@@blobeyeordie With all due respect the story of xenogears is much more complex than ff7. Ff7 was definitely executed better, but it didn’t need a companion textbook to understand the story.
@@michaelsaurusrox325 Yes, of course. Ive played through the entirety of the Xeno-series many times and am still learning/understanding new things. My comment was in the context of how large and divisive(amongst fans) the Remake is and has become. Large as in how many parts it will be and how convoluted and questionable they can make things. They are afterall going to rewrite or remake(pun intended) the FF7 Ultimania to fit the changes in
I really believe it's a story to be taken seriously as mentioned at the start of the video. The depht of it is really rare as there are layers upon layers of symbols, references and subtle messages you can make a whole dissertation about it. It has influenced the way I see the real world forever, affecting my life decisions even today.
I agree with everything you said , very few games leave that kind of reflection. Nier is another game that I put into this same category. Multi dimensional.
@@shelterfromcold8620 Totally. it feels cathartic. For me those games are: nier xenogears silent hill 2 planescape torment pathologic knights of the old republic two dark souls 1
But the tropes of using religious references when is just to make like more psychological points, it should just be take as lore points with no true correlation with its rl counterparts aside the gnosticism stuff, they went full on with that in the game
I bought the game as a young man, but I actually mistook it for another game. I got home, put it in my PS1 and now, I don't Ever regret buying it. It's my favorite game of all time! The story, the music, the emotion, the heart, and the action is amazing! There are certain things that may throw you off but it's a great game! I hope you and all who play have a great experience playing, Xenogears.
In the past I used to think the way this game affected my life was something rare, now I see that this game is even more important than I thought with all the people discussing and getting deeper into it's universe and symbols. A true masterpiece in my opinion.
Awesome, guys! This is truly THE game that deserves this treatment. No games story and perhaps to story since Xenogears comes close to Xenogears. It is still the future of video game storytelling. Unless developers (who posses heart, soul and an education in literature, philosophy and esoterica) look back and study Xenogears, this game will remain the best story game for another 25 years.
Damn! Finally!! I even called 2 friends over to play Xenogears with me while we listen to the State of the arc - Xenogears series. We are calling Xenogears game club snd just created 2 Xenogears shirts as well. This will be neat! Once more, thanks guys to talk about one of the best games ever.
So freaking excited for this. I bet this is gonna be the longest podcast series in this channel. There's so much to discuss in terms of lore, story, characters, setting, and so much development history
Holy cow, love the production on these podcasts... and its being done weekly now! You guys are also super well-spoken and im so happy with the way you guys are pushing for the profoundness of video game story telling! Thank you so much and keep up the truly great work!
@@patrickholleman9323 When are you going to be a guest in this Xenogears analysis? It's not an analysis without you talking about Xenogears my man. Because I can already see Casen and Mike missing or misunderstanding things and rambling about it for 30 minutes haha I love them tho!
A part of me really wants it, but I know they'd ruin it. If it ever gets adapted it has to be by someone who truly understand not only the messages and themes, but what it means to others. And for this story, I don't know if there's anyone that can do that.
I think Apple would be the streaming platform that would actually do the story justice. It'd have a huge budget and a lot of heft behind it. It bums me out that Apple's TV product has low sub rate/name recognition when they're making fewer, but higher quality shows and films than the other platforms.
You guys are nuts. No big American companies should be anywhere near this project, not now, or any time soon. It should be produced in Japan and licensed out later.
What a great start to this podcast series! One of my favourite things about Resonant Arc is that you guys subvert the commonly repeated narrative in games media that "gaming's only now finally growing up" and "games are only now finally telling deep, meaningful stories" - disregarding the immense efforts of developers like Square in the 80s, 90s, and 00s to build bold and engaging narratives. It's because you take these games seriously, and critique them appropriately, that you are able to explore their depth, and represent it to your viewers/listeners =) Thanks for a great episode! And congratulations to Casen on the new baby =D
Ayyyy! I'm back on the hype train for this! Can't wait to hear you two dive in to Xenogears when I get off work. I'll be back! Enjoy this comment for the algorithm.
@@Crimsonrain13 Admittedly, I never got around to watching this. Just finished Xenoblade Chronicles though and- in the absence of a long retrospective on that game- came here to see the connections.
I'm sorry, but as someone who played and loved it when it originally released (and even still have my original first print copy), this game really needs a full on remake. I mean, just listening to this first episode here points out exactly why this is the case. The game is just plain incomplete, the English translation is a mess, and most of all; Takahashi was overall not happy with the end result. My hope for awhile now has been that since Nintendo and SE have sort of re-kindled their relationship in recent years since the Switch released, that SE would allow Nintendo/Monolithsoft to license out the Xenogears IP so that Takahashi (and his wife) could completely remake/re-imagine the game from the ground up. Basically they could take the same characters, world, and main story beats; and then morph it into a fresh new game. Think of building the game to something a bit more open world akin to the Xenoblade games (particularly Xenoblade Chronicles X since that game had mech gameplay it it as well).
