Really?! So you can't controll Elma, you just have to play as the Avatar character...
Sorry... I just have a huge problem with Silent Protagonists in RPG's & Xenoblade Chronicles on Wii was the only game last gen to reach my top 10 games of all time, so this was to be a big title for me., only to be let down (The first Trailer even showed Shulk in the damn video!) I really don't apprecaite beigna blank character. But I was hoping to just avoid that and use the other party members. I'm suddenly really put off by it once more.
Completely false, you can control any playable character in the game.
Just finished the final story mission, been putting it off doing tons of other things with still so much more to do, but I'd like to give my thoughts and advice for those still on the fence. Just know 2 things: This game is fun as hell and it's NOT a sequel to Xenoblade Chronicles on Wii.
First things, I know a "silent protagonist" is not a great way for a character to be involved with a traditional story and I'd have preferred a more Shulk-like character as well. However in this game, not only does your character have a voice but when you make choices, they matter and you see the responses your character makes (they are far from just YES or NO), they just aren't voice acted because of the insane amount of money that would take for every voice option. The protagonist is best compared to Commander Shepard of Mass Effect, but not voice acted since you can choose your character's voice/personality.
Another thing fans of the original won't like is that there isn't a traditional jrpg story. This game is about humanity's survival on Mira and the struggles every citizen faces. This is told through the dozens of dozens of normal and affinity missions, where the bulk of character development and interesting plots take place. There are missions you make decisions in that affect how many more missions will play out in the future. For example, something I did 10 hrs into the game I didn't see the conclusion of until 80 hrs later. The "main" story missions are just a single plot thread among dozens. That said, the main story has a very interesting premise and gets really good in a couple spots, but overall is pretty basic on its own. So to get the full experience you MUST play all the normal and affinity missions at some point. Also I've laughed out loud at some of the responses your character can make and the reactions the NPCs have.
This leads me to something every fan of the original NEEDS to get this game for: The GAMEPLAY. It's leaps and bounds ahead of the original, from the much deeper and faster paced combat to the way more creative level design and exploration. Once you fully grasp the depth of the game, it becomes so much more fun. There's tons of ways to play with each class offering different playstyles that can all be mixed and matched for any setup. Want Melia's mage arts crossed with Shulk's arts? You can to that. Skell combat/exploration is just another layer on top of it all. To get this game, it demands your full attention to get the most out of it, you can't auto pilot like most rpgs.
There's lots more to say, lots more for me to even see after 100+hrs (yes I don't have a life). Can I say it's better than XC? No because they are fundamentally different games in design, scope, and purpose, combat the only thing holding them together. Some people can't deal with change I guess, but to not play this game is a disservice to the genre.
Just finished the final story mission, been putting it off doing tons of other things with still so much more to do, but I'd like to give my thoughts and advice for those still on the fence. Just know 2 things: This game is fun as hell and it's NOT a sequel to Xenoblade Chronicles on Wii.
First things, I know a "silent protagonist" is not a great way for a character to be involved with a traditional story and I'd have preferred a more Shulk-like character as well. However in this game, not only does your character have a voice but when you make choices, they matter and you see the responses your character makes (they are far from just YES or NO), they just aren't voice acted because of the insane amount of money that would take for every voice option. The protagonist is best compared to Commander Shepard of Mass Effect, but not voice acted since you can choose your character's voice/personality.
Another thing fans of the original won't like is that there isn't a traditional jrpg story. This game is about humanity's survival on Mira and the struggles every citizen faces. This is told through the dozens of dozens of normal and affinity missions, where the bulk of character development and interesting plots take place. There are missions you make decisions in that affect how many more missions will play out in the future. For example, something I did 10 hrs into the game I didn't see the conclusion of until 80 hrs later. The "main" story missions are just a single plot thread among dozens. That said, the main story has a very interesting premise and gets really good in a couple spots, but overall is pretty basic on its own. So to get the full experience you MUST play all the normal and affinity missions at some point. Also I've laughed out loud at some of the responses your character can make and the reactions the NPCs have.
This leads me to something every fan of the original NEEDS to get this game for: The GAMEPLAY. It's leaps and bounds ahead of the original, from the much deeper and faster paced combat to the way more creative level design and exploration. Once you fully grasp the depth of the game, it becomes so much more fun. There's tons of ways to play with each class offering different playstyles that can all be mixed and matched for any setup. Want Melia's mage arts crossed with Shulk's arts? You can to that. Skell combat/exploration is just another layer on top of it all. To get this game, it demands your full attention to get the most out of it, you can't auto pilot like most rpgs.
There's lots more to say, lots more for me to even see after 100+hrs (yes I don't have a life). Can I say it's better than XC? No because they are fundamentally different games in design, scope, and purpose, combat the only thing holding them together. Some people can't deal with change I guess, but to not play this game is a disservice to the genre.
100 hours into it already? Good god, man. I'm still waiting for my copy in the mail, good to know you enjoyed it, i'm excited for something other than Fallout 4.
100 hours into it already? Good god, man. I'm still waiting for my copy in the mail, good to know you enjoyed it, i'm excited for something other than Fallout 4.
Lol yeah I've lived and breathed this game since the 4th. Never done something like this, but I made sure to make these couple of weeks count. It's hard to say if the addiciting nature will be same for those with only a few hrs to spare here and there since progression is set at your own pace instead of the story's, but it's easy to keep track of what your doing. Keeping notes would help though
100 hours into it already? Good god, man. I'm still waiting for my copy in the mail, good to know you enjoyed it, i'm excited for something other than Fallout 4.
Lol yeah I've lived and breathed this game since the 4th. Never done something like this, but I made sure to make these couple of weeks count. It's hard to say if the addiciting nature will be same for those with only a few hrs to spare here and there since progression is set at your own pace instead of the story's, but it's easy to keep track of what your doing. Keeping notes would help though
Good call, i'll keep a little book to write in. I got the guide with this game, I love the artwork so much that I wanted to experience it as much as I could, and there's some nice stuff in the guide.
