
As stated before, the translation can be quite confusing.
The characters are amazing - I can only imagine how awesome they would have been with a better translation.
The battle system is really cool and doesn't get old fast. It also helps the 2d martial arts moves look incredible.
The game is just filled - I mean absolutely *packed* - with memorable moments and settings. For a PS1 RPG, the variety is mind-boggling. And the freedom to explore these areas was, at the time, revolutionary. Especially compared to FF7 and its ilk with their pre-rendered backdrops - the scale and scope of the settings in Xenogears still amazes. Years later, you'll remember some of the shockingly awesome settings in Xenogears. I'll never forget them.
The storyline is an order of magnitude deeper than any other RPG I can remember short of Planescape Torment.
The music is the very best work from one of the very best game composers - Mitsuda.
On the negative front:
Yes, unskippable cutscenes. If you are playing with an emulator you can use a fast-forward mode. This is compounded by the fact text moves too slowly.
Terrible letdown in Disc 2. Square commited a videogaming sin by forcing the devs to rush and finish this game, and Disc 2 is the result. Its one of the worst gaming tragedies IMO...
As stated before, the translation can be quite confusing.
I agree with the issue of "confinement". Although slightly different than what you are talking about, it is similar to why I prefer Shining Force tactical RPGs (exploration after battles) over typical tactical RPGs (no exploration, just battle, story, battle, story, etc). It gives a sense that you can control when the plot advances and that you also get the "role-playing" aspects of interacting with townsfolk, merchants, team members, as well as searching buildings, chests, secret areas, etc.
I think this is why I prefer to play open-ended, "sandbox" RPGs over linear, "confined" RPGs.
I think this is why I prefer to play open-ended, "sandbox" RPGs over linear, "confined" RPGs.
JJJ wrote:Xenogears is one of my top 5 games, and probably my favorite PS1 game. Just a few thoughts on what makes it great:
The characters are amazing - I can only imagine how awesome they would have been with a better translation.
The battle system is really cool and doesn't get old fast. It also helps the 2d martial arts moves look incredible.
The game is just filled - I mean absolutely *packed* - with memorable moments and settings. For a PS1 RPG, the variety is mind-boggling. And the freedom to explore these areas was, at the time, revolutionary. Especially compared to FF7 and its ilk with their pre-rendered backdrops - the scale and scope of the settings in Xenogears still amazes. Years later, you'll remember some of the shockingly awesome settings in Xenogears. I'll never forget them.
The storyline is an order of magnitude deeper than any other RPG I can remember short of Planescape Torment.
The music is the very best work from one of the very best game composers - Mitsuda.
On the negative front:
Yes, unskippable cutscenes. If you are playing with an emulator you can use a fast-forward mode. This is compounded by the fact text moves too slowly.
Terrible letdown in Disc 2. Square commited a videogaming sin by forcing the devs to rush and finish this game, and Disc 2 is the result. Its one of the worst gaming tragedies IMO...
As stated before, the translation can be quite confusing.
yep. you said it chief. I absolutely love the battle system, and despite it's long-winded dialoge it manages to be an amazing rpg.