One of my all time favorites. This is the game that showed me what kind of narrative rpgs are capable of. The soundtrack is one of the best out there to me. I still find myself humming City of burning sands to myself.
most of the ps 1 and ps 2 storytelling, arrived with greater impact than most of the games on all the consoles to come later. there's a lot to unpack associated with that and I'm not the guy to do it. that being said, Xenogears was one of my favorite titles, the story was a formative part of my teenage years. I still use the arch badguy's obscure name (Krellian) on MMO's and stuff like that; so it left its mark on me. I def feel lucky to have been in my young adult years and had Xenogears as a really fun memory and I hope the development team can read this!
Gotta come in here to just say I love how much fun Casen was having this podcast haha his references and laughter with Mike brings out a smile while I'm working away/listening in.
With how playing xenogears is limited (ps3, psp, or original console) I have been craving the ability to play the game for many years now. Thankfully I’ve stumbled upon your guys podcast and there seems to be a lot of parts to the analysis of xenogears, so I hope this helps ease the hunger I have for experiencing this wonderful game again.
Great video! I started Xenogears for a few weeks and almost finished it. I also read how Yasunori Mitsuda nearly worked himself to death. The good thing is that after that he took more care about his health!
This specific video series of the two of you breaking down Xenogears in full is my UA-cam content dream. I'm so excited... That being said with the breadth of content you both will be taking in and analyzing and breaking down, maybe the show needs to be biweekly instead of of weekly.
This game and Xenosaga made me curious about Gnosticism, which i knew nothing at all about, like most people. The first time i played it as a teen, i didn't understand what was going on at all, so to me was just a cool mecha rpg. It wasn't until years later when i replayed it with more knowledge and maturity, that i was able to grasp what the story was about. The cross symbol is much older than christianity and has been used in many cultures around the world to represent either the Sun or the Northern/Southern Cross. I think the first games where you kill God (that i know of) are the Shin Megami Tensei series (which do reference christianity), and is usually more related to the concept of Demiurge or false god, which is also used on the Xeno games.
As you guys bring up "what would this game have been like with a budget" it'd be interesting at some point to bring up at least a discussion of what happened with Xenosaga HAVING that budget at first
As a long-time fan of Takahashi and Tanaka's works (Xenogears especially), thank you for all the time spent tackling this literal bear. I recognize that I'm more than a year late, but all the same: I thoroughly enjoyed the analysis, and I look forward to hearing what you both have to say about the rest of the game. A good friend of mine floated your recent Xenosaga Episode I podcast my way (which is why I'm here now). I figure I should return the favor in some way: Have you gentlemen considered doing an analysis of Legend of Dragoon?
I’m really looking forward to this game!! I already played through the forest jiji Btw, big BIG thanks to the translator, f***ing legend. I want to add that, as an European (non native english speaker) I’m learning a lot about nuances of the English language. Thanks for explaining why “God, it’s locked” sounds weird. In general, since I speak a bit of Japanese, I tend to use the translation as support while trying to get the intent behind the words, or the emocional background, from the voice acting. Now I’m playing the USA version of Xenogears, all in English, so I’m a bit concerned about not noticing the translation problems and getting a wrong idea in some of the dialogs. But it looks like the translator did an amazing job so hopefully not :)
I'm so glad I started my Xenogears playthrough last week. I just finished the Kislev section and made it on the Thames. I havent played it in 15 years and I'm excited to hear your guys analysis as I play as I'm sure I will have a much better understanding of the story and it's themes in doing so. Can't wait for the rest and really enjoyed the discussion so far!
Excellent job on this Intro episode. Did want to mention there is a UA-cam Channel by the name of "Crossknights" who does a very good, and entertaining Let's Play of this game. I know they will be playing through this game as well, but for those that have never played this and don't have access to the game I thought it might be good to mention so you could watch up to the point that they are playing through before next episode. Plus he is entertaining as I mentioned and he is very good at not giving spoilers. Worth a shout out for sure:)
Mike and Casen, on April 7th 2018, there was a 20th Anniversary of Xenogears live concert in Japan that was streamed. You had to have paid for a ticket to view the stream of course and it was in a weird hour of the day for the U.S, but someone uploaded the footage on youtube and I managed to save the audio before the video was taken down. I’ve since lost the computer that had the mp3 of the concert but I do still have the audio burnt onto CDs. It wont necessarily contribute to any discussions about the plot of the game but I believe Mitsuda himself was present at the concert and offered some things to say in japanese between certain songs. If you’re at all interested I’d like to find a way to get my “bootleg” to you, mail/email or otherwise. Let me know!
Really looking forward to this. Only discovered and played this game last year, and was blown away by its ambition, what it tries to do and what it really acomplishes to do.
Let's go! Never played Xenogears before, so I'm interested to see how this goes. What is the best platform to play this game on now? Also, these first episodes are actually my favorite so far. I love getting to know about these creators more and learning about dev history. Sometimes the story of the developers is just as interesting as the story of the game itself!