Another point I wanted to add about the protagonist, since it's an issue for some. As you play the game, it's easy to realize that your character is not the main protagonist of this game, it's Elma. You're a new member of BLADE assigned to her squad and everything main story related revolves around her, even more so the later you get. Your role as a member of BLADE is everything you do in the normal and affinity missions, where you embody your character in true rpg fashion. You aren't special, you aren't the hero of legend, your purpose is humanity's survival and every quest you do is a means to that end. This is a sci-fi game, not a fantasy which will turn some people off I suppose.
Really?! So you can't controll Elma, you just have to play as the Avatar character...
Sorry... I just have a huge problem with Silent Protagonists in RPG's & Xenoblade Chronicles on Wii was the only game last gen to reach my top 10 games of all time, so this was to be a big title for me., only to be let down (The first Trailer even showed Shulk in the damn video!) I really don't apprecaite beigna blank character. But I was hoping to just avoid that and use the other party members. I'm suddenly really put off by it once more.
I don't have a problem with silent protagonists in old RPGs, but in newer ones, where every other character is voiced...not so much. I mean, I just wish they did it like Mass Effect, where you can create your character if you so chose, but their lines were always still verbalized. I feel like this game has staggeringly fewer lines that would need to be voiced, too. I'm more off-put by the bait-and-switch they pull on you when you're creating a character. Why have multiple choices for battle voices (eight female voices, I think?). Why couldn't they use the same money to just have one of those actors voice all of the create-a-character's lines?
I mean, for the first hour or so, I thought my character was just mute and she'd eventually talk, but nope. I only realized about two hours in that it was a silent protagonist...
Dqualls is right, though. The gameplay from Xenoblade Chronicles is still intact, though, and it's still fun.
Well sir, it looks like we are neck & neck in the Nintendo Age race! there can be only 1!
Just for reference, You can control any character in your party. Just go to the party menu and put them in the First slot
Also, what chapter are you guys on? I've been lollygagging with the story and pretty much stopped anything to do with main quest after the (there is no way that this is a spoiler) Skells come into play.
Currently working through chapter 6 or 7, loving the game at the moment and the exploration is bad ass. not too much for the skells tbh as they move just a little too fast for me.
Also, what chapter are you guys on? I've been lollygagging with the story and pretty much stopped anything to do with main quest after the (there is no way that this is a spoiler) Skells come into play.
I haven't had as much time as I'd like to play, but I'm halfway through chapter 4. I'm trying to get to chapter 6 as quickly as possible so I can use Skells.
My thoughts on Xenoblade Chronicles X 30 hours in.
I've still yet to get Skells. I'm currently completing the missions to get a Skell license, but in my opinion, there is no reason to withhold something for that long that makes exploring easier when the entire premise of the game is exploring and surviving, especially since they've always been available to other chumps around town. I should have had it in chapter 3, especially since I have had to save so many idiots whose Skells broke down in the field, both as story and as side missions. They're dangling a carrot in front of my face, and I'm not appreciating it.
In other open-world RPGs, like Skyrim, you just have to pay for a horse and you have a horse. You can have a horse right outside the first town if you want, because that's how open world works. You don't have to complete a bajillion quests to get a horse license or continue the story.
I have zero attachment to any of these mouth-breathers because a majority of them don't have lines. I at least got why some people didn't have lines in Bioware RPGs (they're bystanders in a location you're visiting, mostly), and it feels like everyone does in Bethesda RPGs, but in this one, I have no attachment or reason to care about any of these people. It's just big for the sake of being big. Xenoblade even has a bunch of neat alien races that I would love to know more about, but you get little-to-no information about any of them, even from the aliens themselves. I felt like a pretty much every alien I talked to in Mass Effect gave me some insight to their culture/species, but Xenoblade doesn't have any of that, which is a shame.
What Xenoblade Chronicles X really is is a focused, fetch-questy RPG like Yo-kai Watch or other traditional RPGs, but worse. It reaches MMO levels of fetch quests and time wasting. You have to complete a bunch of side missions and meet certain requirements to actually be able to take on story missions. So that leaves you wasting time while running around huge swaths of land to complete a bunch of side quests so that you can continue the story.
Speaking of wasting time, since I have to install all these stupid data probes, I feel like I've spent way too much time trying to find my way to data probe sites, only to find that they're on a cliff I can't get up or something like that. I've also spent hours trying to find the one and only path to certain places on the map to story missions, only to find out the answer was to take the longest and least obvious route possible. Similarly, why the hell do I have to magically wander into an invisible 10-foot circle in each map hexagon in order to trigger a landmark and be able to warp there. I've visited nearly every single area in Oblivia, and only have about found about a third of the landmarks that you can warp to.
The game has a number flaws, don't know what they were thinking on some things, some people will decide these flaws ruin the game for them. One of the main issues I see is this game is extremely tough to play and get invested in without playing it constantly like I did since release (yesterday I reached 100%). You're right on with some issues, I'll correct you in some other areas. Your first paragraph I've quoted isn't true, you get tons of personal interactions and details about every race through the normal missions (yes I've played ME series for comparision), you might not be far enough into the game or done those missions yet (there's tons). The game is super slow about giving you the meat of the content, which are normal (these take a while to get good) and affinity missions, and are the story content of the game. This will be a big downside to those that can't dedicate their time to it (most normal people), waiting 3 weeks to try a skell when it took me 4 days will ruin the fun. I had all the time in the world to soak up everything good about the game that the flaws couldn't ruin it.
If exploring the land to discover areas and unlock story missions is not fun for you, just sell the game. The exploration the best I've seen in any game, it feels exactly as running through an uncharted planet should, danger at every turn, unfamiliar landscapes and creatures, secret all over the place, no handholding. This world isn't anything like a run-of-the-mill fantasy open-world, thank god. I never found there to be a lack of landmarks to fast travel to, found them pretty easily.
It's sad they couldn't work out the kinks for a traditional user experience, I'm just glad I was able to have a blast with it during my vacation. I hope they drift back towards the style of the original game in the next game, taking the good things this one added.
