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Is Xenoblade X supposed to be this boring?
- Thread starter CaptainLoveline
- Start date
Fantastical
Death Prophet
There potentially is a penalty once you get a Skell which is complete bullshit. Love this game, love the world, and this goes completely against the goals of the rest of the game.
I don't agree with any of these. The Skell is like your airship moment in X.
fallingdove
Member
The game is definitely on the boring side. I have played few games as grindy as this one and the 'exploration' is highly overrated. I really hope the team rethinks its economy and the rewards it doles out for exploration/completing missions in the next game. Everytime I saw that a tank top color variation was the prize for hunting or gathering x, I audibly groaned.
I actually enjoyed White knight chronicles more than I did this game which is too bad considering how much I like Xenogears/Saga 1 and 3 and the original chronicles.
I actually enjoyed White knight chronicles more than I did this game which is too bad considering how much I like Xenogears/Saga 1 and 3 and the original chronicles.
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
So how is this game grindy, mayhap?
It's really grindy in postgame if you wanna beat the superbosses, but for the main story it doesn't feel like there's much at all save for a few small instances.
Then again after playing Monster Hunter nothing will feel grindy by comparison so my view is probably skewed lol..
fallingdove
Member
This bothered me too. Maybe I was doing it wrong but the manual said your party would always do a perfect eject to avoid loosing a skell that was about to be destroyed. However, without fail, when I returned to the barracks, insurance was used or one of my skells was lost. The whole salvage system is fucking moronic. It is a deterrent for what is arguably one of the best parts of the game.
KittenMaster
Member
It'll say insurance is used even if you do a perfect eject, the insurance counter doesn't actually decrease so you're fine.
fallingdove
Member
-Forced exploration to advance the story
-Forced affinity to take on certain quests(affinity accumulates too slowly before post game)
-shit is expensive and money is scarce until you get good probes
-Gathering is a chore.
-The game discourages the use of characters besides Elma and Lin due to the fact that Elma and Lin are often required for quests or story advancement.
-New characters start with few skills and at a level typically much lower than Cross/Lin/Elma.
-The fact that it takes around 80 hours to get through a jrpg with a story line that is probably 10 hours long....
fallingdove
Member
Then why is it forcing me to use salvage tickets for Skells registered to my other party members after they do a "perfect eject"?
AppleSautts
Member
Party members will always get a perfect eject as long as your skell has 1 insurance ticket left on its counter. If the counter is 0, then it'll be destroyed.
If you have a skell with 0 insurance left, it's probably best just to get a new one.
I'm enjoying this game, but i agree with all the above. I'm at point where I have to explore a percentage of the map to do the next chapter and I really just want to move ahead with the story and I know this game will end up sitting on a dusty pile because of it, the same happened with Dragon age inquisition with its daft power point system.
I finished it over the weekend. My complete time was 181 hours. And none of those 181 hours were boring
Jeffolation
Banned
That cut scene when she talked about the mech/skell whatever made me want to crawl in a hole and die. That and 90% of Quiet's cut scenes made me embarrassed about playing video games. When I changed Lin's armour and saw cleavage...
JRPGS need to jettison all teenage characters already. I hate feeling embarrassed when I'm playing a frigging video game.
ShockingAlberto
Member
Just change Lin's fashion armor to her default outfit and never change it.
I found this really great mask that suits her perfectly :3
fallingdove
Member
Selecting 1 of the 87 tank tops isn't bad either. I went with summer rose. 
Jeffolation
Banned
While I'm usually keen to outfit every character with best stats gear, I will follow your advice and cover her in arnour as much as possible. I was also loved when I finally unlocked Gray XOF uniform for Quiet.
fallingdove
Member
Just take advantage of the fashion gear feature. This allows you to outfit your characters with the best stats while making them look like you want them to look. I wish more RPGs did this.
bananafactory
Banned
I played like 2-3 hours and finished the prologue. Nothing about it gripped me and I haven't felt the urge to go back
Every minute of it felt dull, not to mention every time I opened a menu I had no idea what I was doing.
Every minute of it felt dull, not to mention every time I opened a menu I had no idea what I was doing.
ShockingAlberto
Member
When on the equipment menu, there's a button to open up a sub-menu. Do that and the sub-menu will have an option to add different gear - I forget the phrasing, but we'll call it fashion gear.
It's equipment you put on that you wear for the looks. It doesn't affect the stats.
Yes. Yes it is.
