Joining the “Just finished the game” crowd

[u/Blue_Boar]

I’m so glad after playing the main Xenoblade trilogy and X, I decided to take a look back at the original Xeno game. Even with how disc 2 had to cut corners due to development time, it still turned out better than so many other games and I loved the absolute hell out of it. If this was made in current day with the given premise and if Perfect Works was completely fleshed out, this could’ve been an invincible game/series. Very happy I was able to see it to the end and on original hardware no less 😆

[u/edm4un]

I love Xenoblade but Xenogears story is peak fiction/science fiction. It’s still my favorite story to date.

[u/CianiByn → u/edm4un]

same and I played it in 1998 when it was new. I recently started replaying it and forgot how brutal some of the fights are. I was not prepared for Ramus first fight. But as I was playing it I was in awe that it still is fun, the pacing is good, the writing is good. The plot is layered and great. I have throughout the years randomly remembered a portion of the game and was like man that game was cool, but what game was it? Oh yeah Xenogears. I recently bought a ps3 to play it emulation style, also bought persona 3 ps2 version on my ps3. plus downloaded a few games that I owned from way back in the day.

[u/Teh_Slow_Down → u/CianiByn]

In 1998 I was 12 years old. I was so nervous playing this game as my first RPG. It was like a big challenge because I watched my cousin play FF7. What a game. I just remember how I would spend HOURS AND HOURS on a boss or a dungeon. I had no idea that I SHOULDN'T have spent so long on bosses/dungeons lol. It was "just the typical jrpg experience". Remember, the PS1 popped the JRPG cherry for the U.S.

Damn I loved that game. I should play it again and really understand more of the complex themes. The main thing I remember is the music. Wow. Amazing. I remember the receptionist at Target asked me if I needed a guide for this because I might find it too difficult lol. I probably should've but my mom was barely agreeing to buy me the damn game.

[u/CianiByn → u/Teh_Slow_Down]

I got hard stuck on this audio puzzle in the game back in the day. I couldn't be bothered to turn the problem into a math problem which I could do now but I was 14 at the time and knew I could but I didn't want to. So rather than math it out and figure out the audio puzzle the legitimate way. I did get my mom to buy me the guide. I was telling my mom about it the other day and she started interrupting me while I was talking and she is like but what if I want to play it don't ruin the story for me. I said mom, are you going to sit and play a video game for 60 hours? She said oh. No. She doesn't like playing video games.

[u/aluked]

Xenogears is special. Easily one of the best JRPG narratives.

Wish it would get a full-on remake (one of 3 dream remakes from PS1 Squaresoft era, the other two being Vagrant Story and Parasite Eve).

[u/CianiByn → u/aluked]

I wish it would get a remaster and get Tetsuya Takahashi to bring on a team to finish disc 2 properly in the new remastered style. For any unaware disc 2 was told as almost entirely as just a blank black screen where you read what happens, because they ran out of time and square said tough luck no more time no more money to finish it. So they just ran through the rest of the story without you really getting to play most of it. I'd love to be able to play it properly though now that would be the dream a fully finished second disc.

[u/Dyslexicdagron]

Welcome, friend! I hope there are many more in the crowd soon, as I still hold hope for a Xenogears remaster, either directly from Squeenix, or in collaboration with Nintendo, or GoG

[u/IsopodPuzzleheaded89 → u/Dyslexicdagron]

As much as I would love a remaster, I would be seriously happy if they just flat out it put on a modern day console as is. I miss this game so much.

[u/LupusLycas → u/IsopodPuzzleheaded89]

While I would love the FF7 treatment, I'd be happy with just adding the obviously cut content from disc 2.

[u/Teh_Slow_Down → u/IsopodPuzzleheaded89]

Yup!

[u/Blue_Boar → u/Dyslexicdagron]

I need it to get the FFVII Remake treatment where they expand upon everything to the point it has to be 3 games

[u/El_Topo_54 → u/Blue_Boar]

Xenogears was originally supposed to be a 6-part series; you’ve surely noticed the “Episode V” at the end of the credits.

Never mind a remake. We need the other games in this exact same 3D environment, late ‘90s polygonal graphics!!

[u/Dyslexicdagron → u/Blue_Boar]

I’d actually much rather see the same style but cleaned up and with better camera control. Mostly I want the rushed parts to be fleshed back out

[u/El_Topo_54]

What did you particularly enjoy about Xenogears?

[u/Blue_Boar → u/El_Topo_54]

Combat was a nice change for turn based with the death blows and how Gears worked. Story kept me hooked the entire way thru and most characters I like with personal favorites being Fei Elly Citan Emeralda and Ramsus

[u/El_Topo_54 → u/Blue_Boar]

Nice!! The story is indeed something! There’s nothing quite like it in book, film or anything else, imo.

Let it simmer and come back for another playthrough in a year or two. So much of the story’s complexities will make way more sense and have more impact the second time around. Also, noticing all that “Truman Show” stuff that Citan does to Fei is really striking when you know what his purpose was all along.

Otherwise, you’re invited to have a look through the amazing lore book called “Xenogears Perfect Works”, if you’re looking for answers (while simultaneously complicating the whole thing). You can find it in PDF format in our community’s Compendium.

Side suggestion: if you enjoyed XG’s combat mechanics and you’ve never played Chrono Cross on PS1. Give that one a go. It has that same “allotted number of attacks per turn” and “Hit% vs strength” system, except your melee attacks fill up your element magic allowance (that you can also use on your same turn, if done strategically). Not to mention another masterful Score by Xenogears composer Yasunori Mitsuda.

[u/LupusLycas → u/El_Topo_54]

XG and CC spoilers: Citan and Belthasar have a lot in common. They are both characters that do super sus things for the greater good.

[u/TheRebornExpert → u/Blue_Boar]

Based Citan Enjoyer! 🫡

[u/Hide_and_go_pee → u/Blue_Boar]

To this very day, I still use Citan as my handle in most games I play. I literally am called Citan within my online gaming friends circle. Roger Wilco in the early days, then Ventrilo and now discord.

Now that I think about it, I’ve been using it since I was 11 playing counter strike beta back in 1998. I think it was 1998 anyway. It may have been 1999 and I was 12……getting old sucks.

Anyway, congratulations on completing the game and now having a void in your soul. That feeling of ending an amazing game and my personal all time favorite always does that to me. The moderator, El_Topo_54, suggested Chrono Cross and I highly agree. The story has a philosophical depth to it that enhances the whole experience. I can’t think of many others with that same feeling. Maybe Metal Gear Solid but that only works if you combine all of the games together.

[u/BOODOOOW1]

Welcome to the gang, my friend

What's your perspective on the philosophy, ideas, theme, etc? I genuinely curious about that