All of the protagonists make a return, including Momo and Junior. A new player enters the mix -- Jin, Shion's brother. He's decked out in traditional samurai garb (better known as the "just got out of the shower and threw on a bathrobe" look), and wields a sword as efficiently as you'd expect. You can cycle characters in and out of battle with ease.
Graphically, everyone will look a little different. That's because Xenosaga II has incorporated a new art style. Characters are more realistically modeled, as opposed to the anime-esque visuals of the first game. This, says the game's producer, is to better convey emotion. If this game is anything like the first, there will be plenty of emotion to be felt.
The battle mechanics have received an upgrade to make combat more compelling. Those of you who played Shadow Hearts: Covenant (and if you're an RPG fan you should have) will be familiar with the double-team tactics Xenosaga II employs. The boost gauge is no longer tied to one character, instead being associated with the entire team.
Adding more depth are the zone breaks. Each major enemy has three zones: A, B, and C. They represent high, middle, and low areas, respectively. One of them is a weak point for the foe, and it's your job to figure out which one. Once you discover this, you can exploit it to wreak havoc. All of these gameplay advancements are good news, as in this day and age simple turn-based battle systems are falling out of favor.
Also returning are the ES mechs. Now, however, they're a little more squared-off from their pilots. You'll wander around the overworld as them, and fight mech-specific battles. Their battle system is very similar to that of the humanoids, but it's still pretty cool to have the two occur separately.
Some people might be relieved to hear that Namco and Monolith have trimmed the amount of cutscenes you'll sit through. Apparently, some people thought there were too many of them. Of course, as it was the first in what is designed to have several installments, it needed to set the scene and develop the characters. For Xenosaga II, the cinemas are just to supplement the action and keep the pace moving. In any case, Namco still promises at least a few hours of them throughout the 60-hour game.
RPG fans everywhere should be hyped for Xenosaga II. The first one showed the team of Monolith and Namco can compete with the mighty Square-Enix. With one installment under Monolith's belt, the follow-up should only surpass that level of quality.
