Xenogears

Xenogears is a must for any RPG lover, regardless of your views toward Squaresoft. With its depth and creativity, Xenogears is my choice for RPG of the year.

With an intricate storyline, beautifully designed characters and mechs, and some of the most innovative features in an RPG, you simply can't afford to pass this game up.

Yet another masterpiece from the makers of all Final Fantasy games.

Has a very deep and engrossing (perhaps blasphemous, hence the furore) tale to tell.

Xenogears' reliance on story, subtlety, and mood make it Square's most anime-like RPG thus far, in many ways making the game one of its best.

The dungeons in the game are far too tedious and aggravating for me to ever want to go through them again. Even beyond all that, though, Xenogears remains one of my favorite games ever because of its unsurpassed story and characters, and I think that says something.

An extremely popular anime-style role-playing game of epic proportions. [Jan 2004, p.189]

This game is geared (ha ha) more for the RPG player, and I can say that it could have possibly converted me into one with a little more action.

Playing this game is kind of like getting into a good book. The first few hours may be boring or even painful, but once you get into it, you'll be up until the wee hours of the morning flipping pages (or pressing buttons) trying to find out what happens next. And let me tell you - the story is first-rate and the plot gets thicker than a pint of Guinness straight from the tap.

In a lot of ways, Xenogears seems more like a novel than a game. Partially due to the amount of time you spend reading on screen text while the game plays itself, and partially due to the complexity of the plot.

A deep, long (70 hours!), story-driven RPG that tackles some of the weightier issues out there... Yet another winner from Squaresoft. [Nov 2001, p.54]

Unlike most role-playing games from this company, there are two different battle systems.

Casual gamers may be scared away by the lack of flash but Xenogears is still one of the better RPG's I have played. I recommend it to anyone looking for a deep, Anime-like story to be wrapped up in.