Alright. So I played the 1st Xenosaga (though I never beat it) and I want to play the other two. However, I was told be an extremely unreliable source that Xenosaga II sucks mad ass and doesn't really even follow the storyline of the first or second game.

Is this true?

It does follow the same storyline, but the story content is minimal.
If you like watching the cutscenes to get the story, get all three like I did.
If you don't mind reading, the only game you need is Episode 3 since it comes with VERY detailed summaries of Episodes 1 and 2.

suikoden

the battles in xenosaga 2 take forever,even the easiest ones.also the story doesnt really follow the main xenosaga story.

the battles in xenosaga 2 take forever,even the easiest ones.also the story doesnt really follow the main xenosaga story.

Ditto on battle length.

But it does follow the same storyline as Episode I, it's just that the story content is so minimal it's often overlooked. It provided a major amount of backstory to some characters and helped to setup the events in Epsiode III.

Apart from the in-game music and rather lethargic rate at which battle are fought, all other negative aspects of the game have been greatly exaggerated. Honestly, while the story isn't as intricate, I found Episode II a lot more entertaining than Episode I (which I still can't be bothered completing). If you like Rubedo and Albedo, then this is probably the game for you.

But yeah, Episode III is about 10x better than both of them combined.

Apart from the in-game music and rather lethargic rate at which battle are fought, all other negative aspects of the game have been greatly exaggerated. Honestly, while the story isn't as intricate, I found Episode II a lot more entertaining than Episode I (which I still can't be bothered completing). If you like Rubedo and Albedo, then this is probably the game for you.

But yeah, Episode III is about 10x better than both of them combined.

And the fact that Episode III has a synopsis of Episodes I and II is enough reason to buy only Episode III.

Generally speaking - and as has been repeated here - the storyline of Xenosaga II is very specific. It essentially wraps up the past and present history of the URTV's as well as the Kirschwassers, Momo and Sakura. Furthermore, the information presented on the Y Data, the Lemegaton, and the current political climate is most definitely worth playing the game for.
Some people disliked that they changed a few staples of RPG gaming - a lack of currency and stores to spend it in, for example - but it's really not something you'll miss. The battles ARE harder than your average RPG, but once you work out how to string together elemental chains after air/ground-breaking your enemies, even the toughest boss battle becomes a piece of cake.
If you enjoyed Xenosaga 1 for it's story, then Xenosaga 2 is what I consider an essential purchase before you play Xenosaga 3.

As has been said, if you derive a fair amount of your joy from Jr, Albedo, and MOMO, Episode II will be a watershed experience for you. I personally do, and consequently adore it. The battles do take longer but only because you have to string together immaculate chains. In the main story this isn't very difficult, but the optional bosses in the Epilogue make it an endeavor in skill AND luck. I personally enjoyed the challenge and didn't have to repeat them to the point of frustration--once I had properly equipped myself with skills. :-P

The side-quests consist mostly of run-and-fetch missions similar to Adventure games. There are a great number of them, and I suppose they could grate the nerves. However, my thorough runthrough of the game came after playing Final Fantasy X, so I enjoyed the laid-back nature of them--sooo relaxing after getting the Sun sigil =)

I haven't played Ep. III yet (I'm prolonging the experience, I guess), but Episode II far outshines Ep. I, IMHO.