Video: Here's How Xenoblade Chronicles' Switch Remaster Compares To The Wii Original

It looks waaaaaay better. May finally get it now that it's on Switch. I didn't feel like buying it for the 3Ds.

I wondering if the character models and monsters get only texture updates...or if this is a full remake using their current engine?

Really glad they're changing up the character designs. Most of those characters had faces only a mother could love.

@N8tiveT3ch The environments look dramatically improved in certain parts of the trailer, so they're definitely touching up other aspects of the game. Look at the dense grass around Shulk in the remake vs the flat grass textures in the original version.

I'll look into it - I was very close to buying XC2, but the size put me off. If this is a good price and it looks as good as people say it is, I'll probably pick it up.

They animefied it like Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Not a real fan of the art direction.

@Ralizah after slowing down the video I see that they are cleaning up the environment. The environment in the original game never bothered me but I'm glad we can see more detail facial expressions.

Can’t wait. Didn’t finish it on the 3ds though I enjoyed it.

wow they changed the visuals to be super anime-y like Xeno 2. Not a problem for me, but very different

It's not very smart to use tiny picture-in-picture boxes to compare the two versions, instead of full screen. If there is more detail in the new version, well, we don't see it, or at least not very well.

Is it going to be physical too? I guess so, but nowadays you never know...

Got to say I am impressed with the graphical improvements.

They just turned the art style into anime. Personally I prefer the original art style, the whole anime graphics thing is overdone these days.

I couldn't tell the difference until the NWR screenshot.

I can't wait to get this game. I absolutely loved it on the 3DS.

If there was one Wii game that deserved a HD remaster. It was this. I screamed super loud when I saw this

@JayJ The whole art style? Most of the game has retained the original art style exactly (just with more detailed foliage, environments, clothing, etc). The only thing I see that looks more anime is the character faces, specifically the skin color and the eyes. Metal Face got redesigned too, but he doesn't exactly look any more anime after than before.

Beautifull! A must have for me.

This game deserves to be in every Switch owners collection. It is a JRPG masterpiece. I'm so happy.

Even the Wii version looked better than the new Pokemon games on Switch..

Where’s his helmet gone?

Good god, I knew the Wii U was underpowered, but the Switch makes Wii U graphics look like absolute horse sh**!! Good thing they are porting over these failed Wii U games, they need to be made better than they were originally!!!

I like a lot of the improvements. Out of curiosity, why was the left shoulder that everyone is interested in not added in releases outside of Japan? Time constraints?

@GrailUK I plan to add it to mine. I'm actually glad that I couldn't track down a physical copy on one of the previous platforms for a reasonable price now.

Why does the right side look better in most of scenes?

I’m watching this on my iPhone. Makes it difficult to see clear, but I kinda prefer the Wii-version.

Knowing Switch Lite screen isn’t much bigger, it just not seem to be a big upgrade for handheld-players...

@gamefreak77 Xenoblade Chronicles is a Wii game, not Wii U.

@gamefreak77 LOL the wii U is basically as powerful as the switch

@m8e3point1415 I hope you're being sarcastic.

@Porky they said they animefied XC2 so they could show more detailed facial expressions, unlike the expressionless robot faces you saw in XCX. That's probably what inspired the change in direction here.

I really don't like the new character designs though. Shulk looks like a little kid now, and the cartoony characters don't fit with the rest of the game.

@gamefreak77 If you looked at that footage and assumed it was a WiiU game from Monolith Soft then I really don't know what to tell you.

Looks like it's running on the XB2 engine which ran like trash on Switch... Hopefully they upgrade it so we can enjoy the enivoronmental art more than we did in XB2.

Waiting for XCX... Finished XC already.on Wii, not sure if I want to replay it. Maybe if it gets a physical release and is on sale!

@FarkyValentine "the XB2 engine which ran like trash on Switch..."
Have you played the Torna DLC?

@m8e3point1415 none at all

@Venus_Adept I did, it was marginally better if I recall but still not as crisp as X on the Wii U tablet

Old Game with minimal changes at a Premium Price. $60 is highway robbery and just milking the fans by Nintendo.

So stoked for this...

@N8tiveT3ch The environments in the original game still looks very good so they probably took them as a base and added to them. New bump mapping, some extra polygons and new textures. It's too early to tell, but it does seem like they took the base games environments and sharpened them up as that would require little work that does not really need to be done.

