It's the launch weekend for Xenoblade Chronicles 3, and although there was a lot of demand for the physical versions of the game, it seems plenty of people are still picking up the digital version of the title.
For some, these purchases may have even been due to the delays associated with the fancier collector's versions. According to the eShop charts in the US, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is now out in front of Minecraft.
Even games like Nintendo Switch Sports and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - two titles that just received DLC updates. Digimon Survive has also snuck into the sixth spot, with Live A Live in 9th place, at the time of writing.
It's the same situation in locations like the UK - Xenoblade is out in front, ahead of games like Among Us, FIFA 22, and Mario Kart. And in Japan, the game is also in the top spot. To add to this, it's charting on websites like Amazon as well.
Once again, it's not a bad start for an RPG series like this. The previous game Xenoblade Chronicles 2 sold over 2 million copies, and the original game's Definitive Edition on Switch has shifted more than 1.5 million copies.
Have you contributed to Xenoblade Chronicles 3's digital or physical sales? Can you see this going on to become the best-selling entry in the series? Leave your thoughts down below.
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Comments 99
Well its amazing so a I'm not surprised at all.
Im still undecided......I wish there was a demo available
I downloaded it on Friday and I've loved what I've played. While 2 was amazing, it feels a bit closer to the first game in tone and I like that. In short, I'm really feeling it.
I sure hope it is, that series deserves way more sales
Btw I really love how the Switch is a Xenoblade machine, we have literally every XC game on there except XCX
I was a bit hesitant on getting it at launch but wound up doing so. At the start of chapter 3 and very much enjoying it though it does have some annoyances, mostly how railroading it can be and the constant forced, "Open the menu, now go to this option, now equip this specific item," garbage.
I plan on picking XC3 up when I return from my holiday next week. I’ll probably download it from the eShop though as, except for Metroid Dread, all 800+ of my Switch games are digital.
We're all feeling it i.e xenoblade fans & newcomers as well...
@Patendo Likewise. Still on the fence here too. Every time someone says “oh the combat is great” and I go look at videos, I’m like “are they sure about that though.” Maybe they’ll put a demo out because that’s what I need. Otherwise I’m better off spending $60 on several games on my wishlist.
It suprises me. The first game was kinda meh
Everything I see of this game makes me want to play it, but I am yet to play any Xenoblade game and I just can't see myself managing to find the time to complete them given their mammoth lengths. Everyone seems so excited for it/happy to be playing it but I've got 120-200 hours of gameplay ahead to even get to the start!
If you’re on the fence, I recommend you buy it right away. It’s the best of the series, hands-down, because the story and gameplay benefits from the first 2 games, but also totally standalone. True masterpiece!!
@BionicDodo I'm in the same boat. I really want to play these but my full-time leaves me with very little free time, and I still want to enjoy the summer weather as well. This might have to be something I attempt when it snows.
I've just finished the first one yesterday. Was planning on playing them in order but getting 2 at a reasonable price seems tricky.
Not sure whether to skip 2 and go to 3.
@Ryan_Again what you said I don’t remember reading in the review: could I play this game without playing another Xenoblade? I have the first two on my wish list, but lack of time stopped me from getting them.
Another Masterpiece for Nintendo Switch! You're missing out on a true Gem if you haven't already played it!
PS: Nintendo Switch Family is at over 110 Million Units Sold and Counting!!!!
Keep it Going 💯
The hair on the characters has a really good anime effect. Very clever. And that's just the hair!
I'm not a digital hater by any means, I've got about 230odd games on my 2 memory cards, but why would anyone pay 50quid and not go for the physical. I can understand its more convenient, but it seems a no brainer to get the cart, especially as this isn't coming up in a decent sale anytime soon
"Hear that, Noah? Switch players want something a bit meatier."
@BigE you sort of answered your own question - for me it’s the convenience of going digital. Plus I just go for the two game vouchers that mean it’s effectively £42 instead of £50.
Man I wish the combat was just straight up action like Zelda or more like Ni no Kuni 2. Love everything about Xenoblade but the combat, especially the second game where it just piled on so many mechanics that I gave up.
I’ll give this a try on its easier mode so I can just enjoy the world and story- hopefully I only have to deal with the combat when necessary.
@a1904 Silly lines like that are why I never muted the battle dialogue in any of the Xenoblade games.
