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Game Informer: " Why Xenoblade Chronicles Makes Me Want To Punch a Kitten"

RagnarokX

Member
Well, the only thing really holding back the Wii is that it is only capable of producing SD images and those look blurry on most LCD HDTVs even with component cables. It's a bit late to be complaining about that on the verge of the release of a Nintendo console whose games will look great on HDTVs.

Besides, the graphics aren't terrible. It's a shame to think how they could have been better, but some of the things I've seen so far have been genuinely impressive, possibly moreso BECAUSE it's on Wii :p The SD visuals have done very little to hamper the enjoyment I've had so far.
 

Teknoman

Member
Should have played the game in Dolphin. It's perfectly bearable graphically that way.

Even without it, component + progressive and widescreen, the game still looks really nice. This is on a 37 inch (which I guess isnt that big these days) LCD 1080p HDTV. But then again I still think some really old games look amazing.
 

Seanspeed

Banned
He's got a point about Xenoblade. Its a game that doesn't require motion controls, so isn't something thats unplayable on anything but a Wii. The graphics are impressive for what they are, but there's no doubt that this game could have been an absolute blockbuster if made multi-platform for the 360 and PS3. Its by far the best JRPG of this generation and its put on a system that caters more to a casual crowd.

I can see why somebody would be annoyed by it. The game could have been mega. It could have revitalized the genre, but instead, there's a very large percentage of people that are continuing to forget and dismiss JRPG's because they dont have a Wii.
 
Crossover with NFL-Gaf

Graphics whoring.

The Man Himself rises to the challenge.

Xenoblade and it's "Life of Bryan"-esque mantle of JRPG saviorhood.

This thread has been Good Times incarnate.
 

snesfreak

Banned
is it actually a Nintendo first party if it's published by X-Seed or am i getting my games mixed up? Regardless - it's a late in cycle JRPG coming to the Wii. Anyone picking it up and playing it now isn't likely to be a , for want of a better phrase, "casual" player.
That's The Last Story.
 
I can see why somebody would be annoyed by it. The game could have been mega. It could have revitalized the genre, but instead, there's a very large percentage of people that are continuing to forget and dismiss JRPG's because they dont have a Wii.

But if they were going to actually aim for the jRPG crowd, they''d have put Xenoblade on even weaker systems (i.e. DS or PSP), so I'm not sure that's a valid point.
 

AniHawk

Member
is it actually a Nintendo first party if it's published by X-Seed or am i getting my games mixed up? Regardless - it's a late in cycle JRPG coming to the Wii. Anyone picking it up and playing it now isn't likely to be a , for want of a better phrase, "casual" player.

xseed's doing the sakaguchi game- 'the last story'

nintendo of america published xenoblade, but only released it at gamestop and through nintendo.com

also, nintendo owns monolithsoft. they're about as nintendo as retro or intelligent systems.

i guess the modifier on jrpg was what i was going after. jrpgs themselves are pretty niche, so calling something a niche jrpg would be narrowing it down further.
 

EDarkness

Member
Damn, I thought this game looked awesome. The sheer scale of it is mighty impressive. No idea what this guys is going on about.

He's got a point about Xenoblade. Its a game that doesn't require motion controls, so isn't something thats unplayable on anything but a Wii. The graphics are impressive for what they are, but there's no doubt that this game could have been an absolute blockbuster if made multi-platform for the 360 and PS3. Its by far the best JRPG of this generation and its put on a system that caters more to a casual crowd.

I can see why somebody would be annoyed by it. The game could have been mega. It could have revitalized the genre, but instead, there's a very large percentage of people that are continuing to forget and dismiss JRPG's because they dont have a Wii.

In my opinion, that's on them. Gamers should play games not graphics. If they're narrow minded enough to not look out for good games because it's on X system, then that's their fault. That's like saying that Uncharted would get more praise if it were on the 360 or PC. The thing is, with Xenoblade, regardless of it's graphical achievements it's still a great game. That should be more than enough to get people to jump on board.
 