The beginning of the game is rough. These things its having you do, are basically really obtuse tutorials on systems you need to understand and do, for all kinds of reasons. For example turning probes into mining probes shows you how you mine the planet for ores and resources (speaking of starflight...) A passive process that can easily be forgotten, which will come back and bite you in the ass later. And yes there is tons of shit like this being shoved on you, and tons more that goes unmentioned.
Same thing could be said about starflight.... In fact, X actually reminded me of starflight fairly often...
There is no level scaling for enemies (thank god), so what you are basically dealing with is the ecosystem of Mira. Kind of like in real life, if you run across a wild boar or a grizzly bear, it might behoove you to go around it as oppoosed to running up to it and punching it in the dick.
The games an RPG ass RPG, and a lot of people who have been given the impression by over bearing marketing campaigns that every fucking action adventure game with a sword, a story, and xp bars is an RPG... May come to find they don't like actual rpg's.
But hey, if making spreadsheets is your idea of a good time, hoo boy X can spread them sheets.
Sounds like we had the exact same experience. I takes a while before you understand that the star of the show is the world and the fun comes from exploring it.
The premise, the world and the exploration is all amazing and makes the game a great game.
That being said, the rest is average to bad, especially the dialogue and the awful attempts of making jokes. I am surprised that Gaf does not have more critical discussions about the story and the dialogue since it is worse than Star Wars episode 1...
The premise, the world and the exploration is all amazing and makes the game a great game.
That being said, the rest is average to bad, especially the dialogue and the awful attempts of making jokes. I am surprised that Gaf does not have more critical discussions about the story and the dialogue since it is worse than Star Wars episode 1...
Beren the Empty-Handed
Member
You basically have to realize that running around exploring the world and getting into scraps with monsters is the game. Everything else, including story, is just there to round out the package.
It's like a modern, fully 3D NES Legend of Zelda, with mechs. If the original LoZ doesn't float your boat, neither will this.
It's like a modern, fully 3D NES Legend of Zelda, with mechs. If the original LoZ doesn't float your boat, neither will this.
I like exploring and spending time in the world, but I swear the story gets dumber every time something new happens. Basically Saturday morning type characters and plots, but then it will suddenly take itself seriously.
Level 17 here. I like the game but I've been casually drifting in and out since launch. Played pretty steady for about a week. I find it relaxing to play, usually.
Level 17 here. I like the game but I've been casually drifting in and out since launch. Played pretty steady for about a week. I find it relaxing to play, usually.
Takahashi needs to make another xeno game with the same style of story found in Gears (or even Saga)
Blade and Blade X can't hold a candle to those two
Earthpainting
Member
Like others have said, if you're not feeling the exploration, then you're going to miss out on a large chunk of the game's appeal. I was usually a healthy 10~15% over the required exploration requirements, so I never felt like it was a chore to me. It's got some issues, but if you like the world and social quests, the game had plenty to offer. I'd say it was one of the more enjoyable open world games I had played in 2015. Still, I'm glad they're supposedly going back to a more traditional single player game for their next one.
Funny how you make "thread complaining" sound like it's an generally approved thing and generally bad. There can be terrible threads, you know? Nothing wrong with calling them by their names. Now stop with your post complaining.
If something is generally approved to be something, it's clickbaiting, and that something is the word awful. At least this kind of clickbaiting. This title is disrespectful, it implies the game is factually boring and people that enjoy it just tend to enjoy boring things. And that's OK if you actually have something to back this shit up and something that makes your opinion worth reading. He cannot back up "boring", something that couldn't be more volatile and more subjective. And he doesn't even try to. He does not bother explaining why he cannot enjoy one of the factually most varied and biggest fantasy open worlds there have ever been or how it doesn't go hand in hand with what he expected after Xenoblade 1 and the trailers. Getting up to 15 % is a joke, you'll always see something completely new and get experience points for basically everything which you can spend on learning new techniques and other stuff which is incredibly satisfying and motivating. So early in the game, he probably didn't even spend any time on this, yet we have this thread right here.
There is nothing to discuss here. "Hey, this game isn't that engaging yet, am I doing anything wrong?" This would be one post in the fucking OT we have, made by people who actually spent some effort. I would love to discuss the pros and cons of this game but there is nothing to discuss here, there is absolutely no basis. If anything he gets spoiled. I consider this game cirminally underrated, its reputation doesn't really benefit from threads like this, made by someone who barely played it.
