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Xenoblade |OT| Sorry I Kept You Waiting!
- Thread starter SecretMoblin
- Start date
Should be fine graphics-wise. You'll be able to run in HD just fine at a more or less locked 30 fps, but you will have occasional audio glitches (that are usually easily fixed by either changing the time of day or warping to a different zone).
SafeinSound
Member
I think this game has some of the best voice acting in any jRPG I've played.
Mikey Jr.
Member
I swear to God, sometimes Shulk just does not have a nose in some cutscenes.
Hehe. You're right about that.
The Awesomest
Member
OK figured out how to deal with Jade Face. Once you get closer to him, there are some VIOLAs that you can get close enough to to target while staying behind cover. Make sure your teammates stay with you, and use Light Heal until everyone is healed up and move on.
Press on. Let's press on.
Press on. Let's press on.
Colony 9 is probably the smallest town in this game. At least there aren't many of them.
Edit : After 2nd thought, nah its not the smallest. But wait until you see the place called Alcamoth...
Spoilers about the 7th:
I like Fiora's voice, but I'm actually controlling her and her jump sound is weird as hell. It barely even sounds like her.
That stuff about armor equipment and stuff flew over my head too. Can she fit any of them well or is there something that most people go with?
That stuff about armor equipment and stuff flew over my head too. Can she fit any of them well or is there something that most people go with?
I've put in 43 hours at this point with one hour now equating to one level for my party members; I've reached
and am about to embark on a quest to
(spoilers up to this point as usual). I'm guessing the plot is starting to pick up at this point, and I've been given lots more quests to do just when I was beginning to get a little worried about the pacing.
. The area I have just arrived in is gorgeous and the music is similarly fantastic
.
I have a couple of impressions based on things that have happened since my last post, but overall my sentiment towards the game hasn't really changed; I'm still loving it for the most part and while I thought I was running into some pacing issues right around the end of
, the pace picked right back up again and I'm as hooked as ever.
definitely seems like one of the strongest members of my party so far; she seems like she could be crazy powerful once her Arts are levelled up. I haven't tried
yet because
My party right now is Shulk, Reyn, and
which seems to be pretty nice even if I wish
. I have a question about balance but I'll save it for the end of the post so it doesn't get buried in here.
In terms of negatives, this area is definitely one that feels a little too large for the sake of it. I think one of the NPCs made a comment about that actually, but I feel like I have a bit too much empty space to cover while
. Is it faster to cover a lot of ground by jumping or is running the faster option? It feels like jumping is faster to me, but that could definitely be psychological. At least there are some landmarks I can warp to and from, but I feel like this and
are just a little too big. Impressive? Absolutely. But I feel like
. Maybe I'm not using landmarks as effectively as I could be, but unless I'm mistaken you still have to explore a bit
so there is a huge area to comb over. The area's not boring or anything, but I don't think it would lose its impact were it a little more compact.
So regarding balance: I realized early on that doing all the sidequests like I wanted to was going to leave my party too strong for the monsters in each area. So to still make the combat interesting, I decided not to level up any of my Arts until later on. This worked for a while, but now I'm finding the normal monsters too easy still and the unique monsters a bit too powerful to handle at the right level. Since I don't really want to stop doing all the quests as
I'd like to maybe start levelling up my Arts at least to the maximum of the first level as maybe I dial down on the non-temporary quests. Since I've conserved all my Arts and Skill Points thus far I'd like to ask: are there enough Art Points in the game to max everything out? On that note, do some Arts become obsolete after a certain point (e.g. Shulk's Light Heal made less appealing by some better healing Art he learns at a high level)? Since I've come this far I don't really want to spend Art Points on anything that won't be of an asset to me as I face stronger enemies.
