Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra (Sony PlayStation 2, 2006)

After playing Episode II, which had the slowest battle system in the series, I was hoping for improvement in this final chapter of the story, and was amazed after only 30 minutes. Right off the bat, you can select "Data" from the menu, which takes you to cutscene and character model viewers (progressing as you play through the game) a feature that should have been in the second game.
As you progress through the story, you go through the traditional epic cutscenes, and also some NEW voiced textbox cutscenes (which can be automatically skipped by pressing SELECT). The battle system has been revamped (no loading time) and is more traditional this time, with your standard attack, your techs, ether skills, and special attacks (using the boost meter), and a whole lot faster and enjoyable than ever (also easier). The game is still very linear, but the story is so absorbing that you won't care, and there are still lots of side-quests and the HaKox action/puzzle mini-game to sidetrack you. The characters have gone through a redesign again, they are slightly less mature models, and the outfits on some characters are stunning! You still get your ES battles too, which was probably the only fun part of Episode II, and the music and voice acting are both well-done.

To summarize:
Graphics --- A (very detailed and large environments, great redesign of the main characters, auto camera is again flawless, and constant 30fps)
Sound --- A (soundtrack fits that of an epic movie, amazing number of voice acted characters)
Controls --- B (controls are very simple, though there's not much to interact with)
Gameplay --- A (great battle system, super HaKox mini-game, some good side-quests)
Learning Curve --- B+ (relatively simple turn-based battle system, nowhere near the complexity of XSII, could be good for newcomers to the series but not recommended for story purposes)
Value --- A+ (even if you don't wish to replay the game, you can still replay the entire story through the event viewer, tremendous database comes back from XSI, and you can build your own levels in HaKox)

Overall, this game is a masterpiece of storytelling and RPG goodness, buy it now, you won't regret it. Also, try to get through Episode II if you haven't already, to get the full story.

First off, the fighting system is fast, furious and fun, the best in the series, but not totally crazy like FFX-2 or Star Ocean TtEoT. The story is great, but the diolouge during the text-box scenes can be cheesy, and the voice acting is a little childish at times, but not enough to be a major complaint. The graphics are spectacular, one of the best on the PS2 platform. The characters, while not being as extremely deformed as in Episode 1, now have a "realistic anime" style. Basically, they are much more atractive than in Episode 2, but are still more suited for the seriousness of Xenosaga than the art style of Episode 1.
Even if you're not crazy about the story, the battle system is well worth your time.

Ep. III had me feeling rather skeptical before it came out, as Ep. II's battle system left me exasperated to the point of practically inventing new colloquialisms. However, my fear was lain to rest quickly after starting this game. After an hour, I could not put the game down. The E.S./mech battles had received a complete overhaul, practially making me shed tears of joy. After wondering how the storyline would culminate, I must say that I was more than satisfied with how the plot was crafted. The soundtrack, though in some places less endorphin-inducing than that of Ep. I, was still excellent. The only real improvement I could suggest would be to make the difficulty a little harder, as I only found one or two battles in the entire game that made me really have to think. However, the storyline left me begging for more. Why, Namco, did you have to cancel an RPG series with so much potential? Gamers, do you owe it to yourself to check this game out.

Xenosaga the series has gone through it's troubles, but maintains one of the greatest storylines ever told in a videogame. This third installment is much more like the original Xenosaga in it's style and presentation, while the battle system has finally received a much needed upgrade. It's now extremely fast paced and fairly straight forward, with just enough strategy to keep fans of the old system happy.

It also includes a full summary of both previous Xenosaga games and a video gallery that lets you watch every scene of dialogue or cutscene you've unlocked by playing through the game.

Overall, this is the best RPG I've played in a long time.

This game is an excellent addition to the Xenosaga series. I loved the first two games. For those who have not played the first two games and decide to skip to the third episode for any reason, the game features the Xeno Bible which gives you a summary of what has happened up until episode three. There is also a database in the game that gives you information on characters, locations, ect. when you find the database files. They are hidden in certain areas of the game. I enjoyed playing this game! The storyline, the battle system, the puzzles, and the tricky challanges. I love all of it!