Gallery: See How Much Better Xenoblade Chronicles Looks On Switch

they are like FINALLY WE CAN USE TEXTURES!

@tsukipon and advanced lighting.

This is more of a difference than RTX vs non-RTX

Apparently, the extra power also lets them comb their hair.

Watching the beginning again reminds me of the youtube poops for this game...

"TREAT! TREAAAAT!"

"We pulling back colony 6 to line, that is where we will set up the fence!"

I am very eager to play through this to the ending this time. (For reference, got stuck on a certain boss beginning with "L" on 3DS.)

Lovely stuff. Looks so much better.

I’m really feeling it!

I haven’t played any of the xenoblade games and have always been a little nervous too. This does look very pretty indeed so maybe it’s time to dip a toe in.

I dunno, I'm really not feeling new Reyn. He was always Balthier-esque but now looks like the Wolfman.

Gimmie!

(Please ship on time).

Minor thing I just noticed, but the font is also different. It’s a little more stylized.

God, the original game is so ugly. Really didn't expect yet another re-release, but I'm glad it happened.

@CairiB I’m the same really got into RPGs since having the switch.

@Ralizah

Ugly by today’s standards. It was one of the Wii’s best looking games — But the Wii was a standard definition console, so it really benefited from great art direction. Anything in SD has aged very quickly, especially in the age of HD and 4K.

Where's the 3DS to Switch comparison???

I'm not normally a huge graphics nut, but these comparisons definitely outline the improvements.

@MS7000 Gosh. I think I got stuck on the very same boss on Wii. Had another half hearted stab at it recently but beat me again. Looks much prettier this time, but not sure I can face restarting. Maybe I can push myself through it...

@nessisonett I see what you did there in that first sentence...

@Blister Hahahaha for me it really isn’t Reyn time!

How does the Switch version compare to playing the original in Dolphin in HD?

Too bad they changed the way they look at the same time.
That's the problem with these projects, instead of a straight upgrade we get every character looking wrong.

@nessisonett Man, what a bunch of jokers!

(endlessly quotable)

I’m so hyped for this game!!

@Gradius
For what? The 3DS version looks basically the same as the Wii version, just worse.

@Gradius

Digital Foundry will probably compare all 3.

@MoonKnight7 Totally disagree. Most of my Wii games look fine on an HDTV. Low-res, obviously, but not unattractive to look at. Super Mario Galaxy, in particular, still looks pretty stunning today, even with the obvious technical limitations holding it back.

The scale of Xenoblade's environments might have been impressive for a Wii game, but the character models (ESPECIALLY the faces) looked terrible even at the time. Compare it other JRPGs on the system like The Last Story or Pandora's Tower and the downgrade was obvious.

I’m pretty dang excited. Hoping I finish my play through of Dark Souls 3 before this releases! I’m close!

Talking of graphics, you guys seen the Unreal 5 tech demo running on a PS5? Absolutely draw droppingly beautiful graphics. Watch it on a 4K TV if you can for full effect.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wq0JC7Cs0Vg

We need to stop using the phrase "rose-tinted glasses" for at least three or four years.

@andyc777 don't mention ps5 or series 8 graphics. Switch is good enough.

@Ralizah

Well Mario is an entirely different comparison — a completely different game — completely different art style. Something more cartoony will obviously age better than something that isn’t.

What I’m saying is that the Wii did not do Xenoblade any favors. Still looked great cause of the art direction, and sure, the models were always pretty poor looking.

@sixrings not another one...Yes, graphics look decent on a Switch, but you have to appreciate how much technology is evolving and how beautiful games on next gen consoles will look. Don't be blindly loyal to Nintendo only.

I mean, this is an article comparing graphics from one gen to another. My link showed what the next gen is capable of, and your response was essentially 'we don't need to see that, Switch games look good!'

@elpardo1984 the only thing that puts me off is the turn based fighting, it’s not a style I like so that kind of puts me off these games.

I wish I had the vision the rest of you have that makes this remaster seem so spectacularly better . Yes, I can see an obvious improvement, but it doesn't seem to me to be the game-changer some seem to see.

@Gradius 3DS version was worse than the Wii lol

@andyc777 so what you're saying is that this game would look even better on a ps5 or series X but would it have HD rumble, gyro and LABO VR?

