[PS2] Xenosaga III: Also Sprach Zarathustra

Never trust any company's claims. What did they say for XSI? 80 hrs?

And some Japanese guy beat it in about 6.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Sir VG

Never trust any company's claims. What did they say for XSI? 80 hrs?

And some Japanese guy beat it in about 6.

And completely rounding the game with all extras?

How ya doing, buddy?

I don't think 6h is possible even if you skip all cutscene, there's problem a 0 missiong in there (like 60)

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Interesting tidbit: the enemy soldiers with the trenchcoats and white/black color scheme are very reminiscent of Killzone's Helghast or Dead to Right's GACs (both of which were apparently inspired by Jin-Roh's 'Panzer Cops'). Pretty cool coincidence, that... and for bonus points, one particular category of these chaps weilds a weapon very similar in appearance to the SPAS-12 (reference).

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

http://www.xenosaga.jp/xenosaga3/dow...chapter06.html

GOD FINALLY, someone slapped some sence into Shion's endless crying rampage.

Jin +1 , Shion -20325393950

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

Is anyone planning on ripping the in-game music? (Obviously not the cutscene music that was recently released)

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Vash

Is anyone planning on ripping the in-game music? (Obviously not the cutscene music that was recently released)

Actually, the soundtrack that was just released is a combination of the cutscene and in-game tracks. For instance, the battle of your soul is one of the songs that play during a boss fight. So is testament.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by soulsteelgray

Actually, the soundtrack that was just released is a combination of the cutscene and in-game tracks. For instance, the battle of your soul is one of the songs that play during a boss fight. So is testament.

It's not all of the soundtrack though. There are a lot of songs left out. That's why it's a Best Sound Tracks.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by B.K.

It's not all of the soundtrack though. There are a lot of songs left out. That's why it's a Best Sound Tracks.

I know, but I'm just saying that there's still a handful of non-cutscene songs on the album.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Here's a RAR with 91 songs ripped from the game that aren't on the OST.

http://files.filefront.com/Xeno3unra.../fileinfo.html

Most amazing jew boots

Great find B.K.

Also I've looked at some of the cutscenes from this game and it has a few surprises and confirmations.

Has spoilers from end of game ect:

Spoiler:

Was surprised they actually showed Jesus in a flash back, Kos-Mos being Mary Magdalena was almost confirmed before the game and spoiled in the first trailer when T-elos says "Maria no miko" which would translate to maiden Maria or priestess Maria.

I was surprised how like Ellyham van Hooten Nephiliem was. And yes when Juriev that seems to be possessed by Udo links with the Omega it looks just like Deus. I still hold my opinion that the three Xenosaga games are infact chapter two as told in perfect works. Also Kos-Mos rocks after fully awakening as Maria.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I am very interested to see how this series ends. I am wondering a few things though, I do not want to know any spoilers, for those who have finished it. Is it final? Does it actually seem like it ends? And finally, is there any linkage at all to Xenogears plot? I thought maybe there were a few things that were starting to make sense in reference to Xenogears in EpII especially as far as religeous references go, but nothing solid. Is all of the plot linking vague, or is there some solid references happening toward the end? Please don't include any spoiler info because I love to be surprized.

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

I can't ansver that without spoiling it. I suggest you wait. And yes III is the final episode.

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

lol oh well, I was just looking for a yes or a no. Does it link in someway or does it not. Yes or no will do if thats possible. But if not I will wait

Oh and thanks for the rip by the way. I love the EP III ost far better than any of the other Saga OSTs. It
s nice to hear all the in game music. I just hope Namco releases a full OST.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I'd say a loose connection is there.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Kensaki

Spoiler:

I still hold my opinion that the three Xenosaga games are infact chapter two as told in perfect works.

Xenosaga is

Spoiler:

a very warped version of Xenogears Episode I. Xenosaga's story is similar to Xenogears Episode I, but there are still a lot of differences. For example:

Spoiler:

the Zohar Emulators are gone. The Original is the only one left. The Anima are gone. Abel never made contact with the Zohar. There is no Deus or Kadomony. That means there can't be a Miang, Emperor Cain, or Gazel Ministry.

FELIPE NO

Spoiler:

Actually it's episode two. One is the establishment of the government and happen several hundred years before Xenosaga. But I see your point. But whatever they can't touch Xenogears or perfect works cause SE had to turn into such bitches and deny continuing the series thus the creation of monolith and their affiliation with Namco.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

No, it's

Spoiler:

Episode I. Xenogears Episode I covered everything from the discovery of the Zohar on Earth in 2001, the creation of Deus in T.C. 4767 to end the Interstellar War, and the Eldridge crash. Xenogears Episode II was about Abel after the Eldridge crash.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Spoiler:

Actually Abel after Eldridge is chapter 3. But this is irrelevant since Xenosaga isn't Xenogears nor Perfect Works.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

No it isn't.

