Xenosaga

Xenosaga (ゼノサーガシリーズ Zenosāga Shirīzu) is a series of video games released for the PlayStation 2 platform. The first game in the series, EPISODE I: Der Wille zur Macht, was released in February 2002 in the Japanese market, and then in February 2003 in the American market. Released by Monolith Soft and published by Namco, it is the first episode in a three-part series, which serves as a spiritual successor to the game Xenogears, released in 1998 for the PSOne. Xenogears was originally released by Squaresoft (now Square Enix). The series' creator, Tetsuya Takahashi, left Squaresoft in 1999 along with Hirohide Sugiura. Using funds from Namco, they started Monolith Soft. All episodes of Xenosaga are named after the books of Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche. Many Nietzschean concepts and references appear in the series.

There is much speculation among fans on issues such as the legality of Squaresoft retaining the copyright to Xenogears while Namco is seemingly developing prequels and/or sequels to it. Tetsuya Takahashi has been somewhat vague and ambiguous in his comments on the matter. He has said that Xenogears didn't turn out as he envisioned it, and that with Xenosaga he is "hitting the reset button" and starting over.

EPISODE II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse was released in June 2004 in Japan and February 2005 in North America. Xenosaga: the ANIMATION, an anime based on Xenosaga premiered on TV Asahi in Japan on January 5th, 2005. Xenosaga: Pied Piper, a 3 chapter long cellphone based game depicting the history of Ziggy 100 years before the start of EPISODE I was released in Japan was also released that year.

It has been recently announced that EPISODE III: Also sprach Zarathustra will be the final title in the Xenosaga series, effectively cutting the series in half (see section below.) A retelling of the first two episodes titled Xenosaga I & II has also been announced for the Nintendo DS and is rumoured to be the final version of Xenosaga DS. [1]

Plot Summary

It is the year TC 4767 (4,767 years after mankind abandoned the "AD" calendar, somewhere in the 2400's AD; "TC" means "Transcend Christ"), and mankind lives almost entirely in space, or on artificial colonies. The capital of all known space is Fifth Jerusalem, where the Galaxy Federation supposedly keeps watch over mankind. Nanotechnology is commonplace, but new frontiers are still being reached using it. Nanotech's largest use has come in the last ten years, when a mysterious enemy known as the Gnosis began to attack man's colonies seemingly indiscriminately. It is largely believed that the Gnosis were brought into the universe by a madman named Joachim Mizrahi, but there is more to that story than the public really knows.

Vector Industries, the largest corporation in existence and the primary arms manufacturer for the Galaxy Federation, is currently researching new ways to use nanotechnology to build an unstoppable battle android, code-named KOS-MOS. This is quite controversial, since androids have been replaced for many, many years by artificial life-forms known as Realians, which have proven far more effective in combat. However, Vector Industries and their head of R&D, Shion Uzuki, have other ideas. Shion, a simple researcher traveling on the starship Woglinde, becomes involved in a conspiracy not only to control the mysterious Gnosis, but to reshape the destiny of all mankind.

Like Xenogears, Xenosaga uses several religious references, especially of the Western World. Obvious examples are seen in character names: 'Shion', roughly equal to Zion; 'KOS-MOS', suggesting cosmos; and most obviously 'chaos' (whose name is consistently left uncapitalized).

Xenosaga features a heavily Gnostic plot. Intertwined in the complex symbolism of the series are themes of Nietzsche, Jungian psychology, and the biblical Book_of_Revelation. Buried beneath the multitude of mythological and psychological references are the questions the series asks: What makes one truly human? What is good and what is evil? Who are we, where did we come from, and where are we going?

Controversy

Xenosaga has been plagued with the removal or resignation of key staff who had contributed heavily to the success of the PSOne Xenogears, as well as the first episode of Xenosaga. As of EPISODE II, Tetsuya Takahashi and Soraya Saga were removed (though actual details as to how or why are hard to come by) from the Xenosaga team and their return is unlikely. As a result of this, it would seem that the original draft of EPISODE II, written by the aformentioned designers, was drastically altered. While Soraya is not working on the series anymore, Takahashi continues to be involved, albeit in a non-production role. The music composer, Yasunori Mitsuda, has also moved on beyond the Xenosaga series as of EPISODE II, and these drastic changes left some fans wondering what would become of the series as it has abandoned the original intent of its former creator. [2] The series was announced to be officially at an end with the release of EPISODE III, possibly for these reasons.

