Review: Newcomers Can Embrace 'Sequels'

This image from the game "Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII" was provided by its publisher, Square Enix. "Final Fantasy VII" hero Vincent Valentine gets his own adventure in "Dirge of Cerberus," for the PlayStation 2. (AP Photo/Square Enix) (AP)

-- The video-game industry's dependence on sequels is widely regarded as a sign of creative stagnation. An awful lot of them seem born of desperation _ was anyone crying out for "State of Emergency 2"? Then again, when a truly great original like "God of War" emerges, fans start clamoring for a follow-up almost immediately.

Fans of role-playing games seem particularly hungry for new adventures in the worlds they've fallen in love with. Oddly, though, most RPG "sequels" aren't really sequels _ "Final Fantasy VIII" and "Final Fantasy IX" may share some characters and gameplay elements, but the stories have nothing to do with each other.

That makes it easy for newcomers to join in. Don't let those Roman numerals scare you _ jump in now and you can catch up with the earlier games later.

_"Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra" (Namco Bandai, for the PlayStation 2, $39.99): Tetsuya Takahashi's "Xeno" epic began in 1998 with "Xenogears," a wildly ambitious role-playing game that climaxed with nothing less than the death of God. The "Xenosaga" trilogy is no less ambitious, tackling religion, philosophy, psychology and quantum mechanics while questioning the very nature of what it means to be human. (The subtitles of all three "Xenosaga" games are borrowed from Friedrich Nietzsche books.)

The lead character is a scientist named Shion Uzuki who has developed a battle android named KOS-MOS. As "Episode III" begins, Shion has left her employer after discovering its connection to the Gnosis, monsters from another dimension that are bent on destroying humanity. The plot revolves around her efforts to stop the Gnosis threat, but along the way Shion and her crew are warped backward in time to discover the roles her parents played in the crisis. "Xenosaga" is heady stuff, involving hundreds of characters and a dozen or so intersecting stories, but players who missed the first two episodes should be able to catch up.

"Episode III" does an excellent job of wrapping up the series, connecting the plot threads launched in "Episode I" and avoiding the lulls that marred "Episode II." Plus, it's really fun, mixing exciting battles with moving, beautifully animated cut scenes. Four stars out of four.

_"Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories" (NIS America, for the PlayStation 2, $49.99): The original "Disgaea," from 2004, was a much more lighthearted affair, telling the story of a demon's efforts to reclaim his underworld throne. In "Disgaea 2," a kid named Adell is the only human left in a world where everyone else has been turned into monsters. His family inadvertently summons Rozalyn, the snooty daughter of the evil overlord Zenon, so she joins Adell in his mission to dispel the curse. Along the way you're invited to summon support troops from the usual assortment of RPG types, from fighters and ninjas to magicians and thieves.

Like its predecessor, "Disgaea 2" is an uncommonly challenging strategy game, requiring precise deployment of your team to conquer each of its hundreds of levels. And it's enlivened by the comical bickering between the two main characters, as well as a lively assortment of off-kilter villains. (Beware the exploding penguins.) The graphics aren't exactly state-of-the-art, but who cares when a game is this involving? Three-and-a-half stars.

_"Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII" (Square Enix, for the PlayStation 2, $49.99): Vincent Valentine, a supporting character in the 1997 classic "Final Fantasy VII," stars in "Dirge of Cerberus." The sequel takes place three years later, with Vincent trying to stop a mysterious army that has emerged from the wreckage created in the previous game. "Dirge" is a fairly straightforward shoot-'em-up from a company that doesn't have much experience in the genre, and it's not as compelling as most titles in Square Enix's signature series. Fans who are dying to learn more about Vincent's mysterious past will enjoy it, but RPG aficionados are advised to wait for "Final Fantasy XII" in October _ or play "Xenosaga III" now. Two-and-a-half stars.

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On the Net:

"Xenosaga III: Also Sprach Zarathustra": http://xenosaga3.namco.com

"Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories": http://www.nisamerica.com/games/d2

"Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII": http://na.square-enix.com/dcff7