[PS2] Xenosaga III: Also Sprach Zarathustra

Hi, sorry for going off-topic, but does anyone know of any website that is selling Xenosaga III? Amazon.co.jp does not wish to ship overseas, so I am seeking alternate options.

Edit: A friend linked me to play-asia.com and it seems that they have it, so I guess this isn't a problem after all. Of course, if someone knows a place with better prices, do let me know.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Casaubon

It's not coming to the US, which is stupid since it's supposed to be the "official" story that they are following.

Oh, really? Wow, I was not aware of this. I just beat it yesterday. I liked it, there were quite a few difference when compared with the PlayStation 2's versions. Regrettably, the game got a bit too easy at the end. :/ There was also no Kajiura.

Originally Posted by Hantei

Was doing some shopping on YesAsia and stumbled upon these, Xenosaga trading figures. They're called Xenosaga Legend, looks like the star of the set 01 is Kos Mos (appears to be all variants of costumes from the games), with T-elos included. Anyway looks pretty cool, might import me a set (want an X2 Kos Mos).

Ugh, they don't look really good in my opinion.

Most amazing jew boots

Originally Posted by Sir VG

Well, it kinda became the official story after they kicked off everybody from the XS1 team.

Yeah, I was aware of the "kicking", but...they're still out, right? Or did you just mean that Monolith placed the story that the original writers wrote into I & II instead of their "variant" that was in PlayStation 2's?

Quote:

As for the music in the DS game, I'm not sure who composed it now, considering it was Mitsuda in XS1 and it certainly isn't him now (if it is, he must have wrote it in 15 seconds. )

The music's by the fellow that did the anime's music, Yamashita Kousuke.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Here's my spoiler-free review of Xenosaga III: Also sprach Zarathustra. I don't usually write reviews, so this may be awful (in terms of covering what should be covered), so read this post at your own discretion (as it may be a waste of your time).

Before I begin, I'll tell you a little about my experiences with the series so you can gauge this review's bias level.
-watched the animation before playing any of the games
-purchased Episodes I and II so that I could play it on my cousin's PlayStation 2
-purchased a Japanese PlayStation 2 for the sole purpose of being able to play Episode III in Japanese (I and II were in English)
-all three games were played with walkthroughs since I only care about the story
-did not play Xenogears

Gameplay:
For the most part, I liked the gameplay and enjoyed the skills. The system wasn't as open as Episode II's, but it was straightforward. Some of the boss battles were rather tough, but that's probably because I did not spend any time pondering over where to go next (which would in effect cause me to bump into enemies that would net me some experience). The battle system is decent, but I liked II's better personally. Players should be wary of the break gauge and try to make use of it whilst fighting bosses, although I must admit I rarely managed to break the boss before killing them.

E.S. battles were a lot of fun, but that may be because they were easier than the character battles. By the end of the game, I'd always use an ether that would break all of my enemies at the start of the battle to move things a little faster. Final encounters could last about 45 to 120 seconds depending on whether the enemy uses Medica or not.

Load times are good, but it's been a while since I played I and II, so I can't really compare. There were occasional jolts, but the longest it'd be is probably three or four seconds? This usually happens after an FMV sequence or voiced sequences.

Money is back as you may know, which I didn't really enjoy as that'd mean I'd have to use money and gauge who to upgrade and all that. This is probably a personal annoyance since as aforementioned, I only care about the story and only want to move on.

Music:
I am biased towards Kajiura Yuki, so I don't really have anything to say here. Just go download the Best Tracks Selection from gamemp3s if you want a listen, or check out the rips from a couple of posts above. In terms of comparing this work with her other works, there is a distinct change in style and she's actually using a little bit of brass for once.

Story:
My knowledge of Japanese is at an okay level, I speak and read Chinese, and have taken four years of Japanese in high school, but that's not really enough to understand everything that's going on. It seems a little rushed at times since you're wrapping up one loose end after another without much pausing. Things are answered for the most part in my opinion.

Length:
I started playing on Monday night or so, and pretty much kept playing all day on Tuesday, Wednesday, and finished on Thursday night. My play time is like 27 or 28 hours, and I was at level 57 before the final boss. This should serve as a helpful reference for those that are wondering what level they need to be to beat the last boss. Again, I used a walkthrough for the game, but the tips for the boss fights were non-existent, so I had to rely on my own for the most part, so it is probably possible to beat it at a lower level with luck, skill, and some cheap tricks (maybe)?

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by SouthJag

I've a somewhat odd question for you then, Hiro. You say you liked Episode II & III's battle system, but you didn't mention Ep. I.

Well, I have nothing against Episode I's battle system, it's just that I happened to find II's cooler with the "hit spots" or whatever they were called.

Quote:

I didn't like the battle system in Ep. II, but I loved I's. Knowing that, would someone like me enjoy the battle system from III or not so much?

Well, I don't know how much of III's system you understand, but the whole "storing" of "action points" (or whatever they were called) is non-existent. To use a deathblow, you need to use your boost gauge's boost, so that alone is a rather major change (in my opinion) which may or may not be to your liking. I haven't really read any complaints about III's battle system, so it should at least be "okay" for you.

I was speaking idiomatically.