Life After Xenosaga

Xenosaga Epic Trailer by Vellure

I’ve had a nice, leisurely mini-vacation in the middle of July. Throughout June and July, WorkHabit ceased conventional hosting operations. We’re on to bigger, better and much higher-paying things. The important thing to note is that as a result of this, somewhere in the middle of July, I had two weeks where I was sitting on my butt getting paid to do very little. It dawned on me that it would be a good time to finally finish Xenosaga.

I had previously come into possession of XS I and XS II. XS III, I had to purchase on Amazon, which I did without a second thought. This is slightly disturbing, because I fear I’ll have to go to great lengths to pick up a number of other PS2 games I haven’t yet gotten around to purchasing.

Now, XS I was a great game. XS II was… Horrible. Oh, the story was great, that can’t be debated. But the game play and a great deal of the music was absolutely hideous. You know game play is bad when your following title has to claim, ‘Shops and money are back!’ as a core feature. Not to mention, shortly after the release of XS II, it was decided to cut the series down from four planned installments to a mere three.

The good news is this: While XS I was great, where XS II was a tragedy visited upon fans of the series… XS III is epic. I was bilked out of ~$45 on Amazon for a copy; having finished it, I would have gladly paid ten times as much.

The game is scored entirely by Yuki Kajiura this time around, and it shows. Now, there are some who label Kajiura as repetitive. Frankly, she can be repetitive all she wants; I do in fact demand she be repetitive. Kajiura composes the voice of the Gods themselves. The opening FMV instantly shocks the viewer’s mind into the proper mood of the entire game, from the very first note. I’ve no doubt that it is a foregone conclusion that only Kajiura could have pulled the score of XS III off successfully – and it is indeed her divine talent that has made XS III worth suffering through XS II for.

The XS I (Yasunori Mitsuda) and XS II (Kajiura, for cutscenes) soundtracks, while containing some truly masterful works, had their share of what I like to call ‘happy cheese’ music. XS III has nothing of the sort. The entire soundtrack is grim and somber – even the single track which sounds slightly happy – ‘We’ve Got to Believe in Something’ – becomes very much the opposite, when placed against the plot behind the battle during which it is heard. There is, perhaps, one exception – echoes of ‘Fatal Fight’ can be heard during a single E.S. battle. Of course, this is from the XS II soundtrack. I don’t believe that it diminishes the mood of XS III’s score at all – single battle, and you can imagine exactly what sort of battle that is, and more importantly, who is involved. It is the last battle between the two.

Getting back to the opening FMV, it is very important for another reason – it sets the stage for something whining Squaresoft fanboys will either love or hate, and fans of Xenogears itself should adore. Whereas XS I and XS II had mere echoes of Xenogears – III is steeped in it. The mood-setting, burnt sienna old film look is the first ‘gears-ish item on the menu, and used to excellent effect. More importantly – every throwback to Xenogears is tastefully done. Directly pulling visual elements of Xenogears into Xenosaga could have ended very badly, as you might imagine. It did not – real thought had to be put in to the matter. It’s almost as if Monolith is apologizing for Xenosaga II, and giving us some free Xenogears goodness to assuage our outrage.

The plot… Is brilliant. It is, of course, the tale of Xenogears – which was a tale of humanity. Eternal Recurrence, the horrors of the past, the struggle against the megalomaniacal by those who merely want to live – XS III fills in the gaps and ensures that the basic plot of Xenogears is there. Pleasantly enough, it changes all details, proving that it is a tale worth repeating in a different light; from a different view. Though I hate to return to it again – from the very opening FMV on, the game is one continuous ‘WTF?!’ moment. Even the second disc of ‘gears couldn’t pull that off. (Though I realize it might have – had Square not cut time and the budget in order to pimp FF VII.)

Gameplay ignores Xenosaga II, grabs the best of Xenosaga I, slaps on some goodness from Xenogears, and runs off with it toward the horizon. Character combat is far more similar to I than II, and improved to boot. E.S. combat… I didn’t mind AGWS combat from XS I and XS II, really, but III goes back to Xenogears for its inspiration, and is the absolute most fun you will have in a giant, Anima-powered killing machine. The E.S. battles are always entertaining – even the boss fights which last a great length of time. Protip: Take Jin. Jin in an E.S. is reason enough to play XS III, regardless of everything else.

If XS III has one failing, it’s that it ends the series, and ends it in such a manner that you fully comprehend that there will never again be a game that satisfies you on the same level. It’s like finishing your first burger from Dante’s in Boston: You become acutely aware that never again will you experience the like. (Actually, it’s exactly the same, except you probably won’t be in tears by the end of the Burger of the Gods, as you will be with XS III if you have any freaking empathy at all.)

The first three days after ending the saga, I spent wandering around doing housework, for lack of anything better to do. I then tried to play .hack. I tried even going back to Xenogears. I eventually, instead, went back to work. Not because I had to (well, I do – income is a good thing to have, I understand) – but rather… Everything else pales in comparison. The game is perfect to the point of making one think the failure of Xenosaga II was a good thing. Could Monolith have produced Xenosaga III without botching XS II so badly? Would they have had the same drive and passion, intent on making up for their past mistake?

The Xenosaga now-trilogy, I think, can be compared to Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies. The first of both were a brilliant start. The second of both went downhill fast. But where ‘The Return of the King’ ended with a single woman clapping, very briefly, before she noticed the appalled silence all about her (true story)… Xenosaga III is the unthinkably perfect ending to the greatest story to ever be visited upon us by a series of games.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to do the dishes. It requires fine adjustment of one’s power output.