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Xenoblade |OT| Sorry I Kept You Waiting!

Q

qizah

Unconfirmed Member
So, Canadians...is this available tomorrow then? I haven't received a call from EB...

Yeah.

My EBGames called and said I can pick it up on Thursday, plus it's listed as releasing April 5th online.
 

eznark

Banned
Ha I whupped the bosses ass no problem! It's groups that I have real trouble with. I think I need to start using the pull option more.
 
Anyone mind explaining the vision system to me?

I don't exactly know what to do when I see a vision, and even if I did, I still think it's dumb.
 

IceIpor

Member
Anyone mind explaining the vision system to me?

I don't exactly know what to do when I see a vision, and even if I did, I still think it's dumb.

Basically a vision is a forewarned attack that could devastate your party if you allow it to hit.

Once you see the vision, you'll know how strong the enemy's next planned attack is and you can try to counter it in various ways such as healing the damage before it strikes, moving aggro to a different target, or dazing the target.

It's a nifty way to make enemies feel "not so cheap" whenever they decide to unleash a super move.
 

TDLink

Member
Ha I whupped the bosses ass no problem! It's groups that I have real trouble with. I think I need to start using the pull option more.

I remember early game initiating a battle but not running in, waiting for one of the AI controlled dudes to go get some enemies fighting and then hit R2 + Down on the D-Pad to call them back to me and get stuff over to where I wanted them to avoid pulling in lots of other stuff. Not a lot of people seem to know about, or talk about, this function and I think it is really useful.
 

Meier

Member
Okay, sounds like some folks have it by now. Surely there must be an answer to continuing a save from the Euro version at this point? That should go in the OP when it's confirmed..
 
I remember early game initiating a battle but not running in, waiting for one of the AI controlled dudes to go get some enemies fighting and then hit R2 + Down on the D-Pad to call them back to me and get stuff over to where I wanted them to avoid pulling in lots of other stuff. Not a lot of people seem to know about, or talk about, this function and I think it is really useful.
It's never strictly necessary, but for a few fights (and one in particular) it's incredibly useful.

Okay, sounds like some folks have it by now. Surely there must be an answer to continuing a save from the Euro version at this point? That should go in the OP when it's confirmed..
Saves between regions are not in themselves compatible; the NTSC game won't recognize your PAL save, for example. But there were special converter programs that allowed users to transfer JPN -> PAL saves, so I'm assuming such a thing is possible. It may require a Wii with the Homebrew Channel and a specific program, though.
 
Does anyone recommend the Classic Controller Pro or just the regular Wiimote/Nunchuck combo?

This:

It's a question that's brought up a lot, and it's answered in brief in the OP:


But I suppose I'll make a more detailed explanation (with pictures!) in hopes that this post can be linked to rather than typing out variations on the same answer every time.





The Wii Remote/Nunchuk:

With the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, the camera is centered behind your party leader by tapping the c button, and manually controlled by holding down the c button and manipulating the camera with the d-pad. The game has an auto camera, but like nearly all 3D games there are major issues and manual camera control is a much better way to traverse the landscape. Obviously, this setup is functional but less than ideal.

eBGBm.jpg



The other major difference between the schemes is the ease of Art usage during battles. Arts are skills that are unique to every character and form the backbone of the battle system, so they are used very frequently. During battle, your Arts palette is displayed at the bottom of the screen (this image is taken from very early on in the game, so no Arts spoilers):

UTEb5.jpg


With the Wii Remote, you move the Arts cursor with the d-pad and select an Art with the A button. This works well, because it's simple to move your thumb between the d-pad and the A button. Your other hand is on the Nunchuk, so there's no control conflict between moving your character around during battle and moving the Arts cursor. Several playable characters have Arts that are location-based, so moving around easily during battle can be important depending on the situation.​


The CC/CCPro:

With the CC/CCPro, the camera is mapped to the right stick, like a traditional dual-stick setup, and centered by tapping the ZL button. The benefits to this setup are obvious, especially to people who are extremely finicky and love to have easy control over the camera at all times (like me).

