Likable main characters, please. Hated Shulk and Fiora in XB and Shion in XS, really affected my enjoyment of those games.
Otherwise, I don't really care. I do love me some JRPG stories, but I actually really, really loved XBX too, so.. I'll be glad to play whatever they put out.
I want a higher emphasis on direct story-telling. A ton of the story and world-building of XBCX came in the form of NPC dialogue and chump-quests. That was probably intended to make these quests seem more meaningful, but I still did did them based on the actual quest requirements, and the small story rewards did not factor in at all.
Im with the epic story suggestions. The story wad awesome in XBC but a bit messy in XCX, though I enjoyed the little side quest stories as well. If they can combine a more streamlined main story (without separated chapters) with these interesting side stories it could be an awesome experience.
As long as they fix the pace of the tutorial explaining things a bit better, make the plot more interesting (less of a chore) and bump the narrative quality while trying to avoid the grinding parts a bit more, I'm in. I mean, I will be in anyway but polishing these things is a must for me.
He's still my favourite Xenoblade protagonist. I hope we get someone just as great as Shulk in the next game. He's gonna be tough to top without British VA though. Adam Howden killed it.
- Keep the exploration and movement aspects of XBX. The actual act of traversing the world in XBX feels much better than it did in the first game. The added speed, manoeuvrability and lack of fall damage was a great departure from the slow and often awkward traversal in XBC.
- If you're going to have high level monsters all over the place, make it easier to escape if your Metal Gear Solid skills fail you.
- Make the game less obtuse. If you have to use a manual to figure out most of the game's systems, then obviously something is wrong. I'm all for less handholding, but there has to be a balance which I feel XBX failed to capture.
- If they're going to continue with the battle system used in the last two games, absolutely take the improved base of XBX and expand it further.
- Relegate fetch quests to optional/basic content. Also make it easier to actually track down said materials if need be - then you can actually have some fetch questing in the other missions without it feeling too tedious
- Keep the affinity quests from XBX. Dedicating whole side quests to characters really helped to expand upon them, and I think they should return. XBX is so hands-off with its party that it can feel that most of the characters are completely blank unless you make the effort to raise affinity.
- On that note, fix the affinity system. Give us more ways to raise affinity, or at the very least, reduce the grinding.
- Also keep the normal missions from XBX, with less of an emphasis on collecting. Much like the affinity quests, these missions were great because they helped to develop Mira and its inhabitants in a way that the main narrative did not. There were some very interesting themes explored in these missions, as well as some amusing new characters that were introduced through these missions.
- I'd argue that neither game in the series has a particularly great story, though XBC wins out due to higher production values and a likeable cast. As great as the affinity/normal quests could be in XBX, the cutscenes were often so badly directed and stilted that it nullified some of the potential impact. XBC had some excellent scenes in terms of direction and the use of music - let's go back to that standard.
- Ditch the player avatar if you're going to focus on story. Elma was pretty much the main protagonist of XBX anyway, so if there's a direct sequel, just use her.
- Don't lock story content behind the use of certain party members. Due to almost all the story missions needing Elma and Lin, you were never really given the incentive to use the other characters - and whenever you did, it would be tedious due to them more than likely being under-levelled.
- On that note, remove some of the inconveniences that bugged XBX but were non-existent in XBC. A party that you can change on the fly without having to explore the city, a party that levels up concurrently, the ability to change the time etc
- A graphical style that doesn't make the characters look like dolls outside of cutscenes, which is something I think both games are guilty of to an extent.
- Let the game have its own musical identity. Regardless of the debates surrounding the music, I actually like that the two games thus far have their own musical identity that actually mixes well with each game. As a fan of both soundtracks, fI'd like to see what else they can come up with.
- Bring back mechs/vehicles - but don't make them render on-foot combat pointless. Give vehicle combat its own feel so as to give the player the option of assessing the pros and cons.
-I want it to be paced like the first game, where I actually had a sense of progression.
-A good story like XC but with more streamlined sidequests like X.
-Party members with personality who develop through the story not just affinity quests.
-Make it easier to raise affinity with the other characters.
-Don't force 1000 mechanics down my throat right from the start of the game.
-While I liked some of Sawano's tracks, especially his field themes, I vastly preferred XC's music. He could compose a few tracks, but have ACE+ compose the majority of them.
-Bring back the economy system but tie it more to the exploration part of planting the probes and ditch the micromanagement.
I think it comes down to musical preference. And as someone who's open to pretty much all kind of music, it's easier to accept X's soundtrack.
But I also think X's soundtrack fits thematically pretty well. It has this futuristic, alien but yet similar feel to it.
