Xenogears

Xenogears is a console role-playing game made by Square Co., Ltd. It was released on February 11th, 1998(Japan) and on October 20th, 1998(North America). Even though the game was criticized for its religious and philosophical allusions, it came above many other games.

STORY TAKEN FROM http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenogears

^{The game starts in 9999.[1] The game begins in the small town of Lahan, which is near the border of Aveh. We are introduced to Fei Fong Wong, an eighteen-year-old male who was mysteriously brought to Lahan by a “Masked Man” three years prior. Because of the events surrounding his arrival at the village, Fei has no clear memories before arriving in the village. Despite this, Fei has a pleasant life, and is awaiting the marriage of his two best friends, Alice and Timothy.}

One night, while visiting the local doctor, Citan Uzuki in his home on top of a nearby mountain, Fei is shocked to find a group of Gears flying towards Lahan. By the time Fei makes it back, the entire town is burning as the Gears storm their way through the village. Fei finds an unmanned gear nearby, and, despite Citan’s protests, gets aboard; Fei has some success fending off the attackers. However, when he sees his friend Timothy shot, a new personality awakens in Fei, causing the Gear to go berserk – the entire village is destroyed, killing many of the attackers, as well as Alice, in the process. A distraught Fei is forced to become a village outcast and decides to leave the ominous black gear behind. Upon entering the Black Moon Forest, Fei encounters a strange female soldier named Elly, whom he feels a strange connection towards. From this point onward, Fei and his allies will learn of the truth behind his planet, and a past involving extensive manipulation and a being known as “Deus”.

Not only did this game have an amazing plot, its graphics weren’t too shabby for 1998. It used a 2dimentional sprite overlay on three-dimensional backrounds.

If this game isn’t one of the best out there, its certainly high on the list, and deserving of praise. Even today I’d highly recommend Xenogears to anyone who asked. Most games still haven’t hit some of the topics that are explored in Xenogears. It was a once in a lifetime game (unless you beat it several times), that will stick with you long after beaten.