Review: Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra

Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra (hereby referred to as X3), is the final installment of the Xenosaga series and it certainly lives up to the great expectations that fans of the series have placed on it while patiently waiting for it’s North American release. With updated graphics, a simplified battle and character development system, and more of the signature epic cinematic scenes that the series is known for, X3 delivers in ways which previous incarnations of the series have not been able to.

Graphically, it is definitely the prettiest of the series. Characters have gone through a slight redesign once again (each game of the series features its own look), and this time Shion and crew have come out looking better and more realistic than in X1 or X2. Location design has also made a huge leap forward, with the prologue containing some incredibly surreal levels that dwarves anything the design team attempted in previous ‘encephalon dives’. The numerous cut scenes have also taken a step up, looking much sharper than in the predecessors, and they probably push the PlayStation 2 hardware to its maximum limits.