We haven't actually had a thread about Xenoblade yet (mostly footage and stuff, no general discussion about it.)

So Xenoblade has been out in Japan since June. Here are some English reviews of the game:
http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-z3-49-en-70-3snk-40-1.htm...

Apparently it feels like a real JRPG of the old days; it seems like something of a revival of traditional JRPGs. Those user reviews say it somehow manages to transport turn-based combat into a real-time system in a manner that feels right. I'm impressed. Complaints are basically about low-res character models, but considering the fact that it has an extremely large open world I'll cut them some slack. The opening video does show how low-res the characters and textures are and I wish they had somehow managed to squeeze more detail on them. Still, I'm very much impressed and looking forward to the English release of this game!

In-game introductory video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6jyC74liSc)

Still waiting on a localisation... don't fail me now NOE!

It is a bit of a shame that the characters are low res but they actually wear their armour and stuff which is cool.... of course TLS does that now.... so maybe TLS is for good looking characters and Xenoblade is for good looking vistas?

I've heard rumors that this is coming over titled as Monado, but I haven't heard anything since then. I really hope it does come out though. We all could use more RPG love in our lives.

This and Last Story are two of the three Wii games I'm most looking forward to in 2011.

So is there any news at all about a localization?

Nothing concrete and official but there have been hints at localization

Monado is still on NOA's release list which was released just a couple of weeks ago. I think Cammie namedropped it a while ago too when asked about localisations. I think if it is being localised we might not even hear about it until next year.... RPGs can be released in the west well over a year from the original release. On the other hand Mistwalker said we'd know about a TLS localisation by the end of this year.... but with the delay on the game in Japan the localisation may have been delayed too.

Damn, this sure looks familiar. _{And I think there's a third thread, too}

Anywho, as many have said, I sure can't wait for it to come out. I'm looking forward to it far more than The Last Story, actually, not only because of the difference in developers (Monolithsoft actually has a good trackrecord, while Mistwalkers...), but also because its gameplay and environments look far more appealing. Hopefully the story will be good, too.

@Mickeymac Oh no, time to close this thread! Unfortunately all these other threads about Xenoblade aren't particularly well-titled for general discussion about the game. And if you think Xenoblade is bad, you should see how many The Last Story threads there have been.

I can definitely overlook the low-res characters thanks to what looks like a sweeping story, unique and expansive setting and interesting battle system. I'm pretty certain there will be a western release - a game of this magnitude can't be overlooked by NoA and NoE.

...And hopefully the western dub is good.

EDIT: Combat video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkKypUpExW4

This looks really cool, but maybe not for me. I tend to be love-it-or-hate-it when it comes to RPGs - love Dragon Quest, the Mario RPGs, Pokémon, Chrono Trigger, but Final Fantasy, Baten Kaitos, Monster Hunter etc bored the crap out of me. I'll probably rent it when it comes out and decide whether to buy it on that.

I don't think it's Love it or Hate it as much as having a good opinion from what I can see (no offense to Monster Hunter fans though)

@Raylax @kkslider If you go into Monster Hunter mistakenly thinking it's an RPG, it's no wonder you dislike it.

Just FYI Yasunori Mitsuda, composer of the some of the awesome music in Chrono Trigger and Cross is composing for Xenoblade.

I think you just don't know what you want from the genre yet. That's how I used to be, and still kinda am, and it happens to a lot of people when trying to play games in a genre they're not used to. Maybe once you've played a few more you'll have a better understanding of what it is about RPGs that you do and don't want. For instance, all of those games you listed that you liked have simpler gameplay and have a greater emphasis on characters over the overall plot. Some of them also have a greater emphasis on exploration and customization, though so do some of the games you mentioned that you didn't like, but they did it in a different way. I think you'd have a better understanding of what it is you liked about those games than I ever could. Really, unlike most genres, you really have to analyze the games you like to figure out what other ones you'd like, because the genre is simply too diverse to expect to like them all.

Great point, Mr Mac. More than any other genre (perhaps because 'RPG'' is too broad of a term for a genre where genuine RPGs come one per 2-3 years or so), RPGs are very different from one another.

And tastes very. I prefer the story driven Final Fantasies to the exploration style Dragon Quests, for instance.

Hey guys, let's derail another thread by discussing the nature of RPGs! This isn't getting old at all!

You know, since this seems to be brought up regularly, maybe it's time someone made a thread about that instead of fragmenting what could be a coherent and interesting discussion across multiple topics.

That wasn't the point. Mac and I were just explaining why RPGs are a 'hit and miss genre'

The game looks so good, I think i should import xenosaga 1 and 2 for DS

Well I can't say I'm a fan of the story, but the game itself looks pretty fun. It'll most likely be a bargain bin purchase though, if The Last Story comes out at around the same time. :3

They won't out at the same time, they'll be at least a couple of months between them(if they both do come over).

I want this so badly so I think im gonna explode if it aint coming to US or EU.. (I have a NTSC Wii and a PAL Wii)