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[TDLink]

OK I think I'll do some quests or something before I take on Xord again. Some quick questions:

- Is there a way to change the order in a chain attack without changing my party leader? I want to Break-Topple-Daze with Shulk at the end.

- Some item descriptions say they could be useful for making weapons. But I'd like some cash. Do you actually use these drops and collectibles to make stuff or can I get rid of them?

- So, the Monado Shield thingy only works on enemy arts. What do I do when Shulk sees a vision of a regular attack? Right now I just have Reyn Block or increase aggro or Sharla Heal or use a tranquilizer. Is that enough to change the future?

Chain attack order is determined by placement in the party menu. It goes center, left, then right. Center is also who you play as though which means the character you are playing is always first in the chain. Keep in mind though that Shulk can break and Sharla can daze so you can still accomplish what you want with Shulk > Reyn > Sharla so long as you have Shulk's break art and Sharla's daze art set to their bars.

 

[Leezard]

OK I think I'll do some quests or something before I take on Xord again. Some quick questions:

- Is there a way to change the order in a chain attack without changing my party leader? I want to Break-Topple-Daze with Shulk at the end.

- Some item descriptions say they could be useful for making weapons. But I'd like some cash. Do you actually use these drops and collectibles to make stuff or can I get rid of them?

- So, the Monado Shield thingy only works on enemy arts. What do I do when Shulk sees a vision of a regular attack? Right now I just have Reyn Block or increase aggro or Sharla Heal or use a tranquilizer. Is that enough to change the future?

1. Not that I know of. You might be able to get a longer chain attack to be able to get in a daze with Shulk as the 4th attack. You can only change who is second and who is third in a chain attack without switching party leader as far as I know.

2. There is no weapon forging really. You might need some of the materials in a quest, but as long as you sell the common materials (small icon) you should be fine. If you don't really care about sidequests, just sell whatever you want.

3. That's about it. One character has a block skill that works on regular attacks, but otherwise, you know pretty much every way to deal with it.

 

[chaosblade]

OK I think I'll do some quests or something before I take on Xord again. Some quick questions:

- Is there a way to change the order in a chain attack without changing my party leader? I want to Break-Topple-Daze with Shulk at the end.

Nope, it's based on party order.

- Some item descriptions say they could be useful for making weapons. But I'd like some cash. Do you actually use these drops and collectibles to make stuff or can I get rid of them?

There's no crafting system in the game apart from gems. Some items are needed for quests though, and the game usually (but not always) lets you know which ones. In general, it's safe to sell anything with a small bag icon because it's easy to obtain later if you need it.

- So, the Monado Shield thingy only works on enemy arts. What do I do when Shulk sees a vision of a regular attack? Right now I just have Reyn Block or increase aggro or Sharla Heal or use a tranquilizer. Is that enough to change the future?

That pretty much sums up most of your options at that point in the game. You can also topple the enemy to extend the duration, and daze them and it will change the attack.

 

[nan0]

OK I think I'll do some quests or something before I take on Xord again. Some quick questions:

- Is there a way to change the order in a chain attack without changing my party leader? I want to Break-Topple-Daze with Shulk at the end.

No. I don't know how far you are, but later there are other characters that can inflict all of them as well. So you can Break with you main character, Topple with your second and Daze with Shulk in the end.

- Some item descriptions say they could be useful for making weapons. But I'd like some cash. Do you actually use these drops and collectibles to make stuff or can I get rid of them?

Not directly, there are quests that require certain items and have (e.g.) a new weapon as a reward. You usually don't need to sell collectibles (except for money) since all will fit in your bag.

- So, the Monado Shield thingy only works on enemy arts. What do I do when Shulk sees a vision of a regular attack? Right now I just have Reyn Block or increase aggro or Sharla Heal or use a tranquilizer. Is that enough to change the future?

Yes. It is enough if the vision doesn't come true (and the vision bar "shatters"). Shulks Shield is just and easy option to negate enemy talent arts.