If any chance you still have a ps2, or can come across one in my opinion that would be your best bet. Has a feature to smooth over graphics and speed up load times on ps1 games
One of my favorite genres of storytelling has always been the 'Lost History' narrative. This game introduced me to the concept for the first time. I love games like Too Human and Xenogears that explore the idea that our old myths are based on a hidden reality that is simply lost to time. I guess I just really love the idea that there is so much more to understand that if we were ever told the truth it would be so fantastic as to be unbelievable.
See, the game wasn't released in Australia during the 90's and goddamn I'm still salty as fuck about that, but I'll jump on this one. Figure out a copy and ways to play it. It's a good time. 10 year old me was so ready in the 90s and the bastards never gave it to us. Thanks for the episode guys
I'm in England so very hard to get a copy of also. You could consider emulating the game on a PC and also buying a modern Square product of similar price that you have no intention of playing as an ethical way to play the game.
It’s never been released in Europe either but it’s pretty simple to make a US PSN account and buy it on PS3 if you have one. On the other hand I think a lot of people recommend emulating it for the sake of having means to counteract sluggish gameplay
So glad to see coverage for this game on the channel, I am excited to get your take on the game and feel encouraged to dive into one of my favorite worlds again. I wonder if now as an adult it will be as impactful and how much more I’ll understand.
I think Takahashi has crafted the absolute best stories in gaming. In terms of the lore, the unique settings, and the intricate character writing, no game Ive played has been close to how good the Xeno series as a whole has managed to be. I really hope that the upcoming Xenoblade games can tie in Xenosaga to their lore in a more overt way. Completing Takahashi's story vision would be a dream come true.
Videogames from that era did not have cliffhangers. Games had true endings back in those days. Nowadays, most developers insult gamers by never having a true ending, i.e. assassins creed, just to milk the gamers for years and decades on end. Xenogears, despite having a rushed second disk, it still provided an ending and true closure.
After previously watching your other Xenogears review, analysis and discussion videos, the game definitely seems profound. Almost like a hidden gem, so I’m excited for what’s to come! ✨
I have known of Aizuchi for awhile, but haven't fully understood it until I heard your explanation. The biggest example that comes up to my mind is in Kojima games and Metal gear where snake would repeat what he heard constantly in a gravelly voice.
For those who don't know they have a 3 part analysis series on Xenogears from a few years back with the guy sitting on the left. Probably the best I've ever seen.
Awesome first episode! Looking forward to this series. I was a fan of Xenoblade but Mike is the one who got me to play Xenogears and I think it's still the best video game story I've ever experienced. Interesting that Casen used the term "logos" near the end of the conversation because that term is important to the lore of Xenoblade 2, Takahasi's most recent game. It's the true name of one of the main antagonists.
Congrats Casen on your third child! You're a beast! It's my first time playing Xenogears as well, so I'll kind of miss not hearing his first thoughts and impressions of the opening on the next episode. Maybe he could touch on his initial thoughts when he returns? I'd love to hear them and I'm curious to compare them to my own experience, being a first playthrough and all. Huge respect and thank you for the series!
I am so glad that there's someone doing this kind of thing. I started Xenogears about a month ago. I'm not that far into it yet but it already is very clear to me that this is a game that warrants discussions and deep-dives and criticisms. As a writer myself, I completely agree with the sentiment that criticism is absolutely necessary for a medium to grow. I'm so looking forward to following this along as I play the game.
Truly amazing that a game is still being analyzed and discussed with such depth more than 20 years after it’s release. I have played through it a number of times and now maybe I should again.
I have to comment and say thanks SO MUCH for this format of podcast. I've been trying for so long to move away from gaming news podcasts and move more into like, evergreen theme and story discussion. To the point where I even thought about making my own solo podcast to jump into things that have been on my own mind about games and stories and narratives that I love. Definitely got yourself a faithful listener here, and absolutely pumped to go through your back catalog! You guys are awesome and well-researched, and clearly have a solid understanding of narrative and these really important foundation layers of the JRPG genre. It's awesome and keep it up!!
This is amazing, thank you for taking the time to do this!! Playing Xenogears for my first time now, and will definitely be following your other videos for other games!!
I can't believe I just found this. My brother had shared the podcast on Spotify. And I tweeted so much about what you guys said in the beginning and I AM HOOKED. I'm from Asia by the way and I just wanna say, Xenogears molded me into the person and gamer that I am today
yo guys that's a weird thing to say but thanks for the good production quality, im french and my hearing of english isn't that fancy so the good audio really helps me
after finishing Xenogears, I felt empty playing any other videogame. You could say Xenogears ended my videogame era. No other game can beat the story telling. As much as I would have liked for a complete disc 2, I like how it fits the narrative of the story and see it as symbolic. I keep my fingers crossed for an 1000 episode anime series 🥺🥺
I bought a english physical version of the Perfect Work few weeks ago, this my lecture of every night before bed time since 2 weeks, I've never been so confuse but at same time so amaze how rich this universe is. The amount of work and time put in this lore must be ridiculous.
@@38kob Someone on the Xenogear reddit community Sold it on lulu on a real physical copy hardcover with the english translation. The person nickname is Samiyla, you can try contact because now the book have been take down for obvious copyright reason.
