Xenoblade Chronicles

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JaySevenZero
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Xenoblade Chronicles

Post by JaySevenZero »

Here's where you can contribute your thoughts and opinions for Xenoblade Chronicles for potential inclusion in the forthcoming podcast.

A friendly reminder that where the feedback for the podcast is concerned, we love it - but keeping it brief is appreciated. We do want to include a breadth of opinions where appropriate, but no-one wants a discussion podcast that’s mostly reading out essays. Better to save yourself time and cut to the chase if you can.
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ThirdDrawing
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Re: 481 - Xenoblade Chronicles

Post by ThirdDrawing »

I was one of those that modded my Wii to break the region locking to play this game (and a few others from Europe). I also bought this day one when it came out in North America because I wanted to support JRPG releases in the West.

While I generally prefer turn based RPGs, this game's battle system became intuitive pretty quickly, especially when playing with a Wii Classic Controller.

I was genuinely flabbergasted by the scale of this game while playing and how there basically was no loading except while travelling between areas. This is honestly a bit of a technical marvel considering the platform it's on.

I know some people might roll their eyes at the grandiosity of the story, but I love this kind of epic scale in stories, and it scratched an itch because there weren't a lot of this type of story in the gritty PS360 gen, other than maybe Mass Effect.

Lastly, I know you'll point it out, but the beautiful soundtrack has to be commended. There are still several tracks from it that I listen to regularly. I'm really happy that this worked out for Monolith. I've loved all the pre and post Xeno games and I hope this series continues for a while.

And I don't even mind Riki - in small doses.
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Re: 481 - Xenoblade Chronicles

Post by Toon Scottoon »

Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive edition journal

I want to start out by saying thank you to Cane and Rinse, and in particular Simon Cole for working as catalysts that ignited my interest in Xenoblade Chronicles this year and Fire Emblem a few years ago with issue 139 on Awakenings. I'd come to the show too late to comment on that first game, and as a high school teacher I've got some real thoughts on the most recent entry in the FE series if you ever do that show, but having just played Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive edition on Switch this January I'm excited to check in on the title at hand.

Usually I'd talk about what was going on around me when I played the game, or how my sixty or so hours with it felt, but like a lot of people what's going on around me is I'm stuck in my house, where like a lot of people I've been stuck for the better part of a year, and as for my feelings, I really liked it, and plan to play more in the series, and that doesn't feel like enough to say about such a maximalist game. So I'd like to break protocol, by which I mean Cane and Rinse protocol if the team will allow it, and ask a few questions, if that is okay? And if you're in the forum reading this, feel free to answer below as well.

1. Who were the big three of your party? I found myself leaning hard on a Shulk, Reyn, Rikki threesome right up to the end, though one of the things I thought the game did a great job of was making everybody feel like a viable option. Follow up question, is Klonoa from the Klonoa games a very fit Nopon, or are the Nopon just a uniquely obese tribe of whatever Klonoa is? Either way you rock that Dad bod Rikki.

2. What voice cast did everybody choose? I started out with the English speaking voice actors, and I abandoned that for the Japanese voice actors with the English subtitles after an hour. As I mentioned before, I tended to use Reyn a lot, and I found his in-fight commentary just obnoxious. As for the rest of the cast, you all have a better ear for the accents, but in that first hour it sounded to me like a Milwaukee based amateur theater troupe performing Oliver Twist.
Follow up question, if you had to cast this game strictly with Cane and Rinse team members, which team member are you most excited to deploy, and what role are they playing?

3. What do you think is the most original thing in this game? I ask this because much of this game seems inspired by something else. You've got the Monodo giving off buster sword vibes, the battle system, which has a lot of Final Fantasy 12 in it, plus the tribal tattoos and clothing options that seem ripped right out of a Coachella tent party. For my money, I did not see the final plot twist that explains the creation of the Bionis and Mechonis coming. Follow up question, which James Cameron franchise do you think most influenced this game? The opening battle in Sword Valley reminded me a lot of the start of Terminator 2 as does the whole Mechonis heel turn. Or is it Avatar with the landscapes and monsters of the Bionis looking rather Pandora-ish?