The games a beast! I can't believe you got 100% already Michael! That's crazy! I just crossed the 100 hour mark and I'm only like 55% done. I can almost see why you don't get your skells till 30+ hours in since there's probably a good 200 hours worth of gameplay. I didn't mind the wait since I knew about when it was coming. I just looked forward to it and enjoyed the game in the meantime. I liked battling as a person so it wasn't a big deal to me. Just saved up and got the most expensive Skell at least for me at this point which cost like 4.3 million, lol. Now im trying to get all the best weapons for it which are about $750,000 each. Been naming all my skells after Gears from Xenogears, got Heimdal, Seibzehn, Andvari and Weltall so far! Still havnt beat the main story line as I get so side tracked doing other things but I just jumped back into it yesterday and beat mission 10 and just finished the affinity quests I needed for mission 11 so I may try and beat the game today if I can.
The game has a number flaws, don't know what they were thinking on some things, some people will decide these flaws ruin the game for them. One of the main issues I see is this game is extremely tough to play and get invested in without playing it constantly like I did since release (yesterday I reached 100%). You're right on with some issues, I'll correct you in some other areas. Your first paragraph I've quoted isn't true, you get tons of personal interactions and details about every race through the normal missions (yes I've played ME series for comparision), you might not be far enough into the game or done those missions yet (there's tons). The game is super slow about giving you the meat of the content, which are normal (these take a while to get good) and affinity missions, and are the story content of the game. This will be a big downside to those that can't dedicate their time to it (most normal people), waiting 3 weeks to try a skell when it took me 4 days will ruin the fun. I had all the time in the world to soak up everything good about the game that the flaws couldn't ruin it.
If exploring the land to discover areas and unlock story missions is not fun for you, just sell the game. The exploration the best I've seen in any game, it feels exactly as running through an uncharted planet should, danger at every turn, unfamiliar landscapes and creatures, secret all over the place, no handholding. This world isn't anything like a run-of-the-mill fantasy open-world, thank god. I never found there to be a lack of landmarks to fast travel to, found them pretty easily.
It's sad they couldn't work out the kinks for a traditional user experience, I'm just glad I was able to have a blast with it during my vacation. I hope they drift back towards the style of the original game in the next game, taking the good things this one added.
The amount of content there is a drop in the bucket compared to other games. For 95% of the NPCs, you're lucky if you get to "overhear" an innane conversation that they're having or rumor they're sharing with someone else, but most of them don't even have that. You just have a bunch of NPCs that you can't talk to taking up space.
This is also contradictory to the spoiler you get in chapter 6 to even have these people standing around counting birds and wasting resources. I'm saying New LA didn't need to be as vast as it is (the size of the towns in Skyrim, Xenoblade Chrnoicles, and so on would be better) for what little content you get out of most people.
And as far as the information about the other races goes, you're right, I'm probably just now getting into it. I'm hopeful that I will get more information about the aliens, but I hope it's something a bit more granular than just stuff from the main story. Like, I really enjoyed asking aliens about their customs, etc. in Mass Effect, or townspeople about their lives in Morrowind/Skyrim. I hope there is more of that kind of information.
I'm also not saying it's not fun to explore new lands and whatnot. The problem I have is that these lands are gigantic, and it takes you forever to get the tool that's available to a good portion of other NPCs (Skells) to make exploration and whatnot less time consuming. I like exploring, and I don't like handholding, and I like the landscapes and creatures, but what I don't like is seeing useless NPCs with items that would make my life easier, but I can't have them, especially when the entire premise of the game is gathering materials, making the surrounding area safe, and establishing a permanent colony on a planet as quickly as possible. If you have something that makes a job easier to do, or quicker to do, especially under those dire circumstances, 99.9% of people would probably give it to you. If they're going to withhold them from you until chapter 6, no one else in chapters 1-5 should have them in New LA, because you/Elma (and a select few others) deserve Skells a lot more than most of those people.
The amount of content there is a drop in the bucket compared to other games. For 95% of the NPCs, you're lucky if you get to "overhear" an innane conversation that they're having or rumor they're sharing with someone else, but most of them don't even have that. You just have a bunch of NPCs that you can't talk to taking up space.
This is also contradictory to the spoiler you get in chapter 6 to even have these people standing around counting birds and wasting resources. I'm saying New LA didn't need to be as vast as it is (the size of the towns in Skyrim, Xenoblade Chrnoicles, and so on would be better) for what little content you get out of most people.
And as far as the information about the other races goes, you're right, I'm probably just now getting into it. I'm hopeful that I will get more information about the aliens, but I hope it's something a bit more granular than just stuff from the main story. Like, I really enjoyed asking aliens about their customs, etc. in Mass Effect, or townspeople about their lives in Morrowind/Skyrim. I hope there is more of that kind of information.
I'm also not saying it's not fun to explore new lands and whatnot. The problem I have is that these lands are gigantic, and it takes you forever to get the tool that's available to a good portion of other NPCs (Skells) to make exploration and whatnot less time consuming. I like exploring, and I don't like handholding, and I like the landscapes and creatures, but what I don't like is seeing useless NPCs with items that would make my life easier, but I can't have them, especially when the entire premise of the game is gathering materials, making the surrounding area safe, and establishing a permanent colony on a planet as quickly as possible. If you have something that makes a job easier to do, or quicker to do, especially under those dire circumstances, 99.9% of people would probably give it to you. If they're going to withhold them from you until chapter 6, no one else in chapters 1-5 should have them in New LA, because you/Elma (and a select few others) deserve Skells a lot more than most of those people.
I'm a little confused, the passing comments of NPCs is just that, ways to get little tid bits if info so you don't need to stop every 5 seconds to talk to someone. NPCs with names are the ones you talk to and get the real info from, many of them reference other NPCs and fill out the affinity chart from there. Usually after every story event or some side missions they have new things to say and update what's new with them. Having full conversations with every one of the hundreds in the city would take forever, and I don't recall games where hundreds of NPCs constantly have meaningful things to say. Also Gameplay-wise, NLA is annoyingly large, but remember that city was meant to hold many thousands of people that were supposedly stuck on the Lifehold when the White Whale crashed. It feels big and empty for a reason haha.
Maybe it's just me, but I never felt like not having a skell was a massive hinderance before getting one. Once you do the world feels much smaller, especially when you can fly, and it takes the fun out of trailblazing. There really wasn't a time when I felt annoyed by having to explore on foot since you can run pretty fast. Finding places that I can't reach yet tells me to take note and come back when I have the tools. Feels like Metroid in that regard. Also, Elma and the others do use skells, your character is the only one can't and the missions you're given reflect that. Everything you do pre-ch6 is Elma training you, they explained that in the beginning. It's only been 2 months since the crash, so NPCs having skells means they got them just before you. I'm not saying it wouldn't have been nice to get them sooner, just explaining why did that.
