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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Gaming Xenoblade Chronicles [1, X, 2 & 3]

Discussion in 'Community' started by Jedi Ben, Nov 22, 2015.

  1. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    OK, if offered the quest Prone Sweet Prone and you are not anywhere near Lv45-50 or lack a Skell with flight ability, don't take it.

    Quest summary will say you just have enter a fortress, find a key - defeat a Lv 19 enemy - release prisoners. What isn't mentioned is every other enemy is at least Lv 42 and hostile and there's some killer Lv 50 enemies with massively long sight lines!

    So, I'm currently stuck with a quest I can't do and that'll kill my Skell in 2 shots even on a stealth run. Going to play the long game, then, at a suitable time - I will return to that area and kill every single Prone and robot. There will be vengeance.
     
  2. The Shadow Emperor

    The Shadow Emperor Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 29, 2012
    So you know how some missions require you to survive an onslaught of enemies for a certain period of time? There's a very easy way to do them.

    Repeatedly enter and exit your Skell. During the animation (which takes a few seconds, by the way), you can't be damaged by enemies. Mashing the button repeatedly will essentially grant you invincibility for the duration of the mission.
     
  3. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    So, finished Xenoblade Chronicles X.....

    It did fall prey to that which afflicts many games on their finale sections - a pigging irritating boss fight. The game works Ok if you're dealing with 3-4 enemies at a time, not 10 and certainly not dispersed over a wide area. The targeting mechanism, just isn't up to it. And this boss fight did indeed do exactly that.

    Strangely, the subsequent phases went:
    • Fight 10 Soldier Chimeras - Utter slaughter, they lasted seconds.
    • Final boss - Phase 1 was harder than Phase 2, thihk that probably should be the other way around but stuff it, I don't mind - my gang creamed his arse and killed his little friend. (Queen Chimera)
    Without engaging in spoilers there is a WTF element to the ending, but it's also something that was threaded through the entire game from an early stage. Does it work? It does for me.

    Benefits of finishing are a slew of post-game missions and a load of Level 60 Skell frames which, given how bad arse the Level 50s are, will be very fun to deploy. If I get to secure the materials to do so.

    What sets the game out, among its competitors, is that there's a lot to it but you really do have to discover and work it out. When you do the rewards are considerable.

    The Soul Voice combat system is an interesting one, if you get a good combination of voices it can be quite incredibly effective but equally if your party ones quiet, you might be stuffed. What determines who says what and when remains unclear even nearly 190 hours in. Combined with the button prompts, it does ensure you cannot autopilot fights like some other games.

    Adding size into the enemy classification sounds obvious but I haven't seen it be done previously. Result is you have consider your fights or indeed avoidance strategy if there's a big beastie in the area, even if you have a 10-20 level advantage, the size difference can make up for it. Thus, only just before tackling the end game did I manage to just take out one of these:

    [​IMG]

    (No, I didn't take out Luciel aka Mr Lv 92, just a Lv 50 Millesaur)

    The weaknesses of the game remain:

    Limited AI of your companions combined with insanely stupid sight sight abilty of your enemies. While you will have to tell them a few times to keep focused on one enemy, other enemies will be able to see you through multiple walls and floors, cave walls and so on. It really is quite nuts but not in a good way.

    The aggro mechanisms can be utterly unfair in that you'll attack one enemy, on his own and it turns out he's a 10-member hive mind and all his friends come in to join the fight and you get your arse handed to you through sheer numbers. (The correct response in those situations is to instead leg it and come back with Skells, then quote Ezekiel 25:17 and commence a large amount of bloody vengeance.)

    There are also some fights in some really bloody stupid locations, which, after you've somehow got through, you can't help but wonder what game designer thought that could possibly be deemed fun. There's also quite a few times when you get asked to make decisions withot knowing what you're signing up to and then getting locked into a very difficult fight as a result. That you cannot cease Affinity Missions is the biggest flaw in the game because those missions vary from cakewalk to insane and you can't rely on the recommended level to accurately guide you.

    For all it can irritate greatly when other, frequently far bigger, enemies join what is intended as a private punch-up, it does give the sense that you are in a dynamic environment. I know The2ndQuest found the game oddly insubstantial, which is true, you can end up running through the bigger creatures. I put that down to the tech limitations, but also, if the big ones were totally solid - they'd get to squash your party to death very quickly.