Oh, and another less known thing: You can trade with named NPCs if you press "2" (or "1"?) on your Wiimote.

 

[Leezard]

Oh, and another less known thing: You can trade with named NPCs if you press "2" (or "1"?) on your Wiimote.

It's "2". "1" is for the local map.

 

[Zornica]

- So, the Monado Shield thingy only works on enemy arts. What do I do when Shulk sees a vision of a regular attack? Right now I just have Reyn Block or increase aggro or Sharla Heal or use a tranquilizer. Is that enough to change the future?

monado shiel works only against talent arts (white font). If the font is red or blue, you can counter it in many ways. Red means it is a physical attack, which can be evaded with the second monado art you got

Spoiler

(against that tentacle mechon)

. I am not entirely sure, but I think blue (ether attacks) can be evaded too.
there is also a neat trick for emergencies:

Spoiler

topple/daze only prolongs the counddown, but if you use sleep it will delete the entire vision - this works with white, blue and red. when the enemy wakes up, it will start another vision thou. (but it will be a different attack, it's like russian roulett, you may get a weaker attack)

 

[Shaffield]

Hey guys, I'm definitely interested in controlling another character for the combat and such, but right now Reyn is meh and Sharla is really boring.

Will I be getting a character that is actually very different in fighting style but still exciting and useful to control in battle? Also, without spoilers plz, is Shulk always necessary to have in the party?

 

[Leezard]

Will I be getting a character that is actually very different in fighting style but still exciting and useful to control in battle?

Yes.

Also, without spoilers plz, is Shulk always necessary to have in the party?

No.

 

[Shaffield]

Oh, and another less known thing: You can trade with named NPCs if you press "2" (or "1"?) on your Wiimote.

Any word on the button to do this on a CCpro?

 

[Hiltz]

Hey guys, I'm definitely interested in controlling another character for the combat and such, but right now Reyn is meh and Sharla is really boring.

Will I be getting a character that is actually very different in fighting style but still exciting and useful to control in battle? Also, without spoilers plz, is Shulk always necessary to have in the party?

Yes, but you'll have to be patient. I liked playing as Sharla, but Reyne was probably the most boring to play as.

Shulk is not necessary to have in your party and you don't need him to deal with visions either.

 

[TDLink]

Hey guys, I'm definitely interested in controlling another character for the combat and such, but right now Reyn is meh and Sharla is really boring.

Will I be getting a character that is actually very different in fighting style but still exciting and useful to control in battle? Also, without spoilers plz, is Shulk always necessary to have in the party?

The character you get after Sharla was the most fun to play for me. After you get 4 characters it is not required to have Shulk in the group at all, though it is useful to use him in battles against certain enemies (like Mechon).

 

[Liferebooted]

Oh, and another less known thing: You can trade with named NPCs if you press "2" (or "1"?) on your Wiimote.

Any word on the button to do this on a CCpro?

Just play the game, it tells you about this in game within the first 30 minutes or so max.

 

[The Elite]

Will there be more shipments of this game or is everyone pretty much SOL if they didn't buy it day one?

 

[Skellig Gra]

Any word on the button to do this on a CCpro?

Pretty sure its y. It'll pop up on the top right of the screen.

Will there be more shipments of this game or is everyone pretty much SOL if they didn't buy it day one?

It's not out of stock everywhere. If you want it buy it now. Wait any longer at your own peril.

 

[SecretMoblin]

Will there be more shipments of this game or is everyone pretty much SOL if they didn't buy it day one?

Call around to your local GameStops. There likely won't be a reprint of the game.

 

[Shaffield]

Pretty sure its y. It'll pop up on the top right of the screen.



It's not out of stock everywhere. If you want it buy it now. Wait any longer at your own peril.

Oh thanks, I'm like 15 hours in and somehow I just totally missed this.

 

[The Elite]

Pretty sure its y. It'll pop up on the top right of the screen.



It's not out of stock everywhere. If you want it buy it now. Wait any longer at your own peril.

Call around to your local GameStops. There likely won't be a reprint of the game.

Thanks.

