Xenoblade Chronicles

[Roto13]

Nothing wrong with the map menu. Equipment management is kind of crap, though.

[edczxcvbnm]

>>> I love this game, the recent FF games look like dirt compared to it..

My only gripe with this game are the item/equipment/map/etc menus, they are terrible..

Nothing wrong with the map menu. Equipment management is kind of crap, though.

I did not have a problem with the maps other than it was slow loading.

But as for the other stuff....THANK YOU!

[Wolf Kanno]

My computer is not happy with me right now, which is why I have not been able to post my progression for awhile, but I'm being sneaky on a friends PC to update.

I've reached the (SPOILER)Mechonis Hand and acquired who I believe is the final party meber Fiora. Didn't quite see that coming. The plot has been amazing in the last few sections and its finally moving away from the simple premise that's been pushing the party along for awhile. Anyway, I hope to give more detail thoughts later on after I get a new PC.

[black orb]

Equipment management is kind of crap, though.

>>> Most of the item management is kind of crap, if I dont sell stuff from time to time I get the item bag full in no time.. It also need a quick way (just one button) to access the map, and the lack of HD make things hard to see on the top-right corner of the screen mini map..

[Roto13]

Have you tried pressing the minus button?

[black orb]

>>> That button "1" I guess, yeah I discovered it recently..
BTW, I really hate the wiimote..

[Del Murder]

I'm really enjoying this game. It feels like a spiritual successor to FFXII. It's taking many of the things that game did right and expanding on them. I'm not sure why SE didn't do this themselves instead of going in a completely different direction with XIII but that's off topic.

I love the thought that things are included in this game just to make it more fun. Who cares if there's really no explanation on how you can fast travel or change the time at will, or why you don't need to return to the NPC to finish the material quests. Having those options makes the game a whole lot more enjoyable and user friendly and I love it.

So far I'm at Bionis Knee and I just got Sharla. I had the same reaction as WK when I first got here: 'hello Gran Pulse as the third area of the game'. It's wonderful and it actually reminds me of FFXI where the mobs have their own little family units and areas they keep to. Killing random NMs is also fun even when it's not part of a quest. Also seeing the high level baddies lurking places gives the game a nice element of danger for when you are ridiculously leveled for the rest of the area (which I am now due to all the questing and exploring).

The characters so far are ok. Nothing special but certainly not annoying brats like some games. Their faces are weird looking though.

[Wolf Kanno]

I'm pretty sure I am at the end of the gamemajor story spoiler Mechonis is gone, and Zanza has been reborn so I'm heading towards the interiro of the Bionis . I'm over 165 hours on my clock and my party level is about 94. I'm trying to unlock the last of the characters skills trees but Sharla's hasn't popped up yet which means it must have to do with Colony 6's sidequest.

The plot has really picked up and became a roller coaster ride with several plot twists I didn't quite see coming. I really love how the game gives you so many "The Final Dungeon....NOT!" to keep you on your toes in the last parts of the story.

There are a lot of things I would love to discuss but I'm probably going to save them for after I finish the game. The game does so many things right for the JRPG genre and I agree with Del that the game is definetly the spiritual successor to FFXII.

[Mercen-X]

For those wondering, even though you can have a piece of equipment like "Colony Shirt" that can be worn by all the characters, the outfit design is unique for the character it's put on. So the big broly character interprets it like a muscle shirt, the main hero has heavy jacket, and the girl gets a cute top.

Sounds awesome. I would have to expect an equipment system like this in a Xeno game or pretty much any game with futuristic technology.

The battle system is pretty fun, which is a relief cause watching videos of it made it look boring, but once you actually get the system down, you realize how in-depth and involving it really is. Gem slots are a cool idea for armor customization and I am quite happy I get XP for finding new territories and completing side quests which is a nice change of pace from just endless battling.

This is for the PS3, isn't it? I won't be able to play it.

Shulk would have been voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch, who is a great VA but he's extremely overexposed, and I don't think I would care to listen to Ichigo/Vash the Stampede for 40+ hours.

Hey, now, no need for Bosch-bashing.

[Del Murder]

This game is for Wii.

I can't wait to get to the plot twists that WK mentions. I will say that there is a pretty large twist near the start of the game that I was not prepared for. It made me .

[The Captain]

Just made it to Prison Island for the first time.

This game is really mirroring a lot of what happened in Xenogears, though it feels like a much more fleshed out, complete version. Not just in plot points but characters behaving in the same way and certain events playing out as they did in the other game.

It is steadily moving up the list to be among my favorites of all-time.

Take care all.

[black orb]

>>> I beat it already, this one is officially my second fav game ever now..

I heard some people complain about the ending, but I liked it because it was not pretentious like other RPGs..

[The Captain]

So....... did not see that plot twist coming. For those who passed Prison Island, you know what I'm talking about.

It really is funny, how you can get some obsessed with side quests but then jump right back in to the plot at any moment. I love that aspect. Also, the fact that the side quests are what essentially levels my party up.

My time just became very limited over the next few months but I will be making every effort to continue playing.

Take care all.

[Del Murder]

Anyone know a good way to raise affinity between party members? Is there a trick to it?

[The Captain]

There are a few ways:

Fighting battles with the current party builds affinity, when you use chain attacks, dodge attacks or encourage one another.

Doing the crazy number of sidequests builds it quite well.

Giving "Presents" to each other through the inventory section of the menu. Certain items are more liked and appreciated then others and I'm sure you can find a chart by looking on-line.

Essentially, anytime you see heart icons appear in the lower third of your screen the affinity is being raised through your actions. This also means that once you have more then 3 party members, which is coming fairly soon for you Del, you'll want to swap characters out periodically because you can only build affinity with active members. This means also putting other characters in the lead as well.

Take care all.