Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra
The saga ends on a high note. A VERY high note.
Published: September 12, 2006
The audio is just a little less impressive, mainly because the soundtrack just isn't memorable. That's not to say it's not good -- it certainly is that -- but trying to reach back and remember any of the music in the game just has me drawing a blank. From my notes, I've got that the orchestra bits were "fantastic," but a few hours after finishing the game, I can't seem to recall any of it. Odd.
The sound effects, filled with splashy shattering sounds, thick, soupy punches and kicks and lots of little grunts here and there, are all top notch. Each of the characters in the game have different sounding footfalls, and the sheer amount of spoken text is awesome (in fact, the stuff that isn't spoken now appears in a simple text bubble above people's heads, Xenogears-style, allowing you to start a conversation that sounds interesting by just tapping Square when you're near someone). The only problem with the dialogue is that it was compressed rather heavily. It's not noticeable for the guys, but certain girl characters like Shion's friend Miyuki and the villainess Pellegri have strong, hard sibilant S sounds, and it's turned into a burst of static whenever they talk.
There are also plenty of familiar voices here to anyone who's seen mainstream anime, and the performances are about on par with what you'd expect there. Namco apparently went with a different production company, because many of the voices from the original game have returned here, and it makes for a nice little bit of aural homecoming. It's just a shame some of those performances are a little marred by the audio quality.
After the horrid outing that was Xenosaga Episode II, I honestly didn't think the team had it in them to make a proper sequel -- let alone one that was effectively four games' storylines crammed into the space of a pair of DVDs. But they did it, and 45+ hours later, I find myself wanting to go back and play through the game again. I want to beat HaKox, I want to find all the Segment Addresses, I want to see if I can save that kid's balloon, I want to win the Miltian Lotto, but most of all I just want to experience this story all over again.
It's a bittersweet swan song for the series, and it's only now, realizing that it's finally over, that I realize I do want another three chapters. This is a saga worth telling in long, ambling steps, because so much time and care was spent crafting the whole world. It seems unfair that we would have to leave it now, but, well, there's always next-gen. Maybe we'll get another series that isn't (is) related to Xenogears there too. And maybe this time they'll give their multi-part epic right from the start.