I don't own a Wii but I'm going to give it a proper run on Dolphin if I can find it.

 

[Skellig Gra]

Oh thanks, I'm like 15 hours in and somehow I just totally missed this.

It's literally in like the first 10 minutes of the game. I know this because I just started last night.

 

[Levyne]

Thanks.

I don't own a Wii but I'm going to give it a proper run on Dolphin if I can find it.

As someone who doesn't have a Wii and also would like to try Dolphin....don't you need a modded wii to rip the files?

 

[The Elite]

As someone who doesn't have a Wii and also would like to try Dolphin....don't you need a modded wii to rip the files?

I didn't even think of that. I thought I could just play it off the disc. :/

Maybe it's best I hold off.

 

[Levyne]

I didn't even think of that. I thought I could just play it off the disc. :/

Maybe it's best I hold off.

Yeah, my brother ordered the game for us, we don't have a wii but we do have a nice pc.

Maybe just wait for Wii U :/. Or find a friend with a wii. Or buy a wii. Or just play it in my dreams.

 

[Mikey Jr.]

Fuck, brought my wii to my room to play Xenoblade at night.

The tv is a 4:3 SDTV Wega with component cables, but man, it looks like ass. It was way better on my 51 plasma. If I set my wii to 4:3, the game is in widescreen for some reason, but all the print is really small. Too small for the resolution of that tv. If I set the wii to 16:9, the game goes to fullscreen, but still seems to maintain all hud elements. The problem is that everything looks a little squished.

Ughh, I don't know which I hate less.

 

[MetatronM]

- So, the Monado Shield thingy only works on enemy arts. What do I do when Shulk sees a vision of a regular attack? Right now I just have Reyn Block or increase aggro or Sharla Heal or use a tranquilizer. Is that enough to change the future?

Enemy attacks in WHITE font with a Roman numeral after them are Talent Arts and are thwarted with Monado

Spoiler

Shield

.

Enemy attacks in RED font are physical attacks and are evaded by using Monado

Spoiler

Speed

. Just cast that on the targeted character, and the red attack will completely miss them altogether.

Enemy attacks in BLUE font are ether attacks and are a bit more complicated to deal with. There is no set Monado Art to negate the ability, so you have to resort to other means of breaking the vision. The simplest are by warning, toppling, healing to avoid death, or moving aggro on to or off of someone. However, the 5th party member to join you does have an ability that reflects ether attacks, and it is possible to use this to bounce the attack back at the enemy.

Of course, for any of these you can use any vision breaking option you want, but the ones I listed for the white and red attacks are the only ones guaranteed to completely nullify the attack entirely.

 

[Levyne]

Enemy attacks in WHITE font with a Roman numeral after them are Talent Arts and are thwarted with Monado

Spoiler

Shield

.

Enemy attacks in RED font are physical attacks and are evaded by using Monado

Spoiler

Speed

. Just cast that on the targeted character, and the red attack will completely miss them altogether.

Enemy attacks in BLUE font are ether attacks and are a bit more complicated to deal with. There is no set Monado Art to negate the ability, so you have to resort to other means of breaking the vision. The simplest are by warning, toppling, healing to avoid death, or moving aggro on to or off of someone. However, the 5th party member to join you does have an ability that reflects ether attacks, and it is possible to use this to bounce the attack back at the enemy.

WHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT

That causes it to miss altogether? Always? I always just buffed/armored/healed up for those or tried to do some of the things mentioned in your blue case.

Wow I am dumb

 

[cajunator]

Got my copy today!

Now to figure out how to play an RPG.

If this helps get more of these sorts of games licensed in the Us then it was money well spent.

 

[chaosblade]

WHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT

That causes it to miss altogether? Always? I always just buffed/armored/healed up for those or tried to do some of the things mentioned in your blue case.

Wow I am dumb

No, you're right. That art just increases agility to give you a better chance of avoiding the attack. It's not guaranteed to miss. (edit: I think? Might be mistaken actually.)

 

[SecretMoblin]

Got my copy today!