If you have questions about the game, I'd be happy to answer them, but it sounds like the game might not be worth your time. When I see mention of other games with minor similarities, it tells me you want something the game isn't trying to be.
I'm a little confused, the passing comments of NPCs is just that, ways to get little tid bits if info so you don't need to stop every 5 seconds to talk to someone. NPCs with names are the ones you talk to and get the real info from, many of them reference other NPCs and fill out the affinity chart from there. Usually after every story event or some side missions they have new things to say and update what's new with them. Having full conversations with every one of the hundreds in the city would take forever, and I don't recall games where hundreds of NPCs constantly have meaningful things to say. Also Gameplay-wise, NLA is annoyingly large, but remember that city was meant to hold many thousands of people that were supposedly stuck on the Lifehold when the White Whale crashed. It feels big and empty for a reason haha.
Maybe it's just me, but I never felt like not having a skell was a massive hinderance before getting one. Once you do the world feels much smaller, especially when you can fly, and it takes the fun out of trailblazing. There really wasn't a time when I felt annoyed by having to explore on foot since you can run pretty fast. Finding places that I can't reach yet tells me to take note and come back when I have the tools. Feels like Metroid in that regard. Also, Elma and the others do use skells, your character is the only one can't and the missions you're given reflect that. Everything you do pre-ch6 is Elma training you, they explained that in the beginning. It's only been 2 months since the crash, so NPCs having skells means they got them just before you. I'm not saying it wouldn't have been nice to get them sooner, just explaining why did that.
If you have questions about the game, I'd be happy to answer them, but it sounds like the game might not be worth your time. When I see mention of other games with minor similarities, it tells me you want something the game isn't trying to be.
I'm really glad you are enjoying/enjoyed the game.
I felt like there was more interaction with NPCss in RPGs from Bethesda and Bioware, but that's OK, and I did drop probably 30 hours in both of those games talking to NPCs, because I'm odd like that.
And I think the reason we're differing so much is how we've played the game. Like you said, you pretty much played it nonstop and got the Skell in 4 days. I think this game is built more for that kind of playthrough than mine, which is to pick it up for an hour or two at most at a time, then put it back down. I think that's where the drudgery is coming in for me. I don't feel like I'm getting anywhere. I've spent an hour or two each day for weeks running around on foot, and it's giving off the same vibe as an MMORPG, which is something I stopped playing a long time ago for similar reasons (the other being the they suck the life from your very soul).
I also get why I'm on foot. I get why they chose the story they did, and why New LA is mostly empty. However (spoiler), since everyone's a robot, I don't understand the reason why so many NPCs are in New LA and why all the training you're doing with Elma couldn't be programmed into your avatar . I don't like the structuring of the game and many of the narrative decisions Monolith made, which I feel hindered the game for a number of reasons, but mostly they made the game play very slowly (for my play style). I feel like up to chapter 6, the 30 hours I've spent playing could have and should have been condenced down to maybe a 3 or 4 hour tutorial/cutscene heavy intro, and chapter 6 become chapter 2 or 3.
Sadly, I just got the Skells, so I'm going to play it a while longer to see if my opinion of the game changes now that I have Skells. If it doesn't improve, I'll probably move on to something else. That being said, my opinions are just that: opinions. I could totally see how this game would be right up another gamer's alley. The game itself is well done, like you've stated. Everything controls well, it's fun, it's bright, it's pretty, and it is engaging. It has a lot of plusses to it, and it's a good experience.
It's just, I was really hyped about the game, paid for the special edition the day it was announced, and I've been anxoiously anticipating the game for a while, which is probably why I'm as irritated about it as I am. I felt Xenoblade Chronicles was a masterpiece in every aspect of the word, and maybe I was expecting something a bit closer to that experience. When it turned out to be something different, I tried thinking about other games I like with some of the aspects it was going for (hence the references to other games), but it just hasn't done anything as well as the games I keep comparing it to. I think the fact that I see so much potential here also is making me very disappointed. In my opinion, It's trying to be too much and do too much, and it comes up short.
I also get why I'm on foot. I get why they chose the story they did, and why New LA is mostly empty. However (spoiler), since everyone's a robot, I don't understand the reason why so many NPCs are in New LA and why all the training you're doing with Elma couldn't be programmed into your avatar . I don't like the structuring of the game and many of the narrative decisions Monolith made, which I feel hindered the game for a number of reasons, but mostly they made the game play very slowly (for my play style). I feel like up to chapter 6, the 30 hours I've spent playing could have and should have been condenced down to maybe a 3 or 4 hour tutorial/cutscene heavy intro, and chapter 6 become chapter 2 or 3.
Sadly, I just got the Skells, so I'm going to play it a while longer to see if my opinion of the game changes now that I have Skells. If it doesn't improve, I'll probably move on to something else. That being said, my opinions are just that: opinions. I could totally see how this game would be right up another gamer's alley. The game itself is well done, like you've stated. Everything controls well, it's fun, it's bright, it's pretty, and it is engaging. It has a lot of plusses to it, and it's a good experience.
It's just, I was really hyped about the game, paid for the special edition the day it was announced, and I've been anxoiously anticipating the game for a while, which is probably why I'm as irritated about it as I am. I felt Xenoblade Chronicles was a masterpiece in every aspect of the word, and maybe I was expecting something a bit closer to that experience. When it turned out to be something different, I tried thinking about other games I like with some of the aspects it was going for (hence the references to other games), but it just hasn't done anything as well as the games I keep comparing it to. I think the fact that I see so much potential here also is making me very disappointed. In my opinion, It's trying to be too much and do too much, and it comes up short.