4. This is a really long game. If you had to cut one part out of it, what would you cut? I let looseneed the ornery military officer that constantly threatens people with exercise in cut scenes. Follow up question, was there something you all wanted more of in this game?
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DaMonth
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Re: 481 - Xenoblade Chronicles

Post by DaMonth »

I'm just here to say Reyn might be one of the most charming characters in gaming. Some people might say he's annoying and they're definitely wrong. My Xenoblade experience was defined by the myriad of one-liners he'd drop during battle, especially the one. You know the one. Don't think I ever took him out of my party either?

I have no idea when this will be relevant to read off, but yeah. Just look up his Battle Quotes on Youtube if you're ever in the mood for a pick-me-up.
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Re: 481 - Xenoblade Chronicles

Post by ColinAlonso »

Toon Scottoon wrote: February 6th, 2021, 12:03 am And if you're in the forum reading this, feel free to answer below as well.
Eh, why not. I'm not going to put actual correspondence here anyway.

1. They all felt viable so I rotated the cast. I generally like doing that with parties anyway. However, the more interesting question is: who did you control? While I tried them all, I preferred to use Reyn and Dunban.

Klonoa is a Sonic character wearing too many clothes to fit into that series. This is especially noticeable after the Sonic Dreamcast design and the tweaks to Klonoa for the PS2 game (well this is off topic now). His ears are just a weird physical feature (e.g. Tails) and he can't grab things with them like Nopon do.

2. English. Cheesy battle quotes are a minor guilty pleasure of mine. ("Born in a world of strife! Against the odds! We choose to fight! Blossom Dance!!). Unfortunately Shulk and Reyn are stuck in the party for the first 10 to 20 hours so the quotes can't even be switched up for a bit of freshness, thus "IT'S REYN TIME" became infamous.

What I want to know is how Reyn knows Melia's accent is posh despite not having met the High Entia before.

3. The overall dead god setting, though someone can probably point out where this is done before. Just like FFXII the battle system feels MMO inspired but from later MMOs obviously. (I say this having little knowledge of MMOs)

4. Trim a lot of the side quests particularly those that are just fetch quests. I think I stuck 100 hours into it and frankly that could be 20 hours less if they do that. Don't add anything, I prefer JPRGs to be 50-70 hours.
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Re: 481 - Xenoblade Chronicles

Post by Kodama1987 »

Sorry for long post.

Whilst visiting a friends many years ago, a conversation was struck about a game he had completed for the Nintendo Wii. Xenoblade Chronicles. A game that was described as one of the best RPGs he'd ever played with a great battle system and fantastic story. As a non Wii owner at the time I was happy for him but upset that it was unlikely that I was ever going to play this game.

Roughly a year later, a Nintendo Wii appears in the Living room of my shared accommodation in North Wales. Questions were asked about its origins, what games they had for it, but more importantly, how likely it was that I would be able to use it. Safe to say the current owner of the console had no more interest in it and said it was essentially for others to use as they saw fit. JACKPOT

A few weeks later I found a gap in my work schedule to warrant a trip back home to see family and friends with the ulterior motive of raiding my friends gaming library. Xenoblade Chronicles and Bayonetta were put in my hands within moments of walking through the door with almost more excitement on his face than mine.

Some hours into the game I came across Alvis and the Telethia for the first time. I was genuinely enjoying the game, but little did I know that was the last I was going to see of it for a very long time. I couldn't even tell you the circumstances of why I stopped playing. The longer I didn't play it the more daunting the prospect of going back to it became. It ended up going back to my friend, unfinished.

For the next few years, whenever the conversation of favourite games comes up, my friend berates me for having not completed it.

Roll on 2019. Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition is announced and I see my opportunity. A global pandemic begins in the lead up to its release, solidifying my desire to buy the game, with an abundance of free time and if nothing else to help maintain my sanity.

This time it was a different story. Hours lost to discovery on the Bionis and the Mechonis. Soaking in the beautiful landscapes and mesmerising soundtrack. Developing friendships between characters. Battling creatures far beyond my current capabilities (looking at you Territorial Rotbart). Searching for materials and monsters to complete side quests.