1eqt3.jpg



Art usage is a bit more complicated, however. Because the d-pad and left stick are on the same side of the controller, selecting Arts while moving your character around is more clumsy and less natural than the Wii Remote/Nunchuk combo. You have a few options:
  • You can do things one at a time, moving your character into position and then selecting the Art (or the other way around). It can get a bit frantic during fast-paced battles, but it works.
  • Or, you can do what I did and emulate the "claw" position made most famous on Monster Hunter games for the PSP. This involves keeping your thumb on the left stick and using your left index finger to select Arts:

oZ2xc.jpg




Essentially, the CC/CCPro has much nicer camera control at the expense of easy Art control during battles, and the Wii Remote/Nunchuk combo has easier Art control at the expense of simple camera controls. Both control schemes work fine, and neither of them break the game or make it unplayable. It's simply a matter of preference.
 

AGITΩ

Member
I had no issues selecting Artes with the CCPro. Even in the heat of a boss battle, I just used my right thumb on the left stick while selecting arts with the D-Pad, as opposed to the Claw method shown on the PSP picture. CCPro doesnt have a that much gap.
 

bubnbob

Banned
I played the entire game with Wiimote and it works just fine. For anyone who CAN NOT afford one, don't cry because the game is perfectly playable.
 

Wiseblade

Member
Are we at the point in the thread where we mindlessly regurgitate quotes from the main characters yet? Because that's my favourite part.
 
Q

qizah

Unconfirmed Member
Lol, doesnt Gamestop do midnight releases only for huge games like Call of Duty or Halo?

They only do midnight releases if the game has enough pre-orders for it. I think the minimum they need is 100, I'm not sure though.

This is what I was told when I went to an EB in Toronto, so I don't know how correct it is lol.
 
Q

qizah

Unconfirmed Member
FSvmkl.jpg

Just picked it up, the art book is okay... feels kinda cheap, but not too bad.
 
Urrrgh just finished the
swamp
area. Fucking hated everything about it, including the music.

Jungle
area however looks soooooo much better.

Does anyone feel the camera is just a bit too high? I would prefer the character to be further down the screen and have no spring back to centre.
 

Penguin

Member
http://kotaku.com/5898947/xenoblade-chronicles-the-kotaku-review

This is an odd review of the game. Part of it seems to be rebelling against the hype the game got while some of it.. has some.. odd.. criticisms.

And the user interface often feels like it's there more to hinder than help. One example: A marker saying "Story Memo" will hover at the top of your screen whenever you're not in the area the main storyline wants you to be in. Since there are many, many sidequests to plow through and locations to explore, you'll see this marker quite a bit. And it never goes away. No matter how many buttons you mash or controllers you break.
 

TDLink

Member
Does anyone feel the camera is just a bit too high? I would prefer the character to be further down the screen and have no spring back to centre.

If you hold L2 there are some camera zoom options available to you which coupled with the right stick should get you the type of angle you want.
 

Rebel Leader

THE POWER OF BUTTERSCOTCH BOTTOMS
@Kotaku
I pre-ordered it because of the hype. However, I will not judge the game based on the hype. I will base my opinion on my own.
You should do the same
 

Hazanko

Banned
Watched some videos of it. Looks good. But the voice acting. I have nothing against English VA but

"Man what a bunch of jokers"

Funny enough I felt the same way when I saw videos. I was wrong though. I went into the game thinking it was going to be crappy English VA. I came out pleasantly surprised.
 
http://kotaku.com/5898947/xenoblade-chronicles-the-kotaku-review

This is an odd review of the game. Part of it seems to be rebelling against the hype the game got while some of it.. has some.. odd.. criticisms.

Can someone not have odd criticisms? I do agree that combat is... pretty dull, and combat controls could be better. A lot of weird ease of use stuff is missing as well (inventory is meh, quest log for side quests is shit, etc).

It does feel like a 1.0 mmo release.
 

frequency

Member
Yeah I don't know. Other than the constant digs at Japanese games, the review seems pretty fair to me.

And it's not like they said it's terrible. They still liked it and recommend it. Not everyone thinks Xenoblade does everything it set out to do perfectly.
 

barnone

Member
Is this going be a limited release? I want to play this but probably not for a few months. It probably won't get cheap will it?
 
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