@StevenG That’s just, like, your opinion man.

@sixrings I didn't detect your sarcasm first time around. As you were...

Oh yes! Thats how you do it!
What an upgrade. Day one buy for me!

@MrBlacky @Scoopz

I know, it was a joke. I should've put an /s i guess

:/

Looks good but I should have watched this before Epic’s PS5 demo!

seems like they switch the skin tones around or whatever?

looking very promising

Looks great! I'm a huge fan on Xenoblade 2's art direction and getting the original game in a similar style is awesome.

Fantastic upgrade. They really went all out on this one. I don't think as good looking as XC 2, but WAY better than I expected.

Sorry, not spending 60 bucks for a visual upgrade. Game is the same

I wish they had simply upscaled the texture resolution instead of revamping the look of the characters and giving them a bright, flat, cartoony appearance.

@Gradius
I absolutely knew, it was a joke! Did you think otherwise? Haha, now the joke's on you. 😰

@Mountain_Man yeah its the eyes that are getting to me, i almost thought this was a tales game for a second lol

@Friendly Except for the cut area and the epilogue

@andyc777
I wonder what Microsoft and Sony are going to do, if you can't improve graphics anymore in a way it makes any difference at all.

@-Juice- Yes, it is. But why make them look so different?

@MrBlacky we'll get to that stage one day - we're not too far off it judging by the Unreal 5 tech demo. The environments are life like.
Aside from that, if they can keep making enjoyable games with decent stories, there will always be a market for their first party games.

@Anri02 there's a cut area? so a reason to play the original?

@CairiB Xenoblade's combat is real-time.

I kinda liked the colorimetry and the design they used in the original. It had a 'painting' feel, a bit like FF12.
Now it's pretty and all, but it's a bit 'anime generic' and too bright.

It's a huge improvement. The graphics were fine back in the day, but even then the character faces looked super weird.

@MrBlacky I'd say that after this coming generation of consoles they'll have to start pushing things liked advanced AI or go the Nintendo route and start making hybrid consoles provided battery tech advances enough.

@Friendly it actually has new content in it e.g. a new area, and a remastered soundtrack along with the original.

I really can't wait to play this game again with all the knowledge I obtained in my original play through. This time, I'm gonna prioritize getting a certain Monado art and a certain one of Shulk's skills. The Monado art would have been insanely helpful had I gotten it earlier, and so would the skill have been. I only got to use the skill against the very last endgame boss I fought, which actually was pretty awesome. It was like getting a huge power boost to take on one final enemy.

@MS7000 "We've been given the order to retreat."
"Acknowledged."
"Was this the wrong way?"
"Yeaaaaahhh..."
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHH"

@sixrings It could on PS5 at least.

@Trajan PS4 didn't have jrpgs that took advantage of the hardware like Xeno did. We had FF7 and Dragon Quest, but Dragon Quest looked just as good on Switch. Heck, I'd even bet FF7 would look close on Switch.

@Trajan true. But id have to play it on a TV. Who owns TVs in 2020. Thats like owning a home phone. Portable for the win.

@mesome713 No I don't think FF7 would look that great on switch, especially when you consider how compressed it would have to be. All the special console gimmicks are pretty dumb in RPGs though. I did think the hd rumble in Octopath was neat.

@sixrings lmao. Only people I see using handhelds are generally children, so I guess anyone over 24.

Dammit, got teary eyed! It's gorgeous. Glad they didn't stray too far from Dixon and Mumkhar's original looks. Colony 9's music sounds beautiful xxx

@DarkLloyd Bionis's shouder was cut from the original game, and is brought back in this version

Looking closely at this video it seems to be running the Torna engine. I really like the improvements, but I think some colors, such as Shulks hair are over saturated.

I look forward to giving my least favorite Xeno game another shot.

@Anri02 ah ok i misread that lol

@-Juice- You mean ... like everybody here ?

@andyc777 Looks great but I'm curious how it handles environments that aren't just made of rocks, lol. Grass blowing in the wind is always an engine killer.

@sixrings stupid question: does it support Labo VR?

@Anri02 @Anri02 true, but still, most of the game is the same, I’ve played it. Reckon the extra’s will be enough? Not for me I’m afraid, not this time . Happy for the ones that get to experience it first though!