And again, we just had the same shit with Witcher 3 and after two hours he suddenly loved the game with the awful, disrespecting thread title and empty OP staying unchanged to this day. People abuse their right to make threads.
My favorite was when I introduced the blue alien "L" to the commander and he said something like "is that an alien or has he been holding his breath too long". After that I skipped most of the cutscenes. It is like the story is trying its best to ruin the atmosphere.
What exactly is so awful about this line, do you mind explaining?
XBX scratches the exploration itch that Dragons Dogma did. Its story is hella flawed (I often drift off during many cutscenes), its battle system is just ok as I can't pinpoint what is missing from the first game but something is, and some of the mission and general structure stuff is just poorly done. But it still gives me what I want out of games.
Put me in a world and make it fun to get around it.
This does this for me. I dont care if i'm doing busy work as I am enjoying running around the world.
some "protips" for newcomers tho
- during your trips through the various lands, COLLECT EVERYTHING, this will make a lot of future missions auto completes by having the needed stuff already.
- Try to place as many probes as possible so fast travel becomes super easy (also raises the % easy).
- Use your reward tickets if you dont feel like actually looking for stuff.
- Upgrade your skills and arts. Pretty sure the game never explains this (and alot of important shit , like giving your team commands in battle).
- Look up how to place probes to get tons of money and miranium so money isn't a problem.
- Dont try to do everything. This was the case in the first game. Even if you will never play this game again...that is too much to do and you will get burned out.
Put me in a world and make it fun to get around it.
This does this for me. I dont care if i'm doing busy work as I am enjoying running around the world.
some "protips" for newcomers tho
- during your trips through the various lands, COLLECT EVERYTHING, this will make a lot of future missions auto completes by having the needed stuff already.
- Try to place as many probes as possible so fast travel becomes super easy (also raises the % easy).
- Use your reward tickets if you dont feel like actually looking for stuff.
- Upgrade your skills and arts. Pretty sure the game never explains this (and alot of important shit , like giving your team commands in battle).
- Look up how to place probes to get tons of money and miranium so money isn't a problem.
- Dont try to do everything. This was the case in the first game. Even if you will never play this game again...that is too much to do and you will get burned out.
GinoFelino
Member
StrategyFan
Member
yes
but i think it's a decent game if you like exploring and have played through enough bad games to tolerate the design (pretty much every big RPG is a bad game in some way)
but i think it's a decent game if you like exploring and have played through enough bad games to tolerate the design (pretty much every big RPG is a bad game in some way)
But you only get Skell late in the game... If they already reach that point I guess it is just a matter of finishing the game.
I got a Skell 60 hours into my game lol.
L is legit the first Humanoid Looking Xeno they meet tho.
also not every line has to be super serious. That's boring.
How? It's very short, too short for my liking, but how is it "hella flawed"? Reminded me a lot of the Wind Waker story (equally short, basically post-apocalyptic,
woman that later turns out to be the big game changer
Not really. Combat is like a million times better than the first in every respect, was surprised how great it is compared to the average JRPG combat which is awful. The best addition are hitzones which are always great.
No, it's not. It's amazing. He is an old, sarcastic guy who has seen a lot and already met aliens. There is literally nothing wrong about this line unless you're too edgy for an innocent gag. L is a joke compared to the aliens he already had to deal with anyway (
Elma, for example, if you forgot about this or never finished the game
Is there anybody out there who actually finds the jokes funny? Anybody who does not thinks Lins "I am going to eat the potato alien" gets old?
Not all of the jokes hit (that one in particular sucks sooo hard) but some are clever. Localization did a solid job with this game.
I currently have 200+ hours in this game. I'm only at... 70% survey completion? I just finished maxxing out all my classes and now I'm working on maxxing affinity with all characters to do all their Heart-to-Hearts. My combat skills absolutely suck and the only things I've crafted are a bunch of Insectoid Slayer XX augments to help with my class grinding (which didn't really qualify as much of a grind considering how fast I maxxed everything out, thanks Joker). I'm working on getting my overpowered Skell (almost there!) and then I'm probably going to get all of the other less overpowered Skells. Then I'll probably get all the overpowered weapons for the Skells as well as all the optional armor sets I'll never use. Mission-wise, I feel like I'm reaching the end of the list but just yesterday I unlocked a
which then unlocked a bunch of new NPCs and missions.
I also beat the main story literally 100+ hours of gameplay ago.
