The Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Nintendo Direct just finished airing up, and after a swathe of trailers, story details, combat, and lush visuals, and the surprise announcement of an Expansion Pass.
In the above trailer, we got some more context in a theatre-style presentation, featuring flashbacks, mechs, and secret organisations.
The Expansion Pass will be similar to the one offered with Xenoblade Chronicles 2 which added in new missions, sidequests, outfits, and a brand new story scenario — Torna: The Golden Country. The new story will drop before the end of 2023, but there's plenty more to dig into before then!
On launch day, which is 29th July, you'll gave access to Helpful Items and a few different outfit variations. Then, before the end of this year, Challenge Battles, new quests, and new outfits will be added.
The Pass will cost £26.99 / €29.99 / $29.99 and is available to pre-order now on the Nintendo eShop. Here are the exact release dates and included content for each of the four waves, as published on Nintendo's website:
DLC Wave 1
Release date: 7/29/2022
This wave of DLC contains the following content:
- A collection of helpful items
- Color variations for existing outfitsDLC Wave 2
Release date: by 12/31/2022
This wave of DLC contains the following content:
- Challenge Battle mode against difficult enemies
- A new hero character and accompanying quests
- New character outfitsDLC Wave 3
Release date: by 4/30/2023
This wave of DLC contains the following content:
- Challenge Battle mode against difficult enemies
- A new hero character and accompanying quests
- New character outfitsDLC Wave
Release date: by 12/31/2023
This wave of DLC contains the following content:
- New original story scenario
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Here are all of the other key details from today's Direct!
In Aionios, the world of Xenoblade Chronicles 3, there are two opposing nations, Keves and Agnus, whose soldiers fight every day with their lives on the line. Six soldiers hailing from both these warring nations are tasked to take part in a special mission. Can these characters, once filled with mutual hatred, find a path that lets them all live? In this spellbinding tale, you’ll get to journey with these fate-defying hopefuls to learn the truths of their world – a place where every victory in battle and each setback is another chance to change the course of history and triumph over an uncertain destiny. Here are just a few of the features and activities that can be experienced on your quest:
- Explore a Vast World: Aionios features breathtaking natural splendor that stands in contrast to the grim conflict waged between the two nations. Traversing Aionios, the locations you visit are saved as landmarks that you can quickly select and travel to, making traversing this giant world more manageable. Wander freely, or follow a trail to your next destination by enabling a navigation feature. As you explore, you’ll encounter a range of surreal landmarks and diverse wildlife. And just like the lands they inhabit, the lifeforms here range from docile to dangerous. Some creatures, like the notorious Demonic Krenolur, make no secret of their ferocious tendencies, so approach with caution!
- Learn the Arts of Battle: When you’re ready to enter a fight, you can harness powerful abilities, called Arts, to strive for victory. Some Arts can throw opponents off balance, some inflict more damage based on where you attack from and some even heal allies! You can link multiple Arts with stunning Chain Attacks to unleash havoc on your enemies. As you become more experienced in battle, you’ll be able to learn powerful Master Arts and Fusion Arts for even more devastating attacks.
- Find Rest and Quests at Colonies: Exploring Aionios, you’ll get to scale cliffs, ascend sandy slopes, zipline across ropes and sail the seas. While the stakes may be high, you can enjoy the world at your own pace, and discover colonies where you’ll shop, dine, get to know residents and take up quests. You can catch a glimpse of the lives of Noah and his friends at these colonies and rest spots. Use materials you collect to cook or craft gems to strengthen your abilities. It’s nice to relax and unwind before taking in the next slice of awe-inspiring scenery or felling your next outlandish foe.
- Master Character Classes: Each character in your party has a Class that influences how they battle. The Swordfighter leads the fight as a well-balanced attacker, but there are many other classes that specialize in healing, defense and powerful strikes, among other abilities. You can freely swap the character you’re controlling in battle, and your Class can also be changed to match that of your allies. Spend time learning multiple Classes for a well-rounded team!
- Recruit Heroes to Your Party: Your journey through Xenoblade Chronicles 3 will feature a party of six main characters, but brave residents of Aionios called Heroes can lend their arms and aptitude to your team as a seventh party member. Only one Hero at a time can assist on the battlefield, but you can swap them out as you see fit. And they bring their own special Classes to your team, like Guardian Commander, Incursor and War Medic. Your party members can even take on any of the Hero Classes as they become your allies. By recruiting more Heroes, you’ll grow the combination of Classes and Arts in your party, widening the breadth of your strategic options!
- Fuse Into Ouroboros: By joining together in battle through Interlinking, two characters in your party can fuse into a fiercely powerful form known as an Ouroboros. Earn points in battle to make the already-mighty Ouroboros even stronger. Ouroboros can also join Chain Attacks with the rest of the party. Clear out the battlefield by using mighty Ouroboros Arts!
- Expansion Pass Content: Broaden the world of the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 game with a paid expansion pass. The additional content that will be released in four waves* from the game’s launch through the end of 2023 will enhance your journey through Aionios. The content will include helpful items, new outfits and color variants, challenge battles, new quests, new Hero characters and even a new story scenario! The Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Expansion Pass will be available for pre-order in Nintendo eShop later today for $29.99.
- Use Any amiibo: Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is compatible with amiibo accessories. Tap any compatible amiibo to acquire helpful in-game items for your adventure. Tap the Shulk amiibo to change a character’s sword to appear as the Monado, the iconic weapon from the original Xenoblade Chronicles game, when using the Swordfighter class.
Further reading:
- You Can Wield The Monado In Xenoblade Chronicles 3 With amiibo Support
- Gallery: Take A Closer Look At Xenoblade Chronicles 3's Characters And Combat
- Where To Pre-Order Xenoblade Chronicles 3 On Switch
Let us know what you think of the Expansion Pass in the comments!
Comments 136
I'm looking forward to this being unapologetically lewder than it should be.
I'm not surprised that an expansion pass for the game is a thing, but I'll hold on that purchase until after it launches. Heck, I never even touched Torna for the second game, and didn't feel it was necessary.
So basically no point buying the game until mid 2023, thanks for the heads up 👍
Our Rob or Ross just reminds me of Red Dwarf
Lolol, because of course it is... 🙄
Usually I wouldn't be too excited about things like this. But considering the quality of both Torna and Future connected. Ill still wait to buy the pass but I imagine it'll be worth it.
They really need to stop releasing these season passes with 95% garbage and 5% actual story content.
It's good news if it gets a physical release like Torna. Lame otherwise.
I'll hold out for a Torna-style release of the "Brand new story scenario".
Also, does anybody else remember that magical time when games were released complete and "season passes" were frowned upon? Especially those announced prior to the base game's release?
Either way, I'm in no rush to pick this up in light of this announcement. I've barely made a dent in the previous games, though I have enjoyed them.
