Xenosaga

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Xenosaga
Original title ゼ ノ サ ー ガ
transcription Zenosāga
developer Monolith Soft
Publisher Namco
Designer Tetsuya Takahashi
First title Xenosaga: Episode I - The Will to Power (2002)
Last title Xenosaga: Episode III - Thus Spoke Zarathustra (2006)
Platform (s) PlayStation 2 , Nintendo DS
Genre (s) Computer role playing game

Xenosaga ( Japanese ゼ ノ サ ー ガ Zenosāga ) is a series of video games developed by Monolith Soft and published by Namco . The main story takes place in a three-part series on the PlayStation 2 game console . There are also some hints of Xenogears from Square (now Square Enix ), which only appeared in the US and Japan, but there are only indirect connections. The inventor of both parts is Tetsuya Takahashi , who left Square in 1999 with Hirohide Sugiura. With Namco as sponsor, they founded Monolith Soft and the Xenosaga project.

The first part of the series Episode I: The Will to Power came on the Japanese market in February 2002 and exactly one year later on the American market. As a game itself, that part didn't make it to Europe. In June 2004, Episode II followed in Japan : Beyond Good and Evil , which was released in North America in February 2005. This part made it to Germany for the first time at the end of 2005. Since the story of the predecessor was not known in Germany, the game was delivered in an extra version on a DVD. This contained the most important sequences of the first part. Since the parts of Xenosaga passed through as an interactive anime rather than a normal RPG, it was possible to close any knowledge gaps. The last part of the series Episode III: Thus Spoke Zarathustra was released on August 29, 2006 in America. In contrast to the first two parts, the number of cutscenes was reduced rapidly, which improved the flow of the game.

All three parts of the series are named after books by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche . The game also contains allusions to his philosophy.

history

In the year TC 4767 mankind exists only widely ramified on distant planets and artificial colonies . The earth no longer exists; it was deleted from all star maps and renamed "Lost Jerusalem". The main point in space is now Fifth Jerusalem , where the Galaxy Federation is keeping an eye on humanity.

For 14 years, human colonies have been attacked by aliens called Gnosis . It is said that they were brought into the universe by a scientist named Joachim Mizrahi during the Miltian Conflict of TC 4753. However, there is more to this story than the public suspects.

Since the Miltian Conflict , an artifact called the Zohar has aroused the interest of many researchers. Many factions, including the underground Ormus and the Galaxy Federation , seek to wield his power. Both groups believe in two things: On the one hand, the Gnosis seem to be very interested in the object and, on the other hand, the Zohar is a powerful source of power and the prison of the U-DO , a strange undulating being. Now both groups believe that the Zohar can destroy Gnosis and give them unlimited power. Tests on the Zohar were conducted by Joachim Mizrahi, the Galaxy Federation, and a mysterious Ormus scientist named Sellers . The result of these tests were so-called Zohar Emulators , copies of the Zohar that had disappeared during the Miltian Conflict . During an experiment with such an emulator, the planet Ariadne disappeared . Now both groups, the Ormus Society and the Galaxy Federation , are trying to find the original Zohar , who was sealed after the Miltian Conflict on the planet Old Miltia , which was also banished to another dimension . The only way to Alt-Miltia is described in the Y-Data , which is worn by a Realian from the 100 series named MOMO . The Ormus Society sees the only way to get the Y-Data is to outsmart the Galaxy Federation . You can only do this with the help of many sub-organizations.

In the meantime, Vector Industries, the Galaxy Federation's largest arms and armor supplier and manufacturer, is trying to create an android called KOS-MOS using the latest nanotechnology .

Characters

Xenosaga contains a number of characters that evolve throughout the story. Most of them are very important to the plot and its progression. Here is a quick recap of all the major characters:

Shion Uzuki : Shion is the chief engineer of the first R&D department at Vector Industries. She is the main designer in the KOS-MOS project and also specializes in Realian technology. In the course of the plot, she distances herself from Vector and tries to find her own place in this plot.

KOS-MOS : KOS-MOS is a female fighting android developed by Vector Industries (mainly Shion and Kevin Winnicott). Two years before Episode I , there was an accident in which KOS-MOS got out of control, killed several people and was destroyed. Her name stands for "Kosmos Obey Strategical Multiple Operation Systems"

Ziggurat 8 : A cyborg who wants his memory to be erased because he has had traumatic experiences in his past. During Episode I , Ziggurat 8 befriends MOMO, who gives him the nickname Ziggy. In Episode II you can find out more details about his past.

MOMO : A 100 Series Female Observation Realian. It was developed by Joachim Mizrahi, who shaped it in the image of his daughter Sakura . MOMO is captured by the U-TIC Organization because it carries important data - the Y-Datas. In the course of the story she becomes friends with Ziggurat 8 and builds a close relationship with Jr. up. Her name is an abbreviation for "Multiple Observative Mimetic Organicus"

chaos : a white-haired boy and member of the Elsa crew. His name is never capitalized and appears to be just an alias. At the end of Episode II he is approached by one of the non-playable characters with Yeshua .

Jr. (Rubedo) : Jr. Is one of the URTVs that survived the Miltian Conflict. Due to his modified genes, he remained a child. He is the head of the Kukai Foundation, his URTV brother Gaignun (Nigredo) is the founder. During the plot, he establishes a relationship with MOMO.

Jin Uzuki : Shion's older brother. He was once the commander of the Galaxy Federation and tried to solve the mystery of the Miltian Conflict. In episode II he joins the group.