Spoiler:

Xenogears Episode III is the Zeboim Civilization. Here's the episode list straight from Perfect Works:

============
EPISODE I
============
PERIOD OF THE INTERSTELLAR WAR
15,000 Years ago

Episode I is set against the Earth of 15,000 years ago and it is at this time that mankind has begun its search for a new home. Eventually, man finds a habitable home amidst the M24 Star Cluster of Sagittarius and from thereafter, this planet comes to be known as "Neo Jerusalem." However, even after colonizing this planet, mankind continued to aim for the heart of the universe and after 5,000 years (10,000 years ago), humanity had conquered most of the Milky Way. Eventually, The Interstellar War breaks out and afterward gradually intensifies; Episode I focuses on both the outbreak and intensification of this war. However, while this is going on, other events take place, such as the development of the Deus System.

============
EPISODE II
============
THE ORIGINS OF A NEW ERA
10,000 Years ago

Intellectual life forms have begun to increase on the planet where Fei shall live. Also, Emperor Cain becomes the founder of a new generation of mankind and is venerated as a god. Abel, the sole survivor of the Eldridge crash, is repulsed by this belief and seeks a new way of life. At this point in time, the story progresses to Episode II, with Cain continuing to abide by his mission-the revivification of Deus; Cain never intended to "liberate humanity" as seen in Episode V.

=============
EPISODE III
=============
THE ZEBOIM CIVILIZATION
4,000 Years ago

Episode III takes place at an age where a scientific civilization achieves a level of technological advancement similar to our own. A majority of these people are rendered unable to bear children thanks to a genetic deficiency that began to manifest itself as they achieved the technological zenith. Kim (Abel's first transmigration) attempted to overcome this obstacle with nanotechnology, but fails thanks to Miang's Plans. Emeralda is also born durin this era and nanotechnology is later revived by Taura, one of the Three Sages of Shevat.

============
EPISODE IV
============
THE SOLARIS CAMPAIGN
500 Years ago

The Ignas continent of about 500 years thence is the backdrop of Episode IV. Emperor Cain decides that human evolution has reached its final stage and thus founds Solaris. Emperor Cain makes an attempt at immediate ground-rule, but is met with conflict as the artificial humans of this era have harnessed the use of Ether. This conflict, or war, breaks out between the "Land Dwellers" and the "Solarians," and is generally known as the "great war of 500 years ago." But the war was ended prematurely by "The Day of Collapse."

===========
EPISODE V
===========
XENOGEARS
Present

Fei takes on the role of protagonist in this episode, set in the year 9999, Fei leads his early life in the peaceful village of Lahan. The Deus Restoration Program is also nearing completion at present time. Fei was not born in Lahan Village, however. He was, in fact, carried to Chief Lee's house in Lahan Village, three years ago by a Masked Man. At the time, Fei was so injured, both mentally and physically, that he lost all memory of his life prior to that point. After the attack on Lahan Village, though, he is "reawakened" and once again embarks on the road of fate.

============
EPISODE VI
============
FUTURE

Although not much is known about this episode, it appears as though it is set shortly after Episode V. Information about Episode VI will remain undisclosed until future notice as it is the last point on the Xenogears timeline.

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

Spoiler:

I stand corrected but Xenosaga is not in that timeline at all so your point is really void which I have trying to tell you in what 3 posts now?

Xenosaga is an alternate story line set in the same universe as Xenogears. It has less to do with Xenogears than Smallville has with the original superman series. uses some of the same characters and one of the enemy crafts has an uncanny resemblence too Deus.

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

It's not void. I was tying to say that Xenosaga is a retelling of Xenogears Episode I and you didn't even know what happened in Xenogears Episode I. I was just trying to get everything straight.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Actually, according to the Perfect Works storyline, Xenosaga would be Episode II. Episode I is the prologue, where they discover Zohar on Earth etc.

(I didn't click on the spoiler tags and I don't intend to, just commenting on the last post here.)

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Spoiler:

Xenosaga is not chapter I because it ends the story without the prerequisits for chapter II. To boot Monolith themselves have said that drawing lines between perfect works time line and Xenosaga wont work as they follow their own timeline that is quite different from Perfect Works timeline.

the end.

FELIPE NO

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)?

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?