@Browny
Torna the Golden Country is practically its own game, a much shorter self-contained one, but a worthwhile one with it's own distinct rules.
The fact it got a physical release was justified, it really is its own game.
Hopefully the new story expansion in 3 is like the Torna expansion that not only plays well but adds value to the plot
Interesting that this is NOT within the NSO bundle automatically. At least right now. Maybe in like 5 years.
@RupeeClock
I recall seeing it on store shelves, but at the time I had a really negative view on Xeno2, so I passed on it. It's now much more expensive to buy physically than it has any right to be.
Still, I felt Xeno2 was complete enough on its own that-- while I appreciate the wealth of additional content in Torna-- I also don't feel compelled to hunt down a copy or buy it digitally. It's like the Future Connect content for the first game; a nice to have, but ultimately not necessary.
did they give us a new release date for the special edition again.
As others have said, I'm holding out to see if a physical release for the extra story content materializes. I'm not interested in much of the extra non story fluff.
@Browny Having finished Torna: The Golden Country recently, it is very much its own game and can stand on its own legs from XC2. The plot is more focused, the side quests have more meaning (both in what activities you do and for reasons I won't spoil), and I prefer the combat mechanics compared to the base game. It also does a good job of giving more context to some characters and their behaviors, feelings, and motivations vs. the main game. It also goes without saying that the music is excellent.
@Browny
Torna was far more substantial than Future Connected, I can tell you that.
The difference really was that Torna was given a separate physical release, whilst Future Connected was bundled with Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition.
Could they not at least wait until after release to announce DLC? Restoke they hype fires once the launch excitement has started to fade? Instead of making it seem like they’re releasing an unfinished product?
I’m sure the base game will feel complete enough, but when the release date was bumped up from September and then they announce more content is coming down the line before we get our hands on it, it kinda sends a message that it’s being rushed out the door before they’re done working on it.
This Direct put the final nail for me and made me pre-order the game. Sooooo much stuff to do
Remember when games were out when they announced extra content for it because it did good? Those were the days.
@Silly_G Actually that time you mentioned never really existed. Dal a and Season passes were called "add -ons" before and are as old as video games are. Add ONS for Command and Conquer or Half Life are just two examples that come to my mind. Or even games like Sim City had add on discs you could buy.
In this case I think we can expect a lot of content if it is on the same level as Torna. And for Torna, it was not needed to make XBC2 a complete game, but it was a nice and welcome addition.
We are talking Monolith here and not Ubisoft/Assassin's Creed...
They did this with XC2 so I'm not surprised there. If it's anything like Torna I'll be very happy!
@mazzel : Hence why I said "season pass" as opposed to "expansion pack" (or similar).
The difference between this and the "add-ons" you've mentioned is that those were distributed as physical discs that can still be used to this day.
Once the eShop goes kaput, these expansions will too go up in smoke unless Nintendo issues a complete physical release, which is not standard practice for them, though there are a handful of such releases on Switch, including Breath of the Wild and Splatoon 2 (which are Japan-exclusive, but BotW includes English support and is otherwise identical to the international releases of the game) and Pokémon Sword/Shield. Cadence of Hyrule and Snipperclips are also two other Nintendo-published games with the DLC baked into the cartridge, though they were never issued a physical release without them.
Just watched it. Blimey, I need this now, dammit.
@UltimateOtaku91 Thinking the same thing, except "holiday" 2023 when it's done instead of mid-2023. Maybe we'll get it all on 1 cart on Switch 2, launching in March 2024, XC3 Deluxe in 4k.
Ok that last part was a joke but holiday 2023 seems to be the way to go. And asking for $30 now for story 18 months from now is 🤑
@Browny I had more fun with Torna than the main game. The battle system alone makes it a better experience.
Funnily enough, I bought my Shulk amiibo primarily for Xenoblade 2, not knowing that it wouldn’t have functionality with that title. 5 years later it finally gets a use in a Xenoblade title. Presumably the Pyra/Mythra amiibo will also have similar functionality when they release
@gaga64
What's the problem? I LOVE this type of DLC, where you get periotic add ons starting on day one, because it keeps me coming back to the game every few months. In fact, it's very possible that on a game I was less interested in, knowing that type of DLC is available day one might make me buy or at least consider a game I wasn't sure on. So win, win ... they might move a few more copies to people like me, and I know I'm getting something I like.
it's also great to know I can invest emotionally in the story knowing more of it is coming, kinda like how Amazon tells you a show is getting renewed for season 2 before season 1 is even out.
You on the other hand obviously don't like DLC ... so ignore it. You loss nothing because of this announcement, unless you the type of person who thinks you're so important to the universe that things that benefit other people and not you shouldn't exists.
You're not that type of person, are you?
I remember the good old days when virtual outfits were not a selling point for DLC. Can they sell a story/mission DLC pack and a superfluous gubbins DLC pack so folks that don't care what colour trousers the characters are wearing can save a few pennies?
I am so feeling this one. One of my favorite series of all time. It got its own exclusive Nintendo direct. This is going to be good. The endless play Throughs. Now if we could just get Xenoblade X on the Switch.
I hope they do the new story on a separate cart like Torna and have a code for the rest of the stuff. Shame that it's more paid DLC though. I didn't watch the Direct carefully, as I didn't want to spoil myself. I just wanted to make sure I don't potentially miss out on an EU drop of the CE.
Last time I held off on the DLC at launch and ended up being able to grab a physical copy of Torna instead so it was the right call. I'll be doing the same here so hopefully we might see something similar happen.
XC1 is one of the all time greats for me. Never played 2 and the more I hear about it, the less I want to. Maybe 3 will get me back into the series.
@Silly_G if the internet was ready that big 30 years ago, less companies would have released expansion packs on disc, so it's not a too valid comparison. also, in this case, Monolith always released their expansion packs physical, Torna for example or the expansion of the first game is included in the definite edition. so chances are high that this one will get a physical release, too!
also,.there is no difference between a season pass and an expansion pack. it's called season pass because you get several rounds of content opposed to an expansion pack where you get all at once. just buy the season pass end of 2023 and treat it as an expansion pack in your mind and it's all good! everyone should enjoy the games their way 😎
If the "new story scenario" doesn't land until December 2023, are they basically telling me to just ignore XC3 until 2024?
Is this really where we are as an industry? Buy now to play part of the game, or play all of it 1.5 years later? Because if I buy it and playing it now, there's no chance I got back to it in 1.5 years and I just miss the content.
@DiggleDog I loved XB1 on Wii and I personally think XB2 even surpassed this Game...
@NEStalgia I'm sure it will be a complete game without the season pass, just like the previous games. it will be additional story content for a deep dive, they will not change the narrative or keep the end open and force you to buy the season pass. I truly believe this!
