Xenoblade Chronicles

[L Thammy]

Depends on what you want out of your RPG battles. The meat of Xenoblade's combat is the preparation aspect.

On the other hand, once the battle starts, I honestly felt like the options were limited in comparison to the crazy number of gameplay systems present prior to engagements.

Yikes, that's pretty much the opposite of what I want. But it doesn't sound bad in and of itself. Thanks again.

I found no such disconnect when I played Xenoblade last year. The dub was well cast and very well acted.

Good for you. I've seen some gameplay videos of the English version and it's still failing me on that regard.

This is true for most games solely by virtue of the fact that North America is the largest market. That we are also the region that has to beg for releases is a testament only to the fact that something is dreadfully wrong with Nintendo of America.

You're simplifying it too much. JRPGs have often been as or more successful in Japan than North America. I'm admittedly judging from a glance, but the Wii seems to be exceptional in that the JRPGs sold in North America seem consistently do better unless they're sequels to big franchises (Dragon Quest Swords, Monster Hunter, Tales of Symphonia 2).

I suspect that it has to do with teenage Japanese gamers that would be more informed about lesser-advertised releases flocking to the PSP. I want to use the high Vita demand shown by Famitsu readers as an example, but I'm not sure if that's because the Vita appeals most to that audience or because it was close to release when I last saw that poll.

Regarding Nintendo of America having a serious problem, I'd disagree with you... if so many of the releases being begged for weren't being translated in Europe. It would have made a lot more sense for Nintendo to have written off JRPGs on consoles as dead and save money on localization completely.

[thresholdXCI]

Started this earlier, and am a few hours in (although I did spend a lot of that time just wandering around). So far it's very impressive. The script isn't perfect (some of the shouts mid-battle are unnervingly twee) but at least the acting is excellent. As for the world the game's set in, it's absolutely inspired.

Gameplay-wise I'm still trying to wrap my head around all of the different things it's been throwing at me. Certainly seems deep enough (both in battles, and out). Being able to save pretty much wherever and whenever, fast travel from anywhere are nice touches. So is not having to return to characters that sent you on side-quests after you finish them.

So yeah, it's good stuff.

[zyxion1]

After i saw that awesome trailer i ran to gamestop to preorder. I cant wait to get this ive been waiting for thios to come to the states and now my dream has come true i'll be posting a full walkthrough guide on f.b and youtube this is gonna be EPIC!!

[KingBroly]

It's Time

IT'S TIME

IT'S MONTHLY STICKY TIME TIME TIME

[vinniebrock]

It's Time

IT'S TIME

IT'S REYN TIME TIME TIME

fixed

I was gonna hold off on this a week or so, but i found a stack of games i haven't played in a long time/don't plan on playing and decided to trade 'em in at gameStop. Pre-ordered (paid in full) Xenoblade and The Last Story. Excited.

Spoiler:

AND I still have about $150 in store credit at GS... just in case Nintendo wants to announce a price/date for a certain upcoming piece of hardware... hurry up E3

[Devil_Rising]

It's Time

IT'S TIME

IT'S MONTHLY STICKY TIME TIME TIME

Kudos on the awesome Vader reference that probably almost no one else got (cuz they're too young or just didn't watch wrestling).

[KingBroly]

Yeah, that's what I was going for.


Too bad an employee at Gamestop forgot they had the early shift today, because I came home empty handed when trying to pick up my pre-order this morning.

[Serpent_Seed]

Did it come out today? I got a call from Gamestop saying it's out today. I'm sure it's suppose to come on the 20th so this must be wrong.

[KingBroly]

I got my copy...finally.

[Battlestriker123]

Getting mine after I come back from vacation in time for my birthday. Hopefully it's not sold out by then!

[Gulshog]

Got my copy today, as soon as Gamestop opened. The case behind the counter had like 20 copies that I could see, lol.

Anyway, doesn't matter...I got my copy! Loving the game, but I'm only a few hours in...good stuff!

[vinniebrock]

Got mine my GameStop hadn't got their art books yet, so the guy told me to check again tomorrow morning. And apparently they're 'first-come, first-served'.