I love that bit about how, and I know I'm sorta paraphrasing here... "depiction of a thing in a piece of media does NOT equal condoning it." Seriously, how do people not understand this concept? Many of the greatest works of fiction, in fact, are strongly condemning the very things they depict. The point of showing something is often to... well... SHOW you how bad it is, or why the author thinks it's wrong, rather than just tell you with words. Which perhaps might also be exactly why Takahashi chose to convey his messages through such a massively ambitious story, rather than just tell people that, as he said.
Just started my first ever playthrough of Xenogears today.. mostly because I'm tired of being out of the loop when you guys shower praise on it in your other videos 😂😂.
Really excited to see you guys covering this game! Mike's Xenogears review is actually what first introduced me to this channel back in 2017. Never got around to completing the game so I'm looking forward to playing through it with you guys
You know, I'm really sad we don't see games like Xenogears anymore. Everything about it--even the freakin' menu and save screens--had this intangible air of mystery and foreboding. And every single worldbuilding detail hinted at some deeper truth that I was *dying* to discover. The gameplay itself was pretty eh, but no game has ever had a more immersive and engrossing atmosphere than Xenogears.
And yes, I am including the bizarre visual novel 2nd disk. I was so engrossed and driven by an insatiable need to know what happens that it only confused me for a moment before I was sucked right back in.
You could absolutely say that it criticizes the popular Christian idea of god, but not the mystic Christian concept of god (Deus vs Wave Existence, anthropomorphized vs higher dimensional, external vs internal). Great video you guys, first Nier Replicant, now Xenogears, amazing! I could listen to you guys forever.
i just like how both jrpgs and crpgs have a game thats considered the best story in their related genre. xenogears for the former planescape torment for the latter. and they came out a year apart to.
This is an amazing series you're guys are doing. So many interesting points about the conception of the game and how it influenced the final product. I'm excited to see part 2.
Story analysis of Xenogears?! The biggest task the internet has ever seen!
That award would probably go to the Analysis the FF7 Remake...at least the most risky award anyways. Still, I hope they do it
@@blobeyeordie With all due respect the story of xenogears is much more complex than ff7. Ff7 was definitely executed better, but it didn’t need a companion textbook to understand the story.
@@michaelsaurusrox325 Yes, of course. Ive played through the entirety of the Xeno-series many times and am still learning/understanding new things. My comment was in the context of how large and divisive(amongst fans) the Remake is and has become. Large as in how many parts it will be and how convoluted and questionable they can make things. They are afterall going to rewrite or remake(pun intended) the FF7 Ultimania to fit the changes in
@@blobeyeordie Oh yeah I get that. Yeah sorry in that context you’re totally right.
@@michaelsaurusrox325 All good, I probably couldve done a better job replying lol
I really believe it's a story to be taken seriously as mentioned at the start of the video. The depht of it is really rare as there are layers upon layers of symbols, references and subtle messages you can make a whole dissertation about it. It has influenced the way I see the real world forever, affecting my life decisions even today.
I agree with everything you said , very few games leave that kind of reflection. Nier is another game that I put into this same category. Multi dimensional.
The best thing about the game is that it isn't hard to understand.
@@shelterfromcold8620 The first Nier?
@@shelterfromcold8620 Totally. it feels cathartic. For me those games are:
nier
xenogears
silent hill 2
planescape torment
pathologic
knights of the old republic two
dark souls 1
But the tropes of using religious references when is just to make like more psychological points, it should just be take as lore points with no true correlation with its rl counterparts aside the gnosticism stuff, they went full on with that in the game
I see Xenogears, I click.
Facts
Yes, we click
Same
I don't think I've even been as excited for a game as I have for this podcast!
There's a Xenogears podcast that's already on UA-cam also.
I feel like my experience playing Xenogears for the first time is gonna be so much better because of these podcasts. Thanks for posting!
Same. I think I’m gonna give it a shot as well.
I bought the game as a young man, but I actually mistook it for another game. I got home, put it in my PS1 and now, I don't Ever regret buying it. It's my favorite game of all time!
The story, the music, the emotion, the heart, and the action is amazing! There are certain things that may throw you off but it's a great game!
I hope you and all who play have a great experience playing, Xenogears.
Not only was it a masterpiece even in its incomplete release, it is far and wide the greatest game of all time.
I agree.
For some reason no game or any other form of story outside of the Xeno series does it for me.
Even amongst the series Gears is special.
One of them
In the past I used to think the way this game affected my life was something rare, now I see that this game is even more important than I thought with all the people discussing and getting deeper into it's universe and symbols. A true masterpiece in my opinion.
Mike's arms are racing his hair to get bigger, faster.
Awesome, guys! This is truly THE game that deserves this treatment. No games story and perhaps to story since Xenogears comes close to Xenogears. It is still the future of video game storytelling. Unless developers (who posses heart, soul and an education in literature, philosophy and esoterica) look back and study Xenogears, this game will remain the best story game for another 25 years.
More like another 100 years
Damn! Finally!! I even called 2 friends over to play Xenogears with me while we listen to the State of the arc - Xenogears series. We are calling Xenogears game club snd just created 2 Xenogears shirts as well. This will be neat!
