Xenogears (Playstation)
Published By: SquareSoft

Reviewed by phoe
8/16/99

Article Discussion Forum

First Impressions:

I was totally enraptured by this game. The first time I played through this game, it took me 60 hours to complete. The only time I stopped playing was to sleep, and the first thing I thought of when I woke up was playing the game. I have never played an role playing game more worthy of the title- by the end of the game, I felt like I was one of the characters. 

The game starts in a small village called Lahan, where you meet the main character, Fei Fong Wong. After a bit of playing, you're introduced to your gear (giant humanoid fighting machine) and then you leave the village, where you meet the co-star of your story, Elhaym VanHouten. In the following 40+ hours, you defeat the monsters ravaging the land, overthrow the evil empire, destroy the ultimate weapon threatening your world, and get saved by the girl you love. And that's just the beginning...

Graphics:

Square has outdone themselves on the backgrounds in this game. It's a fully 3d environment, with detailed textures and a distinctive palette. Sadly, for everything else they used sprites (2d rendering) which tend to get pixellized. All in all though, the graphics in this game impressed me- Square has done things with the graphics rendering on the Playstation that I didn't even know was possible. 

Sound:

There wasn't a whole lot of voice acting in the game, but what was there was at best mediocre. The soundtrack more than made up for this, though. Each character had their own themes, which described them beautifully. Though the music ranged from upbeat and inspiring to dark and melancholy, it was never anything but perfect for the game.

Gameplay:

The puzzles in this game were all fairly easy, each with a paragraph or two to speed you on your way.  The controls were fairly standard, and easy to get used to. I found it odd that Square didn't choose to support Dual Shock, but it didn't really make a big difference in the gameplay.

Enjoyment:

As I have repeatedly stated, I really liked this game. The main reason for this was the incredibly complex plot, though both the graphics and music added to my enjoyment of this game.

Multiplayer:

There is a point in the game, near the end, where you can take to your gears and battle a second player. Actually, this game within a game is a lot better than some of the fighting games I've bought. I recommend making a separate save game of this so you can go back and play it.

Overall Impression:

A fun game which very quickly became addicting. The time and effort that were obviously put into this game paid off by making it (in my opinion) one of the best RPG's on the market.

Marketing Efforts Towards Women:

The marketing on this game was fairly neutral, and the game itself was clearly meant to be played by both sexes. The female lead is one of the most powerful fighters in your group, and the most powerful magic user. In the story, she is an officer in an elite group of fighters working for the other side, though she is quickly swayed to yours. Though she does play the damsel in distress, she saves herself before you even manage to get there- you just give her a ride home. All in all, this is a well balanced game. 

Cheats, Hints & URLs

In the market for a great cheat book? We highly recommend the Official Xenogears Strategy Guide. Usually ships within 24 hours.