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Help me decide: Skyrim vs Xenoblade 2

G

Gorilla Shark

Member
I typically structure my gaming time where I am usually playing one large rpg/open world type game that I can chip away at for a while along with one smaller indie/retro game that comes and goes much quicker.

I’m about to finally finish with Zelda BotW (amazing game) and am considering starting either Skyrim or Xenoblade 2.

I’m apprently the last person on earth to not have played Skyrim ever, but I loved Fallout 3. Fallout 4 was okay, but full of fetch quests and seemed to be more of a FPS than a RPG.

I did play about 25 hours of Xenoblade X, but never played the original Wii game. I like Xeno X but dropped it when other stuff came out.

Which of the 2 should I go with? Which has better quests, a better world to explore, etc.

Thanks in advance.

Edit: these are both for Switch
 
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Danjin44

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
One is JRPG and other one is WRPG. So its base on what you like more.
I personally LOVED Xenoblade Chronicles 2, I put 290h in to the game. As much as I enjoyed the characters and the story, its very "anime" to some that big turn off.
 
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V

Vic20

Member
Danjin44 said:
One is JRPG and other one is WRPG. So its base on what you like more.
I personally LOVED Xenoblade Chronicles 2, I put 290h in to the game. As much as I enjoyed the characters and the story, its very "anime" to some that big turn off.
Click to expand...
This is a solid argument. Your preference will likely determine which you will enjoy more.
 
P

Poppyseed

Member
XC2. Skyrim is a wander-fest, a carrot on a stick with no carrot, if you will. Skyrim is SUPER dated at this point.
 
PulseONE

PulseONE

Member
If you haven't played Skyrim, you probably should get around to it.

It's aged a bit, but its still a great game.
 
F

FightTest

Member
As someone who played through both to the end and then was pretty done, I would say Skyrim. Skyrim just is what it is and it does it well. XC2 is good but there are some really poorly done elements that keep you constantly thinking "why did they do this?" throughout the game. Both are good games, but Skyrim is better. That said I haven't played it since it released on PC.
 
ThisGuy

ThisGuy

Member
I personally would choose skyrim. I love the world Bethesda creates. The elder scrolls series is one of the few that I continuously come back too. I can honestly say that I have played not only skyrim, but also morrowind in 2017. I have zero quality input on xenoblade, it looks like a game I would put about 20 hours into and then quit.
 
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1

120v

Member
love or hate skyrim it's essential gaming in the 2010s. it's a box you need checked stat if you haven't already
 
J

JORMBO

Darkness no more
They are very different games. I'd go with Xenoblade myself for the combat, characters and story. Skyrim might be better if you just want something where you can just wander around in and explore. Both are very good games.
 
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goldenpp72

goldenpp72

Member
Honestly i'd do Xeno just because I imagine Skyrim will drop in price much sooner, and deeper. They are comparably good titles but vastly different.
 
Scopa

Scopa

The Tribe Has Spoken
Played Skyrim and currently 80+ hours into Xenoblade 2. Very different games. If you liked Fallout 3, you’ll definitely enjoy Skyrim in the same way. I assume you enjoy the medieval fantasy setting?

Xenoblade 2 is very, very “anime” in that cutesy way. Keep that in mind. I am enjoying it immensely and I am not usually into JRPGs or anime. You won’t get “lost” in it like you will Skyrim as it’s a bit more structured. Although, it does have some gorgeous open landscape sections.

They are both time sinks.

I think the best way to decide is what do you feel like next? Dark, medieval fantasy with fire and dragons or silly, cutesy anime style with a complex but addictive combat mechanic and a gorgeous alien landscape to explore?

Hard choice.
 
Spukc

Spukc

always chasing the next thrill
Def get skyrim. I again clocked in like 200+ hours.
Xeno 2 is generic anime wank. I still can't believe i bought that crap.
 
Wunray

Wunray

Member
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is a great game, it just has 1 major draw back (in my opinion) and it's that the story at certain points get gated behind skill checkpoints. I personally hate that, mind you if you are paying attention it should be no issue but as for me I hate that sort of thing due to the rng nature of blades. Can't say much for Skyrim however since I never played it.
 