Some fans affectionately refer to Tetsuya Takahashi, Kunihiko Tanaka (character designer), and Yasunori Mitsuda as the "holy trinity" of the series. While Tanaka, the remaining member of the trinity, re-illustrated the characters for EPISODE II, he has since distanced himself from the project. (It should be noted, that Soraya, due to unwanted backlash, has removed the information on the FAQ page from her site, [3] NOTE: This link does not contain the information in link #1, above, anymore)

Xenosaga EPISODE I: Der Wille zur Macht

Xenosaga EPISODE I: Der Wille zur Macht

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Release date:

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ESRB rating:

Teen (T)

Platforms:

PS2

The Japanese title of the game is ゼノサーガエピソードⅠ 力への意志. "Der Wille zur Macht", lit. "The Will To Power", is a reference to Nietzsche's thus named concept of an assumed rudimentary a-teleological force that elicits all activity stinted to existence itself.

Game Notes

While the timeline of Xenosaga does not correspond completely to that set out in Xenogears the two are largely synchronous. TC 4767 is indeed the year that this all goes down, according to the Xenogears Perfect Works Book, but in that same year the Eldridge is supposed to have been launched and no mention of that is made in EPISODE I. The most common explanation is that Xenosaga is a re-envisioning of the Xenogears concept, using many similar elements, themes, and even plotlines.

Many believed that the artwork in Xenosaga was not quite up to par with expectations, with the characters often suffering from what some call the "glass eyes" phenomenon that poorly-drawn anime suffers from. EPISODE II offers a noticeably different art style.

Others were not quite satisfied with the battle engine, or the use of the large mechas known as AGWS (Anti-Gnosis Weapon Systems), the "gear lookalikes". Many were also frustrated at the game's casual name dropping without in-game explanations, arguing that the in game searchable glossary was a cheap device to avoid exposition.

Others were quite content with the game, and it sold nearly a million copies worldwide.

Xenosaga: EPISODE I Reloaded

In mid-2003, Namco also released a special version of EPISODE I in Japan to drum up hype for the upcoming Xenosaga: EPISODE II called Xenosaga: EPISODE I Reloaded, which featured the English voice-acting and a few special features, like costume switching and a play-back library of all the game's movie scenes.

Xenosaga Freaks

On April 28 2004, Namco released Xenosaga Freaks in Japan, a supplementary game including a Xenosaga-themed word-puzzle game based off of Namco's Mojipittan called Xenopittan, a comical adventure game Xenocomi, the complete dictionary of terminology from EPISODE I enhanced with audio and video clips, and a playable demo of EPISODE II.

Xenosaga EPISODE II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse

Xenosaga EPISODE II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse

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Release date:

Game modes:

ESRB rating:

Teen (T)

Platforms:

PS2

Download the Xenosaga EPISODE II E3 Trailer Size: 63.6 MB

The Japanese title of the game is ゼノサーガエピソードⅡ 善悪の彼岸. The subtitle, "Jenseits von Gut und Böse", lit. "Beyond Good and Evil", is taken from a major philosophical work by Friedrich Nietzsche of the same name.

Game Notes

In June 2004, Namco released the long-awaited Xenosaga EPISODE II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse. Continuing where the story left off in Xenosaga EPISODE I, players play the role of the heroine Shion Uzuki. Almost every character received a face-lift, with the most debatable and notable being KOS-MOS, whom many players complain look worse in EPISODE II than EPISODE I. Although Xenosaga EPISODE II answered many questions related to the U.R.T.V. and the Miltia Conflict in EPISODE I, there has been no word on just how connected Xenosaga is to Xenogears, except a slight revelation towards the end of the game relating to Abel's Ark. The rest is shrouded in mystery -- such as chaos and Nephilim's true identities. The story of EPISODE II leaves off many threads of mystery and can almost be considered as a marketing ploy to entice players to purchase EPISODE III to find out the story, which is almost certain to feature the same cast of characters from EPISODE II and EPISODE I.

