Well… I just got around to watching the Xenosaga anime. It looks like it was only an adaptation of the first PS2 game. After twelve episodes of fast moving plot (ok, eleven episodes and the intro ep), it just sort of screams to an abrupt end. I am assuming this is roughly exactly where the game ends, since it is a similar end-point to the .hack games. Oh well.
By way of review, hrm… the main theme song is nice. Happy little sad piano piece. When they add lyrics to it for the closing credits, it kind of loses something, but the lyrics aren’t out of place when it plays during the big finale in ep12, so go figure.
The art is… tolerable. The transitions between CG and traditional animation aren’t as abrupt as in many other shows that do that sort of thing, so that’s nice. However, neither style is particularly wonderful. Especially in episode 11 or so… the budget must have run out because there is a lot of recycled footage in one particularly long scene I can think of.
The voice acting is good. Most of the seiyu are relative unknowns. The only big name I am recognizing is Yamadera Kouichi – 山寺宏一 – as Albedo (the evil insane soul-crunching bad guy). In addition to such huge roles such as Spike Speigel, Hibiki Ryouga, and Captain Harlock, he also appears to have done quite a few voices for Disney’s Japanese adaptations.
The story itself… well, you’re just sort of thrown in there. The action is already happening halfway into the first episode and you get to spend the next two or three eps catching up. Once you’re comfortable, it’s pretty good. Definitely interesting. I’m not sure where the author is going with his semi-random mix of norse mythology and 1st century Christian terms (most words of which are completely divorced from their actual concepts).
All in all, it’s a good watch. Not wonderful, but if you have 5 hours to spare some time, it might be worth it. 
However, I definitely I think I’m gonna have to kidnap the game from Danny tonight.
update
I never did get a chance to play the game… *sniff* I’ll have to consider doing that some time. I do now own a copy of Xenogears, however… shrug.