Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Bose

 PlayStation 2
  • Publisher: Namco
  • Release Date: Feb 15, 2005
Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Bose Image
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 45 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 91 Ratings

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  • Summary: Four-thousand years into a war-torn future. Earth has been abandoned and mankind forges its existence in deep space, locked in eternal confrontation with the malevolent, alien Gnosis. With sophisticated weapons and robotics technology, humankind wages an epic battle for survival. In aFour-thousand years into a war-torn future. Earth has been abandoned and mankind forges its existence in deep space, locked in eternal confrontation with the malevolent, alien Gnosis. With sophisticated weapons and robotics technology, humankind wages an epic battle for survival. In a desperate bid to fend off extinction, the search continues for the Zohar, a legendary artifact rumored to be capable of eradicating the Gnosis and ushering in an era of universal peace. Rejoin Shion, KOS-MOS and their companions in the enthralling 2nd chapeter of this landmark multipart RPG saga. [Namco]… Expand
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 45
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 45
  3. Negative: 1 out of 45
  1. Gaming Target
    90
    Namco, in trying to fix what wasn't broken to begin with, ended up loosening a few screws where the job wasn't needed.
  2. TotalGames.net
    84
    Xenosaga II is a worthy follow up with richly detailed characters and great battling, but it seems a little unfair to expect European gamers to jump onboard so late in the game.
    All this publication's reviews
  3. GamePro
    80
    A beautiful composition, but restless gamers will have a hard time sitting throught the constant cinemas... Perhaps next time developers will seriously consider integrating the story through an increased amount of real-time gameplay. [March 2005, p.90]
  4. Game Chronicles
    73
    Though the game is woefully short, the game does set a standard for RPG difficulty, which might breathe some challenge into the genre.
  5. GamerFeed
    70
    The new combat system is complicated but imaginative and adds much depth to the gameplay that was already superb.
  6. Eurogamer
    70
    Xenosaga 2, is a big commitment for any gamer. If you want to get the most out of the game you're looking at weeks of concentrated staccato playing/watching/playing/watching as you work your way through the huge narrative arc.
  7. GameShark
    30
    This definitely isn’t a title that will impress most of the “jaded gamers” crowd, and while I had fun playing it, I certainly wouldn’t describe my experience as extraordinary.

See all 45 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 23
  3. Negative: 1 out of 23
  1. AnsonG.
    May 27, 2006
    10
    Well, all i have to say is BEST xenosaga series, it is better then episode 1. The story is quite of this game and those E.S Robots was Well, all i have to say is BEST xenosaga series, it is better then episode 1. The story is quite of this game and those E.S Robots was improved alot then AGWS. But i disappointed is u dont have a money to buy items nad a shop. Well, if namco goin to make xenosaga episode 3, they should make shop so can buy items. So i have to wait for next episode to release and i hope will be pretty much awsome.… Expand
  2. AkeemG.
    May 7, 2007
    10
    Xenosaga Episode 2 is a hell of a lot better than episode 3 but just as good as episode1.This game has a very nice sci-fi atmosphere with a Xenosaga Episode 2 is a hell of a lot better than episode 3 but just as good as episode1.This game has a very nice sci-fi atmosphere with a very futuristic feel to it.I really enjoyed doing the Global Samaritan (GS) missions because they were very amusing to me, my favorite mission is the one where you had to return to old mitia to aquire the memory locket from that white monster.The voices ofall the charecters for this game was also very nice because the voices suited the apparence and design of the charecters ,so I would really appreciate it if I didn't have to read any more reviews with complaints about how horrible the voice acting is voice because they really aren't half as bad as people are always trying to make them seem, especially momo's voice.Xenosaga episode 2 also has the most fun battle system that I have ever experieced although it wasn't as cool as episode ones battle system it still wasn't as lame as episode three's,in addition to that out of all the xenosagas episode 2 has the best battle music,I dont care for the music that plays during boss battles but only for the one that playes when you're fighting minor enemies.Anyway if you want to get a true challenge from the game you should try beating every boss in the game with out using the break system like I did,believe me when I say it's no walk in the park.On top of every thing the replay value for this game is very hig,youll' be playing this game again and again for a while after you've beaten it.… Expand
  4. LUUQ.
    Jan 6, 2005
    10
    BEST!!!
  5. Daweeed
    Oct 1, 2018
    9
    I love this episode two ( i'"m a great Xenosaga n gears fan ) but the 1 n 3 better for klilometers... poorly. But the intro song, omg...
  6. Infielozo
    Oct 29, 2013
    8
    This was an admirable follow up to the first title, the game play requires a maximum of 1 brain cell or two for some to get the hang of it, itThis was an admirable follow up to the first title, the game play requires a maximum of 1 brain cell or two for some to get the hang of it, it has decent direction and a great storyline. The ether and skills systems get a bit tedious sometimes, but the game's handle and story make up for. It has a decent amount of extras if you choose to side quest. Overall, It's a go for me.… Expand
  7. MartR.
    Feb 25, 2005
    8
    Having long finished the Japanese version of this game, I borrowed the English version to give it a spin. It's all mostly been Having long finished the Japanese version of this game, I borrowed the English version to give it a spin. It's all mostly been maintained. It is of course a strictly hardcore RPG, with its killer cutscenes and obscure storyline that seems to make no sense much of the time, but pulls itself together nearing the end. I enjoyed the Japanese version tremendously and here is why the English version feels so dull: the voice acting is dreadful. In a game where one will be hearing hours upon hours of dialogue, this is quite important and the English voice actors have really messed up here. Some characters are easily maintained (chaos, Junior and Shion), but then there are guys who sound like whining schoolgirls compared to their magnetic counterparts in the Japanese version. KOS-MOS is the biggest douche here, but Ziggurat and MOMO are also cursed by this impossibly bad acting that seems to plague the English-speaking world. The two points get counted off because of the killer voices, the rest is all there and then some.… Expand
  8. Avey123Avey
    Mar 29, 2023
    3
    Xenosaga 2 is a light improvement over the original. The combat system is more focused and leads to some genuinely enjoyable boss encounters.Xenosaga 2 is a light improvement over the original. The combat system is more focused and leads to some genuinely enjoyable boss encounters. The presence of music outside of cutscenes is a serious improvement and something the series never should have gotten wrong. And the story here feels waaaay less blatantly padded out and the game does a much better job at attempting to flesh out the original games flat characters. With all that said it's still not very good, is quite often boring, and with each babystep improvement it's counterbalanced with exacerbated problems . The game still suffers from a terrible encounter design for non boss fights, in fact with the new combat system these general encounters are even worse and feel even more padded out and repetitive. As the scope of the story broadens it becomes even more convoluted and incomprehensible (this series has an obsession with poorly thought out acronyms). And the largest egregious back peddle from the original is the terrible voice work. The original game had stilted/dated vocal delivery but this game is on a whole other level with some of the replaced voice cast and new characters. That all being said I am thankful for the shorter length, still a very mediocre JRPG, but at least one with a more reasonable length.… Expand

See all 23 User Reviews

Awards & Rankings

89
#89 Best PS2 Game of 2005
55
#55 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2005