|
The Lowdown
Pros: Character encyclopedia, xenosaga episode 2 demo
Cons: Two not long lasting mini-games, only designed with fans in mind
 Purchase
at Play-Asia
|
Gamers around the world are familiar
with the Xenosaga name after it made a huge splash in Japan and a sizeable
entry into the American market. If you haven't heard of Xenosaga Episode
1, its a space opera developed by Monolith Software and is a prequel to
Squaresoft's Xenogears. While everyone in Japan is patiently waiting for
Xenosaga Episode II: Beyond Good and Evil Namco released Xenosaga Freaks
to tide fans of the series over. To put it bluntly Xenosaga Freaks isn't
as much a game as it is an interactive fan book. Want to find out what
exactly is on the disc? Read on.Xenosaga freaks contains four things
that fans of the series will be interested in. Only one (maybe two) will
actually appeal to people who aren't familiar with the Xenosaga universe.
The first menu option brings you to a text based adventure entitled
Xenocomi. You can choose from main characters like Shion, KOS-MOS, MOMO,
Jr., Ziggy and Chaos with an extra unlockable character. The game plays
like a "choose your own adventure novel" where menus come up with
choices on how to progress the story. More often than not you're forced
to pick a certain option instead of allowing a lot of free reign. The
stories included are a compliment to the already large narrative of
Xenosaga. The visuals during this section of the disc have a hand drawn
graphic novel feel to them, which does the job of creating the comic
atmosphere. Some scenes in the stories are parodies of Xenosaga Episode
1. So, if you want to get the most out of the disc you should probably
complete Episode 1 first.
The next item on the disc is called "Xenopittan" based on Namco's
language puzzler Moji Pittan. The game play is similar to Moji Pittan
where you spell words using hiragana (a form of Japanese characters
designed for Japanese words). The game scores you on the length of words
and how the match up with adjacent characters. If you're confused think
of it as an arcade version of scrabble and you'll have a good idea of
what it is about. The only thing that separates Xenopittan to Moji
Pittan are the boards. Some of the boards are shaped like elements from
Xenosaga such as a KOS-MOS board, a Ziggy board and a MOMO board. More
abstract elements from Xenosaga are also used like the Zophar symbol,
the 666 found on a certain characters hand and carrots that the bunny
eats.
The encyclopedia is what fans of the Xeno-series will dig the most.
Within it contains character profiles, enemy profiles, locations and
even significant themes. The encyclopedia even features scenes from
Xenosaga Episode 1 that you can replay at your will. The disc does a
good job of not spoiling too much between the videos and the profiles
for those people who haven't played through episode one. One comment on
the encyclopedia is I wish there was more content in it. It is nice to
have the profiles and stuff from episode one, but I was hoping for more
character sketches, storyboards or anything you would find in a DVD
extras menu. The encyclopedia doesn't offer much, if you've been paying
close attention to the story of episode one.
The best portion of the disc is honestly the demo of Xenosaga Episode
II. Let me just say that the demo sucks your right into the action. From
my short playthrough I am more excited about Xenosaga Episode II: Beyond
Good and Evil than I was before. There isn't enough room in this article
to sum the demo up. Instead we're going to do a special story dedicated
to the demo that came with Xenosaga Freaks. To sum up the demo in one
word "awesome!"
When buying this disc you have to question how much of fan of the
series you are. If you love the Xeno series by all means buy this disc
right now. It adds a new dimension to the Xeno universe with the
Xenocomi portion and the encyclopedia is great for looking back at the
story of Xenosaga Episode 1. Although, for $40 where the highlight of
the disc is the Xenosaga Episode II demo the disc is kind of pricey and
if you were expecting a game it seems even more expensive.
Everything that can be enjoyed on this disc is in Japanese. Without
prior knowledge you won't be able to enjoy the Xenocomi side stories,
the encyclopedia or the language heavy XenoPittan game. You may get a
kick out of playing the Xenosaga Episode II demo, but you'll be missing
out on the story there too.
US Bound?
While Xenosaga Episode II: Beyond Good and Evil will be released in
North America, there is a slim chance that this will be released. The
best hope for a US release is that Xenosaga Freaks will be packaged as a
pre-order bonus item for Xenosaga Episode 2.
Overall
Xenosaga Freaks isn't a game, it's something designed for
the most hardcore fans of the series only.
|
|