    Overall the main game and its story is well done but is quite limited, but the same was true of its predecessor. The bigger gains in both games came from exploring and sometimes infiltrating some very dangerous locations.
    The far bigger success is in the design of the world and it's inhabitants and that it flows the entire time with no loading. Thus you can go from Noctilum into Primordia into Oblivia and then north to Caludros and fly over into Sylvarum. They've also scattered a load of off-the-map islands that host some very strong adversaries - stumbled on and somehow took out a Level 80 Qmoeva on one. At the same time you will not have played a game with a world that looks like it, nor the creatures in it.

    Unfortunately, for all its brilliance, I can't say it is a system seller. If you enjoy RPGs, then yeah, it is but for anyone who doesn't it'll be a quite brutal and probably bewildering place to start. In this respect Bayonetta 2 might have the edge, but that's another balls-to-the-wall insane Japanese action title that has its niche audience too. The Wii U really did need a big Mario or Zelda game beyond Mario Kart 8, though that would have helped it a bit.

    For any RPG fan, you need to play this. For everything else, your mileage might vary.

    For me? Well, there's new skells to build, new missions and an array of bigger, badder post-game enemies to deal with. 200 hours plus? Probably will be, but will likely return to Witcher 3: Blood and Wine or the Fallout 4 DLC add-ons....
     
  4. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000


    Figured I'd expand the scope of this thread to cover the series- and it gives me an excuse to repost a link to that gorgeous, gorgeous trailer.

    I'm curious, having never played XBC1, was there any kind of Norse mythological element at play? I only ask because that key title screen visual at the end of the trailer made me think of Yggdrasil being circled by the world serpent.
     
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  5. Rew

    Rew Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 22, 2008
    When I first saw Xenoblade Chronicles 2 during Nintendo's Switch presentation, my immediate reaction was, "Yes, yes, YES!!" It's the sequel I never knew I wanted until I saw the trailer!

    I think I'm in the opposite boat from you, Quest. I tried Xenoblade X for a few days after it first came out, and I simply couldn't get into it at all. But the original Xenoblade, on the other hand, is one of the greatest games I've ever played--maybe even the greatest. I've poured more hours into that one game than perhaps all the Zelda titles combined (and you know how big of a Zelda fan I am!). So I'm beyond excited for this. This is equivalent to Breath of the Wild-caliber hype for me. :D

    As far as Norse mythology, there wasn't any of that in the first game, that I'm aware of. It has more references to Gnosticism (e.g. the Monado referring to the Monad, a Gnostic term for Beginning or the Supreme One) than anything else.

    Anyway, you should definitely give the original Xenoblade Chronicles a chance sometime Quest, especially since now it's available on the Wii U Virtual Console. [face_peace]
     
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  6. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    Nope, no Norse aspects I recall.

    I could be susceptible to a Switch - XC2 combo pack in the future, if it's at a good price because the one guaranteed aspect of this series is unique and very distinctive world design.
     
  7. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    It is on my to-do list (just a question of if i save up for a physical disc for my collection or just go VC), but I still haven't had time to get past the title screen of XBCX (I will have free time to play games this year. I will have free time to play games this year. I am one with the Force and the Force is with me...) so I do want to tackle that first. And then both Skyward Sword and Breath of the Wild take priority in terms of the other larger games. So XBC1 will probably be a late 2017 proposition, hopefully (and a good hold-m-over because I seriously doubt XBC2 can make a 2017 release date, stateside- and, even though the Switch is region free now, I'm not going to import a text-heavy game like that).
     
  8. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    So, anyone playing XC2? It's getting excellent reviews.

    Not sure when I'll get to it, as I need to find £320.
     
  9. Nobody145

    Nobody145 Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Feb 9, 2007
    I'm about six hours in, and I'm loving it. Although just to warn you, I have a higher tolerance for JRPG cliches than many, and I actually like many of those story beats as long as its not too heavyhanded or saccharine. I'm glad to have a protagonist with a name and voice, I don't like the silent protagonist too much (one reason I haven't gotten into Xenoblade X). He's mostly the standard naive idealistic hero, but not too stupid fortunately (the number of country bumpkins in JRPGs I tell you).