I totally get where you're coming from, I have a feeling my experience would've been closer to yours had I not had the time to commit to the game. That is a flaw a of game, there's many flaws because of the scope they couldn't flesh out every aspect of the game. There were plenty of times I was annoyed by little things and how much grinding there is you haven't learned how to be efficient with it. The fact that it's on Wii U and is one of, if not the only nearly 100% seamless open-world rpg, means they had to put all their budget into just making the game work. Takahashi has always made games waaay too big in scope for his allowed budget and I've come to expect that from him. So yeah, overall I'd say I was also slighly dissappointed they had to sacrifice the main plot, cutscene quality, and user experience, most of which I attribute to Nintendo and their hardware.
However I was very pleasantly surprised by the content outside the main story. I can't remember a game where I had this many laugh out loud moments at some of the situations and dialogue. It seems those scenarios were meant to be the focus, and the main story was tacked on to fit the "Xeno-" name. There's more I can say, but since it is a Xeno- game, there's much more to the story than they're telling you, most of your questions regarding that would be answered if you stuck with it, but I wouldn't blame you for moving on. They didn't make a traditional western or eastern style game, it's a mishmash that's definitely not going to please everyone on either side.
Comments
Really?! So you can't controll Elma, you just have to play as the Avatar character...
Sorry... I just have a huge problem with Silent Protagonists in RPG's & Xenoblade Chronicles on Wii was the only game last gen to reach my top 10 games of all time, so this was to be a big title for me., only to be let down (The first Trailer even showed Shulk in the damn video!) I really don't apprecaite beigna blank character. But I was hoping to just avoid that and use the other party members. I'm suddenly really put off by it once more.
Completely false, you can control any playable character in the game.
First things, I know a "silent protagonist" is not a great way for a character to be involved with a traditional story and I'd have preferred a more Shulk-like character as well. However in this game, not only does your character have a voice but when you make choices, they matter and you see the responses your character makes (they are far from just YES or NO), they just aren't voice acted because of the insane amount of money that would take for every voice option. The protagonist is best compared to Commander Shepard of Mass Effect, but not voice acted since you can choose your character's voice/personality.
Another thing fans of the original won't like is that there isn't a traditional jrpg story. This game is about humanity's survival on Mira and the struggles every citizen faces. This is told through the dozens of dozens of normal and affinity missions, where the bulk of character development and interesting plots take place. There are missions you make decisions in that affect how many more missions will play out in the future. For example, something I did 10 hrs into the game I didn't see the conclusion of until 80 hrs later. The "main" story missions are just a single plot thread among dozens. That said, the main story has a very interesting premise and gets really good in a couple spots, but overall is pretty basic on its own. So to get the full experience you MUST play all the normal and affinity missions at some point. Also I've laughed out loud at some of the responses your character can make and the reactions the NPCs have.
This leads me to something every fan of the original NEEDS to get this game for: The GAMEPLAY. It's leaps and bounds ahead of the original, from the much deeper and faster paced combat to the way more creative level design and exploration. Once you fully grasp the depth of the game, it becomes so much more fun. There's tons of ways to play with each class offering different playstyles that can all be mixed and matched for any setup. Want Melia's mage arts crossed with Shulk's arts? You can to that. Skell combat/exploration is just another layer on top of it all. To get this game, it demands your full attention to get the most out of it, you can't auto pilot like most rpgs.
There's lots more to say, lots more for me to even see after 100+hrs (yes I don't have a life). Can I say it's better than XC? No because they are fundamentally different games in design, scope, and purpose, combat the only thing holding them together. Some people can't deal with change I guess, but to not play this game is a disservice to the genre.
Just finished the final story mission, been putting it off doing tons of other things with still so much more to do, but I'd like to give my thoughts and advice for those still on the fence. Just know 2 things: This game is fun as hell and it's NOT a sequel to Xenoblade Chronicles on Wii.
First things, I know a "silent protagonist" is not a great way for a character to be involved with a traditional story and I'd have preferred a more Shulk-like character as well. However in this game, not only does your character have a voice but when you make choices, they matter and you see the responses your character makes (they are far from just YES or NO), they just aren't voice acted because of the insane amount of money that would take for every voice option. The protagonist is best compared to Commander Shepard of Mass Effect, but not voice acted since you can choose your character's voice/personality.
Another thing fans of the original won't like is that there isn't a traditional jrpg story. This game is about humanity's survival on Mira and the struggles every citizen faces. This is told through the dozens of dozens of normal and affinity missions, where the bulk of character development and interesting plots take place. There are missions you make decisions in that affect how many more missions will play out in the future. For example, something I did 10 hrs into the game I didn't see the conclusion of until 80 hrs later. The "main" story missions are just a single plot thread among dozens. That said, the main story has a very interesting premise and gets really good in a couple spots, but overall is pretty basic on its own. So to get the full experience you MUST play all the normal and affinity missions at some point. Also I've laughed out loud at some of the responses your character can make and the reactions the NPCs have.
This leads me to something every fan of the original NEEDS to get this game for: The GAMEPLAY. It's leaps and bounds ahead of the original, from the much deeper and faster paced combat to the way more creative level design and exploration. Once you fully grasp the depth of the game, it becomes so much more fun. There's tons of ways to play with each class offering different playstyles that can all be mixed and matched for any setup. Want Melia's mage arts crossed with Shulk's arts? You can to that. Skell combat/exploration is just another layer on top of it all. To get this game, it demands your full attention to get the most out of it, you can't auto pilot like most rpgs.
There's lots more to say, lots more for me to even see after 100+hrs (yes I don't have a life). Can I say it's better than XC? No because they are fundamentally different games in design, scope, and purpose, combat the only thing holding them together. Some people can't deal with change I guess, but to not play this game is a disservice to the genre.
100 hours into it already? Good god, man. I'm still waiting for my copy in the mail, good to know you enjoyed it, i'm excited for something other than Fallout 4.
100 hours into it already? Good god, man. I'm still waiting for my copy in the mail, good to know you enjoyed it, i'm excited for something other than Fallout 4.
Lol yeah I've lived and breathed this game since the 4th. Never done something like this, but I made sure to make these couple of weeks count. It's hard to say if the addiciting nature will be same for those with only a few hrs to spare here and there since progression is set at your own pace instead of the story's, but it's easy to keep track of what your doing. Keeping notes would help though
100 hours into it already? Good god, man. I'm still waiting for my copy in the mail, good to know you enjoyed it, i'm excited for something other than Fallout 4.