@Friendly I don’t know, I guess the epilogue is the real big extra.

@Trajan I think I read that it is using the Torna engine.

@nessisonett Yeah, I definitely like old Reyn better.

The original looks embarrassing next to the Definitive Edition. This is quite the upgrade.

Some great improvements. But. It's at times like seeing classic SW movies being remastered. Sharp, but with emotions and nuances gone. The intro? Just that. Blue skies, light and darkness and metal to a green fog? Then following: Characters gone from tanned to cartoonish sharp and pale.

Hmmm. I would propbably still get it, while trying to forget that the original would not look good on a modern tv.

"Better" is subjective. I'm not a fan of the brighter, cartoonier character designs in the HD version.

@Mountain_Man I’m running out of reasons not to try this now... 😂

The original looks like a movie. The new one looks like a cartoon.
I honestly like the original look better...

How does the frame rate hold up? It comes across as choppy in the vids I have seen recently. Also have yet to see anyone do the pan the camera out as far as it will go test. Would be nice to see a big pan out with the new graphics for comparison.
Always loved zooming the camera in and out depending on what enemies you faced.

@MS7000

Would that name be lorithia the most hardest boss in the entire game

Beautiful...😍

2 more weeks....

@Kyurom That would be the one, but I was trying to keep the name secret just in case of newbies who have not yet played. =)

But yeah, the boss sucks.

I don't know, man, it doesn't look like it has as much character anymore, somehow. Too bright, too clean.

Will still get it, at some point, again.

@gergelyv As someone who's played the modded texture pack version on Dolphin, pretty dang well. Even though Xenoblade Chronicles has a top of the line fanmade HD texture pack, it's less ambitious at adding new details than this game. Plus, they have clearly improved geometry and lighting everywhere as well and some tweaked animations. Additionally this version has improved foliage significantly, So while it will certainly not reach that ridiculous resolution or framerate that you can get on a gaming PC, it's better in every other graphical respect.

On top of that, outside of graphics you have a number of new options for settings, an Event Theater, the ability to select outfits from XCX, a new epilogue in the vein of Torna, a challenge mode, many UI fixes, and other QoL fixes.

Now that this game has come back with new life XCX needs to come back with new life maybe some new skells as well

@CairiB This one is MUCH more accessible than its sequels. It has incredible depth, it goes some VERY crazy places, but the original pulled me in by just being a really good RPG with some unique mechanics.... Then 50 hours later I realised I was hooked. Then 50 hours later again I realised I needed to stop...

The real question: I've got Xenoblade Chronicles 2 chilling in my backlog (I may be about 5 hours in), should I finish that before getting Xenoblade Chronicles Def Edition, or get the definitive edition and then finish its sequel?

Now that Graphics at it's best eat your heart out NintenDoomed Fandom. And it didn't need a Switch Pro to do this. Now you have to ask why would you buy xbox/psx now...

@andyc777 hello a Demo and it's not running on a PS5. That most likely on a Rigged PC Desktop with SLI cards doing the work. So this is a misleading comparison. Love how people tout PS5 but then we find out that Demo wasn't running on a PS5 but a Desktop System. And sadder that you have to use something not related to the showing at hand to show they have nothing to show for it.

@NotoriousWhiz It shouldn't matter games are games unless your a chronologist game freak play which you want to play.

I actually think the Wii version looks better. The Switch version looks too cartoonish and oversaturated. The Assassin's Creed Ezio collection had a similar problem.

@NotoriousWhiz Xenoblade 2 is tied to the original but 2 isn’t a sequel.

Why does the whole intro have a blue filter now?

@MoonKnight7 the original art is still very good. I always admired the environments even in SD.

I wasn't planning on buying this, as I've already played the game, but this comparison has just about sold me. It's gorgeous, and even puts Xenoblade 2 to shame

Reyn looks like a giga chad now, I love him

@FredsBodyDouble

I don’t disagree. The art itself is fantastic, one of the best looking games on Wii. It was a game ahead of its time, really.

Two console generations later makes a big difference.