It was an awesome direct, my guess is they'll include the expansion pass with NSO too like the Animal Crossing and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe ones so those who don't want to buy it yet can try it.
@rjejr @UltimateOtaku91 @Silly_G Saw your posts after I posted mine. Totally agree. They basically announced that August is early access, the full game is December 2023. No wonder they released it early. It's like FFXV all over again.
My hype just dissolved entirely. Sony's gone full Nintendo, and Nintendo's gone full Square.
@Browny Torna truly is a separate game that's a full-on prequel. It's not as big as the main game, but it sold for less money than a full price game and still has enough content to be a full sized RPG. I don't mind them releasing prequel games like that, but if it's just DLC content that arrives a year and a half later....that's a different thing. Deifinitely more than add-on content, it's a total new game with new locations, characters, gameplay mechanics, etc. Just smaller than the base game. If you liked the main game and wanted to know more about the events of Adam & Mythra's past, and a combat system that's IMO improved, it's absolutely worthwhile. It's not an expansion, it really is a complete game in the XC2 universe, just not as massive (or maybe more to the point, doesn't waste as much of your time) as the main game.
You can really tell that half of the people commenting here are outraging for the sake of outrage, have no clue of what they're talking about nor did they ever play Xenoblade 2 or it's ginormous Torna expansion.
News flash people, not all DLC is "cut content from the base game", especially when that content is like 1.5 years away.....
@NEStalgia Torna is a Xenoblade 2 DLC and was a part of its own expansion pass, you have no clue what you're talking about.
Normally I’d be skeptical, but Xenoblade2 and definitive edition have shown plenty that these guys now how to make their extra content worthwhile. Won’t be buying the DLC day one but Xenoblade3 itself is a day one for me, for sure.
@mazzel I mean, technically DQXI on PS4/3DS was a "complete game" without the Definitive Edition that added the real music and rest of the character quests, but realistically anyone that bought it before it was completed was missing out. Same for P5 before Royal, and FFXV before...well...Royal. Seems to be the new JRPG trend to sell the game, then sell the rest of the game later, though at least in this case it's just DLC and not a total re-sale of the same game.
@Itachi2099 Torna did get included in the DLC season pass, but it is, otherwise, its own game. Maybe they really do that with this expansion pass, but I think that was more of an accident where intended DLC ballooned into a full game , and spreading out the content this time suggests they don't intend to do that again.
@UltimateOtaku91 Exactly, this feels like the early 2010s all over again with big companies planning slews of large content DLC well before the game even releases. They're basically saying you can't pay $59.99 and still expect to get the "full experience" anymore and we should all get used to it.
This strategy has worked, I am used to it now.
I have no problem at all waiting 6+ months after release to grab the "Ultimate Edition" for $30 on a sale. I have a Steam Deck and an Xbox, I have nothing but patience for this nonsense.
@NEStalgia now you're just pulling guesses and making conclusions based on nothing, when the history of Monolith and their handling of DLC is incredibly well done and proves what you're saying is wrong.
By your own logic, Torna that you praise so much was just "cut content and the base Xenoblade 2 was just an early access". Calling Xenoblade 3 early access just because they announced an aditional story which is so far down the pipeline after it's initial release is incredibly stupid, how can you even come to that conclusion?
@NEStalgia Well we know from the XCDE special edition (Definitive Works book) that if Future Connected was made longer it would've had to be DLC so I think it's safe to assume the length of the XC3 DLC story content is comparable to Torna.
I just hope that the "new story" doesn't mean the main one is left open.
i enjoyed how they did it with Torna in that the main games story felt complete but the expansion explored a part of the games backstory
To echo some other comments, if the final part of this DLC is anything close to the polish and scope of Torna (which was part of a similar $30 DLC bundle for XC2), that alone will be worth the $30.
Why not give it free for SE buyers. They are buying a expensive product already;.
@Itachi2099 At this point I'm convinced you're not even reading what I'm saying.
@Grumblevolcano Future connected was pretty small. Torna was a full sized game, simply smaller than a full Xenoblade or Legend of Heroes game. I'm not sure how some are assuming that the new game's story DLC is going to be a Torna-sized full game experience, just because they did that that one time, and they said Future Connected would have to be DLC if it were longer. Moreover, that's kind of insane since FC was already part of a remaster that by definition includes prior DLCs.
If it really ends up being a huge full sized RPG experience like Torna, it's worth the money....but....we won't know that for another year and a half....which goes back to my original comment that they're basically telling us to ignore XC3 until 2024.
Edit: At which point you can probably buy the whole XC3 collection for $69.99 as a remaster on Switch 2 and anyone that buys it now gets stuck holding the bag and asked to double dip for the full experience.
Haha gross. Announcing DLC for an RPG prelaunch? No wonder they're pushing this game so hard, Nintendough must need money badly!
Maybe I'll get around to finishing the first one by then... probably not...got bored of grinding to just progress the story early on.
@NEStalgia Future Connected was brand new content created for the remaster (the original game and the New 3DS port had no DLC).
I was already convinced to buy this game. If its like XC2's deal then I'm glad their doing the DLC with expansions. I wonder if non Xenoblade fans who might not have been interested in the game from previous trailers but might've watched this are now convinced to purchase the game. Cause thats how it was with me and XC2.
Hi.
Wow, a point has been missed. A big one.
Nintendo announces DLC before release for .. heck I'm going to say MOST first party releases now.
Sometimes it's free updates, like Maio Golf and Switch Sports told us about planned DLC features, and sometimes it's paid content like Smash and Luigi's mansion.
So do most Japanize publishers. ShinMT had day one dlc, while Gust and Namco generally have $90 of DLC out on the same day as the $70 game.
People in Japan generally ... like this. They react positively to it. They see it as a reason to invest in the game and a commitment to development.
This will 100% be the norm for all games out of Japan moving forward. Get used to it.
Think about it ... the positives are giving your fans what they want, increased profit, and increased longevity (seeing you get another sales push then the DLC comes out) while the negatives are that some people in America and the UK (who likely had zero interest in your game or wouldn't buy the DLC regardless of when you announced it) are wary wary upset and cry about it.
Not an overly complex cost / benefit analysis
@Grumblevolcano Yes, I know that, but my point is a full priced remaster includes DLCs, normally, so having new content in a full price remaster shouldn't be considered "if it were any more we'd have to charge more!" That's just Nintendo accounting logic...
I still think it's wishful thinking to believe "Monolith said they're making more story DLC in a year if we pay them for it now, so therefore they're making a massive story based add-on single player game!" If they do it, that's great. We'll know next-next-Christmas. If it's truly a great stand alone RPG like Torna I'll gladly pay $30-40 for it in 2024. But if it's extra quests/characters/post-game content for the main game, if I pay for it now I'll play the game now and never end up seeing this "added content", or I could buy the game once all of the content exists. I have no qualms about full sized new games coming later. But I REALLY doubt modern Nintendo will give us a full-sized Torna-scale totally new RPG for a mere $30 paid in advance. And, since you're the one who keeps saying new hardware will be out by then, do you really think the remastered definitive edition won't be out by then anyway?