Featuring an upgraded battle system which involved the extensive use of STOCKS and BOOSTS, battle pace was said by some to have improved ten-folds from EPISODE I. AGWS have been replaced in EPISODE II by powerful robots known as E.S., which are equipped with Anima Relics, powerful artifacts that players of Xenogears may be familiar with. Battles in E.S. are now completely independent from character battles, like most of Xenogears, and players may also use E.S. to explore dungeons as well. Xenosaga EPISODE II features movie scene music composed by Yuki Kajiura.

Although the new and arguably improved battle system and graphics were well received by some players, EPISODE II has its share of flaws according to some fans. One of the biggest complaints came from Episode II's fast paced and simplified story when compared to the style of storytelling seen in Episode I. This change in the method of storytelling was probably a definite attempt by Namco to make this game more appealing to the average gamer. This reason alone brought the series down a huge notch to some of the core audience. Another complaint was its slow loading and saving speeds. Many also complained that the game is shorter than EPISODE I; it can be completed within 25 hours, not including the movie scenes, despite the game being two-discs long. Other common complaints include the modified skill system and the removal of shopping/money system. Players can no longer shop for weapons and items, but instead must pick up items from breaking obstacles, opening treasure boxes, or after battles. Others have enjoyed the removal of this system, stating that one barely needs to buy items during EPISODE I. Many also consider the new voice actors a significant down grade, although others consider the voice acting to be on par or perhaps better. Episode II sold far below expectations and seems to have lost a vast amount of it's core audience because of the spotty story and inability to orchestrate the flow from Episode's I story into Episode II. However, the mixed reception of Episode II has not halted the production of Episode III. Because of Episode II's lackluster success, the envisioned 6 episode series has officially been shortened to only span across 3 episodes.

Further outrage and controversy was generated several months after EPISODE II's North American release when it was revealed that series creator and executive producer Tetsuya Takahashi and his wife, head writer Soraya Saga, were let go from the series. It was also revealed that Ms. Saga's original script had been heavily altered by the new team of writers and editors that Monolith had hired on for EPISODE II's production. When comparing point notes released regarding the original script and the finished product many fans were bewildered why so much content was left on the cutting room floor.

Xenosaga EPISODE III: Also sprach Zarathustra

"Also sprach Zarathustra", lit. "Thus Spoke Zarathustra", is also the title to Nietzsche's most famous work, which introduced the Übermensch and popularised the phrase "God is dead".

Game Notes

According to an interview with the Xenosaga developers, this episode will end the Shion story arc. In September of 2005, it was officially announced that EPISODE III would mark the premature end to the series, which was originally planned to span six titles, including a possible re-telling of Xenogears. Judging from the final sequences in EPISODE II, chaos and Ziggy may be given larger roles, though this is just speculation. The cast from episodes I and II will return, but their roles have not been specified; a voice actor has been hired and confirmed for the part of Voyager.

EPISODE III will take place one year after EPISODE II, with ES units from EPISODE II and the Zohar Emulators and TECHS from EPISODE I making a return. A dialogue knowledge tree will be included, allowing playing characters to speak to non-playing characters. A major add-on is the Zarathustra system T-elos, which was featured in EPISODE I's U-TIC ship level as a blueprint, T-elos is infact much like KOS-MOS in appearance, as the recent game trailers indicates, some kind of relationship between them both

Shion has resigned her job with Vector Industries when she discovers the mysterious connection between Vector and the Gnosis Phenomenon. She is now working with the underground organization Scientia, a rebel group based on Michtam whose purpose is to expose the darker secrets of the seemingly benevolent super corporation. While working with Scientia, Shion discovers that the KOS-MOS project has been cancelled in favour of a new battle android known as T-elos; T-elos bares a striking resemblance to KOS-MOS. Shion and her friends are reunited one last time in EPISODE III as they adventure to unveil Vector and its CEO Wilhelm's true intentions and stop them once and for all.

