I’ve pretty much described my conclusion on the game a couple of paragraphs up, but to summarize it once again, Xenosaga II: Jenseits von Gut und Bose is an RPG most people will only be able to play because they fall in love with it and the universe it represents from the get-go. 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. Will I be interested in keeping up with the series as new chapters are released to flesh out the saga? Most certainly, but after playing Xenosaga II, I no longer have the hype and excitement over the series that I once did. Some of the plot elements just feel too hackneyed or cheesy for my tastes, and the gameplay just really isn’t all there. For a sci-fi RPG, you could easily do a lot worse this year, but you also might just want to do yourself a favor and sink that $50 into getting ripped off by some punk on eBay for a working copy of the original Xenogears for nostalgia’s sake. Had they put more effort into the underlying gameplay so players actually had something more to do beyond waiting for the next cutscene to occur, and tighted up the voice acting, animation system, and storytelling a lot more, Xenosaga II might have turned out to be a great experience, but as it is now, I have to pass the game off as an average release. Let’s hope they do better next time, as I’m still looking forward to witnessing the ongoing high-tech adventures of Shion, KOS-MOS, and their other companions in the future.