Diablos54

Member
is it actually a Nintendo first party if it's published by X-Seed or am i getting my games mixed up?
I don't know who published it, but I would assume it was Nintendo themselves (Wikipedia seems to suggest so). It was developed by Monolith Soft, a first party team who also done work on Brawl and Skyward Sword in some capacity.
 
Serious question: Which game do people find to be better looking?
eZYdj.jpg

or
IX2QY.jpg
 

Cipherr

Member
This happens all the time.

Its still silly IMO. Especially in this case. The tone of the article, the word choice, and those same variables when looking at his twitter made it very clear what type of fruit this would bear.

Well, it's because I'm tired of Nintendo relying on Mario and Link to sell outdated hardware


I'm sorry that I'm smarter than you, able to read faster, and carry on multiple conversations at once.

And here I was looking forward to an entire evening's worth of entertainment watching you offer half-assed generalizations on writing style based on Martha's Manners. Pity. Now I'll have to find something else to do.



MMMMmmm yes, captivating, titillating, and most importantly, very NEEDED additions to this long in the tooth, weather beaten, long past its prime discussion about the Wii and its graphical capabilities.

Maybe if it wasn't so obvious that when he got approved, nothing of value was going to come of it regarding this topic I wouldn't be so 'meh' about it. But it was very very obvious. This same line of thought really bothers me. Its the thing that makes a lot of people in the industry look down on any form of handheld gaming, and yet it seems to magically vanish when a game is played on a PS360, as if PC hardware doesn't exist.
 

Doorman

Member
He's got a point about Xenoblade. Its a game that doesn't require motion controls, so isn't something thats unplayable on anything but a Wii. The graphics are impressive for what they are, but there's no doubt that this game could have been an absolute blockbuster if made multi-platform for the 360 and PS3. Its by far the best JRPG of this generation and its put on a system that caters more to a casual crowd.

I can see why somebody would be annoyed by it. The game could have been mega. It could have revitalized the genre, but instead, there's a very large percentage of people that are continuing to forget and dismiss JRPG's because they dont have a Wii.

I'm not convinced that it would have been as "mega" as everybody seems to think. Just how many conditions do you have to put on this wish in order for it to work out? This already starts with the assumption that putting the game on something like the PS3 would instantly upgrade not just the visuals and character models as a whole, but also things like character animation and the quality of lip-synching and so forth, when we have no guarantee that Monolith Soft would be skilled enough to do all of that. Even granting that, are we still running on the idea that the game would be held-up in Japan for a year and a half before coming to Europe, and then another half-year later before reaching America, and only through a limited and retailer-exclusive release? Are we still assuming that the game would receive quite little in the way of major marketing and isn't a stand-alone title with no brand recognition?

HD or not, it would take a hell of a lot to go right for Xenoblade to have been some sort of industry-changing megahit. Certainly more than what the Wii's low hardware muscle can be held responsible for.

Hahahaha, Ndamukong Suh on special teams, HAHAHAHAHA. I'd love to see them line him up on punt team :p

Dude is a beast though. Don't tell him I said that.

He has played special teams, though. As a place-kicker, anyway. :p
 
I would take Xenoblade visuals over FFXIII anyday. There is an actual cohesive art style with Xenoblade that helps me to look beyond the technical drawbacks.
 

Seanspeed

Banned
But if they were going to actually aim for the jRPG crowd, they''d have put Xenoblade on even weaker systems (i.e. DS or PSP), so I'm not sure that's a valid point.
Yes, because putting your big-budget game out on 'weak' systems has proven to be a sustainable business model.

I'm truly sorry for sounding like an ass, but I really dont think you've thought your comment through before posting.
 

Cipherr

Member
Yes, because putting your big-budget game out on 'weak' systems has proven to be a sustainable business model.

I'm truly sorry for sounding like an ass, but I really dont think you've thought your comment through before posting.

Im pretty sure he was saying what he did because of stuff like, DQ9. Did you think his comment through before responding?
 
Yes, because putting your big-budget game out on 'weak' systems has proven to be a sustainable business model.

I'm truly sorry for sounding like an ass, but I really dont think you've thought your comment through before posting.
You should talk to SquareEnix about the DragonQuest series.
 