Now to figure out how to play an RPG.

If this helps get more of these sorts of games licensed in the Us then it was money well spent.

Read the in-game tutorials!

 

[D-Pad]

I'm like level 15-16 now. Do I need to level up some more to beat this

Spoiler

black tentacle that's attacking stupid Juju

boss? Or am I just missing something? Because I'm not lasting long.

 

[SecretMoblin]

I'm like level 15-16 now. Do I need to level up some more to beat this

Spoiler

black tentacle that's attacking stupid Juju

boss? Or am I just missing something? Because I'm not lasting long.

Yeah, leveling up a few times would be a good idea. It shouldn't take too long.

Spoiler

Remember to take out the tentacles first.

 

[EvilMario]

I'm like level 15-16 now. Do I need to level up some more to beat this

Spoiler

black tentacle that's attacking stupid Juju

boss? Or am I just missing something? Because I'm not lasting long.

I just passed this part and I was hilariously level 22 because I was doing all the side quest. Remember, if you need to level up try completing some side quest rather than grinding monsters. It'll be faster. And remember to equip Agility gems if you're struggling to hit higher level monsters. Agility will determine how often you hit and are hit, so it can make a big difference when there's a few levels between you and the monsters.

 

[MetatronM]

No, you're right. That art just increases agility to give you a better chance of avoiding the attack. It's not guaranteed to miss. (edit: I think? Might be mistaken actually.)

It works basically 100% of the time against red attacks. You'll know instantly because the vision will shatter and replace the damage value listed with "MISS."

The only issues are 1) it lasts a relatively short amount of time, so if you haven't put upgrades into it yet you're going to want to wait until the timer goes down a little before firing it off, and 2) some red attacks affect an area around the targeted character, like a sweeping area or a circular area of effect, but the Monado Art will only save the one targeted character and not anybody else who gets hit in the crossfire.

 

[RedRedSuit]

For those of you who (like I) bought a Wii to play this game (and are not willing to go through the pain of emulators), I can say that a good upscaler definitely helps when playing this game on an LCD. I have a 46" Sony LCD that I sit about 8' away from, and the game looked really rough with the TV scaling 480p -> 1080p. Once I enabled the upconversion feature of my Denon receiver, it became noticeably smoother and nicer (maybe a bit like the PS3's smoothing feature for PS2 games).

I had to contend with a bit overscan but I solved it.

 

[Busaiku]

About this

Spoiler

Did Metal Face actually finger wag you, when it became apparent the Monado was ineffective? Looked like it, but I wasn't sure I saw it right

That's what I thought too.

 

[Haunted]

Needs a Dolphin comparison.

 

[Inferno313]

Got my copy today!

Now to figure out how to play an RPG.

If this helps get more of these sorts of games licensed in the Us then it was money well spent.

You've never played an RPG before?

Like, not even Pokemon or something?

 

[Seik]

Needs a Dolphin comparison.

Couldn't take one at the same place, but this is better than nothing, I hope.

 

[MaverickHunterAsh]

Okay GAFers, level with me here.

I know Xenoblade Chronicles is supposed to be one of the best and freshest JRPGs of this generation. I know it's got one of the best soundtracks ever, with a ridiculously amazing lineup of composers. I know I'm supposed to be super-excited that it finally got a U.S. release, and I am.

But here's the thing. This was all set to be a day-one purchase for me because I love JRPGs and I want to support Nintendo's bringing this over here, but several times now I've heard this game described as an "offline MMO" and likened to Final Fantasy XII and MMOs in general, all of which I couldn't/can't stand. I just don't enjoy those kinds of games. That, of course, has led to me wondering if I actually will like Xenoblade, so I haven't made the purchase yet.

That said, I do like/love most of the Xenoblade producer's previous works, so there's that.

Now I know all of you in this thread are obviously huge fans of Xenoblade, and I'm sure it's amazing, but what if I don't like MMO-style gameplay? What if I didn't like FF XII? Will I still be able to enjoy Xenoblade? I have faith that you guys will give me honest answers that aren't clouded by Xenoblade love.