Alcamoth
save Melia
Even though I haven't seen much of the Mechon lately, I have a feeling that some major events are going to happen in Alcamoth seeing as how all the quests I have seen are timed... and Prison Island is right around the corner
nice to see lots of blues and some majestic indoor areas after spending lots of time in very green landscapes
I have a couple of impressions based on things that have happened since my last post, but overall my sentiment towards the game hasn't really changed; I'm still loving it for the most part and while I thought I was running into some pacing issues right around the end of
Frontier Village
--Melia--
--Riki--
from his initial cutscene I thought he would be a thoroughly annoying character... but I don't think he's so bad anymore. It's both funny and sad how he was basically sent away just to repay his debt to the village. That said, the Frontier Village definitely could have done without voice acting for the random Nopon, who come across much better in text.
--Melia--
Melia would heal us a little more often
In terms of negatives, this area is definitely one that feels a little too large for the sake of it. I think one of the NPCs made a comment about that actually, but I feel like I have a bit too much empty space to cover while
trying to find all of the different timed quests before the next major story event
Frontier Village
the big areas should be saved for the outdoors where I have monsters to run into and secret areas to discover, as opposed to NPCs to return to
in order to find all the quest items and NPCs and such
So regarding balance: I realized early on that doing all the sidequests like I wanted to was going to leave my party too strong for the monsters in each area. So to still make the combat interesting, I decided not to level up any of my Arts until later on. This worked for a while, but now I'm finding the normal monsters too easy still and the unique monsters a bit too powerful to handle at the right level. Since I don't really want to stop doing all the quests as
there are a bunch that will expire in Alcamoth anyway
Yep. There are a few other towns that are intimidating. One in particular, is just confusing due to its strangely compact level design. Another town has more open space so it's slightly easier to navigate (more so than Colony 9), but it is massive. Either way, you can expect to be doing a lot of running and making heavy use of the quick travel method.
That's reassuring. I figured that since
Shulk has a vision that implies the Emperor bites it, the Mechon would launch a full-scale assault on this place and wipe a whole bunch of people out. At least I know that's not the case... yet. I could definitely see Alcamoth falling and crashing into the ocean as well, necessitating a mass migration to Colony 6 for the survivors. Just like the Refugee Camp timed quests, there is definitely this sense of impending doom when all the NPCs in the area have quests that will expire once something happens.
I found
Frontier Village
the winding walkways and the fact that there aren't landmarks on every level
KuwabaraTheMan
Banned
Looking for specific NPCs in Frontier Village can be a real hassle due to the way the area is set up. It's still a pretty unique place, though, but I wish I had an easier way of knowing where every one was on the map.
I feel like learning where the NPCs are (and their movement patterns if applicable) is the hardest part of navigating settlements, since I tend to run around a lot and get lost the first time I go into any area. In a way I appreciate that, since it makes the game feel a lot more alive and I know I feel a real sense of accomplishment whenever I nail an NPC's pattern and find them consistently. It's a learning process for sure, but I feel like the affinity chart could make it easier. Since it lists the location for every named NPC (the ones you have to return to anyway), I feel like it could give a more specific location (settlements are divided into them as far as I've noticed) or at least the nearest landmark that the NPC is near rather than a generic "Colony 9" listing or the like. Wandering NPCs could just say "wanders around Colony 9" or something, and there would still be a challenge in figuring out where these NPCs will be at different times. As it stands it is indeed kind of difficult to know where everyone is the first couple times you visit a settlement.
Here's a helpful online guide for finding npcs and sidequests among several other things. Just know that the location drop down list will show the names of most of the major areas of the game. Fortunately, it will not list the areas by chronological order.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...eE5BekE&hl=en_US&f=true&noheader=false&gid=11
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...eE5BekE&hl=en_US&f=true&noheader=false&gid=11
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
That document is packed full of spoilers. I doubt he'll want to use it since it seems like he's been avoiding them when possible.
AlphaDragoon
Member
This game, man. This game.
It's so awesome. I don't know what NoA was smoking taking so long to release it here. I love the amount of extras to do, it's like FFXII in that respect. Story is a lot less out there and more grounded, I figure that's because Takahashi wrote it with another member of the team rather than having his wife (who did parts of Chrono Trigger/Xenogears/Xenosaga until Namco booted her and Takahashi) do it.