Meeting Alvis again made me realise how little I had scratched the surface last time and I vowed to uncover everything the game had to offer. 130+ hours. All possible side quest complete bar the branching lines that lock out. Colony 6 fully rebuilt. All social links complete (even if it was a grind at the end for little gain by that point). Changing the time of day in areas to hear the different soundtracks for night and day and to observe different weather cycles. An ending that I could not have guessed revealing the origins/creation of the Gods, the Bionis, the Mechonis and even more to my astonishment, Alvis.

As the credits roll I find myself eager to play the Future Connected epilogue. While not as all consuming as the main game I really enjoyed my time with it. A new yet familiar environment. Some new characters along with old ones. An ever so slightly different battle system using the Ponspectors instead of chain attacks that forced a change in my fighting style. A new, more modern outfit for Shulk which I must say I prefer to his classic outfit (don't hate me) but more importantly a fitting end to Melia's story arc, one of my preferred team members. Which the epilogue centres around.

Xenoblade Chronicles will live on as one of my favourite games of all time. An almost missed opportunity that came round again at the right time. Much like the shooting stars in nights sky in Eryth Sea. A bright moment during a bleak time in the world where I could forget everything else around me and let the Monado show me the future.
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Rhaegyr
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Re: 481 - Xenoblade Chronicles

Post by Rhaegyr »

Before I post my own thoughts on this all time fave of mine I'd just like to (proudly) claim I was the friend constantly bugging him!
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Re: 481 - Xenoblade Chronicles

Post by Toon Scottoon »

Klonoa is a Sonic character wearing too many clothes to fit into that series.
I laugh at this at least once a week.
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Re: 481 - Xenoblade Chronicles

Post by seansthomas »

I loved my Wii. I'd fallen out of love with gaming for a few years and my Wii helped lure me back in, but as the sheen of family fun wore off, I craved a decent adventure to rival those that my 360 owning friends were enjoying. I had heard about this game, and on the week of its release was ill and sofa bound. I called in at Blockbuster video on the way home, to hire a comfort film, and noticed this game on the shelf. So I bought it for a rainy day when I felt better.

A few days and a long weekend later, I was hooked. From the moment I saw that title screen and the calming effect of that grass waving in the wind, I had a feeling this game was something a bit different.

In truth, I've bounced off almost every JRPG I've ever played and often find the drawn out stories, generic characters and turn based combat in the genre tedious and predictable. But Xenoblade Chronicles had the quirky, beautiful worlds that Japanese developers excel at coupled with a more cinematic and twisting Western story, and I adored it.

The opening of the game does a brilliant job at foreshadowing how long this journey could be. You start with basic combat down a tight, hemmed in area and then as you exit the ravine, the world opens up in front of you. As you walk into Gaur Plain, you see these immense waterfalls and towering animals that don't even acknowledge you, given your paltry level. But you know that one day, you could return and face off against them. The scale of it floored me. The art direction and imagination of the location meant I never cared it wasnt an HD game. And this love only grew as I explored the Bionis regions more and they started to move.

You spend the next few hours exploring the map and falling in love with the colony, its neighbouring countryside and the charming side characters. And then the game rips your heart out. Seeing your young friend die motivated me to get vengeance and see the story out in a way few JRPGs ever have done.

I won't lie, that seemed unlikely to ever happen a few times during the 100+ hours it took to beat it, but the end game more than made up for the occasional grind that ensued.

And it's such a brilliant sounding game. The soundtrack is probably my most listened to in all of gaming. It urged me on and brought each region a real sense of uniqueness. And whilst I know some people hated the voice acting, I found it refreshing to hear amusing, regional British accents in a game.

Combat was incredibly deep and original too. I loved dancing around the enemies, mixing up my party and lapping up the moments when the Monado came to life.

The game does some innovative stuff too, that I pointed out in my Cane and Rinse piece about the game here and I believe altered the course of Zelda along the way:

https://caneandrinse.com/monolith-soft- ... -the-wild/

I love this game. I've written about it for Vice Gaming. I've written about it for Cane and Rinse. I've forced several people I know to play it. I've put over 100 hours into it.

