Topic: Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition

My first time. 4 hours in and already madly in love with this game. Played X though.

@Dezzy
Do party members level up together or, will the extras fall behind if not used?

Never played the Wii or 3DS version, and only getting my copy later next week.
When i get it, would you guys suggest me to go with the original music or the remastered one??
(Music is one of my strongest points on a rpg)

@JaxonH

Level up together. They certainly get experience and arts points when they're not being used. But it could be something like they only get 75% of the main party, I dunno.

I've progressed enough in the game that it was a missed opportunity not to have a Xenoblade track in MK8.

The NA collector edition is in stock on Amazon US

Xenoblade Works Set $79.99

@Grumblevolcano I'd have loved something like that! I've been saying for years that Mario Kart should evolve into more of a "Nintendo Kart". Probably don't change the name, but having a mixture of racers and tracks from other Nintendo franchises, much like SSB, just seems like an obvious evolution of the series to me. Imagine a Xenoblade track based on Gaur Plains or perhaps around that city Melia is from? (the name escapes me at the moment)

@Quimbolas You really cannot go wrong with either. They aren't actually terribly different. I've been listening to the original for years on my phone now and still love it. The updated music has some differences but is overall quite similar. At least all the new music I've listened to so far anyway, about 19 hours in.

@JaxonH @Dezzy I'm about 99% sure that all party members level together. I played the original at least 3 times and never noticed a difference. BUT you wont build affinity among characters who are not active. Also there are some items and skills that affect growth, so you can still get some people growing faster. Shulk has a skill that gives him more EXP from quests for example. And there are EXP gems you can equip too.

Xenoblade just keeps getting better and better. It’s unreal how good this freaking game is.

My mind is like... it’s just blown. I was expecting a good Xenoblade game like all the others. But this is something else entirely. Masterpiece.

This might be my new favorite Switch game. Heck, this might be my new favorite GAME.

@JaxonH

Which part you at?

@Dezzy
I’ve got Sharla and I’m just last the point where the boy has been taken

Three notable things about this release I like more than the others. The first is the story. It’s just better. Not only is the story better, the way in which it’s told, the cinematic angles of shots, the suspense, knowing when to NOT use music in a tense showdown... it’s just on another level. The second are the characters. I like them more. Just seeing Sharla slap her boy then hug him... characters feel more gritty and real. The third is the gameplay. I like the battle system more. Sometimes less is more. And there’s just something about this battle system that resonates with me more so than that of the other entries in the series. Not to say the others are bad, especially XCX, I just like this more.

And that’s some pretty high praise given the esteem in which I hold the other two games in the series already.

@JaxonH Yeah, it's on another level.
I would say it rivals legendary titles like Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger. In my opinion, it's better than any of the main 3D FF games I've played (VII, VIII, X, XII).
I also rate it slightly above Dragon Quest VIII and XI, two games I would say are 10/10.

My ratings of the XC games:
XC - 10/10.
XC2 - 9/10 (a 9 minus).
XC2: Torna - 9/10 (a 9 plus).
XCX - I'm yet to play it and hope they port it to Switch.

My top 10 JRPGs*:
1. Xenoblade Chronicles
2. Final Fantasy VI
3. Chrono Trigger
4. Dragon Quest VIII
5. Fire Emblem: Awakening
6. Dragon Quest XI
7. Fire Emblem: Three Houses
8. Final Fantasy VII
9. Final Fantasy X
10. Golden Sun

*These are only JRPGs I've played and finished (or nearly finished: I'm almost there with DQ VIII (will probably beat it this week), but I'm already so confident in that game's qualities that it got a place on the list - don't need to see the end credits for that), so I'm convinced the list will change over time. For example Ni No Kuni is a game I'm yet to beat.

@JaxonH In response to your latest comment:
You're in for a treat with how the story advances, because it contains some great plot twists. I won't spoil anything, but the first time I played this game on the 3DS, I couldn't see them coming. That's the only shame about the DE: that I already know the major plot points. So I'm envious of those experiencing this game for the very first time. There are story turns as great as the most famous one of them all, the one in FFVII.

@Quarth
Ya.

People underestimate ported games, remakes and remasters. There’s a lot of people out there that like to minimize and marginalize and pretend any game that’s not day and date with original release is pointless... but that’s just completely illogical.

There are so many games out there that people haven’t played. Games that I haven’t played. Even when I own them on other systems, I haven’t played them, or haven’t played enough of them. It’s amazing some of these games have been around for 10 years and people are playing and enjoying them for the first time without any spoilers. Bioshock also comes to mind.

So to me this feels like a brand new game, and if I didn’t know any better I’d believe it was the shiny new sequel to Xenoblade 2. It feels like a brand new game. Bioshock trilogy feels like a brand new game. Even Borderlands 3-pack of games feel brand new (and I played a lot of Borderlands 2, but it was mostly on Vita, it looked like a 3DS game and it was so long ago I can’t remember much anyways- the graphical leap for Borderlands 2 from Vita to Switch is almost larger than the graphical leap for Xenoblade to this definitive edition).

And one of the best thing about these ported games and re-masters and remakes is, it’s typically the best of the best that get chosen. So not only are the graphics and production values in line with what you would expect from maximum output of high quality games on the Nintendo switch, they’re almost all masterpiece titles, the very best of their respective years and decades and generations.

This whole weekend has felt like winning a contest, some of the best games of the last 10 years (even of all time) all dropping on Switch like

Some people might think I'm crazy, but I really enjoy the party banter during the battles. Especially between Reyn and Sharla: it's hilarious!

Reyn - I'm on fire! Sharla, did you see me? Did you see what I did!?
Sharla - Oh! I, uh, wasn't really looking.
Reyn - Aw, come on. That's not fair.
Shulk - Laughs

@JaxonH Agree with everything you say. I love that Switch is getting so many classics: games that I never played when they were new, but now I get the chance. All of these Final Fantasy games... The first three Dragon Quest titles... Resident Evil 4, 5 and 6... Onimusha... The Wii and WiiU ports, like Bayonetta 1 and 2... Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze... The Wonderful 101... Tokyo Mirage Sessions... All the modern classics like Skyrim... Diablo 3... Dark Souls... Modern ports like DOOM... Dragon Quest XI... The Outer Worlds next week...

Like most people I love to discover and play new games and one can't say Switch hasn't got any of those. But what makes the Switch so special to me is not just the new titles. It's the diversity: games spanning generations, old and new, on a neat little console that I can play handheld or connected to the big screen. Switch has made me re-discover gaming. It has become my favorite system of all time and we're only three years in!

Will pick up BioShock and Borderlands eventually.

@JaxonH Yeah, Xenoblade deserves every drop of praise it gets. And trust me, it only gets better from where you are. I hope you've managed to avoid spoilers because there's some cool stuff coming up!

@Mountain_Man Don't you think that's a little of an insulting generalization? Plenty of women wear short shorts and a t-shirt and are nothing close to that word.

Obviously I'm not referring to the shorts and t-shirt.

@Mountain_Man Just stop please. Your claim was gross to begin with.

Haha got my shipment notice! My copy will be in tomorrow!

@Ryu_Niiyama you decided to go for it then 😊

For me, I can’t believe I never touched my 3DS copy of this game, but in a way I’m glad I waited for this version.

Since my copy arrived on Friday I’ve been addicted. Staying up late and getting up early in between responsibilities.

I’m not making much story progress as I’ve been scouring every inch of Gaur Plains. Are other areas as big as this?

As such I’ve not needed to make any party decisions yet but I’m looking forward to trying different combinations. Does everyone continue to level up at the same rate?