@Ryan_Again It's not actually standalone. The story ties into the previous two games eventually. That said, in no way is it like, say, starting with Mass Effect 3 or Final Fantasy X-2. Maybe more like playing Crisis Core without having played FFVII.
@larryisaman For what it's worth while there are still a lot of balls to juggle 3 does do a muuuuch better job of explaining its mechanics than 2 does. It kind of comes at the cost of some of the tutorials being extremely handholdy but it does feel like they were consciously trying to make the gameplay less confusing.
@AJM59 yeah, I totally get the convenience thing. I often can't be bothered to go and find my case to swap carts. Just seems a big disparity in pricing
@dugan NL and a couple other reviews said they tell you everything you need to know and is standalone.
There will almost certainly be connections which will give more context/enjoyment on some parts, but by no means it's the meat of the game. If you feel like you won't play the previous game otherwise, then by all means start with 3.
@Matroska standalone means it is fine on it's own, not that it doesn't have a connection with other games. For example, Zelda games.
@moodycat what did you dislike in XC2? The main reasons people complained about 2 were fixed or really improved in 3, so your reasons might be along them.
Never played one of these but because of the hype I’ve ordered the first one from Vinted for a sweet deal
@BigE yeah the pricing disparity always seems strange to me. My laziness wins out most of the time though 😆
Stands at a great 89% critics’ score on Metacritic but it’s review-bomb by troll users (unsurprisingly).
@eaglebob345 "ah, but we were just getting storrrted" 🤣
Not like there was anything else released to compete. Nintendo is smart like that.
It's an amazing game! Pretty much have spent the whole weekend so far engrossed in the world and story. Few series are as satisfying and packed full of content as Xenoblade Chronicles.
@moodycat The cast and narrative is all new, the tone is closer to XC1 for sure, but I can't say if you will like it or not though. As for the others:
For those unsure about the game and wish there was a demo, maybe check your local library and see if they have the game available to checkout. Provided that’s an option in your neck of the woods
If you haven't played any X's series your missing alot. They each have their storylines to be interesting. For those on fence will always be on the fence there's no changing that. If you want more storylines and understanding the game you should at least play parts of the Xeno series on Switch to enjoy XC3 itself. Unfortunately those of whom got the SE don't have a choice they should've sent them out the beginning of the week but NOA screws everything up. My local retailer gets the Standard on Release Date and here I spent good $$$ and still waiting.
Played the 2nd as first xeno game ever. Really good, but too silly for my taste often. Just finished the first game today which was amazing. Glad to hear that 3 is seemingly more serious in tone than 2.
@Patendo I'd say go for it! I've never played any games of the series and I'm really enjoying it so far after 8 hours or so into it.
Picked it up digitally myself, since that's how I own the other games on Switch as well.
Not sure if I'll end up liking it more than XC2 or not (especially if you factor in the amazing Torna DLC campaign), but I appreciate the substantial improvement to undocked performance and the way the game goes out of its way to thoroughly explain its mechanics and make exploration and side-questing less frustrating overall.
It's just a very good game overall and trying to find your way to a quest objective has been made a lot easier if you want it. I lost track the amount of times I got lost trying to complete a quest in previous games that it made the whole experience pretty frustrating. Performance is a lot better too when playing in handheld mode.
I was late to Xenoblade Chronicles. Didn't play it on Wii. I skipped the 3DS version. Didn't buy Xenoblade Chronicles 2 on release. When Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition was announced for Switch, I finally decided to buy it and was hooked. After that I ended up ordering XC 2 on Amazon because I couldn't find a copy anywhere locally. Didn't make that mistake again, so I pre-ordered a copy of XC3 to have on release and I'm enjoying it more than XC DE so far. Now I just need to order a copy of Torna, because once again I can't seem to find a copy anywhere in my area...
@dugan Yeah, having played the others will give you a deeper glimpse into events. Meaning you may recognize some “hints” that are blatant if you played the others first. But it would be equally satisfying to be introduced to those things in this game, and then discover their history in previous games. But overall, this has been very stand-alone and fully capable on it’s own two feet.
I love the previous characters of XBC games, but to have these are your first characters for the series is also enviable. They’re the best so far IMO.
Sublime! Yuir efferts haeve bourne maeny froots!