Derrick01

Banned
Serious question: Which game do people find to be better looking?
http://i.imgur.com/eZYdj.jpg[/IMG
or
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/IX2QY.jpg[/IMG[/QUOTE]

Wasn't enchanted arms a borderline launch title for the 360? Also not the greatest screenshot of the game. Take one of the guy staring at a wall in Xenoblade instead of the landscape behind him.
 

Diablos54

Member
Yes, because putting your big-budget game out on 'weak' systems has proven to be a sustainable business model.

I'm truly sorry for sounding like an ass, but I really dont think you've thought your comment through before posting.
Considering the biggest RPG base this gen is on handhelds, I think it's you who didn't think your comment through before posting.
 

Beth Cyra

Member
Yes, because putting your big-budget game out on 'weak' systems has proven to be a sustainable business model.

I'm truly sorry for sounding like an ass, but I really dont think you've thought your comment through before posting.

For a JRPG?

Dragon Quest IX and Pokemon are the two best selling JRPG games and they are both on handhelds. Not to mention JRPGs in general have done very well on the both handheld platforms so a big budget JRPG could very well do better on 3/DS and or PSP.
 
Yes, because putting your big-budget game out on 'weak' systems has proven to be a sustainable business model.

I'm truly sorry for sounding like an ass, but I really dont think you've thought your comment through before posting.

You claimed a large number of people would not get this game because they don't have a Wii.

But the systems which the people who would be interested in this game (aka the jRPG fanbase) are on systems that are even weaker than the Wii. So it's not really relevant to a discussion about Xenoblade being made on a more technically impressive system.

And insofar as jRPGs are concerned, yes, putting your big name games on weak systems has thus far proven no impediment to sales.
 

stuminus3

Member
The graphics are impressive for what they are, but there's no doubt that this game could have been an absolute blockbuster if made multi-platform for the 360 and PS3. Its by far the best JRPG of this generation and its put on a system that caters more to a casual crowd.
You are out of your goddamn mind.
 

Fantastical

Death Prophet
Yes, because putting your big-budget game out on 'weak' systems has proven to be a sustainable business model.

I'm truly sorry for sounding like an ass, but I really dont think you've thought your comment through before posting.

You obviously know nothing about Japanese gaming.
 

Hero

Member
Where, at any point, did I say graphics was the only thing that mattered?

You didn't say that but going but what you said in your article (aka what is actually reading comprehension) you do nothing but trash Nintendo and the Wii for the graphical capabilities of the system and mock the actual advancement in hardware that they did make with motion controls. You tout the NES and SNES as technical marvels but you never mention how behind the Game Boy was next to the Game Gear, which you conveniently ignored. Was a game like Link's Awakening hampered by the Game Boy? The answer is nobody gives a shit today because it's a great game. Where were your articles last generation when the PS2 was holding back third party games for Gamecube and Xbox because it was the target platform since it had the biggest install base?

And all current reports on the Wii U indicate that Nintendo is going to go right on doing the same thing.

I've already commented on your surprising ability to speculate on the future which you ignored, so to see you keep chugging along with shit like this is not surprising.
As for why did I write the article? Well, it's because I'm tired of Nintendo relying on Mario and Link to sell outdated hardware, and if no one speaks up, nothing ever gets changed. You're free to disagree with me. By all means do so. But at least try to comprehend what I've written instead of jumping on the "LOL GRAFIX HORE" bandwagon.

Oh man, how could I be so jaded not to see that you're fighting the good fight here? If it wasn't for you being a god champion of the people with such wonderful, insightful and groundbreaking articles straight from 2006 I don't think Nintendo would ever get it.

Maybe if you actually wrote more than complaining and bitching about a systems capabilities in its last year of life I could actually say you weren't a graphics whore but you haven't done or said anything to prove otherwise. The fact that you were so ready and eager to come on neoGAF to defend your opinion just shows how fucking pathetic you are that you can't let your piece stand for itself amidst criticism. Protip: If you don't like what people say in response to your opinion maybe learn how to write better or don't write shit at all.
 