The sequels improve on individual aspects of the original but in truth, never quite gel in the same way. Shulk's journey is one of gamings finest and represents the JRPG morphing into something altogether more modern, heartfelt and epic.
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Re: 481 - Xenoblade Chronicles

Post by Rhaegyr »

I've heard the hosts on Cane and Rinse for years talk about their 'Epic Shelf' and if I had one this would be one of the few games on it. It was the first game in years (I think since Metroid Prime) that I couldn't get out of my head once I'd started it; I'd be at work or with friends and all I wanted to do was to play this instead. There's no better feeling when a game gets its hooks in you in this way, especially as it happens less often the older you get.

It's hard to be specific about why I think is the best example of the genre as I enjoy practically everything this game has to offer but I'll try to hone in on what pushes it over to the top for me;

Sense of scale: Seeing Territorial Rothbart as soon as you step out onto the Bionis Leg after the first few hours is an absolute gamechanger. I'd seen enemies on the map in games such as Grandia 2 and FFXII but never as huge or as high level as this! Surrounding him was an area filled with rivers, rivulets, lakes, archways, plateaus, valleys and tons of other smaller, more managable wildlife and enemies. It felt like a living, breathing place and I couldn't wait to explore it; a feeling I felt every time I stepped into a new area.

Polish: JRPGs in my experience are notorious for wasting your time, be it grinding to level up characters, backtracking, having to level up equipment or grinding enemies for rare loot drops. Xenoblade felt like the first JRPG I'd ever played that respected my time; the game was big enough without the need for superfluous padding. To name but a few quality of life features; *deep breath* Using landmarks for warp points to get round the huge areas easier; returning to nearest landmark after death instead of reloading an earlier save (with all skills/xp in tact!); automatic full health recovery after battles; quests being complete without having to hand them into the quest giver; characters levelling up whether they're in the main party or not; changing the day/night cycle at will to active certain questlines or monsters and finally, a jump button which stopped little walls or jagged parts of scenery becoming a ten minute detour as you walked around them.

Audio: Even if the game didn't sit on my epic shelf the soundtrack certainly would. The melodies and motifs used in 'open' areas are some of the best I've ever heard: Gaur Plain, Valak Mountain, Fallen Arm and a few others are all top, top drawer. The only areas I felt were a little sub-par were the 'mechanical' areas in the second half of the game. I particularly liked how each area had two themes and that they kicked in just as you may be getting fed up of one.

I loved the English voice acting too! It may not have been delivered by the greatest actors but just hearing British regional, northern accents in any game, let alone a JRPG, put a big stupid smirk on my face. Anyone who doesn't like Reyn's voice needs a slap. Wish you could mute all Nopon's though.

So yeah, I adore it. It's the first JRPG I've truly loved since Skies of Arcadia. The sequels came close but they were lacking in on area or another whereas this was firing on all cylinders.

It's a victory lap for JRPGs, a collage of all the best features from JRPGs over the last ten years. A total fucking triumph.

3WR - Whatta Buncha Jokers!
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Re: 481 - Xenoblade Chronicles

Post by seansthomas »

True fact @Rhaegyr

Jenna Louise Coleman is one of the voice actors in this game, recorded before her big break in Doctor Who
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Re: 481 - Xenoblade Chronicles

Post by Rhaegyr »

Hah, in a strange coincidence I actually served her when working for Currys during my university years around 15 years ago in Leeds (think she was on Emmerdale at the time). She got a bit arsey when I told her the TV she wanted to buy wasn't in stock!
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Re: 481 - Xenoblade Chronicles

Post by Buskalilly »

Apart from Pokémon I'm not really a JRPG guy, but Xenoblade Chronicles was my big exception.

The world is absolutely phenomenal to explore, the characters dragged me through the story with genuine excitement and the music is in my head to this day. I think the user-friendly touches with fast travel, simple side-quests and streamlined levelling, combined with fast-paced combat and engaging exploration, made the experience of playing Xenoblade feel different to other JRPGs I've dabbled with.

Curiously, I've bounced off when attempting to play both the sequels. The characters, story and setting didn't appeal in the same way and despite both having very cool and beautiful worlds, I wasn't as fascinated as I was by the Bionis and Mechonis.

For me, it will always be Reyn time.
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Re: Our next podcast recording (7.8.21): 481 - Xenoblade Chronicles

Post by chriscolru »

Xenoblade Chronicles is a game that brings back some great memories for me.

