A little over three years ago, a game that seemed like it might just have what it took to stand up to Final Fantasy appeared. Xenosaga Episode I had amazing graphics, an engrossing and epic story in a far-flung future, and the challenging gameplay to back it up. It had more ambition and polish than any other contender.
Things... didn't work out.
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Xenosaga Episode II followed two years later, scaled way back, its story mostlytold in flashbacks andits gameplayoversimplified. Predictably, many of the gamers responsible for the original game's well-deserved success ignored it. Now, the series screeches to a halt. At some point, Namco decided that going for Final Fantasy's jugular was a mistake.
The good news? Episode III recovers a lot of ground that the second game gave up. Although it's better in every way, it's still nowhere near the no-expense-spared epic that the original was. That said, it's a serious and engrossing RPG, and a dignified send-off for a troubled series.
The strength of the Xenosaga gamesremains the story. By the time Episode III'sfirst disc is through, it has boiled its universe-wide space opera all the way down to the level of the series' heroine, Shion Uzuki, and then ramped it all back up again. It's a harrowing tale that encompasses both the deeply personal and the infinitely important in a way that no other RPG narrative quite has.