It's so awesome. I don't know what NoA was smoking taking so long to release it here. I love the amount of extras to do, it's like FFXII in that respect. Story is a lot less out there and more grounded, I figure that's because Takahashi wrote it with another member of the team rather than having his wife (who did parts of Chrono Trigger/Xenogears/Xenosaga until Namco booted her and Takahashi) do it.
Haha, he is an asshole allright
you guessed right,[spoile] you can't hurt the assasins with the monado because they are people. [/spoiler]
(not really a spoiler... )
If you think it's worth having melia as a healer, ok, but imho it's a waste of potetial. When played by the AI, she does barely anything. She just stands around and casts once every 20 seconds or something like that. Melia is one of those characters that should be played directly. if you don't know how she works, there is a tutorial link in the first post
On the other hand, riki is a great healer and also a great supporter and damage dealer. The AI controlls him far better too.
That guide is filled with spoilers...
since many people seemed to use this guide just for finding npc's, I added english names to the original maps. they contain npc spawnlocations AND their names, but everything else is in japanese, so there is no risk of any spoilers.
MAP 1 Village 3
MAP 2 Village 3
MAP 1 Village 4
Using theese maps, you can find any npc in a matter of seconds.
dragonlife
Member
We all know how awesome the game's OST is, right? I'm probably LTTP, but I just found out Manami Kiyota actually provided vocals for some tracks. I finally got around to reading the Iwata Asks for Xenoblade (I steer clear of this stuff until I beat games, etc.) and saw this:
I thought it was especially cool because I loved every track from her that had vocals. In fact, while I absolutely love everyone's efforts, Manami Kiyota managed to win me over with her gorgeous field themes--and I'm usually a battle theme kind of guy! They're just that good.
Satorl Marsh/Night is definitely among my favorites.
ACE+ was pretty godly, too, though.
Xenoblade's OST <3
Xenoblade Iwata Asks said:
I thought it was especially cool because I loved every track from her that had vocals. In fact, while I absolutely love everyone's efforts, Manami Kiyota managed to win me over with her gorgeous field themes--and I'm usually a battle theme kind of guy! They're just that good.
Satorl Marsh/Night is definitely among my favorites.
ACE+ was pretty godly, too, though.
Xenoblade's OST <3
PixyJunket
Member
Sometimes it's the little things that stand out.
I just opened the game and turned it on and I'm just letting the title screen roll. Holy crap.
I just opened the game and turned it on and I'm just letting the title screen roll. Holy crap.
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
I think you said it better in the guide. Melia is not a healer, she's a damage dealer. She has a couple healing arts, but neither are honestly worthwhile. Aqua is okay for the regen aura but that's not good enough when you need actual healing, and when you do use the element, it doesn't heal enough to to be reliable. Her only other healing move sacrifices her own HP in the process, so that's not really attractive either.
I'd say both Shulk and Riki are better healers, and obviously Sharla as well.
MoogleWizard
Member
That was actually supposed to be our world. Didn't you notice that you were traveling through our solar system on the way to the final battle?
From what I remember, Zanza & Meyneth pressed the wrong button on a giant version of the large hadron collider which resulted in the destruction of our world. Then Alvis, some sort of super computer, allowed them to create their own two worlds, Mechonis and Bionis, and since Zanza and Meyneth were the creators they became the gods of those worlds.
That's what I remember, it's been a while since I played the game.
From what I remember, Zanza & Meyneth pressed the wrong button on a giant version of the large hadron collider which resulted in the destruction of our world. Then Alvis, some sort of super computer, allowed them to create their own two worlds, Mechonis and Bionis, and since Zanza and Meyneth were the creators they became the gods of those worlds.
That's what I remember, it's been a while since I played the game.
Oh i see. Man you know its a good game when its on your mind alot after you beat it. Im busy thinking about fate and destiny instead of studying for my exam.
SafeinSound
Member
How many hours did you put into it? Did you do a lot of side quests?
Killer Yakuza B
Member
But from what I can tell, Soraya Saga didn't work on Chrono Trigger or Xenogears and Tetsuya Takahashi was Graphic Director in CT, not writer. At least according to the credits of both games. Masato Kato wrote CT and worked with Takahashi on Xenogears and Xenosaga, and wrote Monolith's Baten Kaitos (plus directing/writing/bunch of other stuff in Chrono Cross).