Albedo : Albedo is the twin brother of Jr. and also a URTV. He was born with the ability to regenerate, lived with the constant fear of one day being alone and felt like a monster.

Allen Ridgely : He's Shion's right hand man. While Shion only sees him as a good friend, he is in love with her. In episode III it is possible to add him to the team for a short time.

Miyuki Itsumi : A colleague and friend of Shion who made short appearances in the first and second part. She is the inventor of Shion's weapons and is part of the group at the beginning of Episode III.

Main trilogy

Xenosaga Episode I: The Will to Power

Episode I has the function of introducing the story. It introduces the characters, the previous plot and the first problems. Open questions (incompleteness of the storylines; background and motivation of the characters; operator of the conspiracy of the U-TIC organization) should encourage the players to buy Episode II as well.

The first part in the series received both praise and criticism. Nevertheless, it has many new features and an unprecedented combat system for RPG fans. The soundtrack comes from Yasunori Mitsuda and the London Philharmonic Orchestra .

Xenosaga Episode II: Beyond Good and Evil

Episode II starts exactly where Episode I leaves off. In this part the backstories of the characters Albedo, Nigrego / Gaignun, and Rubedo / Jr. and other secret organizations like Ormus and Hyams are uncovered. The gnosis play second fiddle in this part, instead the search for the Zohar comes to the fore.

Episode II shows some differences to the first part: a changed combat system, different graphics and shorter cut scenes. After Episode II came out, many Monolith Soft employees were withdrawn from this project.

Xenosaga Episode III: Thus Spoke Zarathustra

Xenosaga Episode III takes place a year after the second part. Old and new playable characters appear in it. In September 2005 it was finally confirmed that this part would be the last, although six parts were originally planned. In Japan the third part appeared on July 6th and in America on August 29th, 2006. A European publication was not made due to the weak sales of the predecessor. All people who pre-ordered the game in Japan received a bonus DVD called "Xenosaga Alle special DVD". The title, which is common in the land of the rising sun, proves that the German language is very popular there.

The protagonist of the role-playing game is again Shion Uzuki, who with the help of her friends Jin Uzuki, Jr. Gaignun, MOMO, chaos, Ziggy and KOS-MOS tries to get to the bottom of the last secrets of the Gnosis and the company Vector Inc.

Screenshots and trailers show the protagonists' new character design. This design is a mixture of the first and second Xenosaga, which means that it is neither too realistic nor too comic.

As in the second Xenosaga, Yuki Kajiura is responsible for the music. Shinji Hosoe, who composed the intermediate music in Xenosaga Episode II, is no longer responsible for this due to numerous criticisms in the third Xenosaga. This means that this time Yuki Kajiura takes over the entire background music for Xenosaga Episode III.

The combat system is more similar to that of Xenosaga Episode I, which means that the popular "tech" attacks are back. The combat orders are not entered with the help of the buttons, but issued in the menu as in Final Fantasy X normally.

In Xenosaga Episode III, Canaan, Miyuki Itsumi, and Allen Ridgely are also playable characters. T-elos, the opponent of KOS-MOS, also plays a major role. With Doctus, a completely new person also takes on a bigger role in Episode III.

The new E3 (2006) trailer shows that the protagonist Shion Uzuki was dubbed again by Lia Sargent, who Shion had already voiced in Xenosaga Episode I. It is also known that the spokeswoman for KOS-MOS from Episode I, Ruby Marlowe, gives T-elos her voice this time. According to speculation, however, this should also speak KOS-MOS, which would mean that KOS-MOS and T-elos are both spoken by Ruby Marlowe.

Also a new mini-game called "GeMix ?!" or "Hakox" (American version), which is supposed to provide fun and entertainment away from the main plot in Xenosaga Episode III, is included.

Side stories

Xenosaga: Pied Piper

This game was released as a mobile phone game in Japan and deals with the story of the cyborg Ziggy when he was a human named Jan Sauer who worked for the Galaxy Federation's anti-terrorist unit. In terms of content, it is located 100 years before Episode I. The game was created to play around the stories of key characters such as Ziggy, Chaos, Wilhelm, Voyager and Dr. Dimitri Yuriev to explain, as these are neglected in Xenosaga. Soraya Saga ended her work on the Xenosaga series with this part.

Xenosaga I & II

The original title is Xenosaga DS for the Nintendo DS . It tells the story of the first two parts in a DS version with a few differences, such as: B. a different character artwork and a few sequences that are new or have been replaced.

Xenosaga II to III: A Missing Year

A Missing Year is the title of a six-part film series that was freely available for a limited time on Namco's Japanese website, bridging the year-long plot gap between the end of Episode II and the beginning of Episode III. - Conceived as a teaser for Episode III, the character Doctus and a young girl named Nephilim are introduced in addition to the well-known characters, who despite the name is apparently not identical to the recurring character from the main parts. In addition to the continuation of the main plot, the introduction of additional and later recurring characters, A Missing Year opens up some backgrounds, which make the events of the 3rd episode partly more understandable and offer additional insights and space for speculation about the past. - Formally, A Missing Year was only produced in Japanese. An English translation was announced, but for unknown reasons it was ultimately not published or actually implemented. In addition, the Flash films have not been officially available since the release of Episode III, but are enjoying great interest among fans of the series and are the source of several projects that have devoted themselves to translation into English.

Other Xenosaga projects

Web links