I could tell you about how great a game this is but I'm sure others will take care of that.

This game holds a special place in my household. I got it when my son was about three years old. I knew this was going to be my only chance to play through this game, and wanted to see everything. Every side quest. Every piece of additional dialog. The whole deal. This game took me about 175 hours in 30 minute increments over the course of two plus years to complete from start to finish.

During one of those play sessions while playing with my son next to me, I had reached the snowy mountain area that I can't recall the name of. My son, who was probably close to five at this point, was sitting watching me play. We were high up in the mountains and noticed that there was a small pool of water way down below. He asked me what would happen if I jumped down there. Could I land in the pool? So of course, we tried it. We leapt off the cliff. I could honestly feel it my stomach like riding an amusement park roller-coaster. Thud! I just missed the water. R.I.P Shulk. So re-loaded the game, and tried again and again. Huzzah! We made it! Shulk somehow survived a 1000 foot drop by landing in 2 feet of water. This was now the game for my son and I. Any cliff, anywhere in this game's large world was now a potential diving board. We spent weeks just warping to different areas to find great cliff jumping spots and seeing if Shulk could survive.

To my son, that is Xenoblade Chronicles. He still talks about it to this day and he's now 10. So much so, that I purchased the Definitive Edition for the Switch, and he won't play it. "Dad, it will take too long to get the jumping parts" he says...

Oh well. Happy to support Monolift Soft by re-buying a great game. Even if we still only ever play the Wii version for our own Xenoblade family Olympics.
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Re: Our next podcast recording (7.8.21): 481 - Xenoblade Chronicles

Post by ratsoalbion »

I love this!
:D
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Re: Our next podcast recording (7.8.21): 481 - Xenoblade Chronicles

Post by Kanlic »

***Quick note, thank you for taking the time to read my comment on the Yakuza Kiwami 2 show. The Slavic way of pronouncing my name is correct but I live in the US and go by “Can-Lick” more often. Both pronunciations are acceptable, so whatever you are more comfortable saying!***

Xenoblade Chronicles challenges nearly all biases that define the sum of its parts. It’s a game that is bigger than what seemed possible for the PS3 and 360, yet ran relatively smoothly on the Wii. The music is grand, the combat is varied and complex, the environments demanded exploration and rewarded players who took on the challenge to explore the backside of Bionis (or kneecap of Mechonis for that matter). The ambition of the systems is displayed front and center. Whether it’s the modular cosmetic changes with the armor or the web of relationships you can track, Monolith Soft clearly put a lot of heart into developing this instant classic despite some of the half-baked execution.

Immediate to any newcomer to Xenoblade Chronicles is the score of the soundtrack. The energy of adventure captured by Guar Plain motivates exploration, if not just to hear the song loop again with its night theme variation. The Colony 9 theme winks at the player and asks, “what are you waiting for?” to start your adventure, whereas the Eryth Sea makes you consider all you’ve experienced in your journey before everything inevitably falls apart. The soundtrack to Xenoblade Chronicles is well considered, and there’s little mystery as to why it’s one of the standing legacies to this classic Nintendo game.

The quasi-real time combat is as exhilarating as it is frustrating. It is quite reminiscent to raid quests in your run of the mill MMO RPG, where each party member has a specific role they must fulfill in order to complete combat encounters unscathed. Shulk embodies the RPG hero everyman, slightly overpowered and is a good choice in any combat encounter. Melia can chain buffs and dish powerful elemental attacks, and Sharla supports the team with heals and her rifle. Each character has a unique move set, breathing fresh air in combat encounters depending on who you control. This variety is great, but is hampered by the fact that you cannot switch between your party members mid-combat, relegating control of your party members to specific instances that are infrequent enough to not be considered as part of your combat strategy. This has the unfortunate effect of making support class characters like Riki and Reyn less engaging to play, since they rely on manipulating enemy behavior to perform certain actions. This wouldn’t be so bad if the partner AI was a bit tighter, but the combat actions they take feel too random to fully utilize your party composition. Thankfully the combat for the more viable party members is varied enough that sequencing attacks and status effects is a joy to play.

