Xenogears (PlayStation)

The power gaming company Squaresoft breaks tons of their long-standing traditions in the creation of Xenogears for the classic PlayStation. Xenogears contains featured animated sequences instead of the standard CGI that have made the Final Fantasy games famous. The epic story begins when Fei Fong Wong must pilot a Gear that mysteriously appears in his home village. After a traumatic event, Fei is forced to leave from his home village and must start a search for the truth that later becomes almost too much to bare. Along the way on his long journey, he will meet people from all over the globe and beyond, in places he never would expect. Xenogears is a not stop thrilling action powered Role Playing game which it can take up to 70 or more hours to complete. The characters in Xenogears are 2D sprites like those used for the SNES, but much more detailed, and the highly detailed 3D backgrounds can be fully rotated. The music, by Yasunori Mitsuda, Gives you the desire to play this immersive adventure that stands as one of the greatest complicated stories in RPG history, believe it.

Storyline:
What starts off as a cliche storyline of a man living in a secluded town with no memories soon turns into a tale that bluntly...isn't that cliche at all. This game, hands down, has got to have one of the best stories I have ever experienced in a video game, or in a book or movie for that matter. The amount of plot twists and turns, combined with memorable characters made this game worthwhile. It was a game that kept drawing me back, mainly because of the story. The story is so complex with much backstory that I had to play it through more than once to understand all of it.

Gameplay:
The gameplay also starts out like an average rpg. Until you get into your first random battle that is...although it might not be that fun in your first random battle. However, sticking with it, the battle system is very fun, with all the different combos and moves that can be learned. It adds a little something more over the traditional RPG type battle, which is a definite plus. Fighting with the Gears (big mech robots) also added in a nice touch.

Graphics:
I considered the graphics a bit above par when I played the game, but being a fan of anime like I am, I loved the anime cutscenes that were in the game. Sound:
There were some memorable tracks in the game, as well as almost every sound fitting to the situation, however the only reason it doesn't get a perfect is because of the dubbing during the anime cutscenes...which is ironic since I loved them visually.

Overall:
This is one of the best games of all time. I say this especially to those that get bored in the beginning of the game, before the story and gameplay gets more fun and exciting. It is a game that I feel everyone should play through at least once. It's just that good.