Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht The Movie (2002, Monolith Soft/Namco)
16Another recovered Videogame movie! (was on my wife's account, found the mostly assembled bits on an old hard drive, did my best to slap them together properly thank goodness the bits were labeled)
This time a full, cinematic playthrough of XenoSaga Episode 1!
Captured using PS2 original hardware (not emulated).
Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht (ゼノサーガ エピソードI 力への意志 Zenosāga Episōdo Wan Chikara e no Ishi?) is a role-playing video game developed by Monolith Soft and published by Namco for the PlayStation 2 and the first title in the Xenosaga series. Der Wille zur Macht, "The Will to Power", is a reference to Friedrich Nietzsche's posthumous collection of notes and unused aphorisms, which was intended to become his magnum opus. While supplies lasted, players who pre-ordered Episode I received a limited-edition artbook featuring original art from the game.
Episode I begins the trilogy that centers on the characters Shion and KOS-MOS. A young woman employed by Vector Industries, Shion aided in the creation of the battle android KOS-MOS and is present throughout much of the game. During this game, the U-TIC Organization attempts to steal one of the powerful Zohar Emulators, sources of energy used by humans.
Episode I was written and directed by Tetsuya Takahashi, director of the PlayStation game Xenogears. The Xenosaga series is often claimed to be a spiritual prequel to Takahashi's earlier game, although the game's creators deny any real connection.
Episode I mainly serves as an exposition for the characters and the developing plot.
Episode I dealt with the censorship of several cutscenes in the North American release of the game, a majority of which take place during a confrontation between the game's main villain and another character. This was done presumably to avoid any possibilities of the title receiving an ESRB M rating. A scene involving an arm being snapped was softened for the North American version. In another scene of noticeable censorship, a character draws out a knife, which he uses to cut off his arm and head. For Western release he simply rips off his limbs without the use of a knife. A scene where a character draws out information by "reaching inside" another character was also altered; instead, he simply puts his hand over her face in the North American version.