Thanks guys!

 

[Levyne]

Post

I liked FFXII and Xenoblade and I loved the similarities they have. That said Xenoblade is a bit less open than FFXII. By that I mean the areas in Xenoblade are quite large but strung together mostly linearly, unlike FFXII or an MMO. Lots to explore if you like that but lots of that is optional.

Combat wise is pretty close to an mmo where you auto attack and select arts that have cool down. I would tell you the combat's not like an mmo to ease your trepidation...but that would be lying. Combat is very mmo like in my opinion. That said, i liked XB's combat more than FFXII.

 

[-GOUKI-]

4 hours in. Wow this game is good.

IMO best of WRPG mixed with best of JRPG. The voice acting is surprisingly good for a japanese game.

 

[zlatko]

Okay GAFers, level with me here.

I know Xenoblade Chronicles is supposed to be one of the best and freshest JRPGs of this generation. I know it's got one of the best soundtracks ever, with a ridiculously amazing lineup of composers. I know I'm supposed to be super-excited that it finally got a U.S. release, and I am.

But here's the thing. This was all set to be a day-one purchase for me because I love JRPGs and I want to support Nintendo's bringing this over here, but several times now I've heard this game described as an "offline MMO" and likened to Final Fantasy XII and MMOs in general, all of which I couldn't/can't stand. I just don't enjoy those kinds of games. That, of course, has led to me wondering if I actually will like Xenoblade, so I haven't made the purchase yet.

That said, I do like/love most of the Xenoblade producer's previous works, so there's that.

Now I know all of you in this thread are obviously huge fans of Xenoblade, and I'm sure it's amazing, but what if I don't like MMO-style gameplay? What if I didn't like FF XII? Will I still be able to enjoy Xenoblade? I have faith that you guys will give me honest answers that aren't clouded by Xenoblade love.

Thanks guys!

I'll just chime in on this to say, the reason I disliked FF12 wasn't the gameplay, but the flow of the game and its story. Characters were meh, story was bleh, and the side quests were just long ass slay/fetch quests that didn't excite me much, but weren't AWFUL.

What I've seen this game does have open environments ala FF12, and thus similar gameplay to boot.

Now if you truly dispised how it played altogether, then maybe this game won't win you over in that regard, but from what I've seen here and of the game the complaints I mentioned about FF12 aren't here.

Maybe go to a friends house who bought it and watch them play to get the jyst? Or watch some YT videos of the start of the game to see how that entices you?

 

[KevinCow]

Hot chick joins your party.

Her pants are called Round Bottoms.

Huh.

 

[ZenaxPure]

Now I know all of you in this thread are obviously huge fans of Xenoblade, and I'm sure it's amazing, but what if I don't like MMO-style gameplay? What if I didn't like FF XII? Will I still be able to enjoy Xenoblade? I have faith that you guys will give me honest answers that aren't clouded by Xenoblade love.

Thanks guys!

I am just going to say no, honestly. If you aren't interested in the combat (which is a natural evolution of FF12's in many ways) or any of the side quest stuff there isn't much here for you. The story moves at an alarmingly slow pace from my experience so far and not many things are happening in it.

What it really boils down to is anything rewarding in the game (such as the character's Heart to Heart conversations or the entire affinity/relationship system) is going to force you to do the things that it sounds like you do not like.

 

[-GOUKI-]

Okay GAFers, level with me here.

I know Xenoblade Chronicles is supposed to be one of the best and freshest JRPGs of this generation. I know it's got one of the best soundtracks ever, with a ridiculously amazing lineup of composers. I know I'm supposed to be super-excited that it finally got a U.S. release, and I am.

But here's the thing. This was all set to be a day-one purchase for me because I love JRPGs and I want to support Nintendo's bringing this over here, but several times now I've heard this game described as an "offline MMO" and likened to Final Fantasy XII and MMOs in general, all of which I couldn't/can't stand. I just don't enjoy those kinds of games. That, of course, has led to me wondering if I actually will like Xenoblade, so I haven't made the purchase yet.

