-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Xenoblade 3D |OT| Is that a Monado in your pocket or are you just really feeling it?
- Thread starter TheMoon
- Start date
Do it do it do itI'm really about to get this, despite having some unfinished games.
Considering I've got 20 of store credit does not make this decision more easy
Have not played any Xenoblade before, this would take my virginity.
This port is so fucking good. Just took this screenshot:
I am in awe that a 3DS (albeit, an upgraded one) can do this. Frontier village is huge, and it is a solid 30fps, no drops, and everything is visible from the top.
I am consistently stunned that they brought Xenoblade to the 3DS. It shouldn't be this good, it should be a foggy jerky mess. But apart from the resolution its absolutely identical to the Wii version
I bought my N3DS in November purely because of Xenoblade. Nice to know my purchase has been fully justified.
I'm getting the impression most people slamming the graphics either haven't bought the game yet (as it did look crummy blown up in YouTube videos) or haven't played Xenoblade on Wii. I think it's incredible how close it looks to the original game. And yeah, I feel it justifies the New 3DS - the game simply couldn't have been ported to the original 3DS.
I can't wait to get to the ocean area.
I was one of those critizing the graphics. tbh some of the earlier ares leave a terrible first impression, I'm not 18 hours in and the game gets more and more colorful and beautiful
Rebel Leader
THE POWER OF BUTTERSCOTCH BOTTOMS
or if they look it up see dolphin shots
BattleMoose87
Member
I have a copy of Xenoblade on Wii that is pretty badly scratched and does not work any longer so have been playing it on Dolphin, although I've not made much progress. My predicament is whether I get it for N3DSXL or go through it on Dolphin?
I would rather sit in comfort on my sofa and play a huge RPG than at my desk (for this at least). I'm just concerned that part of the experience will be diluted playing on a small screen. How well does it control and suit handheld play? Sorry if this has been answered already
I would rather sit in comfort on my sofa and play a huge RPG than at my desk (for this at least). I'm just concerned that part of the experience will be diluted playing on a small screen. How well does it control and suit handheld play? Sorry if this has been answered already
It plays EXACTLY the same as the Wii version with a classic controller pro.
As I said before, the only difference is the resolution. Nothing else.
magicalsoundshower
Member
I haven't played the N3DS version yet but played all the way through the EU Wii version but the gameplay was way too smooth for it to be running at 25 FPS. Funnily enough, the game also had visible problems running in vanilla 4:3 PAL mode (black bars, juddery image). I'm pretty sure it was optimized for 16:9 PAL 60 mode and as a result finally made me pick up an HDTV as it was pretty much unbearable to play otherwise.
I thought Colony 9 gives a pretty decent first impression, but you're right that the game gets far more impressive. And the first cave you go through is hardly interesting, for sure.
This could actually be a big reason. From anecdotal evidence a lot of Xenoblade Wii players seemed to play it on Dolphin, either because they sold their Wii or couldn't deal with sub-HD graphics for whatever reason. So if you went from Dolphin to this, then yeah, it will seem like a huge downgrade.
Man, What a bunch of jokers.
magicalsoundshower
Member
I admit that I too wasn't all that impressed with the graphics at first. The first major cutscene takes place in one of the ugliest areas of the game, the worst offender being the super smudgy ground texture. It's kind of unfortunate as it really sours the first impression you get. Colony 9, on the other hand, already looks pretty impressive, and I'd tend to agree that with some exceptions, the graphics really become better and better as the game progresses.
The EU PAL version runs at 30fps. It runs at 25fps in Dolphin however unless patched.
TheMoon
Member
This one looks pretty good. http://www.gamesradar.com/xenoblade-chronicles-beginners-guide/?page=8
Gonna add it to the OP, too.
This port is so fucking good. Just took this screenshot:
I am in awe that a 3DS (albeit, an upgraded one) can do this. Frontier village is huge, and it is a solid 30fps, no drops, and everything is visible from the top.
I am consistently stunned that they brought Xenoblade to the 3DS. It shouldn't be this good, it should be a foggy jerky mess. But apart from the resolution its absolutely identical to the Wii version
I bought my N3DS in November purely because of Xenoblade. Nice to know my purchase has been fully justified.
Damn, I think you just sold me on a N3DS.
Miiverse is blowing up with people praising the game which is making it really hard to just not go onto the eshop and press that button! I've barely scratched the surface of MH4U, I need to put way more time into that first.
