Should I skip Xenosaga II?

I played Xenosaga I a few months ago, and while I wasn’t as impressed as I hoped, I decided I would probably play the next installment.

However, i’ve heard Xenosaga II is much worse than the original. Moreover, i’ve read that very little story/plot-wise is revealed in the game. Xenosaga III on the other hand seems to be getting much better reviews.

For anyone who has played both II and III already, would you recommend that I skip II and go straight to III? Is there anything vital I will be missing in II if I skip it?

If you enjoy MOMO, Rubedo, Nigredo, and Albedo, I’d recommend playing Ep. II as it focuses heavily on them.

The battle system has been decried by many, however, I found it to be challenging and worth the effort. I’d suggest checking out some gameplay videos before making a decision.

That said, the database in III is very decent, and you probably could get away without playing Ep. II if you absolutely had to.

I really enjoyed Xenosaga II for many reasons. The battle system was intuitive and the cut scenes were gorgeously presented. The game does have it’s flaws however…these include the cut scenes being a little too long and are quite dialogue-heavy. But if these points don’t usually deter you from immersing yourself in an RPG, then you won’t be disappointed. x

Download the cutscenes and skip to Episode III. If you don’t want to do that, read threw the story summery on wikipedia or the Episode III database. Unless you really, really like Jr. and Albedo, this game doesn’t have anything to offer. The story is brief and unsatisfying (yet somehow it still manages 5 hours of cutscenes), battles are long and frustrating, the skill system is unbalanced with many of the better skills only being available after completing a whole load of painfully asinine sidequests, the character designs and voice acting are a step down from the original, the in-game music is attrocious…there’s more but I think you get the picture.

Xenosaga III is one of the better PS2 RPGs. It wouldn’t be fair to say Xenosaga II is at the other end of the spectrum since there is a lot of absolute crap on the system but it’s definitely average enough to be avoided.

Thanks for the advice. I hadn’t thought of just downloading the cutscenes, but that’s a great idea. I think i’ll do that and then buy Xenosaga III to play.

I don’t see why you’d want to skip it unless the fear of sitting through hours of cut-scenes frightens you (which you can always skip). I’d just play it for the story, but of course with Also Spracht Zarathustra’s release, you pretty much wouldn’t need to.

I actually like the cutscenes from games generally. But if the gameplay itself is not enjoyable, I find it really frustrating having to play it to get to them. Mindless leveling up as some games require to progress the story really gripes me when it’s excessive, especially if the battle system isn’t much fun to begin with

I always heard Xenosaga being described as a long cutscene with some playable parts.

a long cutscene with some playable parts.

That should be included on the game info on the back of the box.

I always heard Xenosaga being described as a long cutscene with some playable parts.

Not half as bad as Kingdom Hearts II…..that was just another Disney movie

Are you talking about the KH2 with Sora and the drive forms and the nobodies?

Because there was significant gameplay versus cut scenes. I specifically remember thinking a time or two "Damn it I need a rest, where’s a cut scene?!"

Lol, hilarious.

The game bored me to tears…got about 15 hours out of it, and then a friend recommended WoW.

I always heard Xenosaga being described as a long cutscene with some playable parts.
In the first one, some of the special attacks you can use in battle are animated as FMVs.

Lol, hilarious.

The game bored me to tears…got about 15 hours out of it, and then a friend recommended WoW.

FTR, people that recommend cocaineWoW are not friends!

FTR, people that recommend cocaineWoW are not friends!

LOL

… would you recommend that I skip II and go straight to III?…
I KILL U

Well, if you really want, you won’t really die or anything for skipping it.
>_>
<_<
<_>’