@NEStalgia Hold up, let me get this straight. You're saying that XC3 is a half baked game because they're introducing a new story scenario in the DLC that is coming a year and a half later. At the same time, you're praising Torna which was a new story scenario in the DLC for XC2 that came out roughly a year later. Edit: the original XC2 expansion pass cost the same as this one.
How are these two things different?
This is ridiculous. Now I understand why they decide to give the game earlier, cutting content from the main game to make updates and dlcs.
I think it's great that they tell us about these things ahead of time - because of this, I can wait for a year or two, and likely get all of the goods at once. There might even be a release with all of the goods on one cartridge, which I find optimal.
Bam, directly revealing a season-pass. 30 Euro, insanity. And the story dlc arriving at the end of 2023, what are they thinking?!
Anyway, game looks solid but graphics-wise its very underwhelming. It looks exactly like Xenoblade chronicles 1, not better. This one will be bought by me at a later date. Huge backlog and I have still not finished the first 2 ones (and Torna). I wonder if I will ever finish the first one on the Wii, but I definitely want to play more from the second one someday.
"surprise announcement of an Expansion Pass" - A surprise to whom?
@HeadPirate I love Japanese games, and Japanese social culture, but, holding up the consumer culture that celebrates mobile gatcha more than any other place as a welcome example isn't really high praise for a given business model just because Japan rewards it. As a consumer culture, Japan's market has become self-abusive and now we're told to join the fun.
@UsurperKing I'm saying XC3 is an incomplete game without it's total story content included. That's really just a fact. The game will have more of its STORY and character content, at a minimum, April 23 that it will not have if you play it in August 22.
Now Torna was a complete prequel, and the main story was not affected by it. However, with this DLC we already know for certain the April release DOES affect the main campaign story, and we do NOT know if the December story add-on affects the main story or acts as a stand-alone prequel or sequel.
When we look at JRPGs as a whole, Torna is ENTIRELY unique, and I can't think of another similar situation where a story DLC turned out to be a completely stand-alone separate game set in a different time with different characters that adds to the universe and not the campaign. When we look at DQ, FF, Persona, etc we see the DLC content is part of the actual campaign. Meaning if you play through it , without that content, you're missing part of the main game versus if you just wait to play it until it's all released.
If in the end, it turns out to be a total standalone story that does not affect the main game, then the December release may well be worth it separately without waiting for it to play. Heck, I may be thrilled with it. But the April release (new hero, new quests) is, at a minimum, essential content to have a complete playthrough experience. And we won't know about the December release until then.
What we do know is that anyone buying the game now is missing the complete experience, for sure. Anyone that buys the game after April may be getting the full experience, but also may not depending on what December offers. Anyone that buys after December '23 gets the full game experience. So why spend 40-120 hours getting an incomplete experience when you could just wait and not waste the time?
Now if they announced a sequel/prequel/side/stand-alone story campaign for 12/23 that would be great rather than just "story content." But players really still ought to wait until 04/23 to buy.
People may rightly criticize my by saying I'm making an assumption that the story content won't be stand alone like Torna, but they're also making the assumption that just because Torna exists, the next story DLC will be exactly the same scenario when there's more examples to suggest it won't.
What we all DO know with absolute certainty is you won't be able to play the full story campaign of the game until 04/23. The DLC list explicitly says so. And what we DO know is we won't know if the same is true regarding the 12/23 DLC until closer to 12/23 when they reveal details.
Why pay full price to play an incomplete game when waiting, even at full price gives the complete game?
@NEStalgia
Do you live in Japan?
@HeadPirate well that got unnecessarily personal.
Actually I do enjoy DLC, whether it’s semi-regular post-launch add-ons or big chunks of fresh story. I’m just not a fan of it being announced 18 months in advance, and before the game has even launched.
I hate to say it but this drops my preorder for me. Not in a bad way but I learned from 2; I really need to have all of the content for a game like this at one time because I will be burnt out later. I still have not finished Torna despite loving 2 (Morag) because it was too much even months later. So I will get this when the whole thing drops.
@NEStalgia I'll preface by saying you're totally in your right to buy the game when you think it's going to be completed and I'm not here to change that thought.
What I'm interested in is, who's to say the base game isn't enough for a complete story? XC2 was certainly a complete story without the additional side quests and blades. BotW was a complete base package without its DLC. Same with Age of Calamity, Splatoon, Three Houses, Mario + Rabbits. Why can't we look at this as XC3 being a complete package and the DLC being extra for those who want it? There are different ways to look at the situation and we can't present any with certainty.
However, I'm in the camp that the game will be whole on its own and the new story content will be just that, new story content. Nothing in Nintendo's track record so far has shown me that the base game isn't complete when paid DLC is involved. I guess that's why I'm confused on why you're so adamant with your stance.
If this game ends in a cliffhanger that can only be resolved in the new story scenario, I will be the first to admit to being wrong.
@HeadPirate No, thus my statement about (people outside Japan) being expected to join the fun of the exploitative consumer culture Japan has recently embraced. (Specifically the consumer culture, not talking about social culture.)
@gaga64
<shrug>
You're the one saying that a company shouldn't do a thing that I really want it to do. If I'm "getting personally" maybe it's just in reminding you that my opinion is just as important as yours, and there is literally no reason to want to take this away from me other then "I'm upset you got what you wanted and I didn't".
I'm happy for those who love Xenoblade games. It seems like Nintendo is really investing into that series and Fire Emblem. I'd love Nintendo to start looking into some other IPs, as while these are good series, they aren't two of my favorites. Too time consuming, and there are other time consuming games I want to give my attention to at this time like Elden Ring. There are so many IPs that get ignored. And please give the Warriors game concept a rest for a while after this one.
I'm sure I watched a YouTube video where the Nintendo Life staff made a big deal about how they wouldn't be covering this Direct... 😂
@NEStalgia your strong stance is based on nothing but baseless assumptions, which is why it's incredibly frustrating reading what you're saying.
You literally have no clue what you're talking about, you don't know what the DLC will be and for some reason your stance is based on "if the game has DLC that 1000000000000000% means it was cut from the main game and therefore the game is incomplete!" instead of "this 100+ hour JRPG is a full and complete experience, here's DLC that will expand on that world if you want to experience more of that said world and another story in it."