Seanspeed

Banned
I'm not convinced that it would have been as "mega" as everybody seems to think. Just how many conditions do you have to put on this wish in order for it to work out? This already starts with the assumption that putting the game on something like the PS3 would instantly upgrade not just the visuals and character models as a whole, but also things like character animation and the quality of lip-synching and so forth, when we have no guarantee that Monolith Soft would be skilled enough to do all of that. Even granting that, are we still running on the idea that the game would be held-up in Japan for a year and a half before coming to Europe, and then another half-year later before reaching America, and only through a limited and retailer-exclusive release? Are we still assuming that the game would receive quite little in the way of major marketing and isn't a stand-alone title with no brand recognition?

HD or not, it would take a hell of a lot to go right for Xenoblade to have been some sort of industry-changing megahit. Certainly more than what the Wii's low hardware muscle can be held responsible for.
There's no doubt that the visuals would receive a huge upgrade in quality from Wii to 360/PS3. The Dolphin emulator proves this. And even if the animations had to suffer a tad, a game of this magnitude would prosper from some gorgeous environments. I dont think animation-critics are very much a large percentage of the target audience. Lets remember that we're still talking about making money here. Everything else about Xenoblade exudes a 'classic JRPG' and a proper marketing campaign could do wonders for it. Its limited-run and release is precisely because its a Wii title and not a multi-platform title. I think you have your cause and effect confused a bit.
 

Mzo

Member
It's kind of late to be complaining about it since the Wii is pretty much over and the Wii U has already been finalized, but he's right.

Awesome games that look like shit not because of bad art direction but because the console is under-powered garbage that is then compounded by an HDTV make me sad, too. Dolphin emulator shots show how much better it could look with just change in resolution.

I think it's a testament to gameplay above all else that a good number of Wii games are still excellent titles, and at least the Wii U is capable of HD resolutions, so why even argue this at this point? It sucked but it's basically in the past.
 

snesfreak

Banned
You didn't say that but going but what you said in your article (aka what is actually reading comprehension) you do nothing but trash Nintendo and the Wii for the graphical capabilities of the system and mock the actual advancement in hardware that they did make with motion controls. You tout the NES and SNES as technical marvels but you never mention how behind the Game Boy was next to the Game Gear, which you conveniently ignored. Was a game like Link's Awakening hampered by the Game Boy? The answer is nobody gives a shit today because it's a great game. Where were your articles last generation when the PS2 was holding back third party games for Gamecube and Xbox because it was the target platform since it had the biggest install base?



I've already commented on your surprising ability to speculate on the future which you ignored, so to see you keep chugging along with shit like this is not surprising.


Oh man, how could I be so jaded not to see that you're fighting the good fight here? If it wasn't for you being a god champion of the people with such wonderful, insightful and groundbreaking articles straight from 2006 I don't think Nintendo would ever get it.

Maybe if you actually wrote more than complaining and bitching about a systems capabilities in its last year of life I could actually say you weren't a graphics whore but you haven't done or said anything to prove otherwise. The fact that you were so ready and eager to come on neoGAF to defend your opinion just shows how fucking pathetic you are that you can't let your piece stand for itself amidst criticism. Protip: If you don't like what people say in response to your opinion maybe learn how to write better or don't write shit at all.
Oh brother...
 

Mzo

Member
I would take Xenoblade visuals over FFXIII anyday. There is an actual cohesive art style with Xenoblade that helps me to look beyond the technical drawbacks.

I prefer the art style in Xenoblade as well, but that's not what is being discussed. The technical limitations of the system act like a digital cataract and keep us from seeing the game as it could potentially look on an HDTV. And that sucks.

Oh well.
 

Seanspeed

Banned
You claimed a large number of people would not get this game because they don't have a Wii.

But the systems which the people who would be interested in this game (aka the jRPG fanbase) are on systems that are even weaker than the Wii. So it's not really relevant to a discussion about Xenoblade being made on a more technically impressive system.

And insofar as jRPGs are concerned, yes, putting your big name games on weak systems has thus far proven no impediment to sales.