Once more, thanks guys to talk about one of the best games ever.
You gonna do Xenosaga after?
@@gatst7680 I don't know, we have a looong way to go until the end of all Xenogears episodes hahaha.
@@thiagogirello True lol
So freaking excited for this. I bet this is gonna be the longest podcast series in this channel. There's so much to discuss in terms of lore, story, characters, setting, and so much development history
For maximum realism, you should make the 2nd episode about ten minutes and very quickly summarise everything using powerpoint
Haha, I had to read this twice to get the joke
second disc, you mean?
😏
It's a podcast?
🤣
I love when Shevat's theme is used as the background music. :)
They got the whole soundtrack in the background 😁👍🏽👍🏽
Holy cow, love the production on these podcasts... and its being done weekly now! You guys are also super well-spoken and im so happy with the way you guys are pushing for the profoundness of video game story telling! Thank you so much and keep up the truly great work!
Then you have people like me who take videogame storytelling TOO seriously.
@@38kob I'd be a lucky man.
I hope you'll be the secret guest.
no such thing
@@patrickholleman9323 When are you going to be a guest in this Xenogears analysis? It's not an analysis without you talking about Xenogears my man. Because I can already see Casen and Mike missing or misunderstanding things and rambling about it for 30 minutes haha
I love them tho!
@@MillenniumEarl014 don't you dare diss my boys
I've seen reviews of this game and they, at least, last 40-60 min, by skipping A LOT of information. This is a big task. Hands down for doing this!
OH MY GOD! It's actually happening!
Considering that FF8 took you guys about 8+ hours, this one will probably be around 120 hours or so. Roughly.
I wish they could make a xenogears series on Netflix. Starting at episode 1 with the zohar being found
They'd turn it into woke garbage
A part of me really wants it, but I know they'd ruin it.
If it ever gets adapted it has to be by someone who truly understand not only the messages and themes, but what it means to others. And for this story, I don't know if there's anyone that can do that.
I think Apple would be the streaming platform that would actually do the story justice. It'd have a huge budget and a lot of heft behind it. It bums me out that Apple's TV product has low sub rate/name recognition when they're making fewer, but higher quality shows and films than the other platforms.
You guys are nuts. No big American companies should be anywhere near this project, not now, or any time soon. It should be produced in Japan and licensed out later.
What a great start to this podcast series! One of my favourite things about Resonant Arc is that you guys subvert the commonly repeated narrative in games media that "gaming's only now finally growing up" and "games are only now finally telling deep, meaningful stories" - disregarding the immense efforts of developers like Square in the 80s, 90s, and 00s to build bold and engaging narratives. It's because you take these games seriously, and critique them appropriately, that you are able to explore their depth, and represent it to your viewers/listeners =) Thanks for a great episode! And congratulations to Casen on the new baby =D
SO stoked for this!
Love the Wiseman profile pic! 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
Ayyyy! I'm back on the hype train for this! Can't wait to hear you two dive in to Xenogears when I get off work. I'll be back! Enjoy this comment for the algorithm.
Right? I saw this video pop early today and I work nights. It was hard to save it for a time i could listen to it in full
@@Crimsonrain13 Admittedly, I never got around to watching this. Just finished Xenoblade Chronicles though and- in the absence of a long retrospective on that game- came here to see the connections.
@@12ealDealOfficial it's been a wild ride my dude. I hope you enjoy it when you get the chance to finish it.
Holy shit my favorite video game of all time is getting this podcast treatment!? So much hyyyyype!!!
One of the best rpgs ever in my opinion and would love a remastered version
I'm sorry, but as someone who played and loved it when it originally released (and even still have my original first print copy), this game really needs a full on remake. I mean, just listening to this first episode here points out exactly why this is the case. The game is just plain incomplete, the English translation is a mess, and most of all; Takahashi was overall not happy with the end result.
My hope for awhile now has been that since Nintendo and SE have sort of re-kindled their relationship in recent years since the Switch released, that SE would allow Nintendo/Monolithsoft to license out the Xenogears IP so that Takahashi (and his wife) could completely remake/re-imagine the game from the ground up. Basically they could take the same characters, world, and main story beats; and then morph it into a fresh new game. Think of building the game to something a bit more open world akin to the Xenoblade games (particularly Xenoblade Chronicles X since that game had mech gameplay it it as well).
One of my all time favorites. This is the game that showed me what kind of narrative rpgs are capable of. The soundtrack is one of the best out there to me. I still find myself humming City of burning sands to myself.
Xenogears is so dense.
Good luck and safe journey.
Don't play it on acid.
It really is. I just wish disc two was more. :( but they ran out of time.
Lol I'm just imagining getting stuck in Nortune prison (D-block) while tripping...might be a little intense hahaha
Man, video games while tripping just weird me out. I got a stick to nature, movies, or music. Especially if I’m Trippin super hard.
