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Xenoblade Chronicles |OT| Man, what a bunch of jokers.

UltimaKilo

Gold Member
I don't understand why there needed a new thread for this game... Many of us Stateside imported the game when it came out in Europe.

Anyways, I miss this game terribly. I'm playing ME3 and Deus Ex right now, and while they're great games... I miss the countless hours of exploration every time you discovered a new jaw-dropping area with music to make you cry.

I played a little bit of Skyrim (7 hours or so), right upon beating Xenoblade. I couldn't do it. :(

Please give me a new Xenoblade!
maybe 500 years or longer into the future?
 
I don't understand why there needed a new thread for this game... Many of us Stateside imported the game when it came out in Europe.

A few reasons:
  • there are going to be many more players from NA who chose not to import
  • this thread is tucked away in Gaming Community, making it difficult for those new players to find
  • the saga of the game's North American localization and Operation Rainfall was a big deal for the Wii in 2011
  • this thread is nearing maturation point, and there would probably end up being an OT2 anyways

It might make sense to combine the The Last Story OTs, though, or move the OT out of Community for its North American release.

And I doubt there will be a sequel at this point, given how tough it was to get the game out of Japan in the first place. But an HD rerelease is possible...
 

Gambit

Member
A few reasons:
  • there are going to be many more players from NA who chose not to import
  • this thread is tucked away in Gaming Community, making it difficult for those new players to find
  • the saga of the game's North American localization and Operation Rainfall was a big deal for the Wii in 2011
  • this thread is nearing maturation point, and there would probably end up being an OT2 anyways

It might make sense to combine the The Last Story OTs, though, or move the OT out of Community for its North American release.

And I doubt there will be a sequel at this point, given how tough it was to get the game out of Japan in the first place. But an HD rerelease is possible...


Also, for new players a thread with almost 350 pages could be intimidating. Especially since whole pages are written in black spoiler bars.

I agree with the Last Story OT. It's barely frequented now, so it could easily be re-used.

PS: I still believe in a sequel! (But would be equally happy with another Xeno-title of this quality)
 

Oxx

Member
A new thread is the right idea. This one is about 26 pages away from being locked anyway, so it seems wise to be pro-active and start a new one at this point.

Then again, this thread has 8 pages of RPGcrazied posts alone, so the North American thread might be slower.
 

Gambit

Member
Then again, this thread has 8 pages of RPGcrazied posts alone, so the North American thread might be slower.

Say, about RPGcrazied. I remember his ordeal, of course, but then left the thread for a while until I got time to play the game for myself.

Did he ever post how he liked the game? Or was it all just the anticipation?
 

SovanJedi

provides useful feedback
I really hope the American lot enjoy this game as much as I have. I can't wait to see the gushing compliments the US OT thread will eventually be filled with... Or it'll just plummet into "waaahhhh this should be HD!" talk. Either way, it'll be fun again!
 
Did he ever post how he liked the game? Or was it all just the anticipation?

Heh, I was searching the thread to find an answer, and I came across my post once he announced he got the game (from a fellow gaffer, his Zavvi copy came a week or two later). I'm an asshole. :(

From what I can tell from a lazy search job and my memories, he got the game and blazed through much of it in a few days. He played 17 hours out of the first 24 he had the game. Then, as he was finishing it without much fanfare, his Zavvi copy arrived and he had to figure out what to do with it. I don't think he gave much of a postmortem, aside from this. That was an amazing, drama-filled few weeks though. And it's neat seeing a bunch of the regulars (Man God, Oxx, etc) talking him off a ledge time and time again.

I really hope the American lot enjoy this game as much as I have. I can't wait to see the gushing compliments the US OT thread will eventually be filled with... Or it'll just plummet into "waaahhhh this should be HD!" talk. Either way, it'll be fun again!
We all know how it's going to be:

"I hate quick traveling to the beginning of an area just so I can go back to a previous area!"

"So which control scheme is the best? Does this work with a SNES controller or what?"

"UGH Boss X is so cheap! This game is broken!"

"Yeah I saw that plot twist coming from a mile away."

"Why can't the Monado hurt the human enemies?"

"Why can't my normal weapons hurt the Mechon?"

"Finding NPCs is too hard."

There, 90% of the probable posts. It'll be fun! ;)
 

Oxx

Member
Now now, Xenoblade isn't perfect and there are plenty of legitimate complaints. I might resurrect the spoiler thread to bitch about the ending.
 

