It's hard to believe how long the conclusion to the Xenosaga game series has taken to arrive. With the first entry released over three and a half years ago, it's doubtful many expected it would take this long for the events of that opening cinematic venture to be fully explained, much less remember exactly what transpired. And yet, along comes Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra, requiring players to have an intimate knowledge of such past events to grasp the revelations and resolutions at hand.

Fortunately, the third Xenosaga, Episode III builds off of the successes and missteps of the previous two installments. Well aware of the baggage carried by its story, there's a full-fledged "Xeno Bible" that summarizes the last two games. Accessible at almost any point in the game, this database of characters and past events proves an invaluable resource. That may sound like an exaggeration, but with over eight hours of in-game cinematics, both Xenosaga veterans and those new to the series will need some help in understanding the implications of the situations as they unfold.

Of course, the extent of Episode III's polish extends far beyond a mere story summary. With multiple games now under its belt, the crew over at developer Monolith Soft has become quite adept with the PlayStation 2 hardware. As a result, the entire game has a slick feel to it. Vibrant colors and detailed textures define the game's futuristic aesthetic, and snappy load times mean there isn't much time lost staring at a blank screen. Meanwhile, cutscenes can either be paused or skipped at any time, a feature practically necessary given the emphasis on lengthy cinematics.

The series of smart decisions continues with the battle system. Though it doesn't deviate much from the traditional turn-based template, the system is streamlined in that it doesn't spend much time focusing on lengthy attack animations. The emphasis here is on combat, and the actions of the battle participants, however elaborate they may be, are quickly completed. A bar in the upper left-hand section of the screen displays the order in which characters will act, allowing players to design an appropriate strategy. This also calls attention to the ever-handy Boost feature, which permits a character to act twice in the span of one turn. Unfortunately, the limitations of the Boost system mean that it can only be used sporadically, but it's an effective last ditch effort, especially in boss fights.

The character-on-character fights are only half of it. Continuing the Xenosaga tradition, Episode III also features E.S., or giant robot, fights. Apart from some changes regarding ammunition, the battle system retains most of its turn-based mechanics during the E.S. battles. For the most part, it's just an excuse to throw a bunch of giant robots on-screen and have them dole out ridiculous amounts of damage to other giant-sized enemies. But that's not to trivialize the E.S. battles, as the variation that comes about as a result of the change of scenery and slightly different battle mechanics help to keep things fresh.

Interspersed between the various battles and cutscenes are towns and dungeons that encourage exploration and puzzle solving. What's particularly cool about towns are that the conversations of the various residents appear over their heads as speech bubbles. This gives the player an idea as to what a conversation with that particular person would entail, so there's no reason to stop and talk unless there's a topic one finds intriguing. Also, destructible objects are scattered throughout both towns and dungeons, often rewarding the player with an additional item once destroyed.