@@Y-two-K
I played Rez while tripping on mushrooms once. I still struggle to decide whether it was a good or bad experience (・・;)))
You guys act like psychadelics are this massive thing... Bad trips come from YOU. Not your environment.
most of the ps 1 and ps 2 storytelling, arrived with greater impact than most of the games on all the consoles to come later. there's a lot to unpack associated with that and I'm not the guy to do it. that being said, Xenogears was one of my favorite titles, the story was a formative part of my teenage years. I still use the arch badguy's obscure name (Krellian) on MMO's and stuff like that; so it left its mark on me. I def feel lucky to have been in my young adult years and had Xenogears as a really fun memory and I hope the development team can read this!
Gotta come in here to just say I love how much fun Casen was having this podcast haha his references and laughter with Mike brings out a smile while I'm working away/listening in.
2 hour Xenogears story analysis? I'm here for it.
Of course you are >.>
Greatest story in videogame history.
Agreed. My favorite game of all time, period.
With how playing xenogears is limited (ps3, psp, or original console) I have been craving the ability to play the game for many years now. Thankfully I’ve stumbled upon your guys podcast and there seems to be a lot of parts to the analysis of xenogears, so I hope this helps ease the hunger I have for experiencing this wonderful game again.
My heart skipped a beat when this video poped up! thank you guys!
Same
Oooo boy this is going to be good!
cordDoug
Great video! I started Xenogears for a few weeks and almost finished it.
I also read how Yasunori Mitsuda
nearly worked himself to death. The good thing is that after that he took more care about his health!
Will you guys be talking about the correlations between Xenogears and the first xenoblade? I sure hope so.
This specific video series of the two of you breaking down Xenogears in full is my UA-cam content dream. I'm so excited... That being said with the breadth of content you both will be taking in and analyzing and breaking down, maybe the show needs to be biweekly instead of of weekly.
I feel like I just stumbled on a gold mind with finding these series of videos. Thanks guys for doing these!!
This game and Xenosaga made me curious about Gnosticism, which i knew nothing at all about, like most people. The first time i played it as a teen, i didn't understand what was going on at all, so to me was just a cool mecha rpg. It wasn't until years later when i replayed it with more knowledge and maturity, that i was able to grasp what the story was about.
The cross symbol is much older than christianity and has been used in many cultures around the world to represent either the Sun or the Northern/Southern Cross.
I think the first games where you kill God (that i know of) are the Shin Megami Tensei series (which do reference christianity), and is usually more related to the concept of Demiurge or false god, which is also used on the Xeno games.
As you guys bring up "what would this game have been like with a budget" it'd be interesting at some point to bring up at least a discussion of what happened with Xenosaga HAVING that budget at first
As a long-time fan of Takahashi and Tanaka's works (Xenogears especially), thank you for all the time spent tackling this literal bear. I recognize that I'm more than a year late, but all the same: I thoroughly enjoyed the analysis, and I look forward to hearing what you both have to say about the rest of the game.
A good friend of mine floated your recent Xenosaga Episode I podcast my way (which is why I'm here now). I figure I should return the favor in some way: Have you gentlemen considered doing an analysis of Legend of Dragoon?
I’m really looking forward to this game!! I already played through the forest jiji Btw, big BIG thanks to the translator, f***ing legend. I want to add that, as an European (non native english speaker) I’m learning a lot about nuances of the English language. Thanks for explaining why “God, it’s locked” sounds weird. In general, since I speak a bit of Japanese, I tend to use the translation as support while trying to get the intent behind the words, or the emocional background, from the voice acting. Now I’m playing the USA version of Xenogears, all in English, so I’m a bit concerned about not noticing the translation problems and getting a wrong idea in some of the dialogs. But it looks like the translator did an amazing job so hopefully not :)
Xenogears is my favourite game of all time, despite its flaws. Looking forward to hearing your continued discussion.
I'm so glad I started my Xenogears playthrough last week. I just finished the Kislev section and made it on the Thames. I havent played it in 15 years and I'm excited to hear your guys analysis as I play as I'm sure I will have a much better understanding of the story and it's themes in doing so. Can't wait for the rest and really enjoyed the discussion so far!
Excellent job on this Intro episode. Did want to mention there is a UA-cam Channel by the name of "Crossknights" who does a very good, and entertaining Let's Play of this game. I know they will be playing through this game as well, but for those that have never played this and don't have access to the game I thought it might be good to mention so you could watch up to the point that they are playing through before next episode. Plus he is entertaining as I mentioned and he is very good at not giving spoilers. Worth a shout out for sure:)
It actually won! Talk about wild cards. Glad that Casen got a chance to play this
Mike and Casen,
on April 7th 2018, there was a 20th Anniversary of Xenogears live concert in Japan that was streamed. You had to have paid for a ticket to view the stream of course and it was in a weird hour of the day for the U.S, but someone uploaded the footage on youtube and I managed to save the audio before the video was taken down. I’ve since lost the computer that had the mp3 of the concert but I do still have the audio burnt onto CDs. It wont necessarily contribute to any discussions about the plot of the game but I believe Mitsuda himself was present at the concert and offered some things to say in japanese between certain songs. If you’re at all interested I’d like to find a way to get my “bootleg” to you, mail/email or otherwise. Let me know!