Andyliini

Andyliini

Member
I have not played Skyrim yet (I have it, though), but yesterday Xenoblade Chronicles 2 almost brought me to tears when Chapter 6 ended and Chapter 7 began. I rarely get moved by a videogame, but this time it happened. I really enjoy the story of that game, but I also love the combat system, and well-crafted world with focus on politics and relationships.
 
JediLink

JediLink

Member
Skyrim is not a good game. It's fun because it's like a big fantasy sandbox but as a video game but I don't think there's a single thing about it that is actually well designed. The combat is awful. The entire map is just procedurally generated and is totally bland. Furthermore it's riddled with bugs. Skyrim made me think that open world games were just not for me, until I played Breath of the Wild which made me realise how great they can be when some love and care and thoughtful design are put into it. I think if you've played BotW you'll probably find Skyrim horribly lacking in comparison.

Xenoblade 2 on the other hand is a game I didn't really expect to love and almost didn't play and but now is probably one of my favourite RPGs ever. The battle system is fantastic; it might actually be the best battle system I've ever seen in an RPG. The worlds are huge, but also elaborate and winding, and teeming with secrets. It reminds me of Breath of the Wild in terms of scale, but the key difference is that you can neither climb nor glide so it can kind of become a puzzle to figure out how to get to certain areas. For example, you might notice a ledge you can drop down to, which leads to treasure or in some cases secret areas. Not to mention the fact that the environments are absolutely beautiful. And if you're still not convinced, holy shit the soundtrack. It's almost impossible not get hyped playing this game because the music is so damned good.

In conclusion it's a no brainer to me. Xenoblade 2 is a much better game.
 
ChuyMasta

ChuyMasta

Member
Skyrim
I got it on release day on the switch and to this day I still havent finished it.

Very interesting quests if you come across them.

I loved this particular one where a dude is all "Yo! Have some fun, I challenge you to a drinking contest" Then the game takes you on this totally drunk quest line. A delightful wtf moment for me.

Another one I really liked involved me going to prison, talking to some cell mates and then all of a sudden, Im part of this revolution to liberate a particular race. Eventually theres this rebelion like army and Im just a lowly soldier. Arrows flying everywhere, swords clashing, magic projectiles going off and Im just trying to escape prison!

Finally, making choices. It couldve been handled better but I did enjoy it. I did not like being a warewolf or a vampire, but I still cleared the quests. I joined a particular side of the civil war and Im considering doing another playthrough so I can join the other side.

Building your own house is also rewarding. All of a sudden particular locations have more use.

Smithing, alchemy and enchanting....soooo addictive!
 
Richieboothie

Richieboothie

Member
Gorilla Shark said:
I typically structure my gaming time where I am usually playing one large rpg/open world type game that I can chip away at for a while along with one smaller indie/retro game that comes and goes much quicker.

I’m about to finally finish with Zelda BotW (amazing game) and am considering starting either Skyrim or Xenoblade 2.

I’m apprently the last person on earth to not have played Skyrim ever, but I loved Fallout 3. Fallout 4 was okay, but full of fetch quests and seemed to be more of a FPS than a RPG.

I did play about 25 hours of Xenoblade X, but never played the original Wii game. I like Xeno X but dropped it when other stuff came out.

Which of the 2 should I go with? Which has better quests, a better world to explore, etc.

Thanks in advance.

Edit: these are both for Switch
Click to expand...
I’ve never played Skyrim either, and I’m ridiculed daily for it. I’m excited about playing it on Nintendo Switch with a fresh mind. I've actually never played a Xenoblade game either, but I'm looking forward to trying it.
 
jshackles

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
I've not played Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (yet) but I've probably played Skyrim a half-dozen times, and at the moment I think I'd rather play Skyrim again on the Switch than dive into XC2. So that should tell you something.
 
loki 16

loki 16

Member
Skyrim is still a fantastic game. I say go for Skyrim.
WaterAstro said:
I'm surprised people still haven't played Skyrim after Bethesda released it on everything multiple times.
Click to expand...
Some people only play on Nintendo hardware. I bet that if GTA5 came out on switch it would sell very well.
 
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Richieboothie

Richieboothie

Member
loki 16 said:
Skyrim is still a fantastic game. I say go for Skyrim.

Some people only play on Nintendo hardware. I bet that if GTA5 came out on switch it would sell very well.
Click to expand...
Some third parties are saying that their games are selling just as much, if not more, than other platforms. That has to entice third parties. GTAV would be amazing and ANY Fallout game other than Fallout Shelter.
 