@Agramonte I disagree that the changes are minimal. Just the fact that the left shoulder which wasn't in the original will be in this new game shows that same real effort is being put in. And even just the visual upgrade is pretty nice.

A whole new world

@N8tiveT3ch

A perfect game with THE perfect soundtrack and THE perfect English voice-overs is just getting better visually. What is there not to love about it?

@link3710 It's just my opinion, and they have definitely gone in a more cel shaded direction with anime inspired modeling and textures. It isn't exactly a bad thing depending upon your taste but there is no denying how the graphics are more anime inspired as a result.

I prefer the original character designs and lighting. Why couldn't they have just upscaled the textures to give them better fidelity?

@Agramonte You're basically correct, but I'm a sucker for anything Xeno. Even if this is my least favorite. Hopefully they added more and fixed the side quests. It is also a prime oppertunity to incorporate it as a Xeno game after XC2 retconned it as a proper Xeno title.

@FarkyValentine The problem is rendering a world that large with all those assets, and 2017 budget mobile tech. XC1 isn't very dense, so it should run better.

@Matthew010 Xenoblade 1 is just as long. Hopefully they improve side quests like in XC2. Otherwise have fun with that. Lol

@Ralizah Interestingly the grass in 2 is the same as in 1. It's actually a 2d sprite that follows rotation of the camera.

Looks so awesome. Really glad they went with the Xenoblade 2 style of character design. Can't wait to jump back into this epic.

@Mountain_Man Yeah the original style gave a far more advanced look if they bothered to update and improve upon that. Just looking at the thumbnail for that video, you can see what I am talking about just by looking at her skin textures. In the new style everything is just the same color besides what is effected by the art/anime inspired use of shadow. In the original version you can see all sorts of subtle variations to her skin tone depending upon the lighting. It just seems like with the right improvements the original art style would have made a far more impressive looking difference.

@JayJ Just looking at the thumbnail on the home page before watching the video, I thought the the left side was the original and the right was the remaster. I was rather surprised that the washed out cartoon shading was the "remastered" version.

Still an awesome game and day one purchase for me, but I'm a little disappointed with the new art direction.

I get the hate on the new graphics, but I don't mind the cartoony stuff at all. It's the switches artstyle. I mean, we can't pretend nearly all of switch exclusives have the same use of color. It's honestly just a trick to hide edges. It was used on the 3ds too. Basically until Nintendo puts out a thing near the current generation they'll probably use the same trich to save hardware resourses. That said, 1 was totally better than 2 just because Rex was goddamn awful. X was my fav though.

@N8tiveT3ch the article says remaster, but this looks like a remake using xbc 2 engine. It's kinda hard to tell without gameplay. Graphically every thing looks overhauled

@Mountain_Man Yeah I initially had the same reaction as well thinking the old version was the new version lol. Still, I suppose we should just be glad that a whole new audience will be able to enjoy this game.

@N8tiveT3ch Nope, it is a remaster and they are using the original base code and built on top of it and added new textures and possibly new models (Digital Foundry will let us know for sure). A remake would be something like the new Crash and Spyro games where everything was remade from the ground up including the game engines, or the upcoming Link's Awakening remake.

@GrailUK absolutely amazing RPG. As were the other titles from project rainfall, Last Story and Pandora’s Tower. I’m hoping they get some remaster love in the future.

I never finished this on Wii, so will definitely go again on Switch. It's a great game!

Is this port is made by Monolith soft? Or is it made by other studio since it is just a re-master?
Anyway, looks good, I might pick it up

@Matthew010

The size of what?

@gamefreak77 This is a Original Wii Game, not Wii U.

Honestly, I think it could be way better than it is. Let's hope the graphics get a upgrade until 2020, switch is really powerful and can handle more than this. A great game, I hope it turn out as a great port.

@Jokerwolf Where have you heard they're using the original code? Monolith themselves said they'd have to remake Xenoblade Chronicles instead of porting it if it ever came to Switch. There are very clearly new models for everything from characters to environment, the foliage has changed completely, the lighting system appears to be the same as that in the XC2 engine, rather than the one the original had. I don't see any evidence of it utilizing the original code as of yet.

@link3710 If it is a remaster it is a souped-up version of the original game generally where graphical fidelity is increased, if it is on a new engine it is a remake. It is a very distinct difference between the two words.