And honestly it's the same with the OST of the first game wich reflects how personal the story is in that one. It has the more classic adventurous feel to it.
So in the end what I'm saying is: those are different OSTs for different games. Sure, they are from the same series, but they are not thematically the same. And the OST reflects that.
Dunno about that. I'm a big music listener with quite an eclectic taste & I have a hard time finding much to like in Sawano's soundtrack for XCX or his music in general. His music is so kitsch & mawkish, & the very fact that he dabbles in nu-metal & rap rock (two of the most universally panned styles of music) is an instant put off for me.
I respect so much about the direction they tried to take with XCX, however, it really just didn't click with me. Without having a stronger central story pushing me forward, the side quests just felt like busy work. Something closer to XC would be my hopes.
They could forget X existed entirely and I would have no issues. Definitely return to a more story focused game. The exploration and world building of X was great, but with no story to make me care it mostly felt all for naught. Personally I like a lot of Sawano's work, (aside from the disasters that are every song in which he writes lyrics for), but I didn't care for the X soundtrack. Not sure if I want him to have another crack at it or to just get the composer from the first game.
Gameplay worked and if they want to tweak a little go ahead, but it felt fine as is. Maybe rework the art unlock system. Definitely a return to a predetermined protagonist. The British cast for Chronicles was a blessing in disguise and I would actually like a return to that as well.
Personally...
I still want a customisable protagonist, but I'd like it if he wasn't so silent.
I would like better character designs. They all look so ugly.
No online functionality.
Romance options.
Less grindy side quests, even if it means less side quests over all.
Non-cliffhanger ending.
More mechs/mech customisation.
Better cutscene direction.
More/better interaction with the other main characters. Some of the sidestuff in Xenoblade X was a little confusing to figure out for me, like needing a specific pet and going to meet someone at a specific time, just for a short pointless scene.
Most of the other stuff can stay the same as in Xenoblade X.
My personal hopes are for a more story-focused game, a cast size similar to the first Xenoblade, & an overall structure that is closer to the first Xenoblade. I also want Sawano out & Mitsuda/ACE+/Kiyota back. If not those guys, then any composer(s) other than Sawano will do. I also want another predefined protagonist instead of a custom avatar & a return to a British dub.
I'd like to try an action combat system, similar to what you have in The Witcher 3 & FFXV.
I wouldn't mind seeing the online stuff being scrapped. I've never cared about online in Monolith Soft RPGs.
I'd like some of the systems from XCX to return, such as character Skills & Arms Manufacturers, & some systems to not return, such as gathering quests & other extra fluff.
And finally, I'd like player-controlled mechs to return, but I'd like them to be given a different design to freshen things up.
More variety in locations that you explore and more hard to reach and cool secret areas!
While I know the next one will be more like the original Xenoblade and less like X, I still hope they give you the same level of sandbox like freedom when exploring. Even if the game isn't as big.
Improve the battle system by allowing full party control and a pause feature. Keep the mechs and make it so that they gain experience and skills while still allowing customization (buy or build parts). I am good with an open world or a more linear structure - dont really have a preference.
Only thing I want is better quest design. Hopefully more Witcher 3 style quests and less MMO-style quests. Other than though, more of the same is fine by me. XCX is honestly the most fun I've had with a JRPG I've ever had.
Story focused with a predefined protagonist
Battle system from X
Exploration and free form gameplay of X
No grindy side quests
Mechs with flight!
Photon Sabers
No miranium type bullshit that encourages idling the game
I think that covers it for me, I loved the OST to be honest and I really just loved being able to just go out into the world and do stuff.
No skells. As cool as they were, they ruin so much about the exploration and combat. You have absolutely no reason to not use them once you get them, which is a serious problem when they are so much more viable than ground fighters and they let you go anywhere all of a sudden with the flight pack.
You can't tell from my post but I actually liked the game even though the ending almost ruined it for me. The music was by far my biggest complaint though because it was so unintentionally corny. I enjoyed the region themes but the battle themes, NLA themes, and flying music were absolute shit and anyone saying otherwise has never listened to good music.
Because I've never played one of his games before. Anyway, what I meant was don't have one-trope characters that repeat the same dialogue and have no growth like Lin and Tatsu. Characters should be multidimensional not one trick ponies.
If they want to keep exploration they should take cues for that from XCX, I vastly preferred the combat on XCX to the original as well, but if they also want to do a full real time action RPG like they first intended for XCX, that would be fine as well.
The story should be handled a lot more like it was in the original, the first 2/3 of the first game's plot were really good and they kept me going.
