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Xenosaga I&II Staffers Revealed
Namco assembles a famous cast for the new DS adaptation.
by Anoop Gantayat
October 20, 2005 - When Namco first announced that the Xenosaga series would be coming to the DS, adaptations of parts I & II were not what most were expecting. But that's what we're getting. Xenosaga I&II for the DS combines the storylines of the first and second PS2 entries in one package. But it's not a quickie 2D port of the PlayStation 2 version. In fact, Namco and developer Monolith have assembled a staff of well known developers for the game, as revealed in a recent update from Famitsu.
Those familiar with the anime world will recognize these names. The script for Xenosaga I&II is being provided by Yuichiro Takeda, who worked on the Xenosaga cartoon and also the more recent Jipang cartoon. Character designs, which are different from the two PS2 titles, are by Hiroshi Takeuchi, well known for his work on Cowboy Bebop and Mai Hime. Kousuke Yamashita, of Nobunaga's Ambition and Mahou Sentai Majirenjaa Tabidate fame is taking on musical responsibilities.
We can expect more than just a port -- or maybe less, depending on how you look at things. Xenosaga I and II were full games on their own, so combining them into one title would produce a massive game indeed. While Monolith is reworking some of the scenes that didn't have too much relation to the main storyline, it's also adding in new scenarios, so we can still expect a long title.
As the story for the games has already been set, the staff has had to make some changes and concessions for consistency's sake. The new scenarios may have new characters, but don't expect any major shakedowns during these parts. Also, while the PS2 version of Xenosaga Episode II took place from Jr.'s perspective, the DS version will take place from Shion's perspective. This move is being made in order to present the two storylines in the body of a single game.
Don't let the title fool you. Xenosaga I&II is meant to be played as a single RPG -- that is, a single game that takes players through the storyline from parts I and II of the series. You can expect character development to change accordingly. It's possible that players will finish part 1 of the DS game with their characters at much lower level than when they played part 1 on the PS2.
The Famitsu update reveals a few solid gameplay details on Xenosaga I&II. The game keeps the main action on the top screen, allowing players to view things from a 3/4 perspective. The bottom screen shows menus and command windows during battle. When not in battle, you have access to a quick save feature via the bottom screen.
Stylus support will be included as well. The game's dungeons will feature mini-game elements which will require that you use the stylus.
The battle system will be a continuation of the system found in Xenosaga I, although your AP meter maxes out at 3 levels in this game as opposed to the maximum of six for the original. Expect to see new skills for the characters, although character combination attacks won't be a part of the game. In its place, the game introduces a new gameplay element tentatively called "Personal Formation" (P-F). As part of the P-F system, the formation of your battle party affects your surroundings. Details will be provided in a later update.
During battle and the victory poses that follow, you can look forward to hearing character voices, although it seems that this will be the limit of the game's voice support. The game will include animated movies, holding up to series tradition even in the absence of voices.
Xenosaga I&II is still without a final release date, but the latest screenshots in Famitsu suggest that the game is advancing quite nicely through development. We expect to have it playing on our DS systems in the not-so-distant future.
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