Articles
by Nutz
note: This
section is spoiler-free |
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Xenogears (ze-noh-geers)
A combination of the prefix xeno (word of Greek origin,
meaning strange, foreign) and gears (meaning equipment,
armor, arms, accotrements)
So what
is Xenogears?
Ah, but undeniably
one of Squaresoft's best games to date. The word xenogears was mainly used as the title because
it was the name of the protagonist's vessel, commonly called
a "gear".
A gear is a futuristic bipedal robot towering
from hundreds to thousands of feet high, allowing its rider to
maneuver it by a piloting system found in its cockpit. Otherwise
known as "mechs" in Japanese cartoons (anime), the controls are somewhat comparable to that
of an aircraft's. Having the ability to be equipped with massive
weapons, it thus magnifies its pilot's strength and power a hundred
fold.
In the game's story, these gears were the main means of battle,
unless of course, the fight was decided on hand to hand. Xenogear's
turn-based fights varies greatly from other RPGs as it rids the
use of the action menu. The player is given the chance
to string up his own combination of blows, sometimes even leading
to the discovery of deathblows that would eventually inflict greater
damage. Gear
battle differs slightly
as it introduces the "fuel"
limitation. Being mechanized giants, Gears run on fuel, and lack
of such would eventually lead to disfunction.
The
Good Stuff
Xenogears, as made by one of the most prestigious RPG companies
in the industry, also boasts a wonderful soundtrack
(one of the best in its league) to go along with a really in-depth
story. The musical scoring was made by the
same composer who did Chrono Trigger's
soundtrack, Mr. Mitsuda, and the plot proves to be the most-anime like in all of Square's works.
The lead character is Fei Fong Wong,
an 18-year old village boy caught between the conflicts of the
present, and the mysteries of his past. Fate suddenly brought
the powerful gear Weltall in his hands, along with a covey of
pursuers ranging from government military forces, royal pirates,
to individual bounty hunters and power seekers.
The
Story's TRIVIAS
Xenogear's story is
based on an anime script, but, however fictional the plot might
sound, some of the mentioned details are derived from metaphysical,
psychological, cytological and genetic truths. A player may often
encounter words such as "metempsychosis"
(meaning transmigration of souls), "nanotechnology" (study and application of cells broken
down to their nanometric structures). I have included a little
section that deals with these "trivias" -- where some
of the character's names are explained, plus a bit of explanation
on some of the game's scientific truths.
The contents are:
- Multiple
Personality Disorder -- Fei's problem
- The Name "Id"
- Nanomachines and Nanotechnology
- What's with the opening phrase "I am Alpha and Omega..."?
- The Path of Sephirot -- him from FF7 again??
- Origin of character & area names -- doesn't Yggdrasil sound
familiar?
- AND MORE! (PLUS TRIVIA FROM SITE VIEWERS TOO!)
If you're really wondering
where in the world Square got some of their names and details,
then I suggest you go on. WARNING! Some of the articles might
pose potential spoilers!
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