[Gulshog]

Pretty deep game, so far, as far as all you can do...unlocked gem crafting, and that is added to the exploration of the huge map, combat, and quests to find. I like the voice acting, certainly not cringe worthy as some have said...sure it can be sappy, but it's a classic hero tale, good vs. evil, black and white. I like everything so far, and it's well worth $70...I bought a CC Pro. That thing is slick, I had a CC, and it beats that, which I thought wouldn't be possible.

Having a blast, with these jokers!!

[Devil_Rising]

My friend got a copy today. Watched him play the first little bit, and while the "Super British" VO sounds a bit weird at first, it settles in on you, and the music and everything else seem great so far. The character models do look GC esc at times, but when you're out in big sprawling areas the grafics look fantastic. I think they just went with less detail for the models because the game world is so huge, you can see things in the distance for a long, long way. It's really cool. And ultimately, I think it works. I'm sure the "Auto-attack" system isn't everyone's cup of tea, but it does leave you free to evade and do other things during a battle, making for some interesting strategy elements. It's definitely not a "button masher" action-rpg.

I've gotta say, I'll certainly borrow his copy, and if I like it I just might get it. I'm already for certain going to get The Last Story because Sakaguchi is my favorite rpg maker. But Xenoblade does seem like a great game, so kudos to the Wii for getting what seems like two of the best rpgs this generation.

[StarStabbedMoon]

Been replaying my EU version today in honor of the NA release today (I'll be buying the localized release for a friend). I'm on a New Game+ which is my new file for nothing but exploring and side questing, having somewhat rushed through the game the first time around (a good way to give yourself a challenge in battle). I've been on Bionis' Leg for a while now just trying get every quest I can and finding all the hidden areas I never saw my first time through, of which there seems to be an endless variety. It's been months since I last played this, not having a whole lot of time to devote to it, but I've forgotten just how beautiful this game is.

[Ry]

I got mine today and was lucky enough to have a day off to play it. I'm about 5 hours in after beating the faced mechon boss. That battle took a bit of time because I couldn't figure out how to activate those damn chain attacks. lol

To say the least, this game is pure awesome. And really fun. The story so far, despite not being the most original, has my full attention and the British VA is refreshing to listen to at least for me. Just glad it's not awful like the Arc Rise Fantasia's VA was. So bad that it's funny.

[KingBroly]

Note: There is a Japanese Audio Track on the Disc in case you all want to listen to that instead.

I've played...roughly 2.5 hours, having just died once on a gigantic monster. I've got to say I'm impressed by most things. I do feel a bit overwhelmed and confused though in regards to what I can/want to do. It's a pretty big step above most JRPG's I've played this generation though.

[TheCakeIsAPie]

I was hoping to get this game Friday, but I won't have time to buy Xenoblade until Monday. I guess I can wait, but I'm really excited. It's a little weird for me, though. I've only seen a little a bit of footage, but I could tell that I would want this pretty quickly. Probably the least I'll know about a game before buying it.

[thresholdXCI]

Really, really been bashing my head against a brick wall with this game the past couple of days. Hit one boss near the end that's just ridiculous. Spent about 5-6 hours grinding and it's made the tiniest difference. I'm about 60 hours in, about 5 or 6 from the end too, so giving up is pretty painful. Might have to come to it though. It's just not fun anymore. The AI makes things hard enough, and the frame-rate chugs at such an appalling rate in battles now it's impossible to work out what's going on.

Still, I want to finish the bastard because I've already ploughed so much time into the game. Plus the story suddenly got very interesting. So anybody got any tips?

Spoiler:

It's Lorithia. From what I've gathered Melia and Riki are pretty much needed for their ether attacks. I've tried controlling both, in a number of team combinations. I've tried taking out the small things she summons (as she takes more damage when they aren't there) but even then she just summons more and wipes me out. My whole team is at lvl 75 - which is equal to hers. Melia's up to her neck in Ether Plus, Ether Def and Electric Plus crystals too. 10 minutes was the longest I've lasted, chipping about 20% off Lorithia's health.