@moodycat I’m the same way, I played XBC2 first (I’m a big Xenogears fan, but left-off gaming during Wii-U and XBC1 eras) I hated XBC2! Found it gross and soppy. But I caught up with XBC1DE and loved it. But XBC3 is the best so-far for me!
Great story, great characters, great themes. If you liked DE then you’ll likely love this one too.
@Patendo If your a fan of either of the other two. Games, im confident in saying you will like this game. Put in roughly 10hrs, and im really enjoying it.
@moodycat 100% agree, the gatcha system for the blades is what killed XBC2 for me, played 1 twice, once on the wii and again on the wiiU, played X and now loving 3, couldn’t finish 2.
I tried to get into Xenoblade 1 a few months back, and after about 5 hours, I just wasn't into it. I felt like I was playing an MMORPG in an empty server. And the story about everything being in the back of the two giant titans seemed pretty silly to me. I thought I'd really enjoy the game, being a big RPG fan. I've beat FFVII, FFIX, Grandia, breath of the wild, and almost Immortals: Fenyx Rising this year since getting myself a switch for Christmas. I dunno, maybe I should give it another shot at some point...
Liking it a lot so far, but I had to turn the voice volume all the way down. The English voices are unbearable and the characters are way too chatty in battle, even more so than previous games. It actually makes the game feel much more serene with that gorgeous soundtrack to make it text only.
I'm an oldhead Xeno fan; since I first played Xenogears back in 2000 or whenever it was. I was just a kid then. For me, it was a game that only appreciated with time. As I got older, I understood more and more whenever I went back to it. Fans know the themes and philosophical exploration this series offers.
I've played the entire series, although some entries more thoroughly than others. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 miffed me with its weird "booba" aesthetic and emphasis that was elevated to a point that exceeded any of the prior games. Weirdly enough, the hilariously standalone Torna expansion wound up being more of a traditional Xeno game than its horny gacha base. It was always a funny recommendation to give: "Yeah, you have to play this RPG. Yes, it's an expansion. No, you don't need to own the base game to play it. I don't know if you'd really like it, anyway."
Xenoblade Chronicles 3, however, is a proper return to form. The weebish fixation on harem anime horny has been toned down to a more appropriate level, and this game is dark; borderline edgelord. I can't help but be constantly reminded of the original Xenogears, and I'm loving it. No more gaggle of idiotic children protagonists, no more screen-filling tits and ass trotted out in spotlight every few seconds, no more B-tier shonen vibes — it rocks.
With how its reviews have gone, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 will likely go down as one of the best JRPGs of the decade, and it's deserved. Fei is smiling down from Weltall in Heaven.
I've never been a huge fan of the series, despite playing the entire series, but this one does look really good but I simply don't have the time to invest in playing it, plus I'm looking forward to the Cult of Lamb wayyyy more.
@The_Pixel_King That's gonna turn out great when Nintendo kills the Switch eShop servers in about 9 years, and you no longer have the ability to redownload any of those 800(!) games.
@moodycat i agree the gacha system has it issues on the second game along with some charaters like rex needed to be flushed out more but overall the story and the rest were good.
@CorePrideX I'm a not surprised a either. It a truly is an amazing a game!
@jtmnm theres nothing wrong having fan service in these rpg type games plus people that complains about it its just not the game for them.
@Mauzuri What you just said all depends on the person. The only thing that I kinda disliked about Xenoblade 2 was Rex his voice acting. But story, gameplay, music and world were all solid for me. Never had issues with the battle system either. It was well explained tbh, but maybe it would be better for some people that forget stuff fast to make some tips in the menu to look back at them.
Couldn't care less about the people complaining about the so called "fanservice" didn't really notice it until I saw other complaining about it. Its a JRPG and many JRPG's have girls in certain clothes.
@Mauzuri I can see what you mean tbh. I enjoyed all Xenoblade games personally and I really can see that fans from the first Xenoblade don't like the second entry. Tbh they are completely different games with different art and battle mechanics so the only thing that connects it is the name of the game and the story.
Torna is way better with the combat, it is refined and plays smoother than Xenoblade 2. Also no blade gacha system in it!
