Quote:
Originally Posted by yvk2000
Xenogears blew my mind back then
|
You and many others. It's really
the RPG of RPGs. It (along with BSG) completely changed my entertainment preference from fantasy to sci-fi--and yet so few works of fiction measure up.
Quote:
|
fleshed out gaming worlds with ambitious stories
|
That's definitely Xenosaga, despite its troubled production (Namco Bandai's fault).
Quote:
|
Anybody wanna chime on whether Xenosaga is up to the same standards as Xenogears?
|
No, but that's an unfair standard to try and measure up to. Xenosaga, as a completely trilogy, is written in the same tenor and scope as Xenogears, even if it's not as thoroughly evocative.
Quote:
Edit: I'm not planning on playing ep. 2 and 3 
|
You really should.
I feel the series isn't worth investing in unless you experience it as a complete trilogy. It's true that Episode 2 is garbage, that key staff were not invited back after Episode 1, that half the music in Ep.2 and most of the music in Ep.3 is a joking afterthought following Mitsuda's Ep.1 score (which itself isn't close to his best work), and that the trilogy was not completed as intended.
That said, Ep.3 is wonderful, and is a satisfactory conclusion to the overall story. You'll feel deeply endeared to the characters once the Ep.1 credits roll. Power through Ep.2, and enjoy the ridiculous but entertaining cutscenes (the opening is still one of the best of any RPG). Prepare a drink (or three) for boss battles. Slide into the smooth, perfectly-paced gameplay of Ep.3, finish the trilogy, and be left in awe at how a product this ambitious even got greenlit in the first place.
The story is what makes it worth it. And when you're done, you get yourself a Wii U and a copy of Xenoblade and XBX too, because they're also worth your time. Tetsuya Takahashi is perhaps the most consistently excellent RPG director there has ever been, alongside Yasumi Matsuno. He does not sacrifice his vision (though others have sacrificed it for him).
One point of interest for you: Katsuhiro Harada of Namco has stated he will "explore other avenues" to getting a Xenosaga HD collection greenlit. This, of course, is no guarantee. Just something to keep in mind.