    Combat I'm still not sure about (after the initial tutorial explanation there's no tutorial menu, so pay attention the first time the game teaches you about the many systems) but its mostly fun. And gorgeous art, which shouldn't be a surprise by now. Dub is ok, everyone's got European accents, and aside from lip synching (which is a minor thing), most of the emotions are fine (only a few cringeworthy yells). There is an option for Japanese dialogue too (just have to download it as DLC from the eshop). And there's even a cutscene theater to rewatch things. So basically I think its a great game and another good reason to own a Switch.
     
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  10. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    No Switch to play it on yet, but the SE box is bigger than my head.

    [​IMG]
     
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  11. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    If you liked Transformers, X's Skells are just superb - you get a gang of four of them together and it's hard not to do your best impression of Prime:

    Autobots, transform and roll out.

    X is also a great demonstration of the potential of WiiPad too, the way it uses it is superb.

    The game series trump card for me is the world design, for each of the games there is a world like nothing you've ever seen.
     
  12. Reynar_Tedros

    Reynar_Tedros Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 3, 2006
    About seven and a half hours in and enjoying it quite a bit. It's definitely scratching that JRPG itch that I get around this time every year.
     
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  13. jedi_john_33

    jedi_john_33 Jedi Master star 7

    Registered:
    Sep 26, 2003
    That was me and my copy of BotW as I waited for nowinstock.net to ding with a Switch.

    On a thread related note, I started Xenoblade 1 on the 3DS. Looking forward to playing through that to get 2!
     
  14. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    Just remember that there's no plot link between the two.

    XC1 is awesome, even years later.
     
  15. jedi_john_33

    jedi_john_33 Jedi Master star 7

    Registered:
    Sep 26, 2003
    Ohhh. I didn't know that. Well, I like to play things in chronological order anyways. I played like 2 hours straight this morning and thought only like 10 minutes passed.
     
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  16. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    You can rack up a lot of time with XC1 - it also, perhaps more than any other game I've played, really rewards exploration.
     
  17. JEDI-SOLO

    JEDI-SOLO Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Feb 12, 2002
    The games aren’t connected anyway story wise? I have my kids Wii.

    Will get Switch one day
     
  18. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    Nope. Although I wouldn't put it past someone to have tried to fit them together.

    What they do have in common is unique world design that you will never see in any other game, which was true for XCX too.
     
  19. JEDI-SOLO

    JEDI-SOLO Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Feb 12, 2002
    If I buy a Switch can I play the others on it?
     
  20. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    As I don't have a Switch, I can't tell you for certain but:
    • On XC1 Ninty would be an idiot to not make it available via eShop with the sequel out.
    • XCX I would not expect to be as it used the Wii U Gamepad extensively, as a second screen - it's arguably the game that shows what could have been there. Due to that I can't see any way for Ninty to transfer it.
     
  21. jedi_john_33

    jedi_john_33 Jedi Master star 7

    Registered:
    Sep 26, 2003
    I am definitely seeing that! I just recently got to Colony 6. I really only play on the weekend, so progress is slow. Easy enough to pick up after a few days off though.
     
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  22. Rew

    Rew Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 22, 2008
    Welllllll... not until you get to the end, that is. ;)
     
  23. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    Hmm, you mean the second game Rew? If so, sounds quite cool then.
     
  24. JEDI-SOLO

    JEDI-SOLO Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Feb 12, 2002
    Stopped at GameStop with my son today wanting to check on Xenoblade for Wii. They had it pre owned... for $50! No way I’m spending that much $ on a game two consoles old. I will try to find at a garage sale.

    I want to play these games.
     
  25. The2ndQuest

    The2ndQuest Tri-Mod With a Mouth star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jan 27, 2000
    The Wii version was somewhat rare as, IIRC, it only had a limited release exclusively through GameStop- $50 for a used copy isn't bad compared to what one went for a few years ago. Though I think you can probably find a copy for as little as $40 if you look around.

    There was also a 3D port to the N3DS, but that's also become harder to find and you could be spending over $100 at this point.

    The most economical way to acquire the (Wii) game is digitally through the eShop on the Wii U- it's only $20.
     
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