If your a person thats like "new is better and old is crap" and If you didn't enjoy any rpg's from back in the playstation days, then don't get it.
If you like rpg's and have a good amount of time in your hands then get it. Get it NOW >_<.
This game has a great story, awsome characters, memorable music, and the mechs are so much better looking than what Xenosaga had to offer.
The story may leave you confused and you have to do alot of reading but it's worth it, but i'm guessing you'll be used to it after playing so2
Punch your friend in the face and get the game :)

Me and a friend finished this game last summer, it's great. Yes, it is very slow at some points but it plays out to be a great fulfilling RPG with an amazing and original story. You should definately get it!

My cousin is a goddamned moron. So far, this game is rocking hardcore. The battles aren't slow at all, and you actually have more control over what you do instead of just "attack." The only thing that bothers me about it is the few seconds it takes to get into your menu.

I found it quite hilarious when Elly was berating Fei in an anime scene and her lips kept moving at least 4 seconds after the dubbing was finished. :D

Wolfdemon--you made the right choice. I've played Xenogears more than once (and I hate the Babel section), but overall I enjoyed it. Not for gameplay, but for the story. Each time I've played it--I've caught something I missed before.

The battles are very quick--and fun when you're trying for the combos. I was never bothered by the times for the menus. They seemed to be available after a decent amount of time. I'm not sure if you've done the gear battles yet....but have fun!

I have fought with gears, and I kinda like the ground battles better. They're a little faster somehow and it's easier to rack up AP for the awesome special combos. I may just need to play a little further for the gear battles to pick up though. I just now got Bart in my team.

I'll second the "good, but flawed" assessment of some others. The game could've used an extra layer of polish and some fine-tuning in a number of areas but overall it's a worthwhile experience. Xenogears is the RPG that I think of as being more fun to talk about than to play, if that makes sense.

Xenogears could use some polish, but what 8 year old game couldn't? Xenogears is the best RPG I've ever played, just based on story and characters alone.

Best game ever made. Like, ever.

The Jung, the Nietzsche, the Freud - Everything's in there, along with Judeo-Christian mythos and giant robots. People said it was too text-heavy - hell, every FF I've ever played felt text-threadbare. More text = more plot.

As for disc two, I actually enjoyed it more than disc one. Character development was more prominent, and the plot went crazy (in a good way).

Fuck FF7. Square needs to focus on this hidden gem.