Good for you and your opinion mate, wouldn't do for us all to like the same things I guess.

First, PLEASE don't use 'me' as an abbrevation for Mass Effect. It makes taking what you say seriously very difficult. At least capitalize the letters.

Second, if Xenosaga is the best you can come up with to defend the JRPG's story, at least pit it against the best story-driven WRPG; Planescape Torment.

And on topic, while I thought The World Ends With You for the DS was pretty much awesome, especially in combat, it's probably the only JRPG that I have seen lately that really tries to do something new and cool with this pretty stale genre. The problem with JRPG's is that they almost always contain the same stereotypes, characters, enemies, settings and premises.

JRPG's also contain very little roleplaying, as previously mentioned. You are spoonfed a story and are not allowed to participate in it at all. Playing is like watching a movie that pauses so you can fight some battles. While there is no good way of actually playing a story yet, at least the western roleplaying games lets you choose your characters alignment and make some rudimentary choices. It creates the illusion of participation. Coupled with good storytelling, like in Mass Effect, this makes for a powerful experience.

I'll take Final Fantasy any time I really feel like doing some leveling and want to become ridiculously powerful. But since I'm gamerdrifting and always craving new experiences this doesn't satisfy me in the  same way it did 10 years ago.

So it`s no intertekstual reference to shakespear in mass effect?

But I can claim that the story in Xenosaga is complex in a perfect way, can`t I?

Huh? A story needs to stand on its own? How`s that possible? Can you tell me a story not based on anything?

By the way, did you read my last response to you explaining why the references in Xenosaga makes the story good?

So you lied to me? I really had hopes for mass effect fora short while there!

Found the last reply :)

No, you're not understanding. You point out at novels and claim that they in fact make Xenosaga better. What you're failing to do is explain how those novels are being used and why are they so important to the characters and the overall enjoyment of the storyline.

Basically I can say that Mass Effect derived from all the novels written by Shakespeare, one of the most well known and respected novelist of all times. In fact, I will go as far as to say that the main character in Mass Effect is based on Macbeth and by default I now can claim Mass Effect is better.

Also, whether or not Xenosaga's storyline was inspired by these works it still failed to lure the critics into immersing themselves with the plot. When you can get sucked into a story like that then you have a winning theme. Guess what? Xenosaga failed at it. Most critics thought the story was good but confusing, never being outsanding or memorable. Even you claim that the reviewers don't understand the story. Then we can conclude the developers failed at transitioning what they wanted to narrate to the player.


Oh, sorry. I didn`t understand, so I`ll try to explain in my not so very good english.

As a well read person seeing all these references makes the game really exotic if I may use that word.

Example:

The aliens called Gnosis means spirtual knowledge used in the religion Gnostitism.

They`re transparent bodies referes to the spiritual, something out of reach.

In the Bibel Lots wife becaomes salt when she`s turns around to see Sodoma beeing destroyed.

In the game Gnosis is built by salt.

The conforntation with these mosnsters in the game is about humans will to confront the forbidden.

 

But for the simple eye, they are just plain aliens we want to kill.

 

If this doesn`t make a game more interesting, I don`t know what will. But there are so many intertekstual references,

your eyes would bleed if I were to write them all down, and it would take one week.

This game is better if you`re well read. And beeing well read is not a bad thing, is it? No, it`s good.

Therefor it makes the game/story better.

 

Me have one intertekstual reference to shakespear. GREAT. But could the creators make more references to make the game more

interesting and not make a mess out of it? Probably not, because western culture stops it.

 

I totally agree that the critics weren`t lured. It failed as a game to the masses, but a perfect game for those interested in culture, society, philosophy, interpretions, religion, action, drama, love, hate, friendship, science fiction and so on.

Tetsuya Takahashi made this game because it was his dream to create a complex story, and he succeded , but it ain`t a game for everyone. Just the few well read people, which are very good to be.
 

I love the Xenosaga games. Part 2 was the worst only because of the battle system but it was still awesome. Waiting for Xenogears to be released on PS1 so I can play that too!

Hell yeah, and it was incredible hard too. I thought first fight inside Momo would be easy. I died on one of the first battles in the game....

PSN you mean?

Xenogears might even be better. I can`t really make up my mind.

It's not just about how many references there are.. it's how the games use them. Mass Effect won awards for its story telling..... and from what i've read of reviews of Xenosaga... they tell it badly and seem to want to make the story seem deeper than it is...

Hmmm. Gta iv got 10/10 on extremely many gaming-sites. Did it deserve it?

Show me the review that says Xenosaga`s story-telling is bad. Just show me.

I`ve tried to describe some ways Xenosaga uses the references in the game in a positive way, but it seems to have been ignored. Espesially by a certain person with Devil-Jin as avatar claiming mass effect have better story without beeing able to prove it. I have proved why xenosaga have a good story.

Xenosaga had a very complex storyline. It was very good, but it could be a turn off for some people.