Willy Wanka

my god this avatar owns
I just finished this tonight.

What I loved:
- The music
- The HUGE areas that are worth exploring and full of surprises.
- The affinity system and the way the sidequests are an integral part of it.
- Messing about with the time of day to make things happen
- The visuals. Character faces looked awful but everything else was very impressive for the Wii.

What I didn't love:
- The battle system. I don't dislike it as such and had some fun with it along the way but for the majority of the game I felt like I was doing the same three or four commands over and over with complete success. This was perhaps down to being over-levelled for most events because I felt compelled to do most of the sidequests.
- The inventory system. Too much micro-management with gems, gem materials, collectables and junk.
- Some of the voice acting was a bit naff.

The small parts that I hated:
- The loads when you access ANY menu
- The map going to the overworld first rather than the local area (again this is a loading issue tbh)

It's a pretty great game though and even with the characters and story not being particularly original, it's worth playing through just to experience the beautifully crafted world and all the delights hidden within.
 

Willy Wanka

my god this avatar owns
lol I had no idea minus went straight to a local map. I pressed X on the CCPro every time *facepalm*.

And if you didn't notice the disk loads when accessing the menus then you might have been running it on an HDD or you are just a lot less sensitive to it than me :p I know it was mentioned in a couple of reviews too. I found it hugely irritating, especially when doing any kind of inventory management.
 

chaosblade

Unconfirmed Member
Yeah, I did play most of the game off an HDD, but the drive died toward the end of the game so I had to install Gecko. Still don't remember the menu loading being excessive, but yeah, maybe it was there and I just wasn't bothered by it.
 
So... are we vacating the premises here and moving to the other thread?

Because I totally just (finally. finally!) beat the level 105 unique
on a beach somewhere.

Dunban + Shulk + 7th
Chain max Sword Drones X! My god. IT'S SO AWESOME

I legitimately cheered. No longer are my people imprisoned by the fear and tyranny of level 100+ uniques! We have taken on and felled one of their number!
 
I tried it off the disk and the HDD, and there was a definite difference in load times for the menu.

Another benefit to homebrew, I suppose, aside from letting me actually play the game.
 
The Memory 925 pieces that are in Mechonis Field, I'm missing one. Here are the three I've found already:

-At the beginning, forget exactly where but it's fairly easy to spot and wasnt hidden
-On the final floor, in the secret vault area
-Sliding down the mountain (Battle Scar secret area)

Where is the final piece? Oh, and many thanks to the Junior for telling me about how to access the shop on Mechonis Field. ^_^
 
I think the one you're looking for is the second one listed here, from the all-knowing spreadsheet:

- 1st: GF, GF Main Power Switch, walkway east side, stairs down
- 2nd: 1F, SE of the lift, east side take the stairs down
- 3rd: 3F, 3F Main Power Switch, east down cylinder, south into Ether Gear Store
-4th: 4F, Great Battle Scar, slide down, it will be on the second platform
 

pgtl_10

Member
I'm not done with Xenoblade but here's my critique:

1. You really need to play this game twice and that's not a bad thing. The game is so vast and there is so much you could do and explore that you will not feel anything for the story. I realized that. When I stopped trying to complete everything and just focused on the story, I appreciated just how fantastic this story is.

2. Once again Monolith shows they can a great story that makes you feel for the characters and the issues involved. What's even more amazing is that they made a great story AND still made the game very detailed. Bethesda should take notes and start putting as much effort into the story.

3. The game world is clearly the draw. The world is vast and continuous. You could spend hours in area because there are so many places to explore and so many quests and collectibles to complete. The world is also breathtaking from Colony 9 to Makna Forest to Alcamoth the world looks stunning and dungeons could be the best I've seen in a RPG.

4. Furthermore the game has a good amount of NPCs that not only give you quest but you can explore there relationships to each other and the situations at hand. This gives depth that I have not seen in any RPG. You want to talk to everyone just to see how they act toward each other.

5. The battle system is simple but pretty effective. For the most part, it eliminates the need for items and focuses on the most important aspects of battle: fighting and healing. Also the game allows freedom of movement except in boss fights which allows you to simply run to better ground or even jump off a cliff to avoid battle. Very realistic and very effective. The game doesn't go into detail and relies on simple battle concepts to make battles efficient.

