@themightyant I fully expect to come out the other end of DE still liking it the least of the Xenoblade games. But I would like to actually see it through to the end, y'know? And maybe the improvements made to it in the meantime will make it a little more fun than it was before.
At least it doesn't look like an ugly PS2 game now.
The Xenoblade series has been the most consistently great JRPG series, IMO. Even when they're full of mechanical baggage like XC2 they always rise above to be 100% GOTY material.
Final Fantasy varies wildly, with FFX & FFVII Remake being some of my favorite games ever, while I bounced off games like FFIX & Type 0 HD.
Tales has some really solid entries, but then you get titles like Zestiria which while I worked through is kinda dull.
Dragon Quest is very consistent itself admittedly, though it's the definition of "comfort food" JRPG, so just doesn't compare to Xenoblade in terms of narrative or ambitiousness, IMO.
Ys is also pretty consistent, though VIII is the only game to wow me so far. Admittedly I've kinda worked backwards though, playing Seven & Memories of Celceta after the fact. We'll see how I get on with IX.
Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)
@Ralizah If you've only ever gotten as far as sword valley, your mind could be changed, the end segments of XC1, especially when it comes to story; are without a doubt- some of my absolute favorite moments in the series.
Also I don't know if you know what Peppa Pig is, but fairly soon after Sword Valley you might just meet a character with Daddy Pig's VA, Richard Ridings, I'm ashamed to say I started crying from laughter.
But yeah, like @Vortexeo said, FC fixes a lot of base game issues and is just a chill experience, don't expect much story from it though.
@FroZtedFlake I've watched the last chunk of the game in LPs over the years, so what happens won't really come as a surprise. Although playing it and watching someone play it are two different things, which is why I'd like to actually complete it myself.
Also, what I saw was the Wii footage of the last sections of the game, so the presentation in DE will be new to me.
Torna fixed a lot of XC2's issues as well. Seems to be a thing with them.
@NintendoByNature I highly recommend playing Torna; it's essentially a better version of XC2 and has a shorter/more focused story. I wish I'd bought it physical when I had the chance, but by the time I wanted to play it, it was out of print without me realizing it. I nabbed it during the holiday sales last year.
That was an overall ranking I did. Depending on the aspects weighed, that list can rotate around a bit. XCX for example wins in the worldbuilding and music departments, but Torna wins regarding plot and some gameplay mechanics. The only negative aspect of the first game I can think of is the quest system. XC2, while pretty decent in many ways, has more flaws as outlined elsewhere in this thread.
@FroZtedFlake Wait... you're talking about Miqol right? Wow... I knew his voice sounded oddly familiar!!
@NintendoByNature If you liked 1 more than 2 then you'll like 3 a lot for sure. But I'd definitely take time to play through Torna by sole virtue of being a great 20-hour experience. The game design rules are really streamlined and the learning curve is quite smooth because of how good the pacing is.
@SplooshDmg I see what you mean, maybe they try and push the whole sense of scale too hard in some ways. But it's those two establishing shots that really do it for me; first the prologue sweeping shot with Dunban and then the one where Shulk and Reyn stare up at the Mechonis and go all "it's our enemy". Those establish the scale and make the characters look and feel absolutely helpless.
It's also important how the characters view this whole thing too. All the characters comment on the scale of the worlds at some point. It being relevant to the plot means that it's easier to justify setting the game on the bodies of two frozen gods.
@themightyant I saw you had left a comment on my mashup, I greatly appreciate it! Glad you liked my covers too, they're the stuff I'm proudest of that I can show. Hope you look forward to more covers like them; I've scheduled at least three or four Xenoblade ones over the next month! I can't get enough of the Xenoblade games' music honestly.
@TheJGG@SplooshDmg I know right, I got all confused for a split-second, then the realization of who it was hit me and I couldn't look at his character the same ever again
@NintendoByNature Heh, you too? This month is relatively lax for me unless I decide to pick up Shovel Knight Dig (might wait a bit), but October...oy. I might just have to settle with NieR: Automata since it's a busy month for me lol. Pokemon Scarlet/Violet are both out in November, but I can wait a bit for those too.
