Xenosaga can be a chore to enjoy at times with its slowly paced story, flawed visuals and time consuming gameplay.
Gameplay wise, Xenosaga is just slow. The characters move at a snail's pace, the animations are sluggish and the special attacks during battles couldn't be more overly drawn out and dramatic. Worst of all, these battles are incredibly easy to exploit. With a creative equipment combo and some skill points put in the right place, you can use a character's incredibly devastating tech attack every single turn, and twice every other turn. There's no strategy involved but no incentive not to play this way since it is simply the best way to go about the game. Xenosaga is a pretty old PS2 game, but that's hardly an excuse for the unattractive, weirdly proportioned anime characters. Let it be known however, that where Xenosaga shines is in its' characters. The game has a fantastic cast and some undeniably memorable moments that make it worth playing.
Nothing about Xenosaga Episode I is truly terrible, but it scarcely succeeds greatly. It can be found cheap, so it's not a bad buy, but it can sometimes feel like work to actually play and sit through.