Where is this stance of "Nintendo launching a game with paid season pass means main game is incomplete" and "all of this was cut from it" even coming from? What is your basis on saying this? Where's your evidence? The expansion DLC saying "Brand new story scenario" doesn't mean "you won't be able to play the full story campaign, it says so right there d00d!!1!", what on earth even gave you that idea? I don't wanna be rude, but do you have problems with reading comprehension? Or do you see pesimistic side only and always assume the worst?
@NEStalgia
Yeah I think you're blaming the wrong party.
Truthfully, as someone who lives in Japan and Canada often and the US and UK occasionally, that's one of the more absurd statements I’ve ever seen, and with no real experience of what the customer / creator relationship is in Japan or how the experience of dealing with Nintendo is different from dealing with NOA, you probably shouldn’t repeat it.
The core disconnect is that in the west, offering an option service is seen as a negative, general for some made up reason based on the fact that western companies are always trying to screw you. In Japan, I trust more companies, and with good reason. Hell, most of the time people blame Nintendo for things done by NOA, a wholly own subsidiary they have zero control over and by law can not interfere with, or blame Sony as a Japanize company not knowing that Sony make all decisions in America.
Japan is build on social responsibility. Last year we got an 11 minute PSA and a 60 second TV spot that was just a company apologizing and asking for forgiveness because they had to raise the price of their ice-cream bar by 7 cents. If you walked into McDonalds and told the person at cash “I went to the wrong store, can you get me King Burger from Burger King” they 100% would, assuming one was close by. You do NOT ef around with customer relations in Japan.
In Canada the largest movie theater just added a $1.25 fee to buy online tickets like it was no big deal, clearly just to make more money, and no one cares. If that happened in Japan that movie theaters revenue would drop to zero overnight. If you ask me, it’s because people in Japan think being treated with respect is more important then seeing a movie, while people in the West are so entitled and overwhelmed by FOMO that not seeing a movie simply isn’t an option, regardless of how you are treated.
What is happening here is that people in Japan are DEMANDING DLC. They want it. They want lots of it. They want to know about it as soon as possible, and Nintendo is giving their customers what they want like a good little Japanese company.
The idea that offering an additional product or service that is completely optional is somehow … bad, is a uniquely western idea, where the consumer culture focuses more on me, me, I’m the only thing that matters, I’m special, I should have everything, nothing that doesn’t benefit me should exist.
The more logical … human way to look at this is “Wow, that’s great. People who want more can get it, and me, who doesn’t want more, doesn’t need to buy it. Heck, I don’t even need to buy this game at all!”. I really can’t wait for that to be imposed on the west.
@PDT That was just the YouTube side of things, the site will still cover news
Kind of reluctant to buy expansion passes when Nintendo could include it in the NSO subscription I'm already paying for at the drop of a hat
@HeadPirate I get what you're describing, and I know that, I agree with it, and I love it. And that goes with the social culture. But the limited edition/gatcha mobile consumer culture has been taking over in the digital space there, and bleeding into how the companies (that, like Square target really the west more than Japan, I knkow that doesn't apply to Nintendo), use to sqeeuze blood from stones.)
Believe me, I'd swap most of our corporate culture for Japans in a heartbeat...but there's has been changing to match ours, and mix that trust with our greed at a very rapid pace. It's westernizing in all the wrong ways. Surely you've noticed that there?
@Itachi2099 The DLC list very specifically says main-game story content quests will not be in-game until April. There's no other argument outside that, even if we don't talk about the December release that you and I are BOTH making assumptions about, we know with CERTAINTY the April update gates main-campaign content. Period. Semantics of removed or not don't matter, they are quests, for the main game, that will not be in-game until next April. Source: Nintendo.
@UsurperKing Some of it may be optics. To me if a game releases, and sometime later, they say "we're adding more stuff to it" it seems superfluous and skippable unless you're hardcore into endlessly replaying that game and want new stuff.
If they announce it before launch, it tells me "not all of the planned story is included, it'll be patched in later and for more money." It's like having a "Deluxe Edition" at launch for more of the content, but on a delay.
A total extended content addon is one thing (Torna), and is definitely a plus. But we know that's not all of what this is, at least to April, even if December is exactly that.
Day one dlc. No thank, maybe I get the game day one though
Gonna wait for a physical release, I just have a feeling...
Besides, the main game DLC I'll probably tackle when I do a New Game Plus
Why are the characters wearing such lame clothes? Where are the sexy dresses like Pyra, Mytra, Poppi QTπ, Nia true form ?
No idea why people going “I should just wait until new story scenario drops first” as if that makes the game somehow incomplete until it drops. XB2 was perfectly playable before Torna dropped.
@jikflet wouldn’t be surprised if DLC. XB2 had swimsuits in the dlc challenge room you can unlock
@Arawn93 because these people have no clue what they’re talking about and it seems none of them ever played Xenoblade(nor were they going to buy Xeno3 in the first place lol)
@NEStalgia "Sony's gone full Nintendo, and Nintendo's gone full Square."
But I feel like they only copy the bad stuff. 😝
Though I suppose I'm old and all game monetization innovation seems bad. This coming from a guy who just spent $8 on Fortnite, a game I spent years making fun of. So there's hope for me yet. Or not hope, I'm easily confused. 🤷♂️
@NEStalgia i’m gonna refer to my reading comprehension comment once again: it LITERALLY says “ A new hero character and accompanying quests”, NOWHERE DOES IT STATE THAT IT’S “main-game story content quests”!
Where does it say “these quests were once a part of the main campaign and it’s story and they’re crucial part of the story that was cut to be sold seperately”?! Do you know what a SIDE-QUEST is? How can you even claim that these were “cut from the main game” and were “supposed to be there in the first place” when their launch date is almost a year away? What kinda logic is that? It’s called ADDITIONAL content, you know, content that is not part of the main game but you can ADDITIONALLY get if you want more of the game?
Why is this such an impossible concept to comprehend instead of going straight into the “this was cut from the main game and sold separately cuz nintendo greedy, I know this 100% and will never budge on it”? If that is legit your 100% stance on this, then that’s an incredibly naive way of looking at every single piece of DLC.
Yes, there are scumbags who abuse DLC practices, but that doesn’t mean that every single piece of DLC and season passes are some “evil scheme by the publishers to suck out more money out of you by cutting out content from the initial release”, this is content that was planned out outside of the budget of the main game to support it beyond it’s initial release.
You people need to stop being “surprised and disappointed” every single time this type of thing is announced before the game is released already, publishers aren’t gonna use your archaic ways of waiting out for after release just for you lot to not be “mad” at the prospect of future additional support and content for a game because you will just assume the worst no matter what they say. This is ADDITIONAL content, not CUT content.
Rant is over.
@Itachi2099 A new hero character with accompanying quests is part of the main campaign by definition. Do you expect this new hero just has an island off the main game all to themselves and never interacts with the other characters during the quest?