I see a lot of people assuming that the current state of JRPG's and their marketability are unbreakable and was always a constant, but my point is that a game like Xenoblade could have done for the western hemisphere what a game like FFVII did for JRPG's in the western hemisphere. Its THAT good.

JRPG's aren't dead for main consoles. It just happens that there hasn't been a truly great one so far, but Xenoblade fills that position, but is only available to people who own this 'casual' gaming device. I mean, fighting games were thought to be dead for a while until somebody came out and did it right, ya know?
 

Hero

Member
I see a lot of people assuming that the current state of JRPG's and their marketability are unbreakable and was always a constant, but my point is that a game like Xenoblade could have done for the western hemisphere what a game like FFVII did for JRPG's in the western hemisphere. Its THAT good.

JRPG's aren't dead for main consoles. It just happens that there hasn't been a truly great one so far, but Xenoblade fills that position, but is only available to people who own this 'casual' gaming device. I mean, fighting games were thought to be dead for a while until somebody came out and did it right, ya know?

JRPGs are a niche market in the west now, as evidenced by the shortcomings of FFXIII and XIII-2. There's a reason why every publisher wants a Call of Duty type game because that's the experience most people want to play.
 

90sRobots

Member
You didn't say that but going but what you said in your article (aka what is actually reading comprehension) you do nothing but trash Nintendo and the Wii for the graphical capabilities of the system and mock the actual advancement in hardware that they did make with motion controls. You tout the NES and SNES as technical marvels but you never mention how behind the Game Boy was next to the Game Gear, which you conveniently ignored. Was a game like Link's Awakening hampered by the Game Boy? The answer is nobody gives a shit today because it's a great game. Where were your articles last generation when the PS2 was holding back third party games for Gamecube and Xbox because it was the target platform since it had the biggest install base?



I've already commented on your surprising ability to speculate on the future which you ignored, so to see you keep chugging along with shit like this is not surprising.


Oh man, how could I be so jaded not to see that you're fighting the good fight here? If it wasn't for you being a god champion of the people with such wonderful, insightful and groundbreaking articles straight from 2006 I don't think Nintendo would ever get it.

Maybe if you actually wrote more than complaining and bitching about a systems capabilities in its last year of life I could actually say you weren't a graphics whore but you haven't done or said anything to prove otherwise. The fact that you were so ready and eager to come on neoGAF to defend your opinion just shows how fucking pathetic you are that you can't let your piece stand for itself amidst criticism. Protip: If you don't like what people say in response to your opinion maybe learn how to write better or don't write shit at all.

Most appropriate username ever. You truly are a Hero of the Web.
 

Doorman

Member
There's no doubt that the visuals would receive a huge upgrade in quality from Wii to 360/PS3. The Dolphin emulator proves this. And even if the animations had to suffer a tad, a game of this magnitude would prosper from some gorgeous environments. I dont think animation-critics are very much a large percentage of the target audience. Lets remember that we're still talking about making money here. Everything else about Xenoblade exudes a 'classic JRPG' and a proper marketing campaign could do wonders for it. Its limited-run and release is precisely because its a Wii title and not a multi-platform title. I think you have your cause and effect confused a bit.

The only thing I feel like I might be mistaken on here is if there's some sort of large "classic JRPG" fanbase hankering for more on the HD consoles that I'm apparently not aware of. I brought up things like the animations and lip-synching because they're some of the biggest examples cited in the writing that began this topic as things that caused the game to suffer. I think the game would get criticized even more if everything was presented in a better resolution but still contained repetitive, disjointed animations, especially in its many cutscenes, because the base expectation is changed in ways more than just how crisp the picture is.

And, yeah, a "proper marketing campaign would do wonders for it," which is why I pointed out that you're then adding another caveat onto the "what if it were HD?" argument. A proper marketing campaign would do wonders for a lot of games, but how far does it need to go in order to prove worthwhile? Xenoblade didn't receive a limited release "precisely because it's a Wii title," it was limited because the company with the game's American publishing rights didn't think that it would be worth the investment to localize and market the game, they didn't think that it would sell enough. It would sell better on an HD system, most likely, but it would also require much more investment to feel sure of that. Too much would have to go just right in order for me to feel convinced that it would become a mega-hit if produced elsewhere.
 
