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Xenoblade Chronicles |OT| Man, what a bunch of jokers.
- Thread starter Sadist
- Start date
jump_button
Banned
yeah but its not in your face
I don't know man, Shulk and Reyn are pretty outgoing about it.
SecretMoblin
Member
Could you perhaps be more specific? JRPG is a pretty big term now, and it applies to much more than Dragon Quest. Basically, it takes quite a bit of what makes RPGs in general good - a fantastical world, a dramatic storyline, a complex but accessible battle system, a diverse cast of characters, a large number of quests and collectibles off the beaten path, etc. - and puts them into one game, while leaving many of the problems with the genre behind. If you're looking for innovation, you won't really find it with Xenoblade. But it accomplishes what it sets out to do very, very well, and ends up being a fun, grand RPG as a result.
What I want to know is whether the characters and story are good. That to me is the crucial component.
I won't comment on the story since I'm not far enough into it, but the main thing that separates this from other JRPGs is this: exploration. The world is huge, unique, and exploration is very worthwhile. Only WRPGs like Risen and (to a lesser extent) Skyrim have pushed me to explore as Xenoblade has.
SecretMoblin
Member
I'm probably not the person to ask, since I don't care one bit about the story or the characters in nearly every video game I've ever played, but those aspects of the game in particular seemed to resonate with a large proportion of the people in this thread.
The game has stretches where story and characterization take a breather in favor of exploration and questing, but there are tons of plot twists, new characters, minor characters with quest branches that have flavor, and cutscenes galore. You shouldn't be worried that the game jettisons characterization and story in favor of gameplay.
The story is excellent.
And for any one having any doubt, I'm not the biggest JRPG fan but this will be my game of the year.
The story is especially fun if you've played other JRPGs. Why? Because it takes common JRPG cliches and runs with them, just to make a last minute swerve, where you're absolutely sure what going to happen, except it doesn't. And good luck guessing how the game ends. It ends in an awesome way, though, but you won't catch the clues on your first time through the game. They are there, though.
The story only really asserts itself during the final third of the game. After leaving the starting area you can spend as much time as you like exploring and questing.
But if you prefer to keep the narrative tighter you can ignore many of the side distractions and follow the directional arrow.
But if you prefer to keep the narrative tighter you can ignore many of the side distractions and follow the directional arrow.
SecretMoblin
Member
This is really good advice.
Still disappointed that the last third of the game was basically the game telling me
Hey! You know all those gorgeous vistas that you loved exploring? You know, the ones with the lush greenery, impossibly huge natural architecture, gorgeous waterfalls, loads of color, and huge, complex expanses? Well, fuck you. You're going to run along some pipes and fight same-y machines for a few dozen hours while watching some poorly-written anime shtick and being forced to grind because despite being massively overleveled, there are unique enemies you can't beat at the moment and your ability to fight them vanishes a mere two cutscenes away!
At least right before the end the game breaks open and allows you to do whatever you want, basically. That was my second favorite part of the whole game, right behind the first time I reached the
Gaur Plains
Tribes of Trusty
Member
Still playing it, still loving it. The only thing I find a little disappointing is that the game could've been made for any console, and that it doesn't use the Wii particular control scheme. But between that and useless waggle, I much prefer using the CC Pro.
Attackthebase
Member
Quick question, will my save data for Skyward Sword be fine if I hack my Wii when Xenoblade arrives in the mail? I really want to play it, but I don't want to ruin my save for Zelda. I can't handle repeating the hand-holding sections.
I thought that the
Machina Field was very uninspired. I was really hoping for some bizarre mechanical world that seemed like it was almost organic. Like, strange metal tree-like objects and actual creatures (not Mechon).
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
Yes, save data on the console won't be touched, and data on the SD card will be fine too as long as you follow the instructions.
Tribes of Trusty
Member
Does anybody know the name of this awesome song that plays when you fight a "unique" named enemy ?
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
Those Who Bear Their Names (Jp)/You Will Know Our Names (Eng)
This is exactly how I feel.
...even when unconscious.
Change constantly. All the characters are fun to play with (and most of them more fun than Shulk in my opinion). Also, since the game is pretty long, it's repetitive to play with just one character the whole game. Pick someone else and their style is completely unique, giving a needed fresh air to the battle system after some hours.
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
You'll probably want to switch it up, it's a long game and a lot of people agree that Shulk is the easiest/most boring character to use.
