Topic: Xenoblade Chronicles 3

I'm still relatively early on, so things could change, but so far:

• I think 3 has the most boring world. The areas are huge sure, and it's fun to reach a high up spot and just look out over the expanse, though I can't say there's been anything meaningful thus far outside of the landmarks/areas pulled from one of the first two games. For example, I just travelled through a hollowed out Uraya & came out at the bottom of what I believe are Makna Falls, which has probably been the most exciting area thus far.
• Probably in the vast minority on this, but I still like 2's character design & costumes the best, and prefer DE's costume customization over what 3 has. No shame, I have Eunie in Ethel's outfit due to the deeper cut cleavage window than she has in her standard military uniform, however it ultimately doesn't matter because she still wears her standard tank top under that "Hero" outfit which renderd the effort moot, lol.
• I absolutely do love 3's combat & general gameplay though. Maybe it's partially because the first two games eased me into it, but I'm finding the combat & systems very intuitive to get into & take advantage of. It's very hard for me to put the game down, and I'm more than fine with the side quests overlevelling me, lol.

Finally finished monster boy so I can solely focus on this.

I can't say for sure til I finish it, but the way things are going there's a very good chance XC3 will be my new favorite of the series.

It most definitely has the best combat, bar none. It's incredible. They've finally mastered it to perfection. Once I watched that Chain Attack video and learned all sorts of things I didn't know, now I'm pulling off 600,000 damage easy on an average chain attack in Chapter 4. It's nuts. So combat goes to XC3 all day.

As for the world, at first I wasn't that impressed but the further I progress the better it gets. At this point, I'd say it's 2nd best in the series (behind only XCX, which had the most rewarding exploration of any game I've ever played). 2nd best is still pretty dang impressive.

Characters and story- definitely the best. Though I'll have to reassess after I beat the game. XC2 story was pretty lame up until the latter parts of the game, and then it went off the rails, and left such a good taste in my mouth afterward I immediately regarded the game in higher standing. Point being- the ending can make or break a game in this department. So far so good. But let's see if it can stick the landing. A special shutout to XCX story. So many ppl bashed it as not as fulfilling as XC1. And... maybe not. But gosh dang did I thoroughly enjoy it.

Music is hard to judge. The Moebius themes are absolutely insane. The main theme is phenomenal. The music is incredibly good. It's just that, all XC music is incredibly good. I have a soft spot for XC2 music and, contrary to popular opinion, XCX music. Regardless of how it ranks in the end, it's absolutely stellar.

Sidequests are most definitely, by a country mile (except for X which is a close second), the best in the series. Some have cited X as having better sidequests, and I must confess it had some bangers, but what keeps X sidequests from topping XC3 for me is that so many were difficult due to requiring specific items that could take forever to find. Idk. It has been a while since I played XCX and it could be recency bias- I do remember helping certain alien races and factions and it felt incredibly rewarding... idk. It's at least as good as XCX, probably better. Either way, good enough.

I also love all the refinements and QoL. Like XCX, it gives a GPS to your objective. XC2 was horrible with confusing maps in this regard. Speaking of which. The menu system has never been better. XCX had the most convoluted menu system of any game I've played in my entire life. XC2 wasn't that bad, but it was still cumbersome. I also love the new affinity chart and Quests not being gated behind character specific affinity. And the new metroidvania like approach to field skills? Muah! That was a nightmare in XC2. I can't express how much I've enjoyed gaining access to new traversal skills in XC3, opening up access to explore new areas.

edit
Kind of off topic, but I also want to note how much I appreciate each Xenoblade Chronicles game offering a unique experience. It doesn't always do it for everyone (I know many took issue with numerous aspects of XC2), but each and every game has had its own unique flavor and gameplay experience. XC1 set the stage and serves as the foundation. XCX offered more gameplay and exploration focus with a sci-fi spin, with insanely cool mech traversal and combat. XC2 went more anime and tried some new things with the Orbs and Elemental Bursts in chain attacks, with a more anime style. And XC3 is bringing it home with a blend of everything up to this point. Each and every game in the series is outstanding- there's never been a XC game I didn't love to death.

I remember saying the music was underwhelming in 3… I take that back with interest. This could have one of the best soundtracks in the series. I still think 1’s is the best.

But another thing? The English VO is the best I’ve heard in any Xenoblade game… maybe even one of the best ever. Like the original Xenoblade they went back to hiring experienced television actors and it works so, so well. Every single party member is perfect, which is good since you see and hear them a lot. I was worried Noah (Harry McEntire) would struggle to capture the high emotions, he ran my doubts into the dirt at the end of 5. Aimee-Ffion Edwards as Mio is superb too, I’d say she’s my favourite voice-wise. But they aren’t too far apart. Taion too. Olivier Hubband captures and wears his aloof personality like a glove. Eunie (Kitty Archer) takes a potentially stereotypical accent and runs wild with it. Lanz is just gold (Jack Bardoe) and Sena’s… pretty good (Rebecca LaChance). All around the most consistently good VO of the series. Though Shulk (Adam Howden) may be the hardest job to tackle Noah and Mio particularly challenge that.