Lol yeah I've lived and breathed this game since the 4th. Never done something like this, but I made sure to make these couple of weeks count. It's hard to say if the addiciting nature will be same for those with only a few hrs to spare here and there since progression is set at your own pace instead of the story's, but it's easy to keep track of what your doing. Keeping notes would help though
Good call, i'll keep a little book to write in. I got the guide with this game, I love the artwork so much that I wanted to experience it as much as I could, and there's some nice stuff in the guide.
Really?! So you can't controll Elma, you just have to play as the Avatar character...
Sorry... I just have a huge problem with Silent Protagonists in RPG's & Xenoblade Chronicles on Wii was the only game last gen to reach my top 10 games of all time, so this was to be a big title for me., only to be let down (The first Trailer even showed Shulk in the damn video!) I really don't apprecaite beigna blank character. But I was hoping to just avoid that and use the other party members. I'm suddenly really put off by it once more.
I don't have a problem with silent protagonists in old RPGs, but in newer ones, where every other character is voiced...not so much. I mean, I just wish they did it like Mass Effect, where you can create your character if you so chose, but their lines were always still verbalized. I feel like this game has staggeringly fewer lines that would need to be voiced, too. I'm more off-put by the bait-and-switch they pull on you when you're creating a character. Why have multiple choices for battle voices (eight female voices, I think?). Why couldn't they use the same money to just have one of those actors voice all of the create-a-character's lines?
I mean, for the first hour or so, I thought my character was just mute and she'd eventually talk, but nope. I only realized about two hours in that it was a silent protagonist...
Dqualls is right, though. The gameplay from Xenoblade Chronicles is still intact, though, and it's still fun.
Well sir, it looks like we are neck & neck in the Nintendo Age race! there can be only 1!
Well sir, it looks like we are neck & neck in the Nintendo Age race! there can be only 1!
Also, what chapter are you guys on? I've been lollygagging with the story and pretty much stopped anything to do with main quest after the (there is no way that this is a spoiler) Skells come into play.
Also, what chapter are you guys on? I've been lollygagging with the story and pretty much stopped anything to do with main quest after the (there is no way that this is a spoiler) Skells come into play.
I haven't had as much time as I'd like to play, but I'm halfway through chapter 4. I'm trying to get to chapter 6 as quickly as possible so I can use Skells.
I've still yet to get Skells. I'm currently completing the missions to get a Skell license, but in my opinion, there is no reason to withhold something for that long that makes exploring easier when the entire premise of the game is exploring and surviving, especially since they've always been available to other chumps around town. I should have had it in chapter 3, especially since I have had to save so many idiots whose Skells broke down in the field, both as story and as side missions. They're dangling a carrot in front of my face, and I'm not appreciating it.
In other open-world RPGs, like Skyrim, you just have to pay for a horse and you have a horse. You can have a horse right outside the first town if you want, because that's how open world works. You don't have to complete a bajillion quests to get a horse license or continue the story.
I have zero attachment to any of these mouth-breathers because a majority of them don't have lines. I at least got why some people didn't have lines in Bioware RPGs (they're bystanders in a location you're visiting, mostly), and it feels like everyone does in Bethesda RPGs, but in this one, I have no attachment or reason to care about any of these people. It's just big for the sake of being big. Xenoblade even has a bunch of neat alien races that I would love to know more about, but you get little-to-no information about any of them, even from the aliens themselves. I felt like a pretty much every alien I talked to in Mass Effect gave me some insight to their culture/species, but Xenoblade doesn't have any of that, which is a shame.
What Xenoblade Chronicles X really is is a focused, fetch-questy RPG like Yo-kai Watch or other traditional RPGs, but worse. It reaches MMO levels of fetch quests and time wasting. You have to complete a bunch of side missions and meet certain requirements to actually be able to take on story missions. So that leaves you wasting time while running around huge swaths of land to complete a bunch of side quests so that you can continue the story.
Speaking of wasting time, since I have to install all these stupid data probes, I feel like I've spent way too much time trying to find my way to data probe sites, only to find that they're on a cliff I can't get up or something like that. I've also spent hours trying to find the one and only path to certain places on the map to story missions, only to find out the answer was to take the longest and least obvious route possible. Similarly, why the hell do I have to magically wander into an invisible 10-foot circle in each map hexagon in order to trigger a landmark and be able to warp there. I've visited nearly every single area in Oblivia, and only have about found about a third of the landmarks that you can warp to.
The game has a number flaws, don't know what they were thinking on some things, some people will decide these flaws ruin the game for them. One of the main issues I see is this game is extremely tough to play and get invested in without playing it constantly like I did since release (yesterday I reached 100%). You're right on with some issues, I'll correct you in some other areas. Your first paragraph I've quoted isn't true, you get tons of personal interactions and details about every race through the normal missions (yes I've played ME series for comparision), you might not be far enough into the game or done those missions yet (there's tons). The game is super slow about giving you the meat of the content, which are normal (these take a while to get good) and affinity missions, and are the story content of the game. This will be a big downside to those that can't dedicate their time to it (most normal people), waiting 3 weeks to try a skell when it took me 4 days will ruin the fun. I had all the time in the world to soak up everything good about the game that the flaws couldn't ruin it.
If exploring the land to discover areas and unlock story missions is not fun for you, just sell the game. The exploration the best I've seen in any game, it feels exactly as running through an uncharted planet should, danger at every turn, unfamiliar landscapes and creatures, secret all over the place, no handholding. This world isn't anything like a run-of-the-mill fantasy open-world, thank god. I never found there to be a lack of landmarks to fast travel to, found them pretty easily.
It's sad they couldn't work out the kinks for a traditional user experience, I'm just glad I was able to have a blast with it during my vacation. I hope they drift back towards the style of the original game in the next game, taking the good things this one added.
The game has a number flaws, don't know what they were thinking on some things, some people will decide these flaws ruin the game for them. One of the main issues I see is this game is extremely tough to play and get invested in without playing it constantly like I did since release (yesterday I reached 100%). You're right on with some issues, I'll correct you in some other areas. Your first paragraph I've quoted isn't true, you get tons of personal interactions and details about every race through the normal missions (yes I've played ME series for comparision), you might not be far enough into the game or done those missions yet (there's tons). The game is super slow about giving you the meat of the content, which are normal (these take a while to get good) and affinity missions, and are the story content of the game. This will be a big downside to those that can't dedicate their time to it (most normal people), waiting 3 weeks to try a skell when it took me 4 days will ruin the fun. I had all the time in the world to soak up everything good about the game that the flaws couldn't ruin it.