Tribes of Trusty
Member
Thanks !
I arrived at Bionis's leg and...this game...this game !
I understood that the first 4 hours are just a big tutorial.
The plains (it's exactly what I expected from FFXIII when I first saw Gran Pulse)...the freedom...the exploration...the combat system...it's all great, hunting monsters and sidequests are really fun.
I also experienced the fright of running into a lvl 80 monster
There's one of the Landmarks that drop you off just outside aggro range of a huge level 90 unique. That scared the crap out of me.Thanks !
I arrived at Bionis's leg and...this game...this game !
I understood that the first 4 hours are just a big tutorial.
The plains (it's exactly what I expected from FFXIII when I first saw Gran Pulse)...the freedom...the exploration...the combat system...it's all great, hunting monsters and sidequests are really fun.
I also experienced the fright of running into a lvl 80 monster
And if you think Bionis Leg, which admittedly is a pretty cool looking area, is the best you'll get, well... you'll see.
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
I really liked that shrine like area where
you grab the item and the huge spider comes out and attacks you.
Sgt.Pepper
Banned
Grind? The only time I "grinded" was when
I wanted to tackle Alcamoth and Tephra Cave, and that went by really fast. I was killing lvl 89 Telethias at level 84-85.
Agniratha, you only had to worry about the Spike, which it is easily overpassed with Purge.
I killed those places with Melia/Shulk/Dunban/7th*
*Melia and 7th being interchangeable.
Ridleyscott
Banned
What is up with the ultra-huge weapons in this game? There is so much about this game that is appealing but some of the design choices are just unexplainable. Goofy character clothing and weapons... why? Is this just some silly Japanese thing?
Sgt.Pepper
Banned
No, it is just that the Armors and Weapons designers didn't know what the hell they were doing. 
Anasui Kishibe
Banned
Suspension of disbelief dude. But yeah, the story and the gameplay are at odds with each other a bit more then they should be in the grand scheme of things.
Yeah, armour and clothing designs are easily the worst part of the game. Oversized weapons are just a Japanese cliche.
Yeah, I'm already finding him boring to use. Not to mention that not a single weapon that I've found so far can be equipped to him :/
thats because his playstyle is based around the monado arts. there wont be another weapon for him.
Usuda likes his silly patterns. You can see them in Xenosaga and Soma Bringer as well.
Tribes of Trusty
Member
I know, it's just that I find it regrettable the game doesn't use Wii's features, and I could have been made on any other console (hell I think it could've been made for the Gamecube or 3DS...)
I just wanted to say to people complaining about grinding in this game; don't grind. If you think you need levels, which you probably don't for story battles if you're taking them on with the right strategy, do some side quest missions which will give you experience much faster than fighting will in most cases.
The Hermit
Member
At 120ish hours, doing all the extra content and using Reyn, Dunban and 7th. I wish I used this team earlier, they are tearing everything!
SecretMoblin
Member
Whatttttt
I kind of like the bold red, the stylized Japanese symbols that signify different attacks, the odd blue glow that extends from the sword, and its comical size. I certainly prefer it to the weapon sets of several other characters; only Reyn probably has access to cooler weapons.
I can't stand how OP they made it, though. Its unique properties and skillset essentially require you to main Shulk at certain points or for certain battles, even if you don't want to.
Edit: Because a new page requires it:
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
Well, they had to
shit on Melia even more. I mean, how many things actually went right or were resolved positively for her? Her family is dead, most of the high entia were turned into telethia, she didn't get her guy. I'm sure there was more on top of that. She didn't really get any positive resolution out of the story except "friends."
And I suppose that's interesting since she is probably the second most developed party member after Shulk.
And I suppose that's interesting since she is probably the second most developed party member after Shulk.
SecretMoblin
Member
Plus, she has no real kingdom to rule over anymore. She really got the raw deal of the group.
It's realistic! /pessimism
Tribes of Trusty
Member
Playtime : 8 hours.
Location : Bionis's leg.
Level : 21
Time passed on sidequests : 4 hours.
Main quest ? What main quest ?
I've got a question : are the quests in this game randomly generated or not ?
And is it weird that I prefer the English VA over the Japanese ?
Location : Bionis's leg.
Level : 21
Time passed on sidequests : 4 hours.
Main quest ? What main quest ?
I've got a question : are the quests in this game randomly generated or not ?
And is it weird that I prefer the English VA over the Japanese ?