Xenoblade Chronicles

[Kahalachan]

Now that the US has it and I've played it here's some first impressions.

My Wii is giving my PS3 the middle finger now. There's my PS3 acting all high and mighty getting played more and now the Wii finally gets to get revenge and gloat that it has good games.

This is what JRPGs should be.

The story is intriguing. Gameplay flows smoothly. The environments are vivid and feel natural. Music is amazing and voice acting is decent enough to work.

If you ever liked a JRPG in your lifetime you will like this game.

[Halberder84]

Being in the UK I had the good fortune of getting this last year and it is an absolute gem. I think I sank around 140 hours into before I decided to stop. Did everything except for a few optional bosses.

It was a massive change to everything else I played and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Definately a must have for anyone with a Wii.

[joeyc138]

I've heard so many great things about this game. I was recently at GameStop and one of the employees couldn't quit talking about it. He was saying that it was a mix between JRPG with an MMO feel to it. I plan on buying it the next time I go out.

[SuperMegaShark]

I liked this game, but it didn't "capture" me at all. The story was "all right" but to unpersonal for my taste. The voice acting was awful, which ruined the experience for me abit too somehow even though voice acting rarely bothers me.

The gameplay though was kinda fun, but I really hated that part where you can see if a character is about too die, and then it reverses and you can stop it.

It reminded me of Final Fantasy XII alot. In graphics, gameplay at least, though the story in Xenoblade Chronicles is better.

I still haven't finished this game all the way through, got about a litte more than 2/3 into it.

[Puzzler]

I've actually been considering getting a wii, for this very game. Reading this thread has made me seriously think about taking the plunge.

[Xernova]

Originally Posted by Puzzler

I've actually been considering getting a wii, for this very game. Reading this thread has made me seriously think about taking the plunge.

I've considered the same thing (I've actually held a Wii in my hands in the game store for this very reason), but in the end I decided against it. I'm not getting a console just for this one game, even though I really want to play it.

Of course, now there's this other possibility I've mentioned before;

Originally Posted by Xernova

Someday I'll find out what Xenoblade is like. I've asked a nephew if I can borrow his Wii next time he goes on vacation. Then I just need to rent the game somewhere. I haven't rented any games since the SNES-era, but I assume that's still done with current-gen games too. Anyway, he doesn't have a vacation planned anytime soon, so that won't be happening for a while.

That last phrase still applies, sadly. Maybe I need to book him a vacation myself.

Oh well, I'll get to play it someday. As a huge Xeno-fan (even if Xenoblade isn't quite the same), I really want to see Tetsuya Takahashi's newest creation for myself. So yes, someday. :]

[Kahalachan]

Originally Posted by Puzzler

I've actually been considering getting a wii, for this very game. Reading this thread has made me seriously think about taking the plunge.

At this point might be worth waiting for the Wii U. If the Wii U is any good, get it and play Wii games. If it sucks, the Wii will be discounted since the new system is out.

It is very good. There's 2 cons I can think of and the rest of the game is just jaw droppingly amazing.


Cons:

1. Bad English language voice acting.

2. NPCs and quest givers can be annoying to find at times. It's like how in Skyrim they wander around on their schedules but in Skyrim you have a little arrow telling you where the NPC is at that moment. Here you don't have that.

Pros:

1. Huge, gigantic world to explore. But if you just want to make a straight line to the next quest objective you can do that too no problem.

2. Fantastic art direction that completely makes up for the lack of HD. You don't even care that the game is just 480p. It looks so gorgeous as it is. Here's a youtube showing the day and night transition of the Satorl Marsh. At 3:00 it starts to be nighttime and when it's night in the Marsh it's so majestic. I love it.

「Xenoblade Chronicles」 Scenery 04 ~ "Satorl Marsh" - YouTube

「Xenoblade Chronicles」 Scenery 04 ~ "Satorl Marsh" - YouTube

The Eryth Sea is another favorite of mine. When you get to that area it's just beautiful.

3. Great music that always fits the mood of that moment. Wandering Gaur Plains to this is just perfect.

Xenoblade Chronicles Music - Gaur Plain - YouTube

Xenoblade Chronicles Music - Gaur Plain - YouTube

4. Good story and lovable cast of characters that all work well together. The plot twists will get you at times. And you'll think "No way" The characters all have good chemistry.

5. Great gameplay and controls. Nothing cheap about the game's difficulty. It's some good solid strategy and character building of an RPG.

6. The best JRPG out now and one of the best RPGs. There's just so much to the game and you'll be spending at least 60 hours with a smile on your face or in blissful relaxation.

[joeyc138]

Originally Posted by Puzzler

I've actually been considering getting a wii, for this very game. Reading this thread has made me seriously think about taking the plunge.

There are enough games on the Wii to make the price worth it anyways, but Xenoblade Chronicles is definitely one of the best games on the console. I'd recommend the purchase.

[Skryblz]

My friend has this on his Wii, and we sunk about 45 hours last week into this beast. Its tough, and very, very enjoyable. The level of customization, the massive amount of quests, and the open world make it lots of fun. I was pleasantly surprised too, the graphics were IMO better than White Knight Chronicles, with a much deeper leveling and upgrading system and an incredibly quicker battle system.

[Xernova]

Originally Posted by Kahalachan

4. Good story and lovable cast of characters that all work well together. The plot twists will get you at times. And you'll think "No way" The characters all have good chemistry.

Storywise, how would you compare it to Xenogears and Xenosaga? I'm guessing it's a bit different (I remember reading somewhere the cutscenes aren't as lengthy). Would you say it's still as complex as the previous Xeno-games?
Of course, this is assuming you've played those games (or someone else here). Otherwise, nvm.

PS: Gaur Plains is indeed a lovely music track. I've liked it from the moment when the official Japanese site for the game played it on the opening page. I like the "night version" for it too.

I've already checked out the entire soundtrack before, though I was a little disappointed that the full OST wasn't -imo- as awesome as the few tracks I really loved (such as Gaur Plains).