And having miiverse photos people have posted viewable in 3D is a delight, does it far more justice than viewing screenshots on the web.
And having miiverse photos people have posted viewable in 3D is a delight, does it far more justice than viewing screenshots on the web.
JODOROWSKY51
Member
I've been wanting to play this again since finishing the original back in 2011... But my team and I have this amazing workspace opportunity for the next three months which I wanted to concentrate on and not be distracted... But it's XENOBLADE! On a handheld...
I think I'm going to crack...
Any moment now...
I think I'm going to crack...
Any moment now...
Orniletter
Banned
And the textures are a bit worse, but I agree that the port is a work of art.
It feels so much better to play Xenoblade on a handheld, I started yesterday and I'm already 5 hours in.
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
TheMoon
Member
Not even going to rep Man God's Godly Guide to Gem Crafting? Come on now.
Can't rep what I don't know about! (never used a guide for it during my Wii playthrough)
Will add that, too!
Brawly Likes to Brawl
Member
Playing Shulk without the nunchuk's ability to move and select arts at the same is kind of weird.
The light colored ring outlining the circle is where you get the perfect press.
The light colored ring outlining the circle is where you get the perfect press.
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
You don't get affinity coins for that, you only get them when you beat unique monsters, and when you level up. You do gain affinity between your characters though, at least during battle. The one that shows up when you initiate battle just determines your initial tension, and some skills activate then.
And you want to aim for the blue ring.
ahh ok, ye I saw hearts popping up! Thought I could also get the coins through that.
TheMoon
Member
whaaaa, you didn't play xenoblade with the classic controller pro?
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
Did the fix the bug where when you first enter Colony 9 at the very beginning of the game, Fiora is in Dunban's house and marked on the minimap as an enemy?
Thought that was funny when I first noticed it in the Wii version.
Thought that was funny when I first noticed it in the Wii version.
TheSlySoul
Member
Think so. She did not appear on my mini-map.
BassForever
Member
Amazing OT title lolol
TenaciousNorth
Member
Going from a 3DS XL to a regular N3DS purely for the Xenoblade cover plates. I'm hoping it still looks good even on the small screen right?
Sodding_Gamer
Member
Each to their own I guess. The dub in this is cringe-worthy at times for me. Maybe it's because I'm British and the accents just sound a bit off/too forced.
It's a seriously minor thing and it seems from the replies I'm in the minority. I love pretty much everything else about the game though.
It looks way better than I expected too.I dunno. Dunban doesn't sound forced at all, and Danny Dyer's wife from EastEnders (sharla) and Cara from Doctor Who (Melia) sound exactly the same as they always do.
I have tried Xenoblade on both my XL and my regular N3DS...and sorry to say, it looks far worse on the regular. The text is a lot harder to read and the details in the environment are harder to make out. Which is unique, as almost every other game looks better on the smaller screen in some way or another.
I can post comparison photos if you wish
Sodding_Gamer
Member
Voice acting is very different from screen acting. It's pure cheese some of the dialogue is. Maybe it's a JRPG thing as I rarely play them. I mean Persona 4 Golden's english dub seems way better. Maybe it's just right writing or something /shrug I dunno. Still enjoying it regardless
Voice acting is very different from screen acting. It's pure cheese some of the dialogue. It's a JRPG thing as I rarely play them. I mean Persona 4 Golden's english dub seems way better. Maybe it's just right writing or something /shrug I dunno. Still enjoying it regardless
That's what's so great about it
Fucking reyn time, man
Sodding_Gamer
Member
Haha fair point
I didn't notice Fiora on the mini map last week on the Wii version. I didn't even know she was inside until I peeked through the window.
Speaking of bugs, here is one to look for early in the game. One of the Colony 9 quests asks you to kill "wing vangs". The problem is that they don't exist. What the quest really wants are "wind vangs". I spent a lot of time looking for these damn things.
went from hating and almost giving up to loving it (despite the inventory menu though). Just arrived at Frontier Village.
TenaciousNorth
Member
Well that sounds disappointing, if you have comparison photos though then please share and I'll take a peek.
My first time playing Xenoblade (didn't get the chance to play it on the Wii) and the menu system is really weird.
Also the UK voice acting is so bad that it's so good. (Almost like the original Resident Evil voice acting. "Jill Sandwich")
There are so many sub-quests too its really overwhelming.
Also the UK voice acting is so bad that it's so good. (Almost like the original Resident Evil voice acting. "Jill Sandwich")
There are so many sub-quests too its really overwhelming.
