Editing Xenogears (section)

===Critical response===
''Xenogears'' was met with critical acclaim. ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]'' praised the story, characters, gameplay, graphics, and soundtrack.<ref name="egm"/> IGN described it as the "hands-down best RPG" of the year, praising the storyline, gameplay, graphics, presentation, and soundtrack.<ref name="ign"/> [[GameSpot]] described it as one of Squaresoft's best role-playing games, praising the story, gameplay, and audio, but criticized the lack of graphical polish.<ref name="GameSpot"/> [[Allgame]] pointed out in a positive light that the character battles are "unlike most role-playing games from this company".<ref name="allgame">{{cite web| first=Matthew| last=House| title=Xenogears| url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=14104| publisher=[[Allgame]]| access-date=2008-08-07| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100212135754/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=14104| archive-date=2010-02-12}}</ref>

The game's story and characters were well received. ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' said it is "rich in story and character development."<ref name="egm"/> ''[[Game Informer]]'' and ''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'' agreed that the plot was one of the game's highlights, the former drawing comparisons to ''[[Star Wars]]'', ''[[Star Blazers]]'', the [[Old Testament]], and many other Square games, making it "a game every RPG fanatic must play."<ref name="nextgen">{{cite web | author=Next Generation staff | date=1998-10-20 | title=Rumored to never see the light of US day... | url=http://www.next-generation.com/jsmid/reviews/2230.html |work=[[Next Generation Magazine]]| access-date=2010-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041109152238/http://www.next-generation.com/jsmid/reviews/2230.html |archive-date=2004-11-09}}</ref><ref name="gameinformer">{{cite magazine | author=Game Informer staff | date=November 1998 | title=On the 7th Day, They Created Square | url=http://www.gameinformer.com/cgi-bin/review.cgi?sys=psx&path=nov98&doc=xenogear |magazine=[[Game Informer]]| access-date=2010-04-17 | url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990912001402/http://www.gameinformer.com/cgi-bin/review.cgi?sys=psx&path=nov98&doc=xenogear |archive-date=1999-09-12}}</ref> IGN said the storyline is intricate, engrossing, "deep, complex, and once in a while even confusing, until more of the real underlying plotline is uncovered."<ref name="ign"/> GameSpot said the story is "excellent" and "thought-provoking" but said it can be "a little preachy at times", but went on to say that the religious and existential themes "enhance the story and [our] understanding of the game's deep characterizations".<ref name="GameSpot">{{cite web|first=Peter |last=Bartholow |date=1998-04-02 |title=Xenogears Review |website=[[GameSpot]] |url=http://www.gamespot.com/ps/rpg/xenogears/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;review |access-date=2008-08-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613013310/http://www.gamespot.com/ps/rpg/xenogears/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary%3Breview |archive-date=2007-06-13 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Game Revolution]] described the storyline as "epic" and "fabulous" with "many twists and turns" and a large cast of characters.<ref name="gamerev"/> RPGFan said "the story is unique and probably the most complex and interesting of any RPG", giving it a 99% rating for the story.<ref name=rpgfan/> Retrospectively, ''Edge'' praised the plot's scope and ambition and the protagonist as the "most complicated Freudian hero" in video games, but said it has a "flawed" script and "muddied" translation, as well as too many cut scenes, especially on the second disc, where the use of the world map is restricted for an extended period and the number of cut scenes increases.<ref name="timeextend">{{cite magazine | author=Edge Staff | date=2007-10-10 | title=Time Extend: Xenogears | url=http://www.next-gen.biz/features/time-extend-xenogears |magazine=[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]]| access-date=2008-08-24 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101003023044/http://www.next-gen.biz/features/time-extend-xenogears | archive-date=2010-10-03}}</ref> Years after the game's release, Jeremy Parish of ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' called the game's plot "one of the wackiest game plotlines ever", but said that it "actually makes sense" if the player ignores all of the sideplots.<ref name="parish"/> IGN, however, stated that despite having too many cut scenes and a sometimes confusing plot, "immersion is a key factor in ''Xenogears'' and the questions you may have about the storyline are all answered at some point in the game."<ref name="ign"/> Following the PSN release, RPGFan's James Quentin Clark said ''Xenogears'' has "hands down the best single story I have seen in any video game," giving it a 100% rating for the story.<ref name=rpgfanpsn/>

Reviewers largely praised ''Xenogears''' gameplay. ''Next Generation'' praised Square's [[Active Time Battle]] gauge and said that inclusion of the AP meter and combo attacks "is not only refreshing in a turn-based RPG, but gives players a higher level of interaction during battle."<ref name="nextgen"/> IGN claimed that "the most impressive feature in combat is the ability to use massive "Gears" or mechs", noting that Square's attention to programming these battles is made evident by how "visually satisfying" they are.<ref name="ign"/> IGN praised the game's exploration, saying that the ability to jump and climb "adds even more depth to exploration of different environments and distances Xenogears from being too straightforward of a traditional RPG", the only complaint being that the rotating camera is sometimes "clumsy".<ref name="ign"/>

The soundtrack was well received. ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' said the game sounds as "beautiful" as it looks.<ref name=egm/> GameSpot said it "expertly uses audio to push the story along" and noted that many of the games' tracks "include voice or chanting and all are appropriately uppity or low with the game's mood", but said there were many areas with silence or ambience making the "game's soundtrack a tad sparse."<ref name="GameSpot"/> ''Xenogears'' was the first Square game to feature voice overs and anime cut scenes.<ref name="GameSpot"/> ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' said they are "some of the slickest animation cinemas" they have seen.<ref name="egm"/> Game Revolution praised the "absolutely spectacular and stunning" hand-drawn anime cut-scenes, but stated that they were sparse and poorly synched with the voice acting.<ref name="gamerev"/>

Retrospectively, ''Edge'' commented that although it is "considered by some to be a multimillion-yen, convoluted science-fiction vanity project, ''Xenogears'' nevertheless remains one of the most keenly eulogized PlayStation RPGs."<ref name="timeextend"/> The magazine also noted that it was Takahashi's "most challenging and pure work" and that the ''[[Xenosaga]]'' series never quite matched up to ''Xenogears''.<ref name="timeextend"/>