Speaking of reading comprehention, did I ever say anything about it being cut from the main game?
I'll spare you the time: No, I did not.
What I did say, is the game is not complete until that content is delivered since that content will be integrated into the main game. December aside, the April release leaves no question about that.
You're being very defensive and argumentative about a plainly stated detail. Bottom line is an RPG is an investment in time. If it's a series you know you like, why would you spend all that time playing the incomplete version of the game when you know the remaining content will arrive later for a more complete experience? We can speculate all we want for the next year and a half about what may or may not be coming. But that's the entire point I'm making. We now will not know what content will coming and how it does (or doesn't) slot into the main campaign for another year and a half. We can't know that answer without waiting a year and a half. And anyone that wants to experience the entire world and story as the creators envision it will have to wait that year, year and a half, to know if that December content is, or is not slotted into the main game or stands aside it.
It's kind of like announcing the Director's Cut of a movie before the original movie hits theaters. Why see the theatrical cut first when you know next year you can see the movie the director actually wanted to make?
@rjejr "Game monetization innovation" is supposed to be a trade of value for money. Like subscriptions that offer smorgasboard gaming for a fixed fee. Streaming that cuts out the up front cost. F2P that cuts out the up front cost and/or makes content more optional.
Being against "gouging for more money" isn't age dependent.
IDK, people seem to literally not get that "more content is being added to the MAIN game in april 23" means that not all of the game's main content will be available before april 23.
If the December 23 content is truly separate content, then $30 is a good value. But....why are people assuming that's what they're getting a year and a half before it's offered? Why not just, you know, wait to find out if that's true? Why do people love paying up-front money based on an assumption of what will be delivered a year and a half later rather than paying for something once they know what they're buying? Maybe that's age dependent. We assumed FF7R was an actual remake, because we were told it was an actual remake, until it actually arrived.... We assumed FFXV Complete Edition was...y'know....complete.....
@NEStalgia the structure for this DLC is exactly the same as the structure was for DLC in Xenoblade Chronicles 2. There is every reason to expect the story content released in a year and a half to be just as good.
I understand your point that this is not definitely going to be the case. You need to except that an educated guess would point to this being the case.
just an incredible number of people complaining about a season pass that only costs $29.99 in 2022 for a series that delivered Torna last time out
Looks like a good pass overall, if Torna is anything to go by, the story content alone will be well worth the $30.
@HeadPirate I wasn’t trying to take anything away from you or anyone else, just expressing an opinion. Stop acting like I was attacking your belief system and accusing me of having a self-centred worldview.
I really don't get people that straight away assume that dlc is bad or its announcement means a games clearly unfinished. While there is bad dlc and dodgy practices (Fighting games locking on disc characters was a big one few years ago) most dlc ive bought is just more of the game I lenjoyed without having to wait years for a sequel but never truly essential that needed it to enjoy the base game.
Wow, It sounds like there will be benefit to me waiting, not like I have a c choice, need to get the others.
@Bunkerneath Smeghead.
Not usually one to complain about dlc expansions, but the game isn't even out yet. If this is what is gonna happen with dlc in the future, it's not gonna go down well.
Yeah, definitely not in a hurry to play this now. DLC always comes out long after you've moved on to other games. So I rarely play it, and then keep feeling like I missed out on the complete experience. Just release games and move on and make this milking stop
@Itachi2099 He's not wrong to assume the DLC is probably cut content. A lot of DLC is most of the time content that was either cut early in development because it bloated the development scope too much or due to a time crunch. Artorias of the Abyss (Dark Souls 1) one of the best DLCs ever created, a lot of it was cut content because it was not crucial to the main story of Dark Souls. Even Torna the Golden Country for Xenoblade 2 was initially penned as Chapter 8 for the main game. But, was cut because an extended flashback like that was a major story dragger after the climax of Chapter 7.
So, he's probably not wrong to assume so... but he's for sure exaggerating how important it will be. You can play the entire Dark Souls trilogy and Artorias of the Abyss has very little to do with the trilogy outside of maybe some references in DSIII. And Torna the Golden Country while AMAZING is not that critical to Xenoblade 2.
I think NES just needs to take a chill pill. This is not as big of a deal as he is making and if this extra story content is as good as the ones I mentioned then we're in for a treat in a year and a half.
Anyone else think it's annoying when they announce expansions before the games even released
y'all are getting way too heated about Xenoblade Chronicles 3 DLC of all things
@Would_you_kindly Not really. It just tells me more content is on the way to look forward to. This is better for me than a developer dancing around it when we know it is being developed. For example, we all know Elden Ring will get DLC, but we've not heard anything or a timeline on when to expect it (or if it for sure is happening). Nintendo announcing the DLC now gives me something to look forward to and an idea of when it comes out.
I used to get annoyed with these announcements, but now I'm just glad to know DLC is on the way. Especially if the expansion in a year is as good as Torna was for Xenoblade 2.
I'm wondering how many of the people up in arms over this played 2 and its DLC (And are even interested in this game in the first place to be perfectly honest). The DLC for 2 was also announced a month in advance and was met with similar resistance, but the value was absolutely incredible. It added an extensive challenge mode, new party members/quests, and a 30-hour standalone campaign that was big enough to get its own physical release. If any company knows how to do DLC the right way, it's Monolith. I trust them to make this worth the price.
That being said, I'll hold out for the likely physical release before I get the DLC. I bought 2's expansion pass days before the physical release of Torna was announced, so I'm not making that mistake again.
While I'm not averse to the idea of DLC/expansion passes (although I'm not exactly thrilled about them either) it does completely kill my enthusiasm and inclination to play the game on launch.
In contrast to many here, I'm totally fine with buying the regular game, and then buying DLC later IF I like the game enough. I don't think preannouncing DLC necessarily means they cut content from the main game or made it incomplete. In fact, I'm almost certain that the additional story will NOT be necessary, like the overwhelming majority of DLC thst is already planned out on game release.
It doesn't matter if they announce the DLC before or after the game's launch. Everybody who has an ounce of sense should know to expect DLC by now. I mean, seriously. High-profile video game has DLC, wow what a surprise.
@NEStalgia
I feel the whole difference in perspective here is that some people is just that hyped for the game, and that's ok, I think there are a few good reasons why this announcement is either just good news or at worst irrelevant for the people that are aching to get this game:
1. The precedent of Torna exist. Monolith Soft did not create the relatively lackluster DLC pass of Three Houses, or BOTW, or Age of Calamity, or FF XV. They just created the pass for Xenoblade 2 and that was a great value for the money, so is reasonable to expect this one will also be a same deal.