I'd love that! If you want to send an email, hit us up at info@resonantarc.com
Really looking forward to this. Only discovered and played this game last year, and was blown away by its ambition, what it tries to do and what it really acomplishes to do.
I finished this game a few days ago and found this videos while I was playing it. now that I finished it, started watching :)
Let's go! Never played Xenogears before, so I'm interested to see how this goes. What is the best platform to play this game on now?
Also, these first episodes are actually my favorite so far. I love getting to know about these creators more and learning about dev history. Sometimes the story of the developers is just as interesting as the story of the game itself!
If any chance you still have a ps2, or can come across one in my opinion that would be your best bet. Has a feature to smooth over graphics and speed up load times on ps1 games
One of my favorite genres of storytelling has always been the 'Lost History' narrative. This game introduced me to the concept for the first time. I love games like Too Human and Xenogears that explore the idea that our old myths are based on a hidden reality that is simply lost to time. I guess I just really love the idea that there is so much more to understand that if we were ever told the truth it would be so fantastic as to be unbelievable.
See, the game wasn't released in Australia during the 90's and goddamn I'm still salty as fuck about that, but I'll jump on this one. Figure out a copy and ways to play it. It's a good time. 10 year old me was so ready in the 90s and the bastards never gave it to us. Thanks for the episode guys
I'm in England so very hard to get a copy of also. You could consider emulating the game on a PC and also buying a modern Square product of similar price that you have no intention of playing as an ethical way to play the game.
It’s never been released in Europe either but it’s pretty simple to make a US PSN account and buy it on PS3 if you have one. On the other hand I think a lot of people recommend emulating it for the sake of having means to counteract sluggish gameplay
So glad to see coverage for this game on the channel, I am excited to get your take on the game and feel encouraged to dive into one of my favorite worlds again. I wonder if now as an adult it will be as impactful and how much more I’ll understand.
You just earned a sub. Very professional^^
I went out and bought a copy of Xenogears just so I can play along with the podcast.
I think Takahashi has crafted the absolute best stories in gaming. In terms of the lore, the unique settings, and the intricate character writing, no game Ive played has been close to how good the Xeno series as a whole has managed to be. I really hope that the upcoming Xenoblade games can tie in Xenosaga to their lore in a more overt way. Completing Takahashi's story vision would be a dream come true.
Videogames from that era did not have cliffhangers. Games had true endings back in those days. Nowadays, most developers insult gamers by never having a true ending, i.e. assassins creed, just to milk the gamers for years and decades on end. Xenogears, despite having a rushed second disk, it still provided an ending and true closure.
soul reaver ended on a cliff hanger
Hands down my favorite podcast. Keep up the great work and boy am I excited for this new analysis. Going to be a long one and I can't wait.
After previously watching your other Xenogears review, analysis and discussion videos, the game definitely seems profound.
Almost like a hidden gem, so I’m excited for what’s to come! ✨
I’m happy to see I’m not the only teenager in 98 to enjoy this game❤
I still have a factory sealed Japanese Perfect Works.😊
I have known of Aizuchi for awhile, but haven't fully understood it until I heard your explanation. The biggest example that comes up to my mind is in Kojima games and Metal gear where snake would repeat what he heard constantly in a gravelly voice.
For those who don't know they have a 3 part analysis series on Xenogears from a few years back with the guy sitting on the left. Probably the best I've ever seen.
What a coincidence, I just bought the game today!
More like fate
@@havocbringer2100 Snowdasher is bound by the dark, cruel destiny of God...
This is gonna be amazing. Couldn't ask for a better group doing the analysis or a more deserving title.
Awesome first episode! Looking forward to this series. I was a fan of Xenoblade but Mike is the one who got me to play Xenogears and I think it's still the best video game story I've ever experienced. Interesting that Casen used the term "logos" near the end of the conversation because that term is important to the lore of Xenoblade 2, Takahasi's most recent game. It's the true name of one of the main antagonists.
This is probably going to be the best podcast ever but 24 episodes holy crap!
Congrats Casen on your third child! You're a beast!
It's my first time playing Xenogears as well, so I'll kind of miss not hearing his first thoughts and impressions of the opening on the next episode. Maybe he could touch on his initial thoughts when he returns? I'd love to hear them and I'm curious to compare them to my own experience, being a first playthrough and all.
Huge respect and thank you for the series!
I haven't clicked on a video of your in clearly a while... the gains bro, jeez
I am so glad that there's someone doing this kind of thing. I started Xenogears about a month ago. I'm not that far into it yet but it already is very clear to me that this is a game that warrants discussions and deep-dives and criticisms. As a writer myself, I completely agree with the sentiment that criticism is absolutely necessary for a medium to grow. I'm so looking forward to following this along as I play the game.
Truly amazing that a game is still being analyzed and discussed with such depth more than 20 years after it’s release. I have played through it a number of times and now maybe I should again.
I have to comment and say thanks SO MUCH for this format of podcast. I've been trying for so long to move away from gaming news podcasts and move more into like, evergreen theme and story discussion. To the point where I even thought about making my own solo podcast to jump into things that have been on my own mind about games and stories and narratives that I love. Definitely got yourself a faithful listener here, and absolutely pumped to go through your back catalog!