If exploring the land to discover areas and unlock story missions is not fun for you, just sell the game. The exploration the best I've seen in any game, it feels exactly as running through an uncharted planet should, danger at every turn, unfamiliar landscapes and creatures, secret all over the place, no handholding. This world isn't anything like a run-of-the-mill fantasy open-world, thank god. I never found there to be a lack of landmarks to fast travel to, found them pretty easily.
It's sad they couldn't work out the kinks for a traditional user experience, I'm just glad I was able to have a blast with it during my vacation. I hope they drift back towards the style of the original game in the next game, taking the good things this one added.
The amount of content there is a drop in the bucket compared to other games. For 95% of the NPCs, you're lucky if you get to "overhear" an innane conversation that they're having or rumor they're sharing with someone else, but most of them don't even have that. You just have a bunch of NPCs that you can't talk to taking up space.
This is also contradictory to the spoiler you get in chapter 6 to even have these people standing around counting birds and wasting resources. I'm saying New LA didn't need to be as vast as it is (the size of the towns in Skyrim, Xenoblade Chrnoicles, and so on would be better) for what little content you get out of most people.
And as far as the information about the other races goes, you're right, I'm probably just now getting into it. I'm hopeful that I will get more information about the aliens, but I hope it's something a bit more granular than just stuff from the main story. Like, I really enjoyed asking aliens about their customs, etc. in Mass Effect, or townspeople about their lives in Morrowind/Skyrim. I hope there is more of that kind of information.
I'm also not saying it's not fun to explore new lands and whatnot. The problem I have is that these lands are gigantic, and it takes you forever to get the tool that's available to a good portion of other NPCs (Skells) to make exploration and whatnot less time consuming. I like exploring, and I don't like handholding, and I like the landscapes and creatures, but what I don't like is seeing useless NPCs with items that would make my life easier, but I can't have them, especially when the entire premise of the game is gathering materials, making the surrounding area safe, and establishing a permanent colony on a planet as quickly as possible. If you have something that makes a job easier to do, or quicker to do, especially under those dire circumstances, 99.9% of people would probably give it to you. If they're going to withhold them from you until chapter 6, no one else in chapters 1-5 should have them in New LA, because you/Elma (and a select few others) deserve Skells a lot more than most of those people.
The amount of content there is a drop in the bucket compared to other games. For 95% of the NPCs, you're lucky if you get to "overhear" an innane conversation that they're having or rumor they're sharing with someone else, but most of them don't even have that. You just have a bunch of NPCs that you can't talk to taking up space.
This is also contradictory to the spoiler you get in chapter 6 to even have these people standing around counting birds and wasting resources. I'm saying New LA didn't need to be as vast as it is (the size of the towns in Skyrim, Xenoblade Chrnoicles, and so on would be better) for what little content you get out of most people.
And as far as the information about the other races goes, you're right, I'm probably just now getting into it. I'm hopeful that I will get more information about the aliens, but I hope it's something a bit more granular than just stuff from the main story. Like, I really enjoyed asking aliens about their customs, etc. in Mass Effect, or townspeople about their lives in Morrowind/Skyrim. I hope there is more of that kind of information.
I'm also not saying it's not fun to explore new lands and whatnot. The problem I have is that these lands are gigantic, and it takes you forever to get the tool that's available to a good portion of other NPCs (Skells) to make exploration and whatnot less time consuming. I like exploring, and I don't like handholding, and I like the landscapes and creatures, but what I don't like is seeing useless NPCs with items that would make my life easier, but I can't have them, especially when the entire premise of the game is gathering materials, making the surrounding area safe, and establishing a permanent colony on a planet as quickly as possible. If you have something that makes a job easier to do, or quicker to do, especially under those dire circumstances, 99.9% of people would probably give it to you. If they're going to withhold them from you until chapter 6, no one else in chapters 1-5 should have them in New LA, because you/Elma (and a select few others) deserve Skells a lot more than most of those people.
I'm a little confused, the passing comments of NPCs is just that, ways to get little tid bits if info so you don't need to stop every 5 seconds to talk to someone. NPCs with names are the ones you talk to and get the real info from, many of them reference other NPCs and fill out the affinity chart from there. Usually after every story event or some side missions they have new things to say and update what's new with them. Having full conversations with every one of the hundreds in the city would take forever, and I don't recall games where hundreds of NPCs constantly have meaningful things to say. Also Gameplay-wise, NLA is annoyingly large, but remember that city was meant to hold many thousands of people that were supposedly stuck on the Lifehold when the White Whale crashed. It feels big and empty for a reason haha.
Maybe it's just me, but I never felt like not having a skell was a massive hinderance before getting one. Once you do the world feels much smaller, especially when you can fly, and it takes the fun out of trailblazing. There really wasn't a time when I felt annoyed by having to explore on foot since you can run pretty fast. Finding places that I can't reach yet tells me to take note and come back when I have the tools. Feels like Metroid in that regard. Also, Elma and the others do use skells, your character is the only one can't and the missions you're given reflect that. Everything you do pre-ch6 is Elma training you, they explained that in the beginning. It's only been 2 months since the crash, so NPCs having skells means they got them just before you. I'm not saying it wouldn't have been nice to get them sooner, just explaining why did that.
If you have questions about the game, I'd be happy to answer them, but it sounds like the game might not be worth your time. When I see mention of other games with minor similarities, it tells me you want something the game isn't trying to be.
I'm a little confused, the passing comments of NPCs is just that, ways to get little tid bits if info so you don't need to stop every 5 seconds to talk to someone. NPCs with names are the ones you talk to and get the real info from, many of them reference other NPCs and fill out the affinity chart from there. Usually after every story event or some side missions they have new things to say and update what's new with them. Having full conversations with every one of the hundreds in the city would take forever, and I don't recall games where hundreds of NPCs constantly have meaningful things to say. Also Gameplay-wise, NLA is annoyingly large, but remember that city was meant to hold many thousands of people that were supposedly stuck on the Lifehold when the White Whale crashed. It feels big and empty for a reason haha.
