Many changes have been made, some greater than others.  None of them degrade or improve the game much, they just make it different.  But that's what a sequel is supposed to be -- different.  I wasn't looking for a rehash here, and that's not what Monolith wanted to give us.

Fans of the original will be glad to know that its innovative battle system has returned.  A few changes have been made, starting with the difficulty.  Whereas Xenogears became insanely difficult at times, Xenosaga is almost always at a beatable level.  Not to say that it isn't challenging, but it doesn't take long to figure out the enemies' attack moves, enabling you to plan a strategy and defeat them fairly quickly.

Your ability to attack during battle still depends on how many attack points you have.  A total of six attack points can be acquired per character per battle (with more after upgrades), but only four of them will be available at the beginning of each battle.  Most standard moves take two attack points, but combos take many more.  To obtain more than four points, you can either choose to Guard or select one weak attack, making sure that at least two attack points are left behind when that particular character's turn is over.  When it comes time for that character to attack again, he or she will have a full attack meter.

Because the combos are weapon-based (Shion will shoot her foe multiple times as opposed to punching and kicking), Xenosaga doesn't feel as much like a fighting game as Xenogears.  It's still a great combo system, just not as Tekken-y as I would have liked.

Another change is the use of mobile suits.  The Gears from the first game have been replaced by A.G.W.S. -- Anti-Gnosis Weapon System.  Not all of the characters can pilot A.G.W.S., but those that can have the ability to use them in most battles (perhaps one of the reasons why Xenosaga is so much easier than its predecessor).  Attack points are also used for the A.G.W.S., but their attacks are so strong that it really doesn't matter until later on in the game.

The biggest change of all lies within how the story is developed.  Now that DVD is the official format of most game developers, space, sound and picture quality is no longer of any concern.  If memory serves right, there were around 30 minutes of CG and anime movie sequences in Xenogears.  Xenosaga blows that game out of the water with several times that amount.  Actually, that's an understatement.  I haven't kept track, but I'd say there are at least 10 hours of movie footage in this game.  The movies, referred to as "cinematic events" in the manual, are made up of real-time footage, though CG enhancements are used wherever necessary.  How do these movies stack up against Xenogears' ultra-cool anime?  Pretty well.  Certain parts of Xenogears cannot be topped, that's just the way it is.  But there are a ton of cool sequences to sink your eyes into, especially the A.G.W.S. and KOS-MOS battles.

Xenosaga's story doesn't appear to be very spectacular at first.  It starts out good, but typical among sci-fi sagas, and barely connects to the game that started the series, Xenogears.  Humans have abandoned Earth for space (the reason isn't given at the time), and while living among the stars, vicious aliens called Gnosis threaten to destroy all of mankind.  To counter this threat, Vector Industries develops cyborg-like weapon called KOS-MOS.  When running at full capacity, KOS-MOS is presumed to have enough power to defeat the extremely powerful Gnosis. 

From this point, the story slowly develops, introducing all of the main characters, later throwing in a few gameplay tidbits to keep Xenosaga from feeling too much like a movie.  Among Xenosaga's heroes is 22-year-old Shion Uzuki.  Shion is the Chief Engineer of the KOS-MOS Project, and has become really attached to her creation.  In addition to KOS-MOS, there are many generic robotic humans called Realians.  Realians were created for one purpose and one purpose only: to fight.  Despite not being human, Shion cares deeply for them as well.  She also cares for a man named Allen, however, this aspect doesn't develop too well at first.

Allen: I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to you.

Shion: What?  Did you say something?

Just when you think there's not a whole lot of excitement to be had watching these unusually long movie sequences, several new characters are revealed, most of whom have evil intentions.  Gnosis, who once appeared to be your worst enemy, is now the least of your concerns. 

One of Xenosaga's most surprising features is its amazing voice-overs.  In-game cinemas are only as good as the story behind them, and the story is only as good as the actors telling it.  The majority of the voices match up really well with the characters' faces and personalities, and all of them -- even the less likeable actors -- recite their lines with much emotion.  Being able to watch the character interact with one another and talk in a more realistic matter is so much more convincing than text box RPGs of the last two decades.  Text boxes are used sparingly in Xenosaga in order to advance the story while exploring or preparing for combat, but all of the important developments are done via the excellent cinematic events.

Xenosaga is a game that no RPG fanatic can stand to miss.  This is one of those games that's worth playing just for the music, but you'll be glued to your PS2 for reasons other than Yasunori Mitsuda's orchestral masterpiece.  Not since Final Fantasy X's release have I had the desire to play through an RPG as diligently this one.  Hardcore players looking for 50 hours of battles may be a little disappointed when they find out that a big chunk of the game is comprised of movie sequences, but I'm not.  Xenosaga has great battles -- so did Xenogears.  But in Xenogears, I constantly found myself rushing through the battles just to get to the next cool story sequence (this is true of most RPGs).  Although the story alone cannot entirely make or break an RPG, it is its life-force; it's what hooks you and makes you continue playing even when the gameplay becomes repetitive.  With all of the movie sequences that Xenosaga has to offer, it's much easier to look forward to the next series of battles, since you know that it won't be ten years before they end.

Gameplay: 8.8
This game has some of the best turn-based battles around.  It's great being able to perform combos in battle again, and I love the new A.G.W.S. system.  Most of the battles have just the right length, never feeling as though they've dragged on for too long.  The Xeno franchise may belong to Namco now, but it still plays with as much quality as it did when it belonged to Square.

Graphics: 8
The character and A.G.W.S. designs are great, and the graphics are very pleasing to the eye, but Final Fantasy X's 14-month-old visuals are still superior.

Sound: 9
Xenosaga has incredible voice acting, but it can't compare to the game's unbelievable soundtrack.  Virtually every song in the game is a masterpiece.  From the battle music and the many level themes, to the mesmerizing cinematic event tracks, Xenosaga is overflowing with musical magnificence.  I do have a complaint though: one of the songs is almost identical to one from Gundam Wing, and another sounds like it was taken from Metal Gear Solid 2.  They sound great, but I prefer every track to be unique.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Part of Xenosaga leans toward the easy end of things, while other parts of it provide an intermediate challenge.  Regardless, most gamers, hardcore or otherwise, will not have a hard time completing this game.

Concept: 8.4 
Xenosaga has a great story with likeable characters, and great battles with cool mobile suits.  As with Xenogears, this is pretty much your one and only chance to play an RPG that truly feels like a part of the Gundam saga.  No, this isn't Gundam, and it has no official connection, but the villains, the music, and just about everything else in the game was obviously inspired by that anime series.

Overall: 8.9
Xenosaga is the first must-play RPG since Final Fantasy X was released in December 2001.  I recommend it for the music alone, and the voice acting so good that you really have to hear it for yourself to believe it.  The long story sequences are mostly great, and the intricate and complex developments that take place will surely suck you in until the credits roll.  It's not as dark, not as violent, and not even slightly as religious as Xenogears.  But it has all of the qualities of a good RPG, and is one that all PS2 owners should definitely check out.