thoughts on xenogears? have heard good things and have had an academic interest in it for a while but everybody i actually know who has played it badmouths it

@swiggle

I'm of two minds with it, but both are rose-tinted half memories because the game was my introduction to Square's PS1 RPGs back when I was 12 or 13.

I remember being completely spellbinded by the sheer magnitude of the experience and loving a lot of elements like the kind of overly confusing combat system and the cast. As everyone says, its ambition far outsizes its reach and even at a young age I really responded to it.

But, I never saw the allegedly game running visual novel disc two, nor did I even finish the first disc I think. It also didn't really grab me to check out more in the genre at the time, I wouldn't play my first final fantasy for another 4 or 5 years after . So it clearly didn't leave me itching for more.

I honestly don't remember much specifics and never had the full experience, but I did really love the (at a guess) 25 - 35 hours I played. I'd reccomend it if only because its the only game like it I'm aware of.

thanks for the insight, think i gotta get to it then!

Surprised Persona 2 IS and ER aren't on this list since I saw you liked Persona 1.

@steez76 good shout, and I do want to play those, I just don't have any easy access to a copy / haven't currently got a rom on my computer. But there are alot of games that will eventually pop up on here and P2 is almost certainly one of them.