Maybe it's just me, but I never felt like not having a skell was a massive hinderance before getting one. Once you do the world feels much smaller, especially when you can fly, and it takes the fun out of trailblazing. There really wasn't a time when I felt annoyed by having to explore on foot since you can run pretty fast. Finding places that I can't reach yet tells me to take note and come back when I have the tools. Feels like Metroid in that regard. Also, Elma and the others do use skells, your character is the only one can't and the missions you're given reflect that. Everything you do pre-ch6 is Elma training you, they explained that in the beginning. It's only been 2 months since the crash, so NPCs having skells means they got them just before you. I'm not saying it wouldn't have been nice to get them sooner, just explaining why did that.
If you have questions about the game, I'd be happy to answer them, but it sounds like the game might not be worth your time. When I see mention of other games with minor similarities, it tells me you want something the game isn't trying to be.
I'm really glad you are enjoying/enjoyed the game.
I felt like there was more interaction with NPCss in RPGs from Bethesda and Bioware, but that's OK, and I did drop probably 30 hours in both of those games talking to NPCs, because I'm odd like that.
And I think the reason we're differing so much is how we've played the game. Like you said, you pretty much played it nonstop and got the Skell in 4 days. I think this game is built more for that kind of playthrough than mine, which is to pick it up for an hour or two at most at a time, then put it back down. I think that's where the drudgery is coming in for me. I don't feel like I'm getting anywhere. I've spent an hour or two each day for weeks running around on foot, and it's giving off the same vibe as an MMORPG, which is something I stopped playing a long time ago for similar reasons (the other being the they suck the life from your very soul).
I also get why I'm on foot. I get why they chose the story they did, and why New LA is mostly empty. However (spoiler), since everyone's a robot, I don't understand the reason why so many NPCs are in New LA and why all the training you're doing with Elma couldn't be programmed into your avatar . I don't like the structuring of the game and many of the narrative decisions Monolith made, which I feel hindered the game for a number of reasons, but mostly they made the game play very slowly (for my play style). I feel like up to chapter 6, the 30 hours I've spent playing could have and should have been condenced down to maybe a 3 or 4 hour tutorial/cutscene heavy intro, and chapter 6 become chapter 2 or 3.
Sadly, I just got the Skells, so I'm going to play it a while longer to see if my opinion of the game changes now that I have Skells. If it doesn't improve, I'll probably move on to something else. That being said, my opinions are just that: opinions. I could totally see how this game would be right up another gamer's alley. The game itself is well done, like you've stated. Everything controls well, it's fun, it's bright, it's pretty, and it is engaging. It has a lot of plusses to it, and it's a good experience.
It's just, I was really hyped about the game, paid for the special edition the day it was announced, and I've been anxoiously anticipating the game for a while, which is probably why I'm as irritated about it as I am. I felt Xenoblade Chronicles was a masterpiece in every aspect of the word, and maybe I was expecting something a bit closer to that experience. When it turned out to be something different, I tried thinking about other games I like with some of the aspects it was going for (hence the references to other games), but it just hasn't done anything as well as the games I keep comparing it to. I think the fact that I see so much potential here also is making me very disappointed. In my opinion, It's trying to be too much and do too much, and it comes up short.
I also get why I'm on foot. I get why they chose the story they did, and why New LA is mostly empty. However (spoiler), since everyone's a robot, I don't understand the reason why so many NPCs are in New LA and why all the training you're doing with Elma couldn't be programmed into your avatar . I don't like the structuring of the game and many of the narrative decisions Monolith made, which I feel hindered the game for a number of reasons, but mostly they made the game play very slowly (for my play style). I feel like up to chapter 6, the 30 hours I've spent playing could have and should have been condenced down to maybe a 3 or 4 hour tutorial/cutscene heavy intro, and chapter 6 become chapter 2 or 3.
Sadly, I just got the Skells, so I'm going to play it a while longer to see if my opinion of the game changes now that I have Skells. If it doesn't improve, I'll probably move on to something else. That being said, my opinions are just that: opinions. I could totally see how this game would be right up another gamer's alley. The game itself is well done, like you've stated. Everything controls well, it's fun, it's bright, it's pretty, and it is engaging. It has a lot of plusses to it, and it's a good experience.
It's just, I was really hyped about the game, paid for the special edition the day it was announced, and I've been anxoiously anticipating the game for a while, which is probably why I'm as irritated about it as I am. I felt Xenoblade Chronicles was a masterpiece in every aspect of the word, and maybe I was expecting something a bit closer to that experience. When it turned out to be something different, I tried thinking about other games I like with some of the aspects it was going for (hence the references to other games), but it just hasn't done anything as well as the games I keep comparing it to. I think the fact that I see so much potential here also is making me very disappointed. In my opinion, It's trying to be too much and do too much, and it comes up short.
I totally get where you're coming from, I have a feeling my experience would've been closer to yours had I not had the time to commit to the game. That is a flaw a of game, there's many flaws because of the scope they couldn't flesh out every aspect of the game. There were plenty of times I was annoyed by little things and how much grinding there is you haven't learned how to be efficient with it. The fact that it's on Wii U and is one of, if not the only nearly 100% seamless open-world rpg, means they had to put all their budget into just making the game work. Takahashi has always made games waaay too big in scope for his allowed budget and I've come to expect that from him. So yeah, overall I'd say I was also slighly dissappointed they had to sacrifice the main plot, cutscene quality, and user experience, most of which I attribute to Nintendo and their hardware.
However I was very pleasantly surprised by the content outside the main story. I can't remember a game where I had this many laugh out loud moments at some of the situations and dialogue. It seems those scenarios were meant to be the focus, and the main story was tacked on to fit the "Xeno-" name. There's more I can say, but since it is a Xeno- game, there's much more to the story than they're telling you, most of your questions regarding that would be answered if you stuck with it, but I wouldn't blame you for moving on. They didn't make a traditional western or eastern style game, it's a mishmash that's definitely not going to please everyone on either side.