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Final Fantasy X suffers from having an excessive amount of random battles. It is really very hard to keep your mind on the story and the plot when you cannot walk for more than 30 seconds without triggering some sort of random battle. Personally, I see very little point in fighting the same enemies for the 10th time in the span of 15 minutes. All of that just get in the way of the story.

Obviously, this game was meant for those who place a very high priority on repetitively fighting the same enemies over and over. In other words, this is a game for the more energetic gamers who may not necessarily place a high emphasis on the story or the plot. If you are that type of gamer, then you will find this one perfect. I thought the game was enjoyable. I've played it twice now, about two years apart between each play. However, I would have liked the game even more if the amount of those battles had been cut to about 50% of what was actually in the game.

In my humble opinion, the most interesting characteritic of The Legend of Dragoon is the rather unique battle system. The battle system require you to master "Additions". Basically, performing these "additions" will make your physical attacks more powerful. Executing these moves require timing and coordination on the part of the player. The battle system keeps track of the number of times that you have executed each addition perfectly. The attack, or move, gets more powerful as the number of your successful attempts increase. And, your character will also gain some more powerful additions as the game progresses. Typically, the more powerful additions will require more complicated timing, concentration, and coordination on your part. Most players will probably never master the last couple of additions for each of the main characters.

This is a very long game. However, the story and the characters are interesting enough to keep you engaged. I recommend this game to those who actually want to use timing and coordination while playing their RPGs.

Xenosaga, Episode I has to be one of the most ambitious RPGs that I have ever had the pleasure of playing. The story is truly epic. And the battle system is perhaps the best I have encountered since Xenogears. By the way, Xenogears, which came out in 1998, is actually the sequel to Xenosaga. Xenosaga, which was released two years ago, is actually a prequel. This method of story-telling is similar to the one used by George Lucas with his Star Wars.

Xenosaga starts off with the discover of a mysterious artifact in Lake Turkana, sometime during our century. The game then quickly moves forward in time, to approximately 4000 years in the future. In that distant future, man's technology has evolved to the point that would appear to us as nothing short of magic. However, even with man's technology, they have yet to unlock the secrets of the mysterious golden artifact that was discovered at the start of the game. To complicate matters, a very brutal and lethal species of ethereal beings called the Gnosis are eager to take the artifact away from man. Our weapons are useless against the Gnosis. The central character of the story, Chief Engineer Shion Uzuki, has been given the mandate to develop a humanoid Anti-Gnosis fighting system called Kos-Mos. As the story progresses, Kos-Mos goes through a development process that in the end, made her more than just a weapon of destruction into a totally unique and living being.

The battle system is fabulous. You, the player, will have option of engaging the enemy directly. Each of the main characters have a set of attacks, from the physical, martials arts type attacks to long range attacks involving the use of some very special abilities. Some of your main characters will have the ability to "pilot" giant, mechanical humanoid fighting systems called A.G.W.S. (Anti-Gnosis Weapons System). You have the option of outfitting your A.G.W.S. with a variety of weapons, such as Gatling Guns, Rifles, Grenade Launchers, Swords, Drill Claws, and Lancer Arms. Each of your main characters are also highly "customizable". You earn points during battle. It is your choice how to use those points to acquire skills, and to increase attributes for your players. Strategy plays a big role in battles. Also, unlike the typical RPG, in Xenosaga there are no random battles. So you are not subjected to fighting the same enemies over and over for the 99th time. The enemies are visible, and you have the ability to use "stealth" to avoid them in most cases.

The soundtrack is composed by Yasunori Mitsuda, who is the equivalent of John Williams in the world of RPGs. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performed the soundtrack.

By the way, do not expect all of the plot lines to be resolved at the end of the game. Most will not. This is only part I, of a six-part story. I highly recommend this game. Especially for those players who demand more from their RPG than the typical, mind-numbing, overly-repetitive random battles that you usually find in the Final Fantasy series. I have also played FFX. And while it is also good, the story simply does not even come close to the size and scope of that being told in Xenosaga. I believe that a well-made RPG can do a much better job of telling a story, compared to a movie. In an RPG, you do actually get to be the main character and interact with the story. An RPG can immerse in the story to th extent that a movie could never hope to do. If you like complicated plots, epic story, fun battle system, and lovable characters, then I highly recommend this game to you.