There was a Japanese review that talked about not "getting" the game until they stopped playing it like a linear RPG going from story point to story point. Increasing survey percentage not because it was a story requirement but because they wanted to see more of the planet. Completing missions not to get to the next chapter but because they wanted to learn more about the inhabitants. There's a reason why the only story points mentioned pre-release were always "humanity trying to survive on a new planet" because that is the whole game. Everything you do ties into the romantic idea of being marooned on a distant, uncharted planet - explore the planet while discovering landmarks and fast travel points to facilitate further exploration, plant probes to help complete your segment map to learn more about the planet as well as mine resources from it, complete normal and affinity missions to learn more about how different people
are adapting to their plight and to each other, etc etc. It's clear that was the vision the designers had for the game and it's not one that will resound with everyone - no vision ever does.
But here's the thing OP. If you're not already drawn in by the gameplay loop of planting probes and filling out your map segment by segment, I doubt you'll ever reach 100% survey completion and beat all the superbosses in the game. But at least realize that the "main story" of the game is a ridiculously miniscule part of the whole thing and really shouldn't be your goal. You'll only end up frustrating yourself over it. Heck I'll even help you out a bit by telling you that it's not even that great - the truly great storytelling comes from the world building in the normal and affinity missions (ignore the basic ones for the most part). So go out there and plant all the probes you can plant. Wander off the beaten path, try to see how far you can go without getting into a battle with something. Don't just run around with the intention of getting from Point A to Point B; take the time to check out that cool looking rock formation or follow those hilarious looking birds around for a bit. Climb every single mountain you reach then jump off it because why not. See a high level monster in your way but there's an ever so alluring beam of light just behind it? Maybe it'll sleep during the night so you can sneak by it. Or just make a mad dash for it - never hurts to try. Run around NLA and get all the normal missions you can get. Switch up your party here and there - just remember to use Lao and Gwin at least a little! You'll never have a problem starting or ending story missions that way so you can end up taking them only when you want to get some voice acting/cool cutscenes (which BTW are in the affinity missions too). Because there's only one place where you can get themes of discovery, murder, adultery, love (of all kinds), torture, acceptance, racism, religion, atheism, greed, friendship, marriage, sacrifice, birth, death, betrayal, family, suicide, etc etc etc and it's sure as hell not from the story missions (well maybe death, discovery, and friendship). And if it's still not your thing, then well... It's not your thing. But hey, at least you'll have given it a fairer shake then people who just rushed through the story without unlocking any of the additional world building or seeing all the cool locations and monster designs the game has to offer.
Anyways... I've probably rambled on a bit long but I hope it helps you see why some people don't find it boring at all. I just hope more people give it a shot so that Monolith Soft can get a bigger budget for the next game because then maybe we can get the best of both worlds with a meaty linear story and tons of fun world building and exploration to go along with it.
Also the Super Christoph Bros are the best due to their unique dynamic compared to the rest of the cast and the
for best overall in terms of how much they develop and how much we end up learning about them. Though I do love me some hilarious
antics as well. And Nopon. Nopon are great as usual. But man do I like that one (larger spoiler)
who works at the waste disposal plant and talks about following his great
chief and how there's no more beeping and kicking things and I'm still working on the missions involving that one big family - grandpa died recently and I'm looking forward to learning more about their customs. The (larger spoiler)
have some great bittersweet missions as well and even the
have their moments. (That pizza mission!) The
are definitely the weakest but they're also the only ones who can pull off the classic
storyline.
new mutation of one of the alien races I have
I also beat the main story literally 100+ hours of gameplay ago.