@Tyranexx I honestly don't know what to think of SKD. I absolutely love the SK series, but the digging mechanic has me pondering. I'll need to read/hear more before I dive in. There's just way too much the next couple months. It's crazy talk!
No plot advancement in XC3 again yesterday on account of more exploration and quests. Have I mentioned how easy it is to get sidetracked in this game? XD
@NintendoByNature I'll need to see more as well before biting on SKD. The digging mechanic is what has me intrigued since I enjoyed both SteamWorld Dig titles so much...and I do like the classic Dig Dug too. The next couple of months will be hard on budgets for sure!
@Tyranexx Lmao this does sound a lot like my playthrough. I always told myself I'm going to make story progress and then I'll see something in the distance and I'm like "oooo! what's that?"
I've been rather quiet on this thread, huge Xenoblade fan that I am, but I wanted to take my time writing down my past with the franchise, how I came to love it, and what my thoughts on each game are. But before I jump into Xenoblade, I'd like to give a brief history on me as a gamer.
I was born in a rather poor family household and as a result we spend each summer vacation in a caravan at the same camping grounds close to the beach. I wasn't one who enjoyed his time on the beach very much though. While my younger brother was digging holes and building sand castles, I drifted away into my own little world while flying my kite. I could stare for hours into the sky, watching that kite move from left to right against a background of clouds. I was a dreamer, someone who preferred fantasy over the real world. At home, my parents always had the most trouble getting me to play outside. I preferred tinkering with Lego and Meccano (who remembers that) and creating my own scenarios with action figures of The Turtles. I might not have been a very active child, but I also didn't cause any problems, unlike my brother who often came home with bumps and bruises after a fight or rough play outside.
My introduction to video games came by a travelling funfair that visited our town twice a year. Fishing ducks and merry-go-rounds were our usual activities but even as a little tyke, I was always fascinated by the arcades with those flashing screens, buttons and sticks that seemed to excite everyone who were mashing on them. One year, after a bit of whining, I was allowed to play a game. My parents were sure to pick something child-friendly and chose Bubble Bobble. I had no idea what I was doing but after a couple of tries some older kid explained the game to me and I was able to beat my first screen. Oh boy, the excitement! At that moment a new love was born.
My parents took notice of how much I loved playing that game and later that year, on my eighth birthday, I got a NES with Super Mario Bros 2 and TMNT2. Years later, my mother told me she regretted that decision because from that moment on it became even more difficult to get me outside. Anyway, throughout the years I collected a decent amount of games for the NES and later the SNES. All of them were platformers, run-and-gun shooters, beat 'em ups and fighting games. Those were the prominent genres at the time and because my love for video games grew in the arcades, those were the ones I stuck to for a pretty long time. Super Mario, Contra, Mega Man, Street Fighter and Final Fight were my jam... until I discovered something new.
One day a friend called me over because he wanted to show me something. He got a PlayStation with a couple of games. One of which was none other than Final Fantasy VII. I had never seen anything like it before. Remember, RPGs at that time were very rare, especially in Europe. I was amazed by the cinematics but then he started to play the game and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. What a slow, boring mess I thought. I was so used to fast arcade-style games and platformers that I didn't see the appeal of something with a bunch of text boxes and turn-based combat.
Fast-forward a couple of years and I unexpectedly receive Paper Mario for N64 as a present. Not expecting to like it, I gave it a fair shot and came to love the game. First for its humour and story, later for its gameplay mechanics. Paper Mario was my first real experience with JRPGs and it sparked my love for the genre.
My discovery of RPGs came at exactly the right time. I had a hard time transitioning from 2D to 3D, especially with platformers, and was at the brink of giving up on gaming. RPGs however kept me engaged once again to my beloved hobby. It was a time of discovery. What began with Paper Mario soon transitioned into all kinds of RPGs like Diablo, Baldur's Gate, Final Fantasy X and Septerra Core.