@GuyProsciutto
In 9 years I will be playing whatever console Nintendo currently has and could care less to play my older games. Or since they have made moves to having a more robust online offering (than their previous consoles) maybe we will have digital backwards capabilities like the Xbox and Playstation currently have with the Series X/S and PS5
@RiasGremory I've played and been a fan of JRPGs since the 90s, but I'm not a weeb nor am I into the horny anime aesthetic. While I don't disagree, injecting a heaping dose of "fan service" to an unprecedented degree in a series that was nearly 2 decades old at the time of XC2's release was inappropriate, IMO, but this is just one problem I had with it. I also took issue with the narrative, tone, and some systems. I didn't hate XC2, but it was the weakest Xeno entry for me.
@jtmnm Love this review, I'm so much more excited to play it now when the Special Edition finally arrives! Xenogears is my favorite game ever and XBC2 is my least, so I'm very glad this is a return to form!
@Mauzuri the story telling was not the problem it answered alot of questions of how the first game world and second world came to be along with klaus wanted to redeem himself for his past mistakes by waiting for someone to help fix/restore the world back to one especially since he knew his other dark half was about to face oblivion.Secondly most of the characters designs were fine.
@HOAX Haha happy you liked it — from one Xenogears OG to another. Yeah, for us, there's a lot to love with XC3. Enjoy!
@jtmnm if you think about it most anime type rpg type games these days are adding more fan service into it which is not for everyone which is fine and at least they dont think ecchi stuff is the problem like you said but its others who take it alittle to far with their censorship views which no one wants censorship at all.
@Mauzuri if you played the whole game itself from beginning to end then you would understand the whole plot and twists especially wen the characters meet the architect/klaus who explains everything about wat really happen.
@The_Pixel_King Just out of curiosity, why is Metroid Dread your only physical game?
Hopefully monolith makes a sequel to X since the first one ended was left wide open pointing to a much bigger threat on the horizon and the secrets to that mysterious planet their on as well as the mysterious skell that uses dark matter found in a crater which emma knew something about.
@Mauzuri i agree the battle system was difficult for some but most of us got use to it and got through the story plus the boss fights in 2 was more challenging then the first game.
@Mauzuri have you look up xenoblade 2 reviews majority of then gave it solid scores and find it more challenging then the first game just saying.
@Ulysses Haha, reasonable question, my dude. Metroid Dread was a gift from my wife, along with the OLED Switch, for my last birthday! Well, she gave me a piece of paper with the pre-orders on it as my birthday was three months before their release! She’s a wonderful and super supportive partner who I’ve utterly adored for nearly thirty years now. Man, time really does fly!
@GuyProsciutto Thanks for the concern, but I have every single game (well, except the ones I didn’t end up caring for at all) downloaded onto a bunch of SD cards. My favourite games are on my main 500GB card that stays in my current Switch.
So...what about Digimon survive? Did xenoblade 3 actually kill it?
So happy to see Xenoblade #1. XB3 is fantastic thus far, Monolith Soft has outdone themselves again.
@fenlix
You are comparing a visual novel to a 100+ hr RPG
@Patendo it's very much similar to the first 2 games. The story is compelling and interesting, and surpasses the previous incarnations. Just when you think it won't get better, it does by expanding gameplay significantly. A demo wouldn't do it justice in the slightest cause you'd have to throw in 20+ hrs to scratch the surface. If you want my recommendation, I've been playing 3 days straight and honestly it's one of the finest RPGs out to date. Highly recommend.
@KryptoniteKrunch i agree hopefully they make sequel to X and give a proper story this time around since the first one left us a huge cliffhanger a bigger threat coming,wats got emma so concern about the mysterious skell that runs on black matter and of course the missing data from their ship.
I bought a pjysical copy
@RiasGremory
Yeah, that'd be awesome. Always wanted the X story to see its proper end.
I’m new to the Xenonlade universe but picked up 3 when it launched (I read the stories for 1 and 2).
It might just be that I am only a few hours in but, while the story has been interesting, the combat seems…boring. Am I missing something or does it get better a little further into the game?
@KryptoniteKrunch i still wonder if X universe was created by klaus experiment which created 2 others xeno 1 and xeno 2 or same universe that klaus came from.
About 5 hours in and I'm indeed really feeling it with this game.
@RiasGremory You should spoiler tag that, those are huge scenes for the ends of both XC1&2.
EDIT: Come to think of it, this whole comment section is a spoiler landmine for the whole xenoblade series, your comments included.
larryisaman wrote:
Sorry you're looking at the wrong series for that then.