That said, I do like/love most of the Xenoblade producer's previous works, so there's that.

Now I know all of you in this thread are obviously huge fans of Xenoblade, and I'm sure it's amazing, but what if I don't like MMO-style gameplay? What if I didn't like FF XII? Will I still be able to enjoy Xenoblade? I have faith that you guys will give me honest answers that aren't clouded by Xenoblade love.

Thanks guys!

I disliked FFXII and i love Xenoblade. The combat has similarities but feels more visceral imo. Im early in the game but the story and characters are much more enjoyable. The world also feels much more alive.

 

[jorgeton]

Okay GAFers, level with me here.

I know Xenoblade Chronicles is supposed to be one of the best and freshest JRPGs of this generation. I know it's got one of the best soundtracks ever, with a ridiculously amazing lineup of composers. I know I'm supposed to be super-excited that it finally got a U.S. release, and I am.

But here's the thing. This was all set to be a day-one purchase for me because I love JRPGs and I want to support Nintendo's bringing this over here, but several times now I've heard this game described as an "offline MMO" and likened to Final Fantasy XII and MMOs in general, all of which I couldn't/can't stand. I just don't enjoy those kinds of games. That, of course, has led to me wondering if I actually will like Xenoblade, so I haven't made the purchase yet.

That said, I do like/love most of the Xenoblade producer's previous works, so there's that.

Now I know all of you in this thread are obviously huge fans of Xenoblade, and I'm sure it's amazing, but what if I don't like MMO-style gameplay? What if I didn't like FF XII? Will I still be able to enjoy Xenoblade? I have faith that you guys will give me honest answers that aren't clouded by Xenoblade love.

Thanks guys!

What didn't you enjoy about FF12 and MMOs?

This reminded me a lot of FF12 but with a more hands-on combat system. It's MMORPG-like in the sense that there are tons of little sidequests (kill x # of monsters, get this # of items) but everything is very streamlined so they are fun to complete, and not a chore at all. You kill the monster/collect the items, and usually get the reward right there on the spot. No backtracking. And the game has an excellent fast travel system, so you can run around and complete sidequests with little hassle.

But, the game is very story driven. So you can skip all the sidequests and just follow the plot.

 

[MetatronM]

Now I know all of you in this thread are obviously huge fans of Xenoblade, and I'm sure it's amazing, but what if I don't like MMO-style gameplay? What if I didn't like FF XII? Will I still be able to enjoy Xenoblade? I have faith that you guys will give me honest answers that aren't clouded by Xenoblade love.

Thanks guys!

It really depends. What things specifically do you dislike about FF XII and/or MMOs? Xenoblade has many things in common with them, but it also beats its own path a lot, and at its core is a traditional grand JRPG.

 

[Leezard]

Okay GAFers, level with me here.

I know Xenoblade Chronicles is supposed to be one of the best and freshest JRPGs of this generation. I know it's got one of the best soundtracks ever, with a ridiculously amazing lineup of composers. I know I'm supposed to be super-excited that it finally got a U.S. release, and I am.

But here's the thing. This was all set to be a day-one purchase for me because I love JRPGs and I want to support Nintendo's bringing this over here, but several times now I've heard this game described as an "offline MMO" and likened to Final Fantasy XII and MMOs in general, all of which I couldn't/can't stand. I just don't enjoy those kinds of games. That, of course, has led to me wondering if I actually will like Xenoblade, so I haven't made the purchase yet.

That said, I do like/love most of the Xenoblade producer's previous works, so there's that.

Now I know all of you in this thread are obviously huge fans of Xenoblade, and I'm sure it's amazing, but what if I don't like MMO-style gameplay? What if I didn't like FF XII? Will I still be able to enjoy Xenoblade? I have faith that you guys will give me honest answers that aren't clouded by Xenoblade love.

Thanks guys!

Personally I didn't like FFXII. I enjoyed Xenoblade though. I can't guarantee you'll think the same way as me, but at least it is possible.