2. New characters and quests. We know what this means, optional party members. Many players don't fuss that much about optional things in their games. I for one have finished and enjoyed far too many RPGs in which I never get all the endings, all the party members or all the bells and whistles (I am missing a couple of Xenoblade 2 sidequests, for example, and a whole route in three houses, and both are among my favorite and most played Switch games) Going by the Xenoblade 2 precedent, Crossete, Shulk, Fiora, Corbin and Poppibuster were nice, but frankly inconsequential. Now, you obviously dont share this point of view, probably you feel that missing those 5 blades made the game an incomplete package, but for most of us it was not all that "important" for the campaign and the adventure itself.
3. Your movie point is a good one...for different reasons.
Why see the theatrical cut first when you know next year you can see the movie the director actually wanted to make?
Well, obviously, because some want to see the movie as soon as possible. Some want to avoid spoilers. Some want to be able to discuss the plot and share opinnions. Is not as if seeing the "theatrical cut" locks you out of the "director's cut" forever. Even better, most of the people passionate about the work would love to be able to see both, compare each other and see how one compares to the other. You mention a fair point, the RPG genre is time consuming, and I pity the poor souls that are unable to gather the time to replay their favorite games. But for many of us, even working adults, if the game is worth it, we cherish and look for the chance to replay it, even a 100 hour long RPG, to experience it all again, and if the DLC gives us the chance to make that replay fresh and different...well, all the better.
Torna was phenomenal. Similar to what many here are saying, it is very much a standalone, focused and refined game, that adds to the lore of xenoblade 2.
Already planned on getting Xenoblade 3. The direct simply added to the motivation.
Gonna hold off till the day the final wave drops incase they release a physical version.
@gaga64
Words have meanings. The thing you said, "Could they not at least wait until after release to announce DLC?" is not an opinion, it's a call to action.
"I really hate that they do this, and I think it's garbage, and now I hate Nintendo, and I would be happier if they didn't do this, but I get that some people like this" is an opinion.
You can't pretend your words mean different things when you get called on them.
Kind of a shame its not part of the Expansion Pack sub but still if its anything like 2's, it will be value for money.
Monolith are one of the very few developers I trust to make the season pass worth it. Torna was essentially a stand-alone prequel. Hopefully XC3's DLC follows a similar route. The announcement graphic for XC2's DLC looked identical, with almost identical wording of "Brand new story content". So far, so good.
Really, a boundless open world confirmed, with plenty of new features to do and a much deeper narrative and characters, everything accompanied with a truly detailed graphical quality.
This is already looking like one of the biggest games of the entire lifespan of the console in fact, and to think their developers are also working on the BoTW sequel, they sure are an impressive studio!
Anouncing DLC for a game thats not even out is a No go for me, such a shame since Monilith has a good track of value for the money (lengthy games) but still, ill get my fix of JRPG somewhere else
so wen is the special edition up for preorder again.
I was pretty much expecting this to be announced, especially since I've heard a lot of good things about the previous DLCs.
Pre ordered after the direct. I will hold off on the DLC for now but I am curious about XB2 DLC though which I haven't tried
@nessisonett the expansion pass of Xenoblade 2 is the best one that I have ever seen. There is a whole game in the expansion pass lol.
@Would_you_kindly
Not at all. I think many people - myself included - would like to know the entire content roadmap of a game before it launches, not after.
Announcing DLC before the main game has even launched seems to be a thing now doesn't it. Oh dear God in Heaven take me back to simpler times please 🙄
The expansion pass is the exact same way as the one for Xenoblade 2. Xenoblade 2 advertised Torna similarly as new story content. The new hero character and quests will be the exact same as the new rare blades and quests of 2. They are side content that have no bearing on the main scenario. Either people don’t know about 2’s pass, forgetful about it’s content, or feel like being malicious towards Nintendo and Monolith for whatever reason. There is an argument to be made against announcing this stuff before the game launches, but I like knowing that I’ll have reasons to cone back to the game. Anyone acting like the main story will not be done at launch are going to be incorrect.
@Would_you_kindly Yes it's very annoying to say the least.
@scoobdoo Sounds like you don't have any bills to pay. €30 goes towards food and other essentials. You might be ok with this but don't talk down to those that aren't.
@RubyCarbuncle just because you have “bills to pay” doesn’t mean they shouldn’t make more content for a game post it’s release, what kinda stupid entitlement is that? If you don’t want it then don’t buy it, this is an additional year of content for the franchise lots of people love and would welcome more of 100%.
“Oh no Nintendo/Monolith, you’re offering astronomically more content than you would’ve with only the initial release, how could you, you monsters!” Don’t like it - don’t buy it, no one’s forcing you to.
@HeadPirate that’s semantically accurate, though not true to my intentions. I asked some questions, I wasn’t calling anyone to action. But that’s on me for not choosing my phrasing more delicately.
I never intended to offend anyone who is happy with this announcement, and certainly never expected anyone at Nintendo to be listening and act on it. In my opinion the DLC announcement would be more successful from a marketing perspective post-launch, as it will inevitably cause a number of people to say “I’ll wait for the complete package, thanks” and this will hurt Day 1 sales figures - though by the same token setting out the plan pre-launch does allow for customer-centric purchasing options, and ultimately it’s not going to change the total sales figures, just spread them out over a longer period.
Also making the DLC announcement later would mean a separate News Story, which keeps the game in the headlines, potentially boosting sales.
That being said, I’m also not actually all that upset by this, I just asked a couple of questions, none of which actually expressed any emotional response. Any supposed anger in my first post is you projecting something onto me that patently wasn’t there.
I can’t deny the anger in my subsequent responses though, but that’s a defensive reaction to being unfairly attacked for asking a couple of questions.
What do you think about releasing the full game.
A lot of people triggered over optional dlc from a company who has a proven track record of delivering polished games and high content dlc.
People who complain about the story DLC clearly haven't played Torna The Golden Country and just complain because they want to complain
Torna was a standalone DLC which was a nice addition to XC2s stroy but it didn't take anything away from it. Just compare it to for example FF7 + Crisis Core or Life is Strange + Before the Storm
@Itachi2099 You don't have kids like I do so I'm not going to bother arguing with you or others like you as you wouldn't understand. It has nothing to do with entitlement which tbh is a stupid statement to come out with but to put it short they should focus on the main game first DLC second. When you have your own place and bills to pay then perhaps you' ll understand the criticism.
You do you and I'll do me and honestly I don't like being spoken down to by someone who's likely years younger than I am (not you)
@mariomaster96 That's where you're dead wrong because I did play it and I actually enjoyed it but nice one making blind assumptions instead of listening to valid criticism.
@RubyCarbuncle Sorry but I hadn't seen your previous comment considering there were 124 comments. I hope you understand
But anyway you complained that the season pass got announced before the game launched (which is fair enough) but the same was true for XC2. The season pass got announced on November 7th 2017 but the game launched on December 1st 2017
Also I was more refering to people who say stuff like "The story won't be finished until the DLC launches" which really wasn't the case for XC2
"the surprise announcement of an Expansion Pass" Yeah, no, I already knew they were going to trick me out of more of my money long before any details of this game were announced.
