This guide is to show you what to get when it comes to Xenosaga! First off, the games are EXCELENT anyway you slice them. . . . . . . Xenosaga Episode 1: Dur wille zur Macht, is the closest to the original idea. It has a very good and pretty battle system, but many people say the cutscenes are boring. Which is what Xenosaga: The Animaiton fixes (see it later on in the guide!) . . . Xenosaga: The Animation: Vol 1: Enter the Gnosis, (Dubbed over in English voices, mind you!) is supurb. The fighting cannot be on par with the games, but is still very good. The Pacing is great so no one will get bored, and the 4 hours you spend on the first battle ship "talking" in the game? Is wrapped up into one nice 20 minute episode, ending with KOS-MOS's awakening. . . . The balance between story and action is also great. Four episodes come on the disc for about $20, and 2 and 3 are aciton packed! 1 and 4 still have action, but have a very deep story with facinating characters to put into play first. . . . But you HAVE TO BE CAREFUL OF BOOTLEGERS!!! The Region Code for this DVD is 1 (US, Canada). A 0 code is a bootleg. They have horrible quality are aren't worth a cent! . . . Back to the games; . . . Xenosaga Episode II: Jenus Von Gut und Bose, is a MASSIVE change from the first. If you can get over that, and the fact that the story goes much faster, it is very enjoyable, and the battle system is oen not seen often in RPGs, but non-buggy. It can be very fun, and ES (massive mechs) are introduced with their own battle system. . . . Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra, easily the most popular of the series. It has the fastest, most favored (but simple) battle system, the best character designs in the opinion of most, and a very attractive artstyle. It's just more fun and better looking in every aspect than any of the other games. Plus, it has a database that reviews (in a bit of a boring way) games 1 and 2, so you know what's happening. . . . You can get each game brand new for between $9.99 to in the mid $30's, or somethimes you can find the whole trilogy for $10! . . . Only get the first two strategy guides. The third on doesn't have maps or where to get all items, but it does have a nifty 4 ft T-elos poster inside the new ones. Each Worth about $20-30. . . . . . . Art books; Xeno Emmisions 2 and 3 are worth the $200, but not the first one. Get the Preview for the first one, it has the only good artwork in it, even then the price is hefty. 2 and 3 have beautiful concept work and illustrations not released by the artist who designed KOS-MOS, Shion, MOMO, and Jr! And the Mechs, including ES's. . . . All posters you can find that are official are good, except the colloge for Episode 2, or the swimsuit one, those are not. THese can be $5 for a poster, very expensive for a rare 6 foot T-elos poster, or abbout $30 for a wall scroll. . . . . . . You know all the little Gashoupen figures, the 5-inchers that you see all over when you search xenosaga? I have all 17, they are fantastic! My top three are Version 4 (from the first set) Shion, and Version 2, you can see right through her! (both from the second set). The detail is great. THey should go for $10 and less. I got the entire first set (7 figures) for $60 and the Entire second set (10 figures) for $70. NEVER pay more than $10 for a single brnd new figure. . . . The bigger figures, like the Alter figures, have great quality and cannot be missed out on! Atelier/sai Happinet Ver4 is a good one, but most seem to think it is overpriced (it's the one with the big laser wearpon and a static pose). The Bome KOS-MOS is very popular, and very cheap, $20 for an 8 inch high quality one, that's great! . . .Always watch out for the shipping on the toys, they can be heavy, and shipping prices skyrocket fast to the $20-30 range easiliy! I hope this helps! XENO ON!!!!