Well I had with Xenoblade it took a while from not liking it that much to loving it. Around 15+ hours.Xenogears is one of my favorite games of all time so I gave it some more time, and glad I did not given up.
What's wrong with the menu?
I played xeno on wii years ago, don't remember everything clearly, but I don't remember anything wrong with the menu.
Glad you guys are enjoying it. Oh and UK VA is actually really good
theprodigy
Member
tbh Satorl Marsh and Eryth Sea are totally better than Bionis Leg
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
Eryth Sea is the best, at least as far as entire maps go.
My single favorite location would actually be
the big section of Sword Valley right before Galahad Fortress, with all the catwalks and suspended platforms.
my favourite locations are Valak Mountain (amazing music and superb night scenes) and
the final stretch in Prison Island after it sinks into the Bionis
Let's see how much I can remember from playing the original on Wii:
Generally speaking, you put a bunch of crystals or cylinders together to try to craft gems. Each piece you put in will have a percent, and these percents will all add together the more items you put in. (so if you have a crystal with Double Attack 5% and a cylinder with Double Attack 25%, you'll start at Double Attack 30%) You can add up to 8 items into your mix, but once one of the skills in your mix gets past 100%, you must begin your gem crafting. The amount that each % gets boosted depends on how your set up your two gem crafters, and the number of turns is dependent on the affinity between those two characters. More on selecting characters later.
Any skill that ends up above 100% will turn into a gem of the corresponding level of the materials you put in. So if you're crafting using level II materials, you'll get level II gems. Getting a skill above 200% will get you a gem with the max value of that skill for the level. (for example, a Strength I gem can have between 5-10 bonus to Strength, crafting a gem with 200% Strength out of the process will guarantee you get the 10)
What you REALLY want to be aiming for when gem crafting is "Mega Heat." Mega Heat is what happens when you get a skill over 300% and it gets you a gem one level above what you would have normally made. This is the only way to get level VI gems, as there are no level VI materials. Here's a good method for getting Mega Heat:
- Find materials with the skill you're interested in, and mix them with a bunch of junk you're not interested in. You'll want the total percent of the skill you want to craft with Mega Heat 50~60% at max, but don't worry if you can't find that much.
- When crafting this set, use a combo of characters that uses low/medium heat, as you want to raise the percent of the skill you ultimately want, but you don't want to craft a gem out of it. I can't remember who I usually used for this, but it might have been Shulk/Sharla.
- You'll want to get the target skill as close to 100% without going over as possible. 99% is obviously ideal, but anything over 80% is usually good. Save your game before attempting this step in case you accidentally turn this skill into a gem rather than a cylinder.
- Get your 80%~99% cylinder of the skill you want, then repeat this process a second time to get another similar cylinder.
- Use these two cylinders together to craft a gem. You should be starting off with a single skill with 160%~198%. Use Shulk and Reyn with high affinity between them. Reyn uses a strong flame, so he gives you the best chance of getting the most percent tacked onto your craft.
- Make sure to save before this craft as well, as sometimes you can get unlucky and fall short of 300%.
This is the best way to get upgraded gems. I think you should be aiming for 400% in end game, as that will get you the max bonus off of level VI gems, but I can't remember exactly. Maxed out level VI gems are amazing as most of them will give you the maximum bonus off of a single gem. Agility VI Gems give the full +50 Agility bonus, Electric Plus VI Gems give the full +100%, etc.
This GameFAQs guide is a little more in depth:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/wii/960564-xenoblade-chronicles/faqs/65405
Well, maps tend to get better as the game progresses. Fallen Arm, albeit smaller than the rest of the maps, is my favorite.
Distant Fingertip also has the best vista in the game.
TheMoon
Member
Could've saved yourself some work as we've had links to Man God's extensive guide and another off-site guide already^^
Eryth Sea is the best looking area in the game but it's a pain to swim around it and there isn't much interesting going on in the vast stretches of water. I think Gaur Plains is the perfect combination of looks and level design. It has a lot of different elements to the terrain. You got the big open fields, the bridge overlooking the lake and those strange mushroom platforms, those arching platforms over the tortas, forest, Sky Stage, Windy Cave, Spiral Valley, and some tall cliffs to overlook everything. Plus it has arguably the best view of the Mechonis. You can see more of the Mechonis elsewhere but the way it looms over the cliffs is really cool.