On the matter of sidequests, I actually liked the world-building that XCX had, never played Elder Scrolls, but a friend keeps telling me stories of his playthroughs and the sidequests sound a lot like that. I am talking in the sense of world-building by the way, I am aware gameplaywise ES are different.
Honestly I will be there for either approach, as long as it is good. For a sequel on the same IP XCX was really different from the first Xenoblade in a lot of aspects, some were done better like the combat and exploration, but the story, characters, and music took a dive.
Wouldn't mind something vastly different from either as well, surprise me.
- The battle system of X
- The music more like Chronicles, but I wouldn't mind having Sawano also on board
- Map should be a mix of X and Chronicles, where the areas are large but not accessible right from the start, better is a more linear progression, I just love to guess that the next area could be.
- With that said, more story and less sidequests
- Skells should make a return
- Cities in both games are really weak, look for FFXII for inspiration
- Characters should really look better, they're really creepy in both games.
- The battle system of X
- The music more like Chronicles, but I wouldn't mind having Sawano also on board
- Map should be a mix of X and Chronicles, where the areas are large but not accessible right from the start, better is a more linear progression, I just love to guess that the next area could be.
- With that said, more story and less sidequests
- Skells should make a return
- Cities in both games are really weak, look for FFXII for inspiration
- Characters should really look better, they're really creepy in both games.
I think I'd use your list along with still add my points. Maybe I'd also add in the fact that I'd like them to use a new engine. Get that newer generation foliage etc.
I was really enjoying XBX, there's something oddly compelling about it. 40 hours in, one easy fetch quest away from getting my Skell liscense.... Stopped playing. Too many other things came out and I haven't picked it up in two months. Kind of sad. I didn't even do two of the continents yet
But still, 40 hours is a lot to only be that far... Game too big.
I was really enjoying XBX, there's something oddly compelling about it. 40 hours in, one easy fetch quest away from getting my Skell liscense.... Stopped playing. Too many other things came out and I haven't picked it up in two months. Kind of sad. I didn't even do two of the continents yet
But still, 40 hours is a lot to only be that far... Game too big.
I like that they don't give you the skells right away since it really does change the experience quite a bit and therefore's a good way to give you reason to keep playing further in, but I would agree it's probably too late in the game overall. Most of the open-world issues with the game just seem like inexperience with how to pace a game like this.
Don't introduce another female alien fanservice character, act like she has something to do with the plot, then unceremoniously kill her off right afterwards. That was annoying.
Don't have a GIGANTIC LITERALLY EARTH-SHATTERING FORCE.... be about 200 purple orcs with basic gun weapons. Don't understand how the Ganglion are so "powerful", unless the Manon are indicative to most species' fighting abilities.
Don't have chapter after chapter of "hey look at this cool plot point we introduced, ready to figure this lore out? Too bad, we're never mentioning it again"
Don't force me to use two characters when I can't exp share and then require Yelv for something and he's under-leveled as all get-out.
More than one settlement, please, what on earth are the Nopon trading routes trading with? L? Those tuba birds?
Whoever wrote Lin's dialogue and actions towards the end, Lao's who "arc" and whoever thought "Let's eat Tatsu" wasn't going to get old *really* fast should be fired.
I could hardly read the text.
Tell the composer when a song is a bad idea (uh uh yeah yeah) and when a song hit gold (Noctilum, Man-non ship theme etc.)
My main character meant nothing to me.
Xenoblade Chronicles
Please no filler locations like the Bionis Interior or that marsh that felt really annoying
Don't hinge entire game sections assuming we'll care about Juju
After the AMAZING PLOT TWIST, the writings got pretty sloppy for a few characters. Make sure your endgmame has solid writing and motivations.
When I lose
the Monado, don't give me a "totally not a Monado", let me feel the pain of it's loss through the gamplay until I get it back. Would also encourage using other characters
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My positives:
Xenoblade X
Exploring was SO MUCH FUN, but please make things besides monsters, probes, and TAP TAP TAP "treasure" "chests" to find. Besides the Nopon caravans and that one Wrothian cave thing there wasn't much to *discover*. Keep the exploration.
Skells were cool.
There was seriously cool stuff in a lot of side-quests, keep that up. Especially the messed up dark stuff. Also I loved when my choices changed small things in the world.
Linear, story based game on Mira. Focused on characters like XC Wii with a new Composer, maybe a few legacy composers doing a track here and there (Shimomura and Mitsuda especially). Dont bring ACE+ back, give me a new feel for a new Xenoblade game (although if they do return, I wouldn't complain).
Less Open world / MMO standards (arms makers, many different weapons with varying stats)
Focus on Elma and the old cast of XCX
Link XCX and XC wii somehow with more than just references