6. The game is diverse. From the beginning there are enemies that could easily kill you and you won't be able to fight them until deep into the game. Monolith showed detail in making sure the world is realistic as possible. There are everything from animal like monsters to primitive races. From simple creature to unique enemies that will challenge you.

7. Despite its size Monolith focused on the little things that make the game experience smooth. They give an arrow to show you where need to go and how far away you are from your goal. They give you landmarks that you can teleport to. If you die you are sent to the last landmark and don't have to take long way to repeat things. You can change the time to find someone who appears at a certain time. The game's leveling up system gives you experience for battle, completing quests, and finding areas so you don't have to level grind like some RPGs are known for.

8. The game does a good job with graphics. The worlds are visually stunning and the idea of two beings being continents is displayed magnificently throughout. You could truly see that you are on a body. The character models are not as good but they are passable and considering the scale of the game, it is acceptable to have weaker models.

9. The music is the best I've seen on Wii and that even surpasses Super Mario Galaxy. The games music is very relaxing when it needs to be and upbeat when it needs to be. I loved the Baten Kaitos series' music and this game possibly matches it. The scores have a rhythm and can stay in your head for quite some time.

10. In sum Monolith created a great mix of JRPG and WRPG concepts. This is the standard that all JRPG developers should follow. All JRPG developers should start providing this level of freedom in their game. The game doesn't provide the detail of a WRPG but it does focus on doing a few things great. WRPG developers could learn from Xenoblade on how to have an expansive world without sacrificing a great story. I haven't played a lot of RPGs this generation but this is the best I've played by far this generation. If it weren't Super Mario Galaxy, this game could be the best game I've played and on Wii.

Any faults/would have like to see in a sequel:

1. Ability to enter houses. The game is huge but I still like the old school rpg ability to enter a house.

2. Need to have a way to find where a NPC is located. I could be on a quest and can't find a character that I need. The only tedious oversight I found in the game.

3. Ability to play all old CG cutscene would also be nice but only in Eternal Darkness have I ever seen anything like that in a game.
 

nan0

Member
The ending is just weird
So some german dude named Klaus on a space station orbiting around earth caused all that stuff? What a strange plot twist.
 
I've been playing this game for the first time just for a few days - made it to
marshes heading to Colony 6
and I haven't been following OT threads, so I don't know if someone else has brought this up before: somehow it stroke me how game's graphic engine reminds me so much of Monster hunter tri, so a thought has crossed my mind that Xenoblade could be actually running on MT Framework.
Has anyone else got the same impression as me?
Do you think it may be possible?

BTW some random thoughts:

* Quite a bunch of issues to boot the disc each time, so annoying...
* Maps and navigation system could have been better.
 
I've been playing this game for the first time just for a few days - made it to
marshes heading to Colony 6
and I haven't been following OT threads, so I don't know if someone else has brought this up before: somehow it stroke me how game's graphic engine reminds me so much of Monster hunter tri, so a thought has crossed my mind that Xenoblade could be actually running on MT Framework.
Has anyone else got the same impression as me?
Do you think it may be possible?

BTW some random thoughts:

* Quite a bunch of issues to boot the disc each time, so annoying...
* Maps and navigation system could have been better.

I'm not aware of any non-Capcom games running on MT Framework, so I doubt it. I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo supplied Monolith Soft with an in-house engine, though.

As for your questions:
-What kind of issues? Is it just loading times? I played about 2 hours from the disc, and ripping the game to a hard drive made it noticeably faster.
-How so? Quick traveling lets you get nearly anywhere you've been in the game in under a minute, and I think the area maps are surprisingly detailed. They don't show things like NPCs/enemies/items, but few games like this do. And I think the floating arrow that points you to your next destination in the storyline works very well, actually.
 
So I stopped playing for a few months while going through Skryim, and I just started back up again this week, but I think I forgot how to play and I'm having some trouble.

Spoilers for enemies around level 75:

I'm currently in the Bionis Interior, going to what I assume is the final battle. Battles seems to be going really slowly, and I'm missing and getting blocked a lot. My party is Sharla, Reyn, and Shulk, all around level 70. Is the issue that I'm under leveled? or is my equipment bad? Or should I be using different characters? I'd like to complete the game, but every battle takes so long that it's not very fun at the moment.

Any help would be appreciated.
 

Leezard

Member
So I stopped playing for a few months while going through Skryim, and I just started back up again this week, but I think I forgot how to play and I'm having some trouble.

