The visuals are once again pleasing to the eye. Wonderful character designs, environment layouts, and spectacular spells fill the senses with wonder and awe. Namco has built upon an already sharp looking engine, and the results are one of the better-looking RPGs on the market. This goes for the cut scenes as well, which is a good thing as they are long ones. Remember the cut scenes that went on for over a half an hour in the first? They are back in splendid form. Seriously, this game goes head to head with Metal Gear as one of those games that make you wonder if you are playing the game, or the game is playing you. The rest of the pretty package engulfs you in a futuristic space atmosphere, from the menus to the game design. This is indeed a sci-fi/RPG fan’s dream.

Audio lends a hand in the presentation by delivering both rewarding music and voice acting. The sound is easily more polished than in the previous title, yet somewhat flawed in the execution that the cut scenes are the only sounds in 5.1. I guess they knew you’d be watching plenty of them, so that is where all attention went. The score is ever changing and keeps pace with the mood of each situation and fight scene. The voice acting provides the right amount of emotion and drama you would expect from a riveting storyline. Sure some actors stray over the top now and again, but overall you can’t argue that the performances do a more than adequate job of keeping your attention during those long, drawn out, cut scenes. The rest of the effects are decent RPG fodder, with tons of bells and whistles to portray magic and sound effects.

Where Xenosaga II finds its biggest inconsistency is in the combat system and overall depth of this title. First, the bad, this game is short, especially for an RPG, and even more so compared to the original. With the Dot Hack series, you knew going in that there would be four of them, and not to expect the largest of RPG titles. When Xenosaga delivered an impressive amount of game play, cut scenes or no, you got your money’s worth and an exhilarating ride. Xenosaga II is a little more than half the length of the original, including the movies. On top of everything else, you still have tons of plot holes left to be filled as most questions from the first weren’t answered, and new questions have come up to fill your head with even more confusion. If you know that by going into Xenosaga II you will not get any closure, you may get more out of the game than those of us who expected to have some answers.

Now the good, Xenosaga II has improved tremendously on the battle system from the first, making the game a joy to play, when you are able to play it. Adding a new element of game play called Stocks, you can now stock many combos and strikes to use later in each battle. This adds a bit more strategy and diversity as compared with the other RPGs on the market. Added as well are two character controlled mecha robots that will add some oomph to your battle damage. The rest of the battle system is much like the original, but tweaked for the better. There are some flawed aspects to the money and experience issues, but you unfortunately will not be playing long enough to suffer any real consequences.

Overall, if you were fan of this strange world, then you would not be wasting time continuing this quest. Just be aware that there will be another Xenosaga, but for other reasons than it is such a cool game. With so many questions still lingering, Xenosaga III had better be twice as long as the first with cut scenes that would even make Peter Jackson blush. At any rate, Xenosaga II is good, just not great, and fails to live up to the expectations of its originator.