/vr/ - Retro Games

>>4380828
>Xenogears: 1998, PS
aka Episode V; Xenogears as we know it but with a complete second disc.

>Xenogears 2: 2000, PS
aka Episode II. A sequel was greenlighted to establish the series as an action RPG akin to their conventional JRPG behemoth Final Fantasy series. Game enjoyed better production values and did well enough to continue the series on the next platform.

>Xenogears Episode I: 2003, PS2
Rebranding the series brought new fans to the series without sacrificing its old fanbase. Huge commercial success, released between FF10 (2001) and FF12 (2006) to a starving JRPG fandom that was lukewarm about FF11.

>Xenogears Episode V: 2005, PSP
Vastly overhauled port of the first Xenogears game. Seemingly random naming pattern earns mockery, but quality of the port wins critics and PS2 era fans over.

>Xenogears Episode II: 2005, PSP
Another rebranded and polished port, released half a year later. Fandom reaches new heights between old fans and new fans, building hype for...

>Xenogears Episode IV: 2006, PS2
Generally considered the peak of the series and one half of the 2016 JRPG juggernaut, next to FF12. XGIV is considered the best iteration of the XG formula. To this date, discussions about them turn into shouting matches between the two camps.

>Xenogears Episode III: 2009, PS3
Producing two high-quality games in parallel almost brought Square Enix to its knees, delaying the development release of FF13 and XGIII for several years, with gaming as a whole moving away from the JRPG genre. XGIII, while selling well, fails to repeat the success of XGIV in a saturated market. Critics note that the formula starts to feel stale.

>Xenogears Episode I: 2011, PSV
Port of the first PS2 game. One of the best-selling launch titles on a weak platform.

>Xenogears Episode IV: 2012, PSV
Port of the second PS2 game. Received well, but didn't find new fans.

>Xenogears Episode VI: 2013, PS3
The final episode. Creatively drained, Takahashi bows out.

>Xenogears: 1998, PS
Episode V

>Xenogears 2: 2000, PS
Episode II. Another last hurrah of 32bit JRPGs in the twilight days of the console. Considered an overall more polished effort, expanding on the action RPG formula while taking greater care of plot and character development, better stomaching the favoring of FF9 on the production side than XG1 did with FF8. Commercially overlooked but fondly remembered.

>Xenogears Episode I: 2003, PS2
Huge success: Released between FF10 (2001) and FF12 (2006) to a starving JRPG fandom. Rebranding brought new fans to the series who never played the first two games.

>Xenogears Episode V: 2005, PSP
Rebranded and vastly overhauled port of the first Xenogears game. The series' random naming and numbering is widely mocked by press and gamers alike. Initial rift between PS1 era old-timers and PSP era first-timers soon patched up over sheer quality of release.

>Xenogears Episode II: 2005, PSP
Another rebranded and polished port, released half a year later. Fandom reaches new heights between old fans and new fans, building hype for...

>Xenogears Episode IV: 2006, PS2
Generally considered the peak of the series. With the FF12 project hitting roadblock after roadblock in development, eventually being pushed to the PS3 where it killed the FF13 development (*thank fuck*), Square Enix threw its everything at XG4.

>Xenogears Episode III: 2009, PS3
With gaming as a whole having moved away from the JRPG genre and FF12 (PS3) being lauded as the glorious return to form of the former supreme JRPG franchise, XG3 fails to repeat the success it had during the PS2 era.

>Xenogears Episode I: 2011, PSV
Port. One of the best-selling launch titles.

>Xenogears Episode IV: 2012, PSV
Port.

>Xenogears Episode VI: 2013, PS3
The final episode. SE throwing money at its newly invigorated Final Fantasy franchise and the upcoming FF13, XG6 suffers the same fate as the first game. The cycle is complete.