Should I buy a PS2 just to play the Xenosaga trilogy?

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Should I buy a PS2 just to play Xenosaga?

yes
11
65%
no
6
35%
 
Total votes: 17
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the Gatekeeper
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Should I buy a PS2 just to play the Xenosaga trilogy?

I played Endless Frontier and got intrested in KOS-MOS and T-ELOS and then I went out and bought the Xenosaga soundtracks (I'm a Yuki Kajiura fanboy). I have never been much of a console person, in fact I have only owned one console (Gamecube) in my life, but I am now contemplating buying a PS2 and the Xenosaga trilogy (hell, maybe even Armored Core: Last Raven while I'm at it). I've heard great things about Xenosaga and everything about it greatly intrigues me. So should I get a PS2?
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Seraphic
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Re: Should I buy a PS2 just to play the Xenosaga trilogy?

I'm currently working my way through the trilogy, but I'm using a backwards compatible ps3 model. I guess it's a pretty rare unit nowadays, so that could be an expensive choice.

I'd say a ps2 would be a good choice if you feel like playing a lot of older games likes some Tales games or maybe the .hack games.

Otherwise, I hear there are ps2 emulators out there you might acquire. I haven't tried them out, though.

Personally I've found Xenosaga I to be a little annoying/tedious, so I'm looking forward to closing that up and starting the second game.
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Mu La Flaga
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Re: Should I buy a PS2 just to play the Xenosaga trilogy?

I would say it depends if you plan to look in to getting other games maybe or not or just this one game alone.
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iKhaotic
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Re: Should I buy a PS2 just to play the Xenosaga trilogy?

It's an amazing trilogy. Epic storyline, very memorable OSTs, deep characters, andvery fun battle system (the first game at least, 2nd and 3rd felt normal). The AGWS (the mechas of Xenosaga) are a nice addition and are pretty fun to use. Be prepared to spend a lot of time though, the whole trilogy will take you about 110 hours to complete (40 for the first and third games, and 30 for the second) WITHOUT sidequests or any optional material. Although a good chunk of that time are comprised of cutscenes, be ready to sit through cutscenes that can go for as long as an hour, luckily there's a pause button for the cutscenes. There are times where the game will get tedious at times with difficulty spikes, but nothing that should stop you if you know how to prepare well enough. The first game is amazing, second falls a little short in terms of character designs and battle system, but it makes up for it by advancing the story a great deal, the third game is where the series shines and concludes the trilogy in a huge roller coaster of emotions.

Hope that helped. I'm a HUGE Xenosaga fan so there's no shortage of how much praise I can give it. It honestly is just that good and worth the time if you're a fan of JRPGs, sci-fi, or mechas. One thing though: the games are all somewhat difficult to find, so good luck with that.
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Arsarcana
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Re: Should I buy a PS2 just to play the Xenosaga trilogy?

Ehh, I'm not a fan of buying a system for only one or two games so if you don't think you'll play any other games but Xenosaga you might want to ask yourself if it's really that important to you. There's an awful lot of really good titles out there for the PS2 though so if you're willing to branch out you'll be well rewarded.

Anyhow, setting aside What Might Have Been (Xenosagas IV-VI, possibly with a quasi-retelling of Xenogears' plot) I'd say that yes, the series is worth it. It's a bit uneven since they switched art styles and gameplay for each game but the story is pretty amazing, the characters are cool and I absolutely love the gameplay in the first game. The basic attack system is nice and interactive without getting too complicated and you can customize your characters quite a bit. Then there's the AGWS which you can also trick out to your liking and summon to help squash the enemy and there's even a simulation mode where you can fight in the things Armored Core-style. The second game is the odd one out and the third went for a more traditional turn-based system but they're still good enough and the ES battles in III especially were awesome.

It does help to realize though that the story is split among three games. The first game is largely buildup, the second advances things a lot and the third provides all the resolution. The first two games do have self-contained arcs but if you want all your questions answered, you'd best be prepared to invest 100+ hours in the whole trilogy.

Minor note, given that there were plans for a Xenosaga Frontier and a Xenosaga Exceed that got canned when they shut the series off at III, I have this sneaking suspicion that some of the ideas they were developing got recycled into the Endless Frontier games. The first with KOS-MOS might have been a coincidence but when the second game was titled Exceed...
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Bonesy!
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Re: Should I buy a PS2 just to play the Xenosaga trilogy?

The PS2 is a great system, there are many games besides the Xenosaga trilogy that are worth your time.
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zerogradius
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Re: Should I buy a PS2 just to play the Xenosaga trilogy?

There's nothing wrong with getting a PS2 to play the Xenosaga series. Xenosaga was one of the first games I owned for my PS2. However, once you're done with it, you should not deprive yourself of other great PS2 RPGs, such as FF XII, MS Saga and Valkyrie Profile 2 (highly recommended).
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Red Comet90
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Re: Should I buy a PS2 just to play the Xenosaga trilogy?

A PS2 should be pretty cheap now. If you want to get the console simply to play that one game go for it. I enjoyed the entire series, but its biggest shortcoming is the bar that Episode 1 sets. Episode 2 and 3 are by no means what episode 1 is. Episode 2 really dropped the ball and Episode 3 would've been great if there had been another Xenosaga game after it. I do love Godsibb from the Xenosaga 3 OST. I could listen to that track over and over.
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Quiddity
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Re: Should I buy a PS2 just to play the Xenosaga trilogy?

Overall its an amazing trilogy of games, and I'd say its worth getting the system to play them. Xenogears, which they are unofficial sequels/retellings of is my favorite video game of all time and I bought the PS2 so I could play the first Xenosaga game (was gonna get it eventually anyway, but that was my big impetus for getting it). Story is the best part; gameplay fluctuates from game to game. Part 1 has fairly good gameplay, Part 2 has arguably the worst I've ever seen in a video game and Part 3 restores it back to the quality of the first game. Graphics/design have a similar trend. Music's fairly good throughout. WHen you hit the second game you may have the urge to stop, but continue with it as it certainly peaks with game 3.
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phillosmaster
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Re: Should I buy a PS2 just to play the Xenosaga trilogy?

The first game was great (complete with tracks by Yasunori Mitsuda a composing god). The execution of the second game killed the franchise for me. I really couldn't finish the second game. I hear (as Quiddity states) that the third game redeems the series. Following the RL drama of the development of the Xenosaga franchise was often times more exciting than playing the actual games :) It has a certain mythology attached to it.

IMO buy a PS2 to play the Suikoden Franchise. I loved every one of those games. I'm a proud owner of a copy of suikoden 2 complete in the jewel case with book. If you want a laugh look at what that game is going for on Ebay and Amazon. Last time I checked it ranged from $100 to $1000 used depending on the quality (well and amazon price gouging). That says something about the franchise.
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Bonesy!
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Re: Should I buy a PS2 just to play the Xenosaga trilogy?

No, it just states that Konami was too dumb to reprint a good game enough times, heh.

Started playing Xenosaga 1 today, pretty fun but I decided to take a break after the first robot tutorial fight to play some other games I picked up.
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The Fowl Sorcerous
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Re: Should I buy a PS2 just to play the Xenosaga trilogy?

not big on Xenosaga, but the ps2 has a huge library of games that are worth owning it for.
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