Spoilers for enemies around level 75:

I'm currently in the Bionis Interior, going to what I assume is the final battle. Battles seems to be going really slowly, and I'm missing and getting blocked a lot. My party is Sharla, Reyn, and Shulk, all around level 70. Is the issue that I'm under leveled? or is my equipment bad? Or should I be using different characters? I'd like to complete the game, but every battle takes so long that it's not very fun at the moment.

Any help would be appreciated.

Try fighting the harder enemies at Bionis Leg or the ones hidden east in Colony 9. There are ~level 75 enemies around there as well, but I found them a bit easier than the ones in Bionis interior
 

nan0

Member
So I stopped playing for a few months while going through Skryim, and I just started back up again this week, but I think I forgot how to play and I'm having some trouble.

Spoilers for enemies around level 75:

I'm currently in the Bionis Interior, going to what I assume is the final battle. Battles seems to be going really slowly, and I'm missing and getting blocked a lot. My party is Sharla, Reyn, and Shulk, all around level 70. Is the issue that I'm under leveled? or is my equipment bad? Or should I be using different characters? I'd like to complete the game, but every battle takes so long that it's not very fun at the moment.

Any help would be appreciated.

Try Melia inside Bionis Interior. The enemies there are susceptible to ether attacks. And you have still some way to go. The final battle isn't in Bionis interior.
Sharla for healing is fine, but you may try Riki for tanking and Melia for damage.
 
Try fighting the harder enemies at Bionis Leg or the ones hidden east in Colony 9. There are ~level 75 enemies around there as well, but I found them a bit easier than the ones in Bionis interior

Try Melia inside Bionis Interior. The enemies there are susceptible to ether attacks. And you have still some way to go. The final battle isn't in Bionis interior.
Sharla for healing is fine, but you may try Riki for tanking and Melia for damage.

Cool, thanks. I'll give those both a try when I get home tonight. Also, how important are the quests to get
the other replica monados
?
 

nan0

Member
Cool, thanks. I'll give those both a try when I get home tonight. Also, how important are the quests to get
the other replica monados
?

They are basically just alternatives to your current version. Each has different pros/cons. For example, the one from the first quest has a smaller damage range (thus having more predictable damage), but lower max damage. They aren't needed, just nice to have.
 
They are basically just alternatives to your current version. Each has different pros/cons. For example, the one from the first quest has a smaller damage range (thus having more predictable damage), but lower max damage. They aren't needed, just nice to have.

Thanks, I probably won't worry about them too much at the moment then.
 

Wichu

Member
Man, I've let off for a month because of (lvl 70 spoiler)
Godolt ((sp? sharla's ex)
and the guy juust eats away at my team really fast. I'm at his lvl too. Any tips to get this behind me and move on?

That battle was a pain. I used
Shulk's Monado Eater
to get rid of his Haste buff, and spammed
Monado Shield
so he didn't one-shot me. I think I used a party of
Shulk, Reyn and Sharla
for that particular fight.
 

Zornica

Banned
a shulk/reyn/sharla party is never the best way to go... for that particular fight, I'd try Dunban or 7th for tanking, riki for heal and melia or shulk for damage.
Gadolt
has many ether based attacks, so high ether defense wouldn't hurt either. raising a level or 2 certainly helps too.
Try getting as many agi for everyone as possible by skill linking, if you haven't done it yet. the same goes for gems.
 

Ultratech

Member
That battle was a pain. I used
Shulk's Monado Eater
to get rid of his Haste buff, and spammed
Monado Shield
so he didn't one-shot me. I think I used a party of
Shulk, Reyn and Sharla
for that particular fight.

Yeah, I did something similar to that. Funny enough, the fight wasn't really hard for me so much as it was annoying.
 
Just rereading the thread for the first 60 or so pages. RPGcrazied's waiting game fiasco is the kind of thing legends are made of. It's probably one of the better reads I've had the pleasure of experiencing over the past year or two. 5 out of 5.
 
I picked this game up from Gamestop over the weekend. I gotta say, excellent game so far even though I'm only about 5 hours in. I love the combat and the sidequests... the combat is so simple... yet has depth. Amazing no other games really built upon what FFXII sorta started with the MMO like combat. Also, the cut scenes are kinda ugly, but other than that, the game looks great for Wii. I'm glad Monolith is still around to make great JRPGs.
 
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