So... even though Xenoblade is a great game, it's nintendo's fault the game makes him want to punch a kitten?

Ok...

Just make a nintendo hate article instead. I won't make him look as stupid.
 

Beth Cyra

Member
I see a lot of people assuming that the current state of JRPG's and their marketability are unbreakable and was always a constant, but my point is that a game like Xenoblade could have done for the western hemisphere what a game like FFVII did for JRPG's in the western hemisphere. Its THAT good.

JRPG's aren't dead for main consoles. It just happens that there hasn't been a truly great one so far, but Xenoblade fills that position, but is only available to people who own this 'casual' gaming device. I mean, fighting games were thought to be dead for a while until somebody came out and did it right, ya know?

Regardless of Xenoblade's quality, it wouldn't have nearly the impact that VII did.

Even VII's quality wasn't the reason for it. It had the perfect storm of a good game married to an experince when tied with what was amazing CG for the time completely took people by surprise and introduced a completely new type of game to many people.

Even FF X, as big as it was didn't manage this and there is no way Xenoblade would have done so. Even if you are just talking about sales the likely hood it would have hit 10 Million World Wide is completely unlikely given it's not even completely unique given the ques it's taken from other JRPGS and how well recieved Monolith Softs games have been taken to by the general JRPG western fanbase.

Saying it would have been on FF VII's level at large is a purely crazy thing to say.
 

Ridley327

Member
I see a lot of people assuming that the current state of JRPG's and their marketability are unbreakable and was always a constant, but my point is that a game like Xenoblade could have done for the western hemisphere what a game like FFVII did for JRPG's in the western hemisphere. Its THAT good.

JRPG's aren't dead for main consoles. It just happens that there hasn't been a truly great one so far, but Xenoblade fills that position, but is only available to people who own this 'casual' gaming device. I mean, fighting games were thought to be dead for a while until somebody came out and did it right, ya know?

As great a game as Xenoblade has been, I don't think it would ever have as much of a chance of being a breakthrough like FFVII; not because of NoA's unwillingness to market it beyond the hardcore, not because of it being on the Wii, and not because of it coming right in the middle of a generational switch. It's because for all the great things that the game does, we've had RPGs like it for 10 years now. When FFVII came out, there was absolutely nothing like it and that's what made it such a paradigm shift.
 
So essentially the pitch is: I love Xenoblade, I just wish it had a lot better "more realized" graphics, and damn Nintendo for holding back Xenoblade's and other IP's graphics with shoddy hardware for a casual audience.

Is that pretty much it? If so, massive logical flaws in the flow of rationale and carry through. First, by this logic EVERY single game ever released would be better with better graphics, more realized and more entertaining. And the most obvious exclusion of logical carry through is, where does Chris Warcraft draw the line? When does a game qualify as "meeting his visual standards", on 360, on PS3, on my $4000 gaming rig? Why not rail against other games on 360 or PS3 for not being acceptable hardware to showcase all of this visual flair?

We need a baseline set of acceptable standards I think (including res, frame rate, and maybe a few visual options to help avoid another article), so we can all rally Nintendo HQ to fulfill the wishes of Chris Warcraft. And to never again, never again let a godly game like Xenoblade suffer such an unfortunate visual/aesthetic fate.
 

fernoca

Member
I also wonder: why punch a kitten? Did the kitten produced Xenoblade?
Must be a pretty special kitten if that was the case.
 

SteeloDMZ

Banned
He's got a point about Xenoblade. Its a game that doesn't require motion controls, so isn't something thats unplayable on anything but a Wii. The graphics are impressive for what they are, but there's no doubt that this game could have been an absolute blockbuster if made multi-platform for the 360 and PS3. Its by far the best JRPG of this generation and its put on a system that caters more to a casual crowd.

I can see why somebody would be annoyed by it. The game could have been mega. It could have revitalized the genre, but instead, there's a very large percentage of people that are continuing to forget and dismiss JRPG's because they dont have a Wii.

Yeah, about that........ Xenoblade is a Nintendo game, from a first party Nintendo studio.
 
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