[StarStabbedMoon]

I knew exactly who you were talking about before I even looked at the spoiler. It's generally considered the most difficult boss for anyone who doesn't main heavy ether-users. I can't promise I'll be of much help but I do have advice.

Spoiler:

So there's really no easy way around this unless you're real good with Melia, maybe Fiora. I was in a similar spot as you since I had used Shulk, Dunban, and Sharla almost exclusively, and ether users just weren't working for me. What party do you prefer to use? If it's anything like mine, then I can help. Apparently, Monado Cyclone works wonders on the elementals, which makes sense since it's a high-damage ether attack with wide range. They're really what's causing the most damage, too, from the continuous self-destructing in unison. Spam the hell out of that art as soon as they arrive, even if it means using Battle Soul to make that possible, so be sure you have a way of healing yourself (Sharla in my case). This isn't actually what I did, I roughed it out completely ignoring the elementals and the battle took forever, but I suggested using cyclone alot to someone afterwards once I gave it some thought and it seemed to turn out great for them. They used Reyn and Riki instead of Dunban and Sharla, but whatever tank/healer combo you prefer should work, and they were Level 73. I was also level 73 but like I said using Cyclone alot more would've made it alot easier on me.

Don't let the challenge bring you down, it's supposed to be apart of the fun. You just need to find the right tools at your disposal to bring it down. So try out what I mentioned and fine-tune it and experiment until you find the right strategy for your play style. Hope this helps.

[thresholdXCI]

I knew exactly who you were talking about before I even looked at the spoiler. It's generally considered the most difficult boss for anyone who doesn't main heavy ether-users. I can't promise I'll be of much help but I do have advice.

Haha, yeah. Well that's it I think. I got a bit lazy with not bothering to figure out the ether users properly. Coming round to bite me in the arse. If I was a bit harsh about the game before, I think the game rage was getting the better of me lol.

Spoiler:

My main team was always Shulk, Sharla and Dunban too. Before reading what you put I actually got a bit further before using auto-attacks on Lorithia and Cyclone on the elementals. That was with Shulk, Riki and Sharla and got her down to below 50%. So there's definitely something in that. Riki didn't help much with ether though, and I have a lot better Skill Links with Dunban so I might have better luck there. I'm not sure Cyclone was even as levelled up it could be and I'll try using Battle Soul more too.

I will beat it! I keep walking away and end up back on the Wii half an hour later. Now I know you got through with that set-up, and I'm definitely not under-leveled I'm a lot more encouraged. Thanks!

[StarStabbedMoon]

Another thing I wanted to suggest based on what you said.

Spoiler:

In addition to the auto-attacking, when the Elementals aren't around try to use alot of direction based attacks with Shulk, such as back slash and the side attacks. This fills up the unity meter fast to give you lots of revives... and I think boosts the talent gauge faster as well (not positive on that, it's been a while). In any case it's good to have those revives ready. A full talent gauge is always good to keep a trigger finger on that cyclone when the time is right. Monado Shield is good for blocking the "Big Bang" attack when you get a vision but Elementals will always be top priority, so it's kind of a case by case basis whether Shield is worth using. I know I used shield a ton when I did it, but looking back it would've been better to reserve the gauge for Cyclone, at times.

[KingBroly]

I'm about 9 hours into it and man the second area is a behemoth. I would gladly buy a Map for each area if I could because wow. I just reached some Quests with Clocks on them, which I guess means they'll expire soon enough; I hate Timed Quests.

[StarStabbedMoon]

They're not actually timed as far as you have to beat them in say 2 hours or anything like that. It's just saying those quests won't last forever in the main story. You have to trigger something to actually end their availability though, and these things don't usually happen until a long time further in the story. You'll know when they do, none of these things sneak up on you.

[Autosaver]

You get the timed quests at the start of the game...

Anyways, I just got done with that one mine and I'm not at Satorl Marsh. Geez! That mine took me HOURS to get through! It was so big and it had TONS of exploration!