Feels odd to be praising the financial success of a game that has the most brazen, unmitigated anti-capitalist message I've seen in years in any form of media.
Still, fantastic news, and I hope it leads to more people experiencing the older games as well as new things to come from Monolith Soft.
Removed - off-topic; user is banned
Removed - off-topic; user is banned
@Ayasplat Uh what does this article or anything in it have to do with switch sports?
I would definitely get this physically rather than digitally because my Switch's SD card is simply built for the space required for these kinds of games but this is still a monumental occasion for Xenoblade! Amazing stuff.
Enjoyed XB2 more so far [yes I don’t have a low threshold for anything remotely fanservice unlike some of the commenters here], but XB3 definitely way more tolerable in handheld mode
XB3 no fanservice...
I won't buy it, sorry.
It's great so far 6 hours into it, which in the grand picture is 2% of the game 😁
@Chris77 XC2 is incredibly weeb-y and the tone for the first half is the game is a lot more silly and lighthearted, if that’s a deterrent. I think the combat is a massive step-up, though, even if it sucks at explaining it at times. I’m a gameplay over story guy, so I preferred XC2 over XC1.
Playing through XC1 right now and I’m looking forward to XC3 at some point. The game looks really good.
@Ramen756 XC2 battle is way better then XC1. Setting up combos and pulling off massive damages can be very satisfying. Combat in XC1 is way too monotonous and simple for my tastes.
I can understand the hate XC2 gets. It was mediocre for me the first 20 hours, but dang the game opens up and gets crazy good for the next 80.
Excellent, I'm glad the game and the series are doing better. I get the feeling I'm really going to feel this one. I'm getting it this week. Love it when titles. Congrats monolith
@Patendo would recommend it if you enjoyed any of the previous games. If you enjoy any JRPG or RPG in general it's already shaping out to be one of the best. I'm about 30 hours in and having a great time with it.
There are several connections already with the previous games but it could still be enjoyed without that knowledge.
If you have no interest in RPGs, expansive worlds, multilayered gameplay systems, or complex storylines then it probably won't be for you but you could always go to a retailer and get a physical copy and most with return them within a certain period of time.
@iLikeUrAttitude except xenolade 2 been out for quite awhile so its not considered spoiling.
@Chris77
I would not recommend skipping 2 while the art style is different is is still a great game and is better than 1 in some aspects.
Its still really cringe. Overcooked dialog. Pretty obvious they are trying too hard. 1 shoulda been a one off.
@RiasGremory Thats a terrible argument, just because it's been out for a decent while doesn't mean people aren't going to be susceptible to spoilers. New people are getting exposed to this series by the day thanks to Pyra and Mythra's inclusion in Smash and now with the release of Xenoblade 3, it's time to be even more mindful of spoilers if anything.
Also there are shows/anime decades years old that draw in new fans - One Piece and Jojo to name a couple, but you don't hear me blabbering about the latest chapters or episodes without giving people a warning.
It's called common courtesy, please apply it next time.
I honestly can't believe how good the game turned out to be. It's my favorite JRPG in a long while, by far the best in the series.
It feels like a return to form after XB2 as well.
@Coalescence are we playing the same game? The English dub is incredible, I played XB2 in Japanese due to how bad it was in that game, in XB3 they nailed it.
@Chris77 XB3 is a very good followup to XB1. XB2 might turn you off the entire series tbh, I'd skip from 1 to 3 just fine.
@RPGreg2600 Each of these games has its ups and downs, really. 1 does feel more like an empty MMO server more than 2/torna. Not that 2 doesn't share a lot of the world mechanics, but it feels less MMO. OTOH 2's questing system and the Pokeblades suck. The quests can be good but managing them can be impossible, and while the battle system is fantastic it never actually tells you how to use it, properly. Yet it's a great game (and I don't get the newfound hate for it.)
If it helps, there's a story driven reason for the whole backs of two titans thing, it's not just random, but you don't actually find out the huge plot twist, until, technically the "true ending" post-game. That plot twist comes back in the last 1/4 of XC2. And I presume will make a play somewhere in 3 because it's the story theme that relates all these seemingly unrelated worlds. There's an overarching story behind the XC universe but it's not revealed until the "true ending" of 1.
@NEStalgia thanks, I'll try to get into it again at some point. I have a pretty big backlog since I didn't get a switch until early this year!
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