And then came along a little game called World of Warcraft. For the first time a game took over my life. I became addicted, and not in a healthy way. The big open world and endless quests were like a dream come true. No longer did I have to imagine fighting monsters, it was happening right before my eyes. Eventually though I came to the realization that WoW was ruining my life. I was living in the dream and neglecting the real world. I managed to quit playing the game and for a time swore off gaming completely. I even went as far as selling all my old consoles and games. Something I regret to this day, but at that time it seemed like the right decision.
About two years went by without me playing any games.
Slowly but surely my interest in video games came back but I didn't want to make the same mistake as I did with WoW, so I chose to no longer play multiplayer games because I knew the risk of getting addicted again was real. Thus, I bought a Wii with some games and had a decent time but I was missing some great RPGs. There weren't many of them on this console but I also didn't want to buy the very expensive PS3 and my PC was showing its age. I decided to buy a Nintendo DS instead because there were so many great games on it, and that's where most of my gaming happened that generation... until Xenoblade caught my attention.
I learned about Xenoblade from a review in a gaming magazine. They were praising it into the high heavens and everything they mentioned sounded like the perfect game to me. Big open world, tons of quests, great narrative and characters, the feeling of an MMO but in single-player,... I honestly couldn't believe what I was reading. I didn't need more convincing and bought the game in the first week of release. I honestly wasn't ready for how good this game was. Everything from its story and characters to world building, exploration and combat... it all flowed perfectly into each other. This was the game I was waiting for: the feeling of playing an MMO but without its addictive nature. Xenoblade became my favourite game of all time and has since evolved into my all-time favourite franchise.
Naturally, when Xenoblade X released on Wii U, I had to buy it on release day. The game featured a lot of improvements, notably the graphics, but also many of the gameplay aspects were improved like the side quests and combat. Because of its enormous world and a seemingly endless supply of side quests, it felt even more like an MMO than its predecessor, perhaps even a bit too much. I loved the game but there were four aspects that made me think it wasn't as good as the first Xenoblade. Prime reason was the lack of a compelling narrative. Xenoblade's story was so good that X's focus on side content felt a bit disappointing. Second was the lack of a great protagonist. I just don't like playing as a no-name emotionless husk. It lessens my investment in what's going on. Third was the multiplayer aspect, though to be honest I left that completely by the wayside. And finally there was the soundtrack that never clicked for me. It was a huge departure from the previous game in style and I never learned to love it. Still, Xenoblade X is a magnificent game. Its gameplay loop alone makes it more than worth investing hundreds of hours into.
When Xenoblade 2 got announced so soon after X, I was over the moon. Especially because it'd focus on story and characters again. XC2 was the game I bought a Switch for... and it was kind of disappointing. The gacha mechanic and horrible implementation of field skills brought the whole experience down. There's no single big connected world but rather separate lands, which doesn't give the same feeling of awe and wonder. There's the overabundance of fanservice. And finally there's the feeling that the whole game felt rushed to release. From the story that seems like they stuck to the first draft, inconsistent character designs, terrible tutorials, awkward translations and voice acting,... It all makes for a subpar Xenoblade experience compared to the others.
Still, Xenoblade 2 remains a good game. Exploring the different zones remains a Xenoblade strongpoint and its combat system was the best until now. The story, while very convoluted, has some great moments and its main cast is very likeable. I also loved this game's soundtrack. A true banger!
After liking each subsequent Xenoblade game less than the previous one, I was a bit anxious for the inevitable Xenoblade 3. But once I saw the first trailer and I noticed it looked a lot more like the first Xenoblade, it became very difficult to temper my expectations. After the Xenoblade 3 Direct my expectations were through the roof... and even then the game managed to exceed them.
Xenoblade 3 is pretty much perfect in my opinion. Monolith Soft took all the best aspects of the previous games, discarded or improved upon what didn't work, and delivered what I can only describe as a masterpiece. Everything's been streamlined, from combat and its class system to exploration and side quests. It's all done to perfection this time around.