XC2 beats it easily. It changes every chapter.

@defhed I did not know it changed every chapter as I very rarely change games on a first playthrough but I absolutely adored that it added Nia on NG+ and the last one when she looks back at you is just... Wow..

@defhed It changes every chapter, but it's not as dramatic, and the music isn't as iconic. And this is coming from someone who broadly prefers the music in XC2.

@Balta666 yea I know most people probably missed out on it because with Switch you don't need to close the game, just home screen and shutdown the system lol. I was closing the game down every time my first play through so I could see all the title screen changes. But I don't think I ever saw the one you're talking about. That's after beating NG+?

@defhed not sure when it happens but I want to say that (and now i will add as spoiler) first time you finish you are with pyra and mythra at elysium, the on a different (not sure if after first ng+ or Mmddle of it Nia rushes to the group and knocks you from the back, after that there is a scene where Nia just comes to the group and after a while looks over the shoulder directly to the screen

@Ralizah I agree with you on 99%, the only thing is while the combat in 2 and 3 are almost the same I still miss the orbs mechanic...
On a separate note while most of the sidequests in 2 are fairly boring and hard as they don't point you to the location where you can grind something, the blades sidequests are very rewarding and fairly similar to the hero quests in 3 (however they are picked behind unlocking blades through gasha... And skill trees that can take quite a while to unlock due to affinity)

@Balta666 So, in theory, I like XC2's combat system more. But I find that XC3's combat feels more... intuitive, which is a big plus for me. Also really prefer the chain attack system in XC3. And it unlocks much more quickly than in XC2.

Loved the narrative portions of blade quests, but I hated trying to fill out their skill trees. The hero quests in this game unlock right away and get to the good stuff immediately. So I think the implementation is better overall.

Since we're discussing previous XC games here all of a sudden, I'll quote myself from the XC2 thread.

My ranking of the franchise would go like this: XC3 > XC > XCX > XC2

@Mioaionios Agreed pretty much with everything there, especially the disjointed worlds.

Having a linear series of regions to explore just like the original Xenoblade is good, because that sense of scale comes naturally. In 2 the only reference point you have is the World Tree and even then in some of them you can't see it, like Uraya (almost all), Tantal (all), etc. Xenoblade 3 having less regions for me is interesting. On one hand you really get to get closer and closer to major landmarks (like the Castles, the Great Sword, Uraya), but on the other, filling them in is a nightmare.

Also... your ranking, agreed too. I'd put it like this; XC3>XC>XCX>>>>XC2

@TheJGG
I hear what you're saying about filling in the maps of XC3.
I've taken it slowly myself. I'm over 100 hours in and still have some areas I haven't explored fully primarily Erythia Sea and some high level areas in earlier zones.

When I do a quest I explore the immediate vicinity of it, maybe I see some husks or a container in the distance and go pick those up, but I try not to eplore entire areas for the sake of it because eventually you got to go there anyway for some other quest.
After a while, you'll only have to fill in the blanks.

By the way, I love how enormous the regions are, each containing multiple biomes. It only further enhances the feeling of awe and wonder for me.

The feeling of awe is there for sure but imo they went a bit too much. I know it is a me problem that I cannot see myself moving on before removing all the fog but the sea for instance is just crazy massive

Only halfway through 3, I keep hearing of a big story twist coming up soon- that’s the only thing I think is missing so far, so if it lands, I definitely think 3 will be my favourite in the trilogy.
Tentatively X>>3>1>>2

Just beat Chapter 4 and started Chapter 5. Story is really starting to pick up. Love it.

I've also found a combination of classes that work really well and get Break > Topple > Launch combos fairly often, and when I get Level 3 Ouroboros I can sometimes finish with a Smash attack. Also love having gems for faster auto attack and extra auto attack which speeds up Agnus Art buildup, and having accessories that let me revive despite not being a healer and accrue Interlink 35% faster, and starting fights with Master Arts 90% charged. Paired with Noah being in Riku/Manana's class, I build up Level 3 interlink VERY fast and it feels so good. Then being able to cancel Ouroboros Arts once interlinked and having tons of Soul Tree skills decreasing Heat Gage? Muah!

I think I'm nearing the final boss oh man I'm so ready! After that I might go and finish up all the side quests because I don't think any of them have been missable

I just beat the game...damn man 10/10

Spoilers for chapter 6 and 7

@Vortexeo
Nice!
How many hours did it take? I'm still hunting side quests.