From the look of it it looks like the poly count and textures and other graphical elements were enhanced/increased and nothing else which is a remaster, if it was remade from the ground up on a new engine it is a remake which at first glance it looks the same aside from those enhancements.

I was originally not interested because I own not only the Wii original, but the 3DS port. Then I saw the graphics. Oh man! I can actually see their faces clearly!

Actually, looking at that footage, I'm wondering where they got those clips on the right. No version of Xenoblade Chronicles I ever played looked that clean.

Love it! This will be day one for me. Sure, I've already beaten the game once, but it was a couple of years ago and the game is well worth revisiting. A 10/10 in my book. And this will be quite an upgrade from the 3DS port that I've previously played.

I couldn't get into the looks and playing this on my 3DS, so I think I'll finally get to play it for real with the remaster that looks better.

@Jokerwolf okay, you have the general gist right, except a few things:
1. This is almost certainly on the XC2 engine, which was originally built for XCX, not the XC1 engine.
2. Changing engines doesn't make a game not a port. DQ11 is a port, and it's on a brand new engine. Its also possible to remake a game on the same engine (a few time it's happened with Unreal games.) Engines and remake status are irrelevant.
3. Every single things we've seen so far was changed. We can see from this brief clip: the lighting is completely different in certain scenes. Not just improvements in reflections, etc, but completely different lighting. The shaders are definitely new. The environment is much more detailed, with more foliage and higher poly basically everywhere to the point it all looks like new models. The character models are definitely new. We know there's new voice acting (Shulk's actor confirmed on Twitter). The scene at the end is an entire area that wasn't in the original game (Bionis' shoulder). This new area will certainly have new story content as well.

As we haven't seen any gameplay yet, there's no saying if that's changed or not, same with the UI, script, etc. But as it stands there's nothing proving it ISN'T a full remake.

EDIT: And to make my point clearer, look at Kingdom Hearts 1.5. The version of the original game in that package is a remake, not a remaster of the original, as the code had been lost. And yet, you could never tell from the finished product.

So happy with this news, I played it on the 3ds so for me it’s going to be a huge difference! Lol
So looking forward to it, just a shame it’s 2020, I hope it’s at least the start of the year?

I forgot how bad the faces truly were

Anyone else think that the first 25 seconds looked more colourful and lush on the Wii version?

Sweet! I’ve already bought it for each platform it’s on so far, I might as well buy this version too. 😀

If I can fit this game into my playtime next year, I’m definitely doing it! This is my all time favorite JRPG and the best of the Xenoblade series! Need to finish 2, still stuck on the part where you have to have ancient wisdom leveled up to a certain point before you can proceed with the story, super infuriating...

@Onion Probably through emulation

@HappyMaskedGuy The Wii version, as ugly as it can be at times, at least had a distinct visual style and art direction (the characters looked very similar in style to Vagrant Story and Final Fantasy XII). The remastered visuals look a lot cleaner but feel generic.

This is great! One thing I was worried about with a potential remaster would be all the different armor sets no longer changing your look. A lot of modern games don't do that anymore because it involves so many 3D model variations. Thankfully it doesn't seem like they're changing that.

@link3710 The only things that look similar are the environments, but that could be that they imported the old models and built off them to save time (why would you not the environments are still lovely and only need some touch up work). That would make the most sense, but we have not seen enough to make a call on that as we have not seen enough of the game and they have not said if they redid everything from the ground up. Its clear the lighting engine is new, its on the XCX engine and based on the XC2 character models so its not just a port but a full remake. Which I like a lot! I loved the original game, but I know people who could not get passed the visuals, but loved XC2 who look forward to this game!

@gamefreak77 its a wii game originally not wii u are you blind?

Wow, the new art style looks great

I can't even describe how excited I am for this game. I never got to the play the original, and I was actually planning on buying Xenoblade Chronicles 3D for my 2DS XL, but I was kind of holding off just in case a remastered for the Switch was announced. Thankfully, my wish came true

It looks like more than a port, but it doesn't look all of that great. Kind of reminds me of OOT3D/MM3D.

Apart from a much-needed facelift, the entire game code has been conversed to XC2's engine, with the foliage and some effects taken from The Golden Country DLC, which employs some of Monolith's new engine likely to debut in their next full-fledged game.