You guys are awesome and well-researched, and clearly have a solid understanding of narrative and these really important foundation layers of the JRPG genre. It's awesome and keep it up!!
This is amazing, thank you for taking the time to do this!!
Playing Xenogears for my first time now, and will definitely be following your other videos for other games!!
I can't believe I just found this. My brother had shared the podcast on Spotify. And I tweeted so much about what you guys said in the beginning and I AM HOOKED. I'm from Asia by the way and I just wanna say, Xenogears molded me into the person and gamer that I am today
yo guys that's a weird thing to say but thanks for the good production quality, im french and my hearing of english isn't that fancy so the good audio really helps me
after finishing Xenogears, I felt empty playing any other videogame. You could say Xenogears ended my videogame era. No other game can beat the story telling. As much as I would have liked for a complete disc 2, I like how it fits the narrative of the story and see it as symbolic. I keep my fingers crossed for an 1000 episode anime series 🥺🥺
I bought a english physical version of the Perfect Work few weeks ago, this my lecture of every night before bed time since 2 weeks, I've never been so confuse but at same time so amaze how rich this universe is. The amount of work and time put in this lore must be ridiculous.
@@38kob Someone on the Xenogear reddit community Sold it on lulu on a real physical copy hardcover with the english translation. The person nickname is Samiyla, you can try contact because now the book have been take down for obvious copyright reason.
Super excited for this!
This channel took "Let's Play" series type video to whole new level. Love it!
I love that bit about how, and I know I'm sorta paraphrasing here... "depiction of a thing in a piece of media does NOT equal condoning it."
Seriously, how do people not understand this concept? Many of the greatest works of fiction, in fact, are strongly condemning the very things they depict. The point of showing something is often to... well... SHOW you how bad it is, or why the author thinks it's wrong, rather than just tell you with words.
Which perhaps might also be exactly why Takahashi chose to convey his messages through such a massively ambitious story, rather than just tell people that, as he said.
Time for me to kick back and watch episode 1-21. Xenogears is my all-time favorite video game so I'm looking forward to this.
Just started my first ever playthrough of Xenogears today.. mostly because I'm tired of being out of the loop when you guys shower praise on it in your other videos 😂😂.
🧡💛💚💙 I've been waiting 15 years for something like this ... thankyou
Really love your analyses, keep it up. This channel kicks ass.
The concept of aizuchi makes aspects of Metal Gear Solid's dialogue make so much sense.
Really excited to see you guys covering this game! Mike's Xenogears review is actually what first introduced me to this channel back in 2017. Never got around to completing the game so I'm looking forward to playing through it with you guys
I was so hype when I saw the thumbnail of the next series! Predicting a 10-13 Episode Series. Let’s go!
IT IS TIME
One of my favorite jrpg of all time!
I would LOVE a Xenogears remaster/remake or legit sequels.
Sadly I doubt Square will ever let MonolithSoft get the rights to it.
You know, I'm really sad we don't see games like Xenogears anymore. Everything about it--even the freakin' menu and save screens--had this intangible air of mystery and foreboding. And every single worldbuilding detail hinted at some deeper truth that I was *dying* to discover.
The gameplay itself was pretty eh, but no game has ever had a more immersive and engrossing atmosphere than Xenogears.
And yes, I am including the bizarre visual novel 2nd disk. I was so engrossed and driven by an insatiable need to know what happens that it only confused me for a moment before I was sucked right back in.
One of my favorite JRPGs of all time despite all of it's flaws. Looking forward to this one!
What flaws
@@omensoffate it has some pacing issues. some party members are undeveloped, and then theres the whole 2nd disk thing.
You could absolutely say that it criticizes the popular Christian idea of god, but not the mystic Christian concept of god (Deus vs Wave Existence, anthropomorphized vs higher dimensional, external vs internal).
Great video you guys, first Nier Replicant, now Xenogears, amazing! I could listen to you guys forever.
The sky city of Shevat and the three sages are echoes of the trigger, Yasunori’s compositions, lots connection.
Subscribed as soon as I saw this in recommendations. Can't wait to watch it all and see what else you all have done!
I appreciate when you show examples of scenes as you talk about them rather than leaving up to my horrible memory.
You guys are going to have your hands full, there are Ssoooooooooooooooooo many topics to cover
Good luck, may you bring justice to the greatest story ever told in a game
i just like how both jrpgs and crpgs have a game thats considered the best story in their related genre. xenogears for the former planescape torment for the latter.
and they came out a year apart to.
Terracorrupt has the best synopsis of Xenogears on the internet as far as I’ve found. It has 2 parts.
It’s a great watch!
My favorite
Truly excited for this series!
Xenogears is a big part of my life, I know that sounds weird but it really impacted my me.
It's been a week already? Can't wait to dive into this.
Society: You can't be a video game nerd and also look like a Scandinavian body-builder.
Mike: HOLD MY BEER
This is an amazing series you're guys are doing. So many interesting points about the conception of the game and how it influenced the final product. I'm excited to see part 2.