So far there are no words of a release date for Xenosaga EPISODE III.

Xenosaga Side Stories

Xenosaga: Pied Piper

Puzzlingly released on the mobile phone gaming platform, this Xenosaga side-story is set 100 years prior to the start of EPISODE I and explores the past of the cyborg character Ziggy back when he was a human named Jan Sauer and working for the Galaxy Federation's special-ops police force. The plot of the three chapter long story centres around Jan and his team as they track a dangerous serial killer known only by the hacker alias 'Voyager', who kills his victims using the U.M.N.

Many people who have read the unoffically translated script, the last contribution by former Xenosaga writer Soraya Saga before she was removed from the production team, have commented that it seems to be the best story that has appeared in the Xenosaga universe so far. Many people are puzzled as to why a game produced from a cell phone platform had a better storyline than a full-scale game produced for the PS2 like EPISODE II.

Pied Piper provides an extremely interesting peek into the back stories of some of the most important, yet rarely felt presences in the Xenosaga universe, like Ziggy, chaos, Wilhelm, Voyager and Dr. Dimitri Yuriev.

Xenosaga DS

Not much is known about this up-coming Xenosaga title other than it will be for the Nintendo DS handheld platform. While no details what-so-ever have been released yet some ponder it could be a port of the mobile phone game Xenosaga: Pied Piper. Due to the recent announcement of Xenosaga I & II, a retelling of the first two episodes of the game for the DS, some are considering Xenosaga DS to be one in the same.

Xenosaga: Exceed

An upcoming Xenosaga game. All that is known about it is its title, no platform, information or release date have been announced yet. The cancellation of Xenosaga: EPISODE IV, V and VI and lack of any update on either Xenosaga: Exceed or Frontier throws this game's future into question.

Xenosaga: Frontier

An upcoming Xenosaga game. All that is known about it is its title, no platform, information or release date have been announced yet. The cancellation of Xenosaga: EPISODE IV, V and VI and lack of any update on either Xenosaga: Frontier or Exceed throws this game's future into question.

Xenosaga: THE ANIMATION

An anime based on Xenosaga, titled Xenosaga: the ANIMATION premiered on TV Asahi in Japan on January 5th, 2005. The anime itself follows the story of Xenosaga closely, albeit removing several scenes (for example, Jr.'s first appearance in EPISODE I) and adding others (before the destruction of the Woglinde, Shion makes good friends with one of Albedo's "personal assistant" Realians, the Kirschwassers.) Some scenes were entirely re-written for the show's purposes (the Encephalon dive being a major example.) The pacing has the viewer running through the first ten to fifteen hours of gameplay of EPISODE I in the first five episodes. Jin Uzuki, Shion's brother and a major character in EPISODE II, can be seen early on in episode eight of the ANIMATION. Given the nature of the anime, it works best as a suppliment to Xenosaga: EPISODE I. Some points that the game didn't explain or explained poorly are brought to light in the anime.

For example, in the game Albedo comes across as a mentally insane individual and his intentions are sketchy at best. However when compared to Albedo's role in the anime, it become apparent that Albedo has abandonment issues among other things that flesh out his personality and makes him more than just an insane villain.

Another major difference is the role of the Kirschwassers. While in the game they serve in a minor role working for Albedo, the anime focuses on only one. This Kirschwasser was impersonating a 100-series while on the Woglinde in order to escape Albedo, but was recaptured and set to work against Shion, who had befriended her earlier. The ending of the anime has Kirschwasser in the control room of Proto Merkabah, setting it to self-destruct mode, where she dies. In the game, however, KOS-MOS does this and escapes unharmed.

Despite the changes, many fans prefer the ANIMATION over the movie DVD of EPISODE I given with pre-orders of EPISODE II, saying that the DVD was a poorly assembled group of cutscenes.

The ending theme is "in this serenity", performed by Mayumi Gojo.

XenoCulture

This section contains internal links to various characters and references found within Xenosaga. For those relating exclusively to Xenogears, see Xenogears Articles and Lists.