Xenosaga story details and more

[06.01.01] » IN YEAR A.D. 3001, WAR WAS BEGINNING.

   In addition to scoring the first screenshots and artwork from Namco's Xenosaga, Game Watch also reported on the title's characters and setting. Core Magazine, Sugoi! and IGNPS2 have translated some of the details.

   Xenosaga takes place 1,000 years in the future. Humanity has abanoned the Earth, which happened in TC 16 (AD 2526) according to the timeline in the Xenogears Perfect Works art book. Human civilization is currently formed into the Star Cluster Federation, which comprises 50,000 planets. Interstellar travel is accomplished by a "reality distortion system" known as U.M.N.

   Xenogears' Gears have been replaced with similar mechanical weapons known as Anti-Gnosis Weapons Systems, or AGWSes. The AGWSes were built to battle the Gnosis, a nimble, android-like alien race rebelling against humanity. An experimental new model of AGWS, the VX, has recently been developed by the government.

   As previously reported, Xenosaga's heroine is Shion Uzuki. The 22-year-old engineer lost her parents in the war and her lover in an accident. Her research team has recently developed KOS-MOS, the blue-haired female android. KOS-MOS will be another playable character; a white-haired male character named Chaos seems to be a third.

   Xenosaga will ship on 2 DVD-ROMs. What necessitates such a large media size? Xenosaga will incorporate full voice acting and animated facial expressions, making it the second console RPG after Final Fantasy X to do so.

   Xenosaga will also be the first RPG to feature fully animated hair. As with Final Fantasy VII, two different character polygon models will be used. However, Xenosaga's models will be used in reverse: the detailed models appear in the story scenes, and the simplified ones in battle.

   Finally, the game's official romanized title has been confirmed as "Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht."