Xenoblade Chronicles appreciation thread

[Fynn]

Let's discuss this gem. Remember it? It's that one awesome game on the Wii everyone seems to have forgotten even though it was lauded as the best RPG of the decade. Also, please use spoiler tags, because I'm hoping this will make more people experience this game for the first time :)

[Wolf Kanno]

Xenoblade was an incredible game, while it had some issues with a cumbersome inventory system and too many samey fetch quests, what this game did was absolutely incredible. It was just one of the more user friendly experiences I've seen on an RPG, had a much more in-depth customization system and I absolutely love how the game makes each of the characters feel distance in both function, design and play-style.

Course the most incredible part of the game is it's world design. I mean seriously it is one of the best crafted worlds in a console RPG period. It's unique premise of being a dead god, it's absolutely fantastic scale, the ability to fully explore it by running climbing, swimming, and even falling off your demise. The skybox is gorgeous the game incorporates both a day/night cycle and weather effects and it's just glorious.

Here's a sample:
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This is just the player taking the most direct path from the bottom of the Bionis to the top and it's done at a huge speed boost. This only represents a fraction of how large and exquisite the areas are.

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This was just a cool fan-made trailer still, I do love how the story and gameplay really factor into each other with the Monado Visions. The story is not the deep philosophical/religious clusterfuck of Gears and Saga but it still has its strong points and the game really comes into its own slowly as you explore everything. It may not have been an FF scale success but I bet most JRPG designers are looking at this game and taking notes. I wouldn't be surprised if the Versus team saw this game and kicked themselves because the scale of the world is the same they are shooting for.

[black orb]

>>> Did Nintendo put money on Xenoblade`s development or something?
Hard to believe this immense RPG is on the Wii and Wii only, (i would love to see it in another consoles).

And yeah, Xenoblade is the RPG of the decade. That pretty much say it all.:luca:

[Vyk]

Gonna have to find time (a super massive block of time) to give this game another go, since I was previously stopped in the middle of it and haven't touched it in months. I was absolutely in love with it the whole while I was able to play it. It deserves to be finished. It's one of those games I would buy a strategy guide for, just so I could browse through it, years down the road, to relive nostalgia without having to do the 80-hour trek all over again. Even though that trek would probably again be worth it. And sadly, I don't believe any guide was released for english-speakers

[Wolf Kanno]

>>> Did Nintendo put money on Xenoblade`s development or something?
Hard to believe this immense RPG is on the Wii and Wii only, (i would love to see it in another consoles).

And yeah, Xenoblade is the RPG of the decade. That pretty much say it all.:luca:

Monolith Soft is owned by Nintendo after Namco-Bandai sold them. So it's pretty much in-house for Nintendo. On the bright side, maybe we'll see a Xenoblade themed battle map in the next Smash Bros. :D

[Pumpkin]

I have it but I haven't played it yet!

[black orb]

maybe we'll see a Xenoblade themed battle map in the next Smash Bros. :D
>>> Noooooooooooo!!!!..:luca:

[NeoCracker]

Do you know how awesome it would be to have Dunban in SSB?

If your answer is anything other then 'so awesome' you're dead to me. :colbert:

[Wolf Kanno]

I think Riki would be more amusing actually. :shifty:

[NeoCracker]

Amusing yes, but not as awesome.

Also the most likely.

And it would still make me happy. :p

[black orb]

>>> You can put the entire Xenoblade cast there and it wont make SSB any better..:luca:

[Skyblade]

>>> You can put the entire Xenoblade cast there and it wont make SSB any better..:luca:

I know. It's already one of the best fighting games of all time. How much more can you improve it?:D


I plan on playing this, but I'm not sure when I'm going to have time to. It is not a small game, and I have a lot in my backlog, and several upcoming games that will take precedence (like Persona Q).

[Wolf Kanno]

I would just laugh as Riki became the new Jigglypuff/Kirby character where all the players hate him but he's surprisingly good.

RIKI IS HEROPON!

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[black orb]

I know. It's already one of the best fighting games of all time.

:onoes:

[Pumpkin]

Hey, since you guys have played the game, how many playable characters are there? Any you think I could feel an attachment to?

[black orb]

Any you think I could feel an attachment to?
>>> "Metal Face" definitely, he is such a sweetheart..:luca:

[Fynn]

There's seven in total. And they're all brilliant, with tons of great interaction between them, so you probably should feel attachment to them. There's three girls:

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Practically everything about them is a spoiler, so I'm not giving you names you can google :p You need to play this game, shion! It's definitely one of my favorite games of all time. Might even take the number one spot. Takahashi's new project looks very similar. So much so that it makes me want a WiiU.

[Wolf Kanno]

Hey, since you guys have played the game, how many playable characters are there? Any you think I could feel an attachment to?

There are a total of seven full playable characters in the game and honestly, they are all pretty good. One of the cool features in this game are Heart-to-Hearts which are little optional dialogue sequences you can get between different party members and they operate like mini-social links from Persona 3 and 4. You get a really good feel for how all the characters feel about each other.

[NeoCracker]

Sharla gets a bit shafted in this game story wise, and one character I fucking hate (Won't go into details at all for spoilers and what not), and the rest are all pretty groovy.

[metagloria]

Everything about this game rules. Everything. It's not even worth making a list. Name something: it rules.

[Del Murder]

Agreed with pretty much everyone about how great this game is. Best game for the Wii and one of the top ten games of this generation. Certainly the best JRPG to come out in years.

The world design was fantastic and I could not get enough of just exploring the various locations. The playable characters were all great and unique and it resulted in a multitude of party setups that could work in a pinch for any situation. The side quests did get repetitive but they were also addicting in their own way. My favorite part of the game was the storyline as it appeared fairly straightforward at first but then took you on a series of twists and went places I could not even have fathomed.

[Dat Matt]

I started this game today. 45 minutes in found a red sparkly object near a fence, jumped for it and ended up jumping into the water which was about 200ft down. I also wasn't expecting that I would be able to swim in the water, more that I would Die or be taken back to the town.

I used this opertunity of not knowing how to get back up to run round the perimeter of the map to get an idea of how big this area was. P.big is the answer. All was going well until I got the attention of some Lvl 70 fish and I had to run for my life. THat was terrifying.

Good game so far.

[Sephex]

I am a jerk hole who let this game slip into my backlog after playing it for a few hours. I did really enjoy what I played of it so far, but I fear I will have to start over when I pick it up again since I don't remember how to play, nor do I feel like reading up on it. I think I'll go battle random stuff to get the hang of things again since I basically remember what happened in the story.

[metagloria]

I started this game today. 45 minutes in found a red sparkly object near a fence, jumped for it and ended up jumping into the water which was about 200ft down. I also wasn't expecting that I would be able to swim in the water, more that I would Die or be taken back to the town.

I used this opertunity of not knowing how to get back up to run round the perimeter of the map to get an idea of how big this area was. P.big is the answer. All was going well until I got the attention of some Lvl 70 fish and I had to run for my life. THat was terrifying.

Good game so far.

Oh man, finding huge places to jump into water is one of the best parts of the game. Just wait 'til Eryth Sea. :)

[Pumpkin]

So I started playing this tonight. The battle system is taking some getting used to. I'm not very far. I did the beginning thing and then umm it said 1 year later and I did 2 fights and that's it!

[Wolf Kanno]

Yay, well start exploring and the battle system opens up as you get more characters. Each one plays differently too so you'll get some good variety as well.

[Pumpkin]

Played some more and I am very overwhelmed o.o

I accepted a bunch of quests that I DON'T KNOW HOW TO COMPLETE AND THE TOWN IS SO GOSH DARNED BIG AND I JUMPED IN THE LAKE AND THIS MONSTER KILLED ME and now I'm in the military district

[metagloria]

Played some more and I am very overwhelmed o.o

I accepted a bunch of quests that I DON'T KNOW HOW TO COMPLETE AND THE TOWN IS SO GOSH DARNED BIG AND I JUMPED IN THE LAKE AND THIS MONSTER KILLED ME and now I'm in the military district
don't stress about quests unless they have a little temporary icon next to them. otherwise, you can complete them 100 hours from now! in fact, you can start some quests very early in the game that you can't complete until way way later. there was a spreadsheet i used that was EXTREMELY helpful for keeping a handle on the overwhelming number of quests...wonder if i can dig it up.

yep! https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/lv?hl=en_US&hl=en_US&key=0Anx12MiCQejudHJfUWhOTGd5Wm1uS25ub2FDeE5BekE&type=view&gid=10&f=true&sortcolid=-1&sortasc=true&rowsperpage=250
(mild spoilers in terms of game progression, fyi)

[Pumpkin]

Played a good amount today, completed some of the quests and now stuff is going down and I'm scared :(

[Vyk]

I restarted playing this game again a few weeks ago. Then got distracted again a couple weeks ago. I should put a couple hours in here soon before I need to restart, AGAIN lol But the beginning 10 - 20 hours are so dramatic and intense I can't really complain

[Jowy]

Found a copy today at a retro shop in Ballard. About two hours in and completely enamored by how impressively colourful the graphics are and the smoothness of the combat. And it only ran me $40!

[Pumpkin]

Story got more investing and I like it a lot more than I did at first! I love how the equipment actually changes their clothes. It's a nice touch

[metagloria]

Story got more investing and I like it a lot more than I did at first! I love how the equipment actually changes their clothes. It's a nice touch

This should be mandatory in every game.

[Vyk]

I love the conversations when you finally take on the first major boss character. It only intensified the feelings you'd get after the events of the first couple hours

[Pumpkin]

I'm having a bit of trouble with the affinity :/

It seems to have gone up between the main guy and his friend, but I'm not 100% how to do it. Seems like its been going up in fights?

Also combos, it said when the 3 characters use abilities of the same colour, a combo can be executed, but how do I know what the other two are doing? Everything goes so fast in fights

[Fynn]

Yes, everything happens so much.

[metagloria]

I'm having a bit of trouble with the affinity :/

It seems to have gone up between the main guy and his friend, but I'm not 100% how to do it. Seems like its been going up in fights?

Also combos, it said when the 3 characters use abilities of the same colour, a combo can be executed, but how do I know what the other two are doing? Everything goes so fast in fights

Affinity is something you can worry about more down the road. Fighting battles together is one way to raise it. I don't even remember anything about combos.

[Wolf Kanno]

Also combos, it said when the 3 characters use abilities of the same colour, a combo can be executed, but how do I know what the other two are doing? Everything goes so fast in fights

Actually you get to control that part because combos are the big damage dealer moves for bosses.

To be honest, the A.I. in this game is pretty damn smart about certain things, like if you use a Break move on an enemy with Shulk, Reyn will usually make sure to use his move that topples enemies right after it, so it's not too difficult to build standard combos like that.

[Vyk]

Yeah, whenever you execute a tri-something attack, you get to choose what moves they're doing. And you can start to raise affinity if you want, by accepting and turning in quests as other characters. There's probably other ways to do it, but the main thing I did was that. The person you're controlling raises affinity with the other two people on the team whenever you do quests

[metagloria]

turning in quests as other characters

Make a habit of doing this early. I *NEVER* did this since I kept Shulk in the lead 95% of the time, and it made me have to do some awkward-party grinding at the end game to max everyone's affinities.

[Vyk]

My first play, I never really thought about it for a while, but it also wasn't made aware to me by the game that you could switch out to play as the other characters as much as you wanted. Makes for nice variety, but I must have missed a tutorial screen somewhere. Then again, the first few permanent characters didn't really interest me other than Fiona

[Pumpkin]

I lost twice against that spider boss so now I'm leveling up and stuff :(

[Wolf Kanno]

Just do more quests, or explore more of the area around Colony 9 if you need quick levels. There are a ton of quests opened up early in Colony 9 and the caves you are currently in so just wander about and pick them up cause they are generally more fun than just grinding enemy mobs.

[Fynn]

About affinity - you can offere certain items as gifts. Those can really considerably raise the affinity between two characters.

[Pumpkin]

Good to know, thank you!

I am now at a point where I have a new playable character and we are rescuing a child. I suspect a boss fight soon and I am scared

[Jibril]

everyone should hunt down a copy of this game after you buy your wii u for mario kart and zelda

i guess monolith decided to troll everyone by making the best jrpg in the last 15 years. i still can't get over the irony. sequel looks incredible

[Vyk]

That fight is indeed a bitch, but just like with the spider, your tactics are a bit more important than your levels. Finding ways to break the future somehow

[Pumpkin]

Just got to colony 6. Darn Juju :nonono:

I am wondering if I did something wrong because apparently Fiora is supposed to be a playable character and she died :confused:

I will continue posting my progress because I hope it encourages discussion and I can talk to people about it :D Hope that isn't annoying

[Vyk]

She WAS a playable character :P

[metagloria]

Just got to colony 6. Darn Juju :nonono:

I am wondering if I did something wrong because apparently Fiora is supposed to be a playable character and she died :confused:

I will continue posting my progress because I hope it encourages discussion and I can talk to people about it :D Hope that isn't annoying

You didn't do anything wrong. :)

Did you do all the quests on Bionis' Leg before getting to Colony 6? If I remember correctly, there are a bunch there that expire once you progress.

[Pumpkin]

I did a few of them but not all of them, I don't think

[Pumpkin]

I just got to Makna(?) Forest and I'm crossing the bridge and I just have to say that looking over at the waterfalls is absolutely beautiful

[jodymcdougle]

I'm a pretty big wii fan! in fact, I'm one of the only people who own a WiiU that I know of. I really want to play this game! but why is it so expensive???

[Wolf Kanno]

It had a limited run in the US because of Gamestop and Nintendo. Not to mention since it came at the end of the Wii's lifecycle I don't think either of them thought it would be a smash hit like it was.

shion: Have you jumped off the bridge and swam to the waterfall yet?

[Pumpkin]

Not yet. I just got mage girl, super excited :omgomg:

Is she a good character to use as my main character? Will Shulk automatically use his ability that let's everyone attack Mechon if I run in to them?

[Wolf Kanno]

Not yet. I just got mage girl, super excited :omgomg:

Is she a good character to use as my main character? Will Shulk automatically use his ability that let's everyone attack Mechon if I run in to them?

You shouldn't actually be running into any Mechon for the time being so its safe to switch to Melia, in fact she is a better character in the players hand anyway. She works on the principle of Buffing your party but then said buffs can be used to launch damaging spells so she's kind all about balancing buffs with offense. Her and Riki I feel are the two characters that are the most fun to play as except maybe Seven and Dunban once you get their higher skills and better builds.

[Pumpkin]

Well that's exciting :jess:

So I should switch to Shulk though when facing Mechon? Also, what's a good level to be at for the next part of the game?

[Wolf Kanno]

Shulk will use the Monado ability though he's not as good about it as the player might be. Luckily, you are not far off from the point where the game will start giving you weapons that can hurt the Mechon naturally without the aid of the Monado though you still have a ways to go for that point.

Level-wise, I always try to be around the same level as the enemies in the area. In truth I never bothered looking at levels unless I was trying to hunt some nasty monsters in a sidequest. There are a ton of little side missions and locations to discover in here that you won't have to really worry about levels until you reach the Bionis head.

[Pumpkin]

Alrighty, thanks!

I'm going around doing quests with Melia and she is just precious :jess: This makes me happy because I always pick a character before I start a game that I want to be 'my character' and sometimes I've been disappoint in the past (Aeris :colbert:) so I'm glad I like her so far

[Wolf Kanno]

You'll really appreciate her during the next area cause you have to deal with her past and backstory for the most part. She's a pretty important character in the game.

[Pumpkin]

SUPER IMPORTANT NEED HELP

Where can I get this outfit for Melia because it is friggin adorable :omgomg:

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[Wolf Kanno]

Probably either from the Nopon town or the High Entia town, it looks to be a variation of the tribal outfit.

[Del Murder]

The more I think about this game, the more I remember it fondly. This is really exactly what we needed from a JRPG in the modern era and this game delivered on all fronts. Games like Bravely Default and The Last Story are pretty fun but would have been easily forgotten had they been released during the JRPG heyday of the PS1/PS2. However, Xenoblade Chronicles would be a classic no matter when it was released. It's probably on my list of Top 10 JRPGs of all time.