Xenosaga: Episode II. Let's discuss it!

[kirbenvost]

Second Miltia reminds me a lot of Solaris.

I said it already, but I'll say it again...the new mecha are sweet!
Older models you say...strange that the old ones look cooler than the new. And I agree, I'm awaiting the return of Gears.

[Unrullah Bull]

Ach. This is depressing. Monolith needs to start busting ass, and release this thing.

[SOLDIER]

Nothing new to add right now. But you know, as I'm currently replaying EPI, I noticed something pretty interesting. On the Woglinde, there's one soldier that you can talk to that gets a reprimand for overusing his ammo during a training simulation. For his reasons why, he mentioned that "I was surprised that the hostage was a kid, so I lost it, and my emotions took over. I know I shouldn't feel that way in a battlefield."

Sounds like a nice reference to Ziggy's speech to Jr before rescuing MOMO.

Check this out.

http://forums.ffonline.com/showthrea...threadid=21562

C'mon, can't more of you guys check it out and leave comments? It's great stuff, I promise. Help me out, will you? I'm addicted to feedback.

[prince leon]

Though we know little on the actual story to come except for the return of the characters from the first episode and some new ones we have yet to know what will actually happen.

I just can't wait until the game is finally out. Though I wouldn't hold my breath there are a few things that are supposed to happen in Episode II. Those being the crash of the Eldridge and the survival of Abel (who we know exists and will be in Episode II), the birth of Miang and Elly, and the struggle between Cain and Abel.

EDIT: Almost forgot. Deus is also supposed to be in the creation process. Could that thing in one of the pics of Episode II be it?

[kirbenvost]

I think they're probably going to delay a lot of that stuff for a later episode...we've still got II - IV before any of that stuff is supposed to happen.

No, according the Xenogears Perfect Works book, the episodes II-IV are supposed to deal with the stuff like the Zeboim which takes place after the crash of the Eldridge. Obviously Xenosaga Episode II isn't going to take place during this time but that doesn't mean episodes III and IV won't.

[Majin Tenshi]

Originally posted by Mechabomber
No, according the Xenogears Perfect Works book, the episodes II-IV are supposed to deal with the stuff like the Zeboim which takes place after the crash of the Eldridge. Obviously Xenosaga Episode II isn't going to take place during this time but that doesn't mean episodes III and IV won't.

and episode 1 was supposed to deal with the original discovery of the Zohar. Oh, wait, what was that opening movie? Oh, yea, the discovery of the Zohar, funny how that was there but for only a couple of minutes.

[kirbenvost]

wish I could read Perfect Works.....

anyways, that would make a lot of sense...I hope they do it like that rather than focus so much on the current cast.

[SOLDIER]

I meant to post this a while back. But well, since there hasn't been anything new to add about XSII besides, this stuff could still be considered new. If it adds to further discussion, then all the better.

Canaan, Our Land is There
By Zenosaga.com Staff, posted on 2003-12-13 : 11:35 PM PST

On July 2003, Namco initially announced Xenosaga Episode II: Beyond Good and Evil developed by Monolithsoft, as a tentative PlayStation2 RPG title to be released in 2004.

Soon, more Episode II information appeared gradually. Episode II made its way to the Fall Tokyo Game Show and the Tokyo International Radio and Television Festival (TIGRAF), emphasizing on its newly graphical facelifts and motion capture technology. Until now, no concrete information pertinent to the plot and its characters were unveiled.

Episode II’s story revolves around Miltia
Although newcomers to the Xenosaga series can play Episode II as a standalone game, Episode II is a direct sequel from Episode II -- picking up directly where Episode trailed off. The story of Episode II picks up from where the Elsa descended into 2nd Miltia at the end of Episode I. The core plot of Episode II will be focused on the events surrounding the Miltian Conflict that occurred 14 years prior to the events of Episode I. A playable excerpt of the Miltian Conflict story will be in the demo version of Episode II, to be included with Xenosaga Freaks.

Episode II starts in Second Miltia, which is the re-established remnant of Old Miltia in modern time. Clarification and details to a certain mysterious incident that was mentioned throughout Episode I, The Miltian Conflict, also begins here. Why Old Miltia was abandoned and its inhabitants relocated to Second Miltia will also be fully explained.

A Primer to the beginning of the Miltian Conflict
The cause of the Miltian Conflict remains uncertain, however Realians of all models and types went out of control and began to indiscriminately subvert cities. Canaan and chaos were assigned a two-seater A.G.W.S. called the E.S. Asher and were requisitioned to investigate the cause of the Realian uprising. Once the E.S. Asher duo reached their destination, they were presented with a city in tragic ruins and the Realian onslaught continuing at a steady pace.