And then there's the story. Never before have I played a game that hit me this hard on an emotional level. I became so invested in its story, characters and overall themes that at several points in the game I cried my eyes out. One point in particular completely drained me. This is such a powerful and contemporary story I think everyone should experience in their life.
Monolith Soft is going to have a hard time surpassing the excellence of Xenoblade 3 I believe, but if there's one development studio who can do it, it's them. Xenoblade for life!
@Mioaionios Man that's quite the experience you have! I never did play World of Warcraft growing up but I always heard about it and how addicting it can be. I was a Runescape player myself and I played that one for years. MMOs in general definitely feel like they're designed to keep you playing and they are very big-time sinks. I think I've put nearly 2,000 hours into Runescape which is the most amount of time I've ever put into a game and I wasn't anywhere close to max level from what I remember. I have some very fond memories from playing and sure I did make a lot of friends but MMOs these days intimidate me a bit lol. I've had Final Fantasy XIV installed on my computer for a while, and I've got my account set up and ready to go but I still haven't gone in and actually played it yet lol.
I wish I could say that my story of getting into Xenoblade was as cool as yours but mine was lame lol.
I recall in summer of 2019 I was talking with a friend about the switch. He was telling me that there was no reason for him to get one because there weren't any good exclusives and since he had a Wii U, he wasn't interested in all the ports. (I think he said the only switch games that appealed to him were Mario Odyssey, Smash Ultimate, and Super Mario Maker 2). I didn't agree with him because I loved my switch, but at the time I only played it for smash bros so I couldn't explain why I disagreed 😂. I pulled up a list of switch exclusives and we went through each game one by one. He said he wasn't interested in most of them but at the very end of the list was Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and he goes "oh dude I forgot about that game! that looks right up my alley!" Despite the fact that shulk was in smash bros this was actually the first time I heard of Xenoblade 😂.
Fast forward a little bit and there was a direct on September 4, 2019. This was the first direct I ever watched and it was where I finally put two and two together. I saw Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition get announced and I was like "OHHHHH! THAT'S WHERE SHULK COMES FROM!" I wasn't exactly hyped for the announcement because I wasn't a fan of Xenoblade at the time, but I was thrilled because I knew that was a guy from smash bros 😂 (I was a dumb smash fan I'm sorry lmao).
At the end of November 2019, a few first-party games went on sale for black friday. Initially, I was going to buy Breath of the Wild but I decided to just ask for that as a Christmas present. I saw Xenoblade 2 was one of the games on sale and I went with that.
Xenoblade 2 was my first game in the series and I went SUPER blind into that one. I didn't even look up any reviews, gameplay, or trailers. Heck, I didn't even know the main character's name lol I just assumed it was going to be shulk because I knew him from smash bros 😂. The combat of XC2 did take me a while to get used to but the auto attacks themselves never turned me off from the game. Idk if that's because of my MMO history or not.
Xenoblade 2 wasn't my first JRPG but I actually considered it my favorite game on the system for a while. Not only did it make me even more hyped for XC:DE but I ended up going down a massive JRPG rabbit hole after finishing it. I beat the main story of XC2 in the middle of December 2019. Then I bought DQ11 (because I knew hero from smash bros lmao) and finished that early January 2020. Afterward, I bought Ys VIII because I saw it getting compared to XC2 and I finished that in February. Byleth and Fire Emblem were getting a metric ton of hate from the smash community around this point in time, but since I was introduced to Dragon Quest and Xenoblade through smash bros I decided to give Three Houses a try and by the end of March I was also a Fire Emblem fan 😂. So yeah...I guess Xenoblade technically is responsible for me investing in my switch more.
@Vortexeo
MMOs can be very addictive indeed.
Funny you mention Smash Bros. That game series introduced lots of people to particular franchises and I'm sure many were introduced to Xenoblade because of Shulk.
I got introduced to Metroid, EarthBound and Fire Emblem that way. My first Metroid was Prime on GC and I played EarthBound for the first time on Wii U's Virtual Console. I rented Fire Emblem Path of Radiance on GC once but that genre isn't for me. Strategy games give me anxiety attacks, lol.
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