The narrative intrigue of Xenoblade Chronicles treads familiar ground but is kept fresh by it’s likable cast and out-there setting. The obvious inconsistencies with the plot are successfully waived away by its operatic construction. You quickly forget about the why and focus on the what next. Then when the game promises to turn up the intensity, you are ready for what it delivers, to cosmic proportions.

The side quests and collectibles are the black mark when thinking about Xenoblade Chronicles’ legacy. The objectives are meaningless, either some combination of picking up random drop A or defeating enemy B, to get reward XYZ that either gets lost in your inventory or converted to chum for crafting. The quests feel rote and out of place for what is a well-realized game. Colony 6, the most ambitious side quest, falls under the same trappings that make the other side content such a bore to pursue. Because the city building requires materials that are randomly earned, and the reward for building the city is seemingly inconsequential, why would a player sink their time into grinding out the quest to rejuvenate this broken city? The relationship system also feels vestigial, almost unused during a playthrough, and where it does find use between party members, it incentivizes less experimentation from the player. It’s disappointing that the side content of Xenoblade Chronicles was as under-developed as it was, because it had so much potential to emphasize the features that makes this game great.

Xenoblade Chronicles is a game that encourages the player to set out on an adventure and explore it’s nooks and crannies, even if it takes you between the toes of an ancient giant. I am grateful that I had the experience of playing through this game, despite its flaws.
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Re: Xenoblade Chronicles

Post by Kasuga-san »

I actually came to Xenoblade Chronicles late. I had played Xenoblade Chronicles 2 first and had enjoyed it enough to pick up the first game on a whim while looking for something new. I've never been a huge fan of the new active combat systems utilized by a majority of JRPGs these days and this game is no exception. Despite that, I found myself enjoying the world and some of its characters (even though Riki I found annoying no matter which voice you used, and I don't appreciate the "fan service" in these types of games). The story kept me going until the end... but those side quests? I heard it was worse in the original version, but I gave up on significant side quest completion very early on. I know it's well-loved in the JRPG community, but this one just doesn't stick with me like some other JRPGs in the past decade like Persona 5, Dragon Quest XI, and Fire Emblem Awaking/Three Houses (if you consider them JRPGs).
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Re: 481 - Xenoblade Chronicles

Post by ThirdDrawing »

seansthomas wrote: April 26th, 2021, 7:56 pm True fact @Rhaegyr

Jenna Louise Coleman is one of the voice actors in this game, recorded before her big break in Doctor Who
She even came back and recorded some stuff for the re-release, I believe.

As an aside, how do people enjoy XB2? I finally managed to find a copy of this in the wild this week and I've been binging on it. Seems interesting so far.
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Re: 481 - Xenoblade Chronicles

Post by seansthomas »

ThirdDrawing wrote: August 26th, 2021, 10:51 pm
seansthomas wrote: April 26th, 2021, 7:56 pm True fact @Rhaegyr

Jenna Louise Coleman is one of the voice actors in this game, recorded before her big break in Doctor Who
She even came back and recorded some stuff for the re-release, I believe.

As an aside, how do people enjoy XB2? I finally managed to find a copy of this in the wild this week and I've been binging on it. Seems interesting so far.
I beat it and enjoyed it to a certain extent, but neither this nor X gave me the same buzz or wow factor that the original XC did.

Tonally it's closer to that game than X was, and in terms of the world and music it's pretty great. But the story didn't grab me as much, the art style is all over the shop and I found some of the more clichéd Japanese JRPG tropes (cheesy bad guys, sexualised female characters, predictable plot twists, repetitive grinding) far more jarring.

I don't regret playing it at all and I think the combat in it is not only better in general, but also introduced very cleverly over a far greater timeframe. And the endgame is pretty epic.

But I don't think it does anything that much better than the original nor innovates. Whereas in some respects, whilst it's a hot mess and I bailed on X after 60+ hours, it's lived longer in the memory.

The Torna expansion for XC2 is supposedly great though.

Oh, and also I thought the podcast was great all involved. Top guests!
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Re: Xenoblade Chronicles

Post by ThirdDrawing »

Hey Leon, if you want to play a JRPG that isn't about killing God, play the Suikoden games.
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