I think the way this game might be perceived as an 'offline MMORPG' is because it has a huge semi-open world and loads of sidequests. You have quick travel to anywhere you've been, so you don't have to backtrack by foot if you want to go back to a town and do more sidequests.

 

[MaverickHunterAsh]

What didn't you enjoy about FF12 and MMOs?

This reminded me a lot of FF12 but with a more hands-on combat system. It's MMORPG-like in the sense that there are tons of little sidequests (kill x # of monsters, get this # of items) but everything is very streamlined so they are fun to complete, and not a chore at all. You kill the monster/collect the items, and usually get the reward right there on the spot. No backtracking. And the game has an excellent fast travel system, so you can run around and complete sidequests with little hassle.

But, the game is very story driven. So you can skip all the sidequests and just follow the plot.

Thanks for all the responses everyone.

What I mainly don't like about FF XII and MMOs in general is their emphasis on tasking you with doing tons of story-light quests over presenting an overarching, linear narrative, and their tendency to be wildly open-ended with a lack of focus on a linear, story-driven path through the game.

FF XII also had a digustingly boring story and cast of characters as well in my opinion, so there's that. From the responses I've gotten so far, it does at least seem like Xenoblade is a bit more linear and story-focused than FF XII.

I'll be honest, I'm in the minority that quite loved FF XIII and XIII-2 and couldn't stand XII. I'm not saying XIII's story was art or anything, but as a whole I found the XIII games to be far more enjoyable than XII, and I'm not of the belief that the JRPG genre needs a "breath of fresh air" as it were; I don't mind linear games in the least, so Xenoblade being open-ended isn't exactly a huge draw for me. That said, I didn't mind XIII-2's level of open-endedness, and it does sound like Xenoblade, while it's got a huge world with tons of optional stuff to do, does have the overall focus on a linear narrative that's characteristic of traditional JRPGs. If that's the case, I may yet take the plunge...

 

[Levyne]

Thanks for all the responses everyone.

What I mainly don't like about FF XII and MMOs in general is their emphasis on tasking you with doing tons of story-light quests over presenting an overarching, linear narrative, and their tendency to be wildly open-ended with a lack of focus on a linear, story-driven path through the game.

FF XII also had a digustingly boring story and cast of characters as well in my opinion, so there's that. From the responses I've gotten so far, it does at least seem like Xenoblade is a bit more linear and story-focused than FF XII.

I'll be honest, I'm in the minority that quite loved FF XIII and XIII-2 and couldn't stand XII. I'm not saying XIII's story was art or anything, but as a whole I found the XIII games to be far more enjoyable than XII, and I'm not of the belief that the JRPG genre needs a "breath of fresh air" as it were; I don't mind linear games in the least, so Xenoblade being open-ended isn't exactly a huge draw for me. That said, I didn't mind XIII-2's level of open-endedness, and it does sound like Xenoblade, while it's got a huge world with tons of optional stuff to do, does have the overall focus on a linear narrative that's characteristic of traditional JRPGs. If that's the case, I may yet take the plunge...

From this explanation I would wager you liked FFX?

Because I liked FFX.

And I liked Xenoblade.

But I also liked FFXII.

But still, I liked Xenoblade.

So Xenoblade is easy to like I guess.

Why is my post like this. Idk

 

[backlot]

Thanks for all the responses everyone.

What I mainly don't like about FF XII and MMOs in general is their emphasis on tasking you with doing tons of story-light quests over presenting an overarching, linear narrative, and their tendency to be wildly open-ended with a lack of focus on a linear, story-driven path through the game.

I'll think you'll be fine with this then. The quests are mostly ignorable. I've been pretty much just playing through the main story and I've been enjoying it.

 

[Yuterald]

I picked up pre-order from Gamestop today and surprisingly got my Art Book. Not sure if I'm going to crack the seal just yet because I imported the PAL collector's edition back in August. I already finished the game back then and put 130 some hours into it. Whatever though, just wanted to show my support.