As a result, the game is certainly looking beautiful (and reminds me a bit of Shadow of the Colossus for PS4). This is an early trailer, however, so the final game should look even more impressive on some scenes (such as the waterfall zone)

Typically one puts before on the left, after on the right. Terrible video, but the visual upgrade is pretty good.

@Trajan can't argue with that..

This should have a version with a collectible clamshell-type box with extra slot like they did with Cold Steel LionHeart Edition. You could just put the other release in it.

Tbh Xenoblade Chronicles is the only good game in the series. X had a stupid story and 2 was too tropey and took a good 30 hours to finally get even sort of interesting. Excited for a remaster.

@Indielink They made an entire new game from scratch for that same price.

With games like Gravity Rush, Shadow of the Colossus and now Trials of Mana. It really hard to justify this - at least for me. Alliance Alive is a complete upgraded from dirt poor 240p 3DS.

@Matthew010 Xenoblade 1 is actually a bigger game I reckon. Environment wise at least because Xeno 2's environments were tiny by comparison. I've put in 100+ hours on Wii finishing the game up and then 150+ hours on 3DS 100%ing with all the side quests. Did Xeno 2 in like 50 hours although I didn't dawdle on the side quests so much. That game didn't hook me in as much really.

Visuals look like a good in-between of the original and 2. It might not be my most hyped game for next year, but I'm looking forward to trying it out nonetheless.

@Moroboshi876 I think it's a safe bet that'll it'll have a physical release, especially as it was the 'big' reveal of the direct. I would imagine it's going to have a very divisive collector's edition too, depending on what region you live in.

@m8e3point1415... with the love it will receive.

I actually think the original Wii version looks better. It looks more organic and realistic, rather than losing a bunch of the shading and just filling everything in with brighter colors.

@link3710 ...and the hair, and the clothes, and the accessories. (Fiora suddenly has auburn hair instead of dirty blonde.) Only the environments look better and have more detail, and it's not like the original game wasn't already very beautiful in that regard.

@link3710 New voice acting? Couldn't that be a problem with Shulk? His voice actor said he couldn't get Shulk's voice completely right when doing it again years later for Smash Bros., which is why he sounds slightly different in those games. All of this just makes me glad I can just stick with the original Wii version of the game.

Lookin' good, can't say I'll miss the doofy horse faces of the original.

Cya
Raziel-chan

This is straddling the line between remaster and remake, it almost looks like a new game. My wife got me X2 for my birthday and while I couldn't really get into it yet, I will give it a try one day, and if this one gets a physical release I am probably getting it as well.

The characters look just like they do in the XC2 DLC. Awesome.

@Porky The only difference I see is now they don't look gross.

@BulbasaurusRex I'm not sure if I'd call those unholy abominations of faces "more natural," but different people have different tastes.

What a difference 10 or so years can make! The game was just begging to be brought into the HD era. So happy with what I’m seeing so far. An absolute must buy for my household.

Oooh, great news. I really enjoyed this on the 3DS.
The expansive, alien and gobsmackingly gorgeous environments were the true star of the show for me and I’m looking forward to seeing them in remastered form.

@NIN10DOXD They look more like real life faces than these new bland anime-style faces, so if you think real people look like "unholy abominations" compared to cartoon characters, that's your issue.

I kinda prefer the more realistic look of the original. Would been nice if they kept that style and just bumped up the resolution and assets quality.

@BulbasaurusRex Their eyes are too wide and faces are too long to qualify as realistic imo.

I was wondering how long it would be until I saw one of these vids

@Enigk This game did that thing where depending on the equipment you wear, the cutscenes will feature it.

@Porky Uh....well it is a JAPANESE made game genius. 🙄

That's really beautiful, I'll pick it up even if I did finished Xenoblade on the Wii when it came out (I was little and I finished it with cheats, but idc, I had fun and I wasn't mature enough to understand properly how to play and farm in a jrpg)

Still hopping for a port of Xenoblade X tho, I played it for a few hours on CEMU and I still think it may be the best Xenoblade game out of the 3, it doesn't need the anime style graphics but I guess that I would take it if they go for the anime style ..

I don’t get why some people say it has been “animefied,”. It looks much closer to the original in design than it does to Xenoblade 2.
Other than better graphics, the only big change is that the colors are more vibrant.

@Totaldude911 Fair enough. I thought it was an opening cutscene so was standard.