"B-b-but the anime style RUINED IT"

@CairiB Yes you do run out of reasons 😂 When I started with RPGs I started with Action RPGs like Secret of Mana..When I played FF7 later on, I was really put of by the turn based fighting. But never regret to pull through! So Xenoblade was really refreshing because it's a really good mix of A room and classic RPG. The combat is not 100% real time as you have to engage in fighting mode, but it all happens on the same map, no extra fighting screen and you always can put away your weapon and run if you like with the enemies all on the map, the world is so full of life and crowded. Really cool!

I like everything about this game so much more than XC2. Can't wait to play it again!

I'll definitely be grabbing this.

Got DQ11 and this will go nicely with it to finish off my JRPG collection on the Switch.

My brother got 2 and we didn't like it.

@StevenG they look gorgeous just be glad that it is not as terrible as Final Fantasy VIII Remastered, especially Squall's change...

The faces on the main cast really were jarring in the original, so it's very nice to see them fixed up, even if they've been slightly altered in ways I'd deem unnecessary. :3

The lighting and the environments, that's a different discussion. Turning the grassy fields into an oversaturated mess of high-contrast details isn't going to help the game.

@SwitchForce what? It's running on a PS5.

@SwitchForce @ 5:32 - “so with nanite, you have limitless geometry, and with lumen you have fully dynamic lighting and global illumination, all running on a Playstation 5”.

Maybe if you actually bothered watching the video you wouldn’t of made a fool out of yourself.

@gergelyv I played it on dolphin and I was able to push resolution to 1080p with HD textures + 2xMSAA and it looked really good, but still textures as well as lighting didn't look as good as in this video, hence Switch version looks better overall IMO

@SwitchForce “now that’s graphics at its best”.
Nothing quite as bad as a fanboy. If you think the remastered Xenoblade Chronicles, whilst looking pretty, is ‘graphics at its best’, then you’re a blind fanboy who refuses to look outside Nintendo. And that’s completely sad.

The new font is terrible
It will make small text even harder to read.
I thought they had learned after Xenoblade X, but apparently not...

OHMYGOD! It's like a whole new game!!! This is so insane! Forget about that Tech Demo from Epic. This is the new hot thing, insanely good graphics!

@BlackenedHalo I am glad you like it. Personally the changes are too jarring.

@sanderev As far as these screen shots, Xenoblade Chronicles has been redone in a different art style with completely new texture maps and artistic lighting, etc. I think the overall effect is great, but is definitely different than the original look. So not everyone will be happy with the result, but because these are new textures the colors and tones of many things are very different than the originals and it's easier to see the direct difference because of this. Like you said this is a bigger more noticable difference to many over ray tracing because with ray tracing the textures remain the same so you have to know what to look for (namely shadow casting, reflections, or global illumination).

RTX vs non-RTX is a big difference if you know what to look for. RTX (or rather ray tracing, RTX being the series of Nvidia cards supporting it currently) is used in few flavors right now namely shadows, reflections, and global illumination. It's basically realistic lighting effects. Ray tracing is really taxing on resources so very few games or demos make full use of all of the options and usually pick one or two varieties that the developers feel make the most impact in their game. Ray tracing is the ultimate real time realistic lighting, but like I said it has a huge cost. Developers have a lot of options to simulate ray tracing like effects but there is no direct equal to ray tracing or path tracing at this time.

@Nico07 I just compared them. RTX ON vs RTX OFF on RTX GPUs is simply a minor (but noticeable) difference. The visual style change of this game is a lot bigger.

A few of my friends are very against this remake because the characters move from an attempt at realism to anime. Some of the characters are improved while others look very different

@andyc777 yepp a Troll fandom can't seem to see the difference. If that is the best you can do they the world is sadder for you.

@mazzel hmmm what to choose... i was kind of set on picking up Bioshock seeing as I missed it first time around.

@CairiB Easy, take both! Personally, I don't like FPS on consoles, that's why I'm actually never really hyped for these games on Switch. Fallout would be an exception because it's more an FP-RPG. But Bioshocks story also is really cool, I really liked the first one. Second one never really sucked me in, so I never finished it...

@Cyz Exactly. This Switch fanboydom is getting cringeworthy. The Wii version looks much more better and based, the Switch version looks literally like a flat 2D anime cartoon you see on TV. Offputting and boring.

@andyc777 sleep inducing.