Shocked in disbelief with what they were witnessing, the E.S. Asher was attacked by a Federation A.M.W.S. unit (pronounced Aames). Failing to transmit identification code, it was violently attacked by another A.M.W.S unit. Saving the E.S. Asher from the engaging A.M.W.S. units was another A.M.W.S. unit; this one was green in color and distinguishable from the others. With a swing from its mighty Katana, it rendered the attacking A.M.W.S. units powerless. To help the E.S. Asher crew members, the pilot of the mysterious green A.M.W.S. unit revealed himself. The mystery pilot was a young Jin Uzuki, who was on a Miltian mission of his own. Although their goals are different, they became acquainted with each other and joined each other in combat.

Eventually, the trio was halted in their track by a shadowy figure who turned out to be no other than Margulis himself (without his scar). A short conversation ensued between Margulis and Jin, hinting on a more in-depth relationship between the two figures before they engaged in hand to hand combat.

The Miltian Conflict eventually left Old Miltia in ruins, forcing its inhabitants to abandon the planet and relocate to another planet which is recognized in modern time as Second Miltia. The Vector Second Research & Development Department is located in Second Miltia. After departing from her 1st R&D post, Shion’s initial destination will be the 2nd R&D Department.

The casts of Episode II
Jin Uzuki
Shion’s older brother. Jin is a spiritual person with a warm compassionate heart and a calm personality. While piloting his A.M.W.S. and engaging in missions, he wears a pilot outfit that is reminiscent of a Federation uniform. From this, it is assumed that Jin was once a serviceman of the Federation.

Jin relocated to Second Miltia after the events that occurred 14-years ago. Here, he will meet up with his sister, Shion again.

Canaan
Canaan will be a new character introduced to the Xenosaga universe. He is a special Realian whose tune-ups were conducted by Vector. Emotional fluctuation exhibition from Canaan is scarce and he speaks with a robotic monotone voice. It appears that he has emotional feelings, but was subjugated for some reason.

Canaan has the tendency to tune up A.M.W.S. units and has an affinity for alcoholic beverages and technologies. Canaan was apparently manufactured to engage in strictly confidential activities, including intelligence gathering. At the beginning of Episode II, Canaan descended into Old Miltia with chaos to investigate the cause of the events that came to be known as the Miltian Conflict.

It also appears that Canaan and Jr. are somehow acquainted with each other. (Note: If he's acquainted with chaos, then I suppose Canaan shouldn't be a stranger to him. I don't expect any deeper connection than that, but who knows?)

chaos
chaos is a significant character who plays a key role throughout the entire Xenosaga series.

Although his personality is openly expressed as calm and understanding, Chaos is very observant and full of anxiety. His physical appearance gives him the impression of a 16 year old, but his true age is unknown. More puzzling is his personal history, which is shrouded within a thick labyrinth of mystery. Chaos began his stay at the Elsa several years ago.

His amber pupil and translucent hair appear to be special characteristic features.

Margulis
In the previous game, Margulis attempted to block Ziggy from rescuing M.O.M.O. from the U-TIC Organization base on Asteroid Pleroma. In Episode II, Margulis continue exercising his confidence and exhibits a strong sense of leadership charisma which was already established in Episode I.

The reason why the U-TIC Organization disappeared from the face of the galaxy for 14-years, his relation to Jin, and his involvement in the Miltian Conflict will be fully explained in Episode II.

Xenosaga Episode II is set to be on sale in 2004. No official date or pricing have been announced yet.

Keep in mind that all the above, while quite comprehensive, is only referring to the demo in XS Freaks. The current OPM has reconfirmed that Jr, MOMO, and Jin will be the main characters and focal points of Episode II.

[Unrullah Bull]

Wow. Xenosaga II could very well supersede Xenogears... Truly amazing.

[Jordan]

This really doesn't have anything to do with XSII or anything...but...does anyone else think that Virgil might have some connection to Bart?

Ahh, I don't even know why I thought about this.

[Atma Weapon]

SOLDIER, do you know anything about the gameplay in XSII yet? I know it's mainly about the story, which is complex and fascinating, but I would really like XSII to be a bit more challenging.

Did I hear that there's some new voice acting in XSII, even for the reappearing characters? That will take a while to get used to.

[SOLDIER]

Let's see, all I know is that mechs (AGWS, AMWS, or Gears, who knows) play a bigger role in combat. You can even walk around towns/dungeons in mechs. The shifts between field and battle are also supposed to be much faster. That's all I got.

And I don't know where you got your info from, because all the original voices from the Japanese version have been confirmed (and heard) to return (with the exception of Abel, who didn't have a VA at all). I'm about 99% confident the english dub will feature the same actors too.

[Atma Weapon]

That's good news, thanks SOLDIER. It's my fault for believing what I heard on the Internet.
...
...
...wait a second...

[SOLDIER]

It's all about sources, man. And when it comes to Xeno news, I'm your man.

And I forgot to mention, there may be quite a number of temporary party members (like Virgil in EpI), including Margulis (!), and the three URTVs, Rubedo, Nigredo, and Albedo (!!).