There was a Japanese review that talked about not "getting" the game until they stopped playing it like a linear RPG going from story point to story point. Increasing survey percentage not because it was a story requirement but because they wanted to see more of the planet. Completing missions not to get to the next chapter but because they wanted to learn more about the inhabitants. There's a reason why the only story points mentioned pre-release were always "humanity trying to survive on a new planet" because that is the whole game. Everything you do ties into the romantic idea of being marooned on a distant, uncharted planet - explore the planet while discovering landmarks and fast travel points to facilitate further exploration, plant probes to help complete your segment map to learn more about the planet as well as mine resources from it, complete normal and affinity missions to learn more about how different people
from 8! different species
But here's the thing OP. If you're not already drawn in by the gameplay loop of planting probes and filling out your map segment by segment, I doubt you'll ever reach 100% survey completion and beat all the superbosses in the game. But at least realize that the "main story" of the game is a ridiculously miniscule part of the whole thing and really shouldn't be your goal. You'll only end up frustrating yourself over it. Heck I'll even help you out a bit by telling you that it's not even that great - the truly great storytelling comes from the world building in the normal and affinity missions (ignore the basic ones for the most part). So go out there and plant all the probes you can plant. Wander off the beaten path, try to see how far you can go without getting into a battle with something. Don't just run around with the intention of getting from Point A to Point B; take the time to check out that cool looking rock formation or follow those hilarious looking birds around for a bit. Climb every single mountain you reach then jump off it because why not. See a high level monster in your way but there's an ever so alluring beam of light just behind it? Maybe it'll sleep during the night so you can sneak by it. Or just make a mad dash for it - never hurts to try. Run around NLA and get all the normal missions you can get. Switch up your party here and there - just remember to use Lao and Gwin at least a little! You'll never have a problem starting or ending story missions that way so you can end up taking them only when you want to get some voice acting/cool cutscenes (which BTW are in the affinity missions too). Because there's only one place where you can get themes of discovery, murder, adultery, love (of all kinds), torture, acceptance, racism, religion, atheism, greed, friendship, marriage, sacrifice, birth, death, betrayal, family, suicide, etc etc etc and it's sure as hell not from the story missions (well maybe death, discovery, and friendship). And if it's still not your thing, then well... It's not your thing. But hey, at least you'll have given it a fairer shake then people who just rushed through the story without unlocking any of the additional world building or seeing all the cool locations and monster designs the game has to offer.
Anyways... I've probably rambled on a bit long but I hope it helps you see why some people don't find it boring at all. I just hope more people give it a shot so that Monolith Soft can get a bigger budget for the next game because then maybe we can get the best of both worlds with a meaty linear story and tons of fun world building and exploration to go along with it.
Also the Super Christoph Bros are the best due to their unique dynamic compared to the rest of the cast and the
Orphe
Zaruboggan
Prone
human
Wrothians
Ma-Non
Definians
"Becoming the Mask"
Seriously can we get a game where it's just alien party members and like one or two humans - that'd be amazing.
Not always funny, but always charming.
This game has some great writing and atmosphere.
That's the joke, though. It's so stupid, childish and predictable, that it's good again (in a cringe-worthy way) and you just know the developers had fun. You know the outcome but there is always something new and their chemistry is cute. It was basically Sesame Street. If you didn't at least have to smirk when Lin totally overacts and puts him in the pot or marinates him, it's probably more you than the game.
Anyway, I'll stop pushing this awful thread now.
Linkstrikesback
Member
shark sandwich
tenuously links anime, pedophile and incels
TC, if you think that's boring, you ain't seen nothing yet. This game somehow manages to cram multiple fetch quests/extermination quests into almost EVERY quest. You can expect a good 1-2 hours of them just to unlock your skell after chapter 6.
X demands a large time investment and doesn't particularly give a shit about wasting your time with mindless drudgery.
I still enjoyed the game because I loved exploring the world. It's a huge, exotic, dangerous place. And the way it progresses from on foot->skell->flying skell is fucking awesome. It's so fun to explore all these places you couldn't reach/survive before. And it's really satisfying to arm your skell to the teeth and go wreck all those monsters who chased you off before.
But if you're not enjoying it by the time you get a party of skells, it's just not for you. It's a great but also highly flawed game. I can't blame anybody for not overlooking the flaws.
X demands a large time investment and doesn't particularly give a shit about wasting your time with mindless drudgery.
I still enjoyed the game because I loved exploring the world. It's a huge, exotic, dangerous place. And the way it progresses from on foot->skell->flying skell is fucking awesome. It's so fun to explore all these places you couldn't reach/survive before. And it's really satisfying to arm your skell to the teeth and go wreck all those monsters who chased you off before.
But if you're not enjoying it by the time you get a party of skells, it's just not for you. It's a great but also highly flawed game. I can't blame anybody for not overlooking the flaws.
No but not all jokes have to make you laugh. Sometimes seeing two people enjoy a joke is enough. For what it is worth, I did crack a smile towards the end when Tatsu was actually in a pot.
L's fail phrases on the other hand frequently make me chuckle. Too bad I hate his combat lines after hearing them so much.
I found even the basic missions helpful at least as far as driving me towards interesting areas were. Although Normal missions are still better.
I wonder if OP hasn't spotted any Normal missions yet? I didn't really find one for a while other than those from Kirsty and they're definitely the most interesting way to set a basic goal.