"sob...sob....only 250 hours???!!!??!!?" They're holding back another hundred hours!!!???!?!?!" "We" are getting robbed blind.
@RubyCarbuncle Dude, not to be that kind of person... but your avatar is from Pokemon one of the most price gouging franchises in all of Nintendo. A franchise where up to Sword and Shield (sans Ruby and Sapphire on the GBA) the most substantial differences between the versions (which tend to be $60USD) was what legendary pokemon you got and what pokemon were you locked out of catching. I mean oooooh in Moon you're day time was actually night and your night time was actually day!!! OOOOH such difference for an extra $50USD.
If you're issue was on the principle of it being announced before the game's release... fine... but you're issue seems to be with price. The first piece of substantial content is not due for another six months. And, Monolith did the same thing with Xenoblade 2 and the amount of extra content you got was substantially worth the $29.99USD. The cost won't change if Nintendo waits a month to announce it, v. now. At least we know we'll get more content and can plan to pick-up the pass when the first piece of substantial content drops (or whenever within the next six months). We can plan around the release of this content and when to buy it. So the "bills" or "kids" excuse is kind garbage when Monolith is not forcing you to buy this pass now and don't plan to release more content (that is not an extra colour skin and extra in game items you can farm within a few hours) till AT LEAST December 31st 2022 and plan to support the game well into 2023. That is what I call bang for my buck if Xenoblade 2 and its pass is anything to go by. Which means for an extra $30 you will get at least another 100+ hours of content... that seems very fair.
@Wexter My previous statement said I was done so I'm not reading your wall of text. No disrespect meant but I gave my view on this already and yes my issue lies with them announcing it before launch. They need to focus on ironing out the inevitable issues with the main game first then they can focus on DLC. If you remember Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was a bug ridden mess at launch and I'll be very surprised if this is going to be a smooth launch. That's why I'm annoyed. Not sure what my Pokèmon Profile Picture has to do with this tbh as that's a separate debate altogether.
@RubyCarbuncle In that case let me point form this for you because you're clearly "done with this" and a busy person.
A) Xenoblade 2 was not a bug ridden mess. It had some design decisions that needed balancing and the UI needed a touch up and they did shortly after launch.
B) If you're talking about the performance issues that was an engine issue. No amount of patches or extra time was going to fix that which is why they built a new engine when they made Torna and used that engine for Xenoblade DE and Xenoblade 3.
C) I was pointing out how your avatar is from Pokemon which is one of the worst franchises for price gouging their players. Which you support I'm guessing based on your avatar.
D) The price is $30 for the DLC which is rolling out content for the next year and a half. So, players are not in a rush to buy it.
E) It is better for Nintendo to announce this now as players can plan around it. If they want to wait till 2023 and get all the content with the game they can. OR they can buy the 250 hour game now and enjoy the extra content being rolled out for the next year and a half. I much prefer this model then waiting for a Direct to announce it in a month... when we all know they were making one in the first place.
SO! While I think this is not a big deal, the points you brought up are kinda moot or a bad faith argument. Monolith does not have a history of short changing their players. AND they release massive games that a $60 price tag or even a $70 price tag is exceptionally reasonable for the amount of content you're getting and are complete experiences (the DLC is just an extra bonus the way it should be).
I don't like the fact that they announce this stuff before the game is even out, and they shouldn't. There's no reason this couldn't wait for a month after release, or even longer. It just feels now like they've got an incomplete game and charging more for the last pieces. Whereas if they waited until everyone had been playing for a month or so and people have finished it it's like "oh cool there's more to come at some point, I can't wait"
@Baker1000 That is beyond arbitrary. It is a Monolith game we know there will be DLC. Also, they did the same thing with Xenoblade 2 and that game in no way felt incomplete without the DLC (it is about 65-111 hours for an average playthrough and 200+ if you want to do everything) and we still got substantial DLC with the game after release. And Torna was part of that DLC Expansion Pass package and was about 20-38 hours long. And Xenoblade 2's expansion pass was announced a whole month before the game came out (The expansion pass was announced Nov 7th, 2017 and the game was released on December 1st, 2017). And even if they waited a "month" people would still complain it is quote "too soon" to announce DLC... as if that matters when it is still 6 months out before you get your first piece of substantial side content.
For a game as long as Xenoblade 3, it is nice for players to be aware that DLC is on way and decide if they want to wait for the DLC or jump right in. These are LONG games and some people might be afraid they will be burned out on the game before DLC arrives to enjoy it; so they would want to know and wait. I think Monolith has earned enough goodwill with their fans and general audiences. They don't release incomplete games. If anything the games they release are so stuffed with content that the current $60USD price tag on their games is a massive discount on what you get.
Wow. That an awesome deal! I loved the staggered drops with XC2's expansion pass - it kept me interested and invested in the game for a good long while, and Torna Golden Country was an absolute treat.0
Lord, I can not believe the sheer amount of unintelligent responses. Xenoblade is a game with a huge campaign, loads of side quests and it will be most definitely a complete experience. Just like part 1 and 2. I view the first dlc waves as an extra reason to start a new game plus. The final wave will probably a game in it's own right. And Torna is in my opinion the Xenoblade game with the best gameplay. So quit your bellyaching and if you don't want it, then don't get it. You definitely betray your idiocy by dropping such unfounded comments on this thread.
@Wexter "it's a monolith game we know there will be DLC"
There wasn't any for Xenoblade Chronicles. I've owned all 3 versions so I'd know. It came out on Wii when DLC wasn't possible. Nowadays they do it purely because it is an option, not because they need to. And to be fair I enjoyed Torna a hell of a lot more than the base game. I just think that, if they're going to announce it before release the least they should do is say hey, if you own the game in the first two months you can get the DLC pass half price. Really push up the launch window numbers and give people an incentive.
@Baker1000 The original Xenoblade was released on the Wii an era where Nintendo's online infrastructure did not really support DLC. That and Future Connected was extra story content for Xenoblade DE. Ever since Xenoblade X, Monolith has been rather consistent with adding DLC post launch. For Xenoblade X it was with the JP release as it took awhile to hit North American and European shores.
Though, they did announce the DLC for Xenoblade 2 before launch and I think they earned the right to do so when Xenoblade 2's expansion pass knocked it out of the park. So... this really should not surprise people that they're doing it again when it went so well the first time. Though, I would not complain if there was an incentive for early adopters like a 20%, discount or something. That would be nice Though as I said if it is anything like Xenoblade 2's then the full $30 price tag will be worth it on it's own for the extra story content at the end.
@Maulbert A fellow Dwarfer? Oi smeghead! 😂
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