Kamina

Kamina

Golden Boy
I played Skyrim for over 1.2k hours on PC from 2011 to 2016. I thought that was enough. Recently i had some money left and decided to give it another go on the Switch. That was about two weeks ago and i didn’ play anything else since. Skyrim offers much, especially if you are not afraid to try out builds and you like rollplaying.
 
Z

Z3M0G

Member
Crazy that since Skyrim first released, they have produced an entire Elder Scrolls MMO, given it an expansion, released it on multiple platforms, and yet are still selling multiple new versions of Skyrim. Probably making a lot more money doing so as well.

The MMO doesn't even suck... it's actaully pretty fantastic. Same experience as classic games other than players running around and not being able to drop items anywhere you want.
 
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grumpyGamer

grumpyGamer

Member
I play alot or RPGs, but personally i found skyrim did not hit the ball with me (bought and finished the game at release date), I don´t like the mindless exploring and the very lack luster story.
So for me whould have to be xenoblade 2, although they are very diferent from one another both gameplay wise and culturally. In the end it is up to you
 
V

Valdega

Member
JediLink said:
Skyrim is not a good game. It's fun because it's like a big fantasy sandbox but as a video game but I don't think there's a single thing about it that is actually well designed. The combat is awful. The entire map is just procedurally generated and is totally bland.
Click to expand...

Uh, the world in Skyrim isn't procedurally-generated. Every location is designed by hand.

In any case, I think Skyrim might have the best alchemy system I've seen yet. In most games, alchemy (and crafting in general) consist of finding a recipe, finding specific ingredients for that recipe and then crafting the specific item from that recipe. In Skyrim, however, alchemy is very much about experimentation. Each ingredient has four properties that you can discover by ingesting the ingredient or combining it with another ingredient that shares the same property. Once you've discovered all the properties, you can mix and match to create potions and poisons with a wide variety of effects. It was pretty compelling stuff.

Skyrim and Xenoblade are fundamentally different games. Skyrim is essentially a sandbox driven by systemic gameplay, whereas Xenoblade is a relatively linear and scripted experience.
 
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Richieboothie

Richieboothie

Member
Valdega said:
Uh, the world in Skyrim isn't procedurally-generated. Every location is designed by hand.
Click to expand...
JediLink said:
Skyrim is not a good game. It's fun because it's like a big fantasy sandbox but as a video game but I don't think there's a single thing about it that is actually well designed. The combat is awful. The entire map is just procedurally generated and is totally bland. Furthermore it's riddled with bugs. Skyrim made me think that open world games were just not for me, until I played Breath of the Wild which made me realise how great they can be when some love and care and thoughtful design are put into it. I think if you've played BotW you'll probably find Skyrim horribly lacking in comparison.

Xenoblade 2 on the other hand is a game I didn't really expect to love and almost didn't play and but now is probably one of my favourite RPGs ever. The battle system is fantastic; it might actually be the best battle system I've ever seen in an RPG. The worlds are huge, but also elaborate and winding, and teeming with secrets. It reminds me of Breath of the Wild in terms of scale, but the key difference is that you can neither climb nor glide so it can kind of become a puzzle to figure out how to get to certain areas. For example, you might notice a ledge you can drop down to, which leads to treasure or in some cases secret areas. Not to mention the fact that the environments are absolutely beautiful. And if you're still not convinced, holy shit the soundtrack. It's almost impossible not get hyped playing this game because the music is so damned good.

In conclusion it's a no brainer to me. Xenoblade 2 is a much better game.
Click to expand...
Skyrim isn’t procedurally based. Are you possibly confuse with No Man’s sky?
 
MickeyPhree

MickeyPhree

Member
I'm 55 hours into Skyrim for the first time and am having an absolute blast with it. No experience with xenoblade, but the anime look turns me off completely.
 
Punished Miku

Punished Miku

Gold Member
I think you have to go for Xenoblade. Skyrim has reallyyyyyyyyyyy aged, and after Breath of the Wild it was almost unplayable for me.
 
Feeroper

Feeroper

Member
Can’t go wrong either way. Both are excellent but it will depend on your preference for the anime look and if you prefer a JRPGs or WRPG more.

Pay no mind to Xenoblade Chronicles X as Xenoblade 2 is a very different style of game - on X they approached it very differently.
 
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