If you are a fan of the Xenosaga series, this is a great game.
It is just as challenging as the first episode.

If anyone enjoyed the entry that was Xenosaga (part one) the character design, story, gameplay and music would stand out first in your mind. The voice acting was spot on, although many say that MOMO was annoying to begin with. I enjoyed the leveling up and appreciated each character's diverse weaponry. I love the lengthy cut scenes and the cliffhanger ending with the re-entry into Second Milita. Xenosaga II however, should expound on all of these things and more...

The first disappointment I had once I popped this game in was the vast difference in character models. Yes, there are those who don't like the big-eyed anime look and chubby faces, but once you guide these guys though 40+ hours of gameplay I think it grows on you. What the development team was thinking in making the character change is beyond me.

The second disappointment is the drastic change Shion makes as a person. Didn't this game start immediately after the first? Now she is no longer the sweet, polite, intelligent scientist we knew. She tells Allen to "be a man!" It's not the same Shion that was like "okay, sure..." when Tony hits on her!

The voice acting took a wide left as KOS-MOS sounds like well... a girl instead of the straight-to-business android. The music that was the epic London Symphony was replaced by an 1993 Casio beat machine. I will not comment more.

The biggest departure in my experience was the eternal loading times before each battle. I went to make a sandwich when I got into a battle.

It was at this point after finishing the first disk I did not even complete the game, I just dropped it off at the store for my refund. We all wonder why this game is on two disks when it is far shorter (cutscenes included) and part one was all on one disk and it was double the length. It is good that Xenosaga III redeemed the series.

For me, the long anticipated sequel to Xenosaga 1 was at first amazing, then mildly disappointing, and finally quite rewarding. This chapter in the series is largely devoted to answering the many questions posed in the first. We are introduced early on to the Patriarch, head of the fictional religious organization Ormus. We get to learn a lot more about the organization hierarchy and purpose.

Albedo finally succeeds in obtaining the Y-data which opens the door to Old Miltia and the original Zohar. Now there is a race between Ormus and the Federation to obtain the most important and powerful relic of all time.

As usual this is more movie than game. There's only 7 or so dungeons to explore, plus a couple ships and cities. The most rewarding of all of this is getting to witness the back story concerning the URTVs. U-DO, or the Unus Mundus Drive Operation, is explained in a little more depth as a natural consciousness from a higher plain of existence.

This has my favorite battle system that involves using a specific combination of attacks in order to 'break' the enemy. You can also boost as usual and stock your attacks to unleash them all at once. You can even move behind the enemy for back attacks.

I really like the Xenosaga series. The only thing I would have to say is that the battle system is kinda off. The cinematics in the game however are great and the music is good too. Personally , I think some of the characters might need more improvement as far as the driving force of the character himself. Prepare your self for a long story. If you are a big fan of cinematics and like watching them for 10-20 mins. each, then this is your game. Overall, I love this game. I love the Xenosaga series. I just like hearing a long story. Not exactly the favorite for most people, but everyone has their particular taste for the way a story is written.

I bought this game with a great deal of anticipation. I had absolutely loved the first game, and I even hail that game as one of the best Sci-Fi RPG's of all time. I got this game and was immediately immersed in the opening scenes and first few steps of gameplay. When I got to the first boss fight that wasn't a flash back, I was swept with a deep despair......I realized that i absolutely hated this game with all my heart and soul.

This game is the biggest disappointment I've experienced since i played Final Fantasy 5 (which I personally think was the worst game in that series). They kept the same characters (though with a few disappointing voice cast changes) , they upgraded the character design models (well most of them) and they still had the same amazing story that made me love the first one. The story in this game actually delves deeper into the complexity of the world this game is set in, and answers several questions left over from the first game, as well as adding new ones. everything was generally kept the same, but as with all RPGs in a series, people always assume that they need to completely change part of the operational makeup of the game to add a new feel, something that doesn't make you feel like you're playing the same game again. More often than not, it's the battle system, in this case it was one of the biggest mistakes in gaming history.

Game Informer called this game "a dropped ball of Devil may Cry 2 proportions" and they were right. The battle system in this game has something to do with zones and certain attack forms that correspond to them, it really doesn't matter. All you need to know is that the enemies remain at about the same level of strength as they were in the previous game, but the strength of your characters is severely handicapped. All of the relished special attacks and super moves from the first game are gone, and replaced with pale little sissy slaps that conveniently have the same names. I actually had to have characters wait to charge up points to launch a succession of attacks (much like you did in the first game to use special moves) just to be able to inflict as much damage as a casual kick did in the first game. This makes fighting in this game, the most frustrating and completely uninteresting part of the entire game and, this being an RPG after all, IT ENCOMPASSES 1/2 OF THE FREAKING GAME.

I played through to the end (don't ask me how i tolerated doing it, it'll just piss me off more) and in terms of the story it was a homerun. The story is once again amazing, but sadly carries all the depth the game has to offer. if this had been a 3 hour animated film, it would have been worthwhile, but as a game this is a pale imitation of the greatness of Xenosaga 1. If you're curious about the story, buy a cheap copy of it, use a cheat machine to blast through the game quick, soak up all there is to the story and then sell it or return it. You won't feel bad, there isn't any game to be played here beyond watching the cutscenes.