I've been playing PokePark recently and her music for it is really good too.
Soraya Saga is a pen name for Kaori Tanaka, she didn't work on CT but was definitely a part of Xenogears. Masato Kato did not work on Xenosaga either, he hasn't worked with Takahashi or Soraya Saga since Xenogears. It's pretty clear that she and Takahashi work together in her interviews.
Here's her most recent:
http://www.siliconera.com/2010/06/11/soraya-saga-on-xenogears-and-xenosaga/
Note: They say she worked on Xenoblade at the end but she didn't. It was thought she was since she worked on Soma Bringer, and she said she was working on another game, but she wasn't credited in Xenoblade so what she was/is working on is still unknown. That interview was done before Xenoblade came out in Japan.
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
So, at Sword Valley, I decided to have a throwback moment as an ode to my first playthrough, since what I did then was pretty awesome.
Dolphin decided to crash right after that so I guess I get to do it again.
Okay, so I'm stumped on a unique for the first time this playthrough. Should have seen it coming. Mischievious Naberius was the other unique I really struggled with on my first playthrough. Using Sharla would make a huge difference since her healing would make surviving the opening attack much easier, plus the ability to cure debuffs. Dunban does okay in the fight since he can cure his own debuffs and regularly dodge, but everyone else either dies or nearly dies right off the bat to the blaze damage. Guess I'll just have to see if I can craft enough gems to survive that and see how the rest of the fight goes, but even after that the AoE attacks like Titan Stamp are instant team killers. Hmm.
When I fought Mumkhar, Dunban soloed him and I took out the adds with Shulk. Had Reyn along for the ride this time instead of Sharla, and he primarily helped me out with the adds, I guess that's some evidence the game is programmed to have Reyn help draw aggro when Shulk (or others?) draws it.
Anyway, it's pretty awesome letting Dunban kick Mumkhar's ass alone, and it just seems fitting for some reason.
Anyway, it's pretty awesome letting Dunban kick Mumkhar's ass alone, and it just seems fitting for some reason.
Dolphin decided to crash right after that so I guess I get to do it again.
Okay, so I'm stumped on a unique for the first time this playthrough. Should have seen it coming. Mischievious Naberius was the other unique I really struggled with on my first playthrough. Using Sharla would make a huge difference since her healing would make surviving the opening attack much easier, plus the ability to cure debuffs. Dunban does okay in the fight since he can cure his own debuffs and regularly dodge, but everyone else either dies or nearly dies right off the bat to the blaze damage. Guess I'll just have to see if I can craft enough gems to survive that and see how the rest of the fight goes, but even after that the AoE attacks like Titan Stamp are instant team killers. Hmm.
DarkChronic
Member
Just leaving Frontier Village for the first time. Game is so great. Spent about 5 hours yesterday wrapping up sidequests.
These areas are just...massive.
These areas are just...massive.
Spiffy_1st
Member
Yeah.
Spieler Eins
Member
Yes. The ending at least, that's pretty safe to say, even though the rest can be predicted.
Starwolf_UK
Member
This is crazy. I'm gaining half EXP and yet I'm still overleveled. Well at least the next few areas are quest light so that should help a bit.
Yes. fakedit: I'm too slow.
StAidan
Member
I got to this part in the game yesterday and just wanted to sit back and watch the scenery while listening to that song.
You're gaining half XP? How? I would really love to slow down how quickly I'm leveling. I'm about to unlock some XP bonus skills with Shulk, too and I've been trying to avoid it so far, but its got some other skills on the tree that I want to get to.
That was fantastic, thanks.
WrenchNinja
Member
So I made it to Prison island. Stuff was predictable but still awesome to see unfold.
I wish I knew the name of that track that plays whenever something dramatic happens and
I wish I knew the name of that track that plays whenever something dramatic happens and
Shulk gets a new power
Confronting the Enemy?
You can sell them for money. Truth be told, though, money isn't particularly useful outside of arts books and *mild spoiler*
rebuilding Colony 6.