I hate to say it since I was such a fan of the first Xenoblade, but if this new one's a Skyrim knock-off no thanks. I liked having a big open world with a linear story in the first game. I don't need another massively-open world game with a billion side quests to do and a main quest I don't care about.
I'm sorry this logic just boggles my mind. You're bagging on them for allowing more freedom? Why does this also mean that the story is nothing to "care about?" Especially since we don't know all that much yet. Correct me if I'm wrong here but I'm fairly certain that just because it is an open world with a "billion" side quests doesn't mean you have to complete them. If you want to run right through the story then do it...you are allowed.
I'm bagging on them for focusing on size and quantity over quality, something unfortunately common in open world design these days. One of the things I really liked about Xenoblade was that it was a massive world with plenty to do, but the game had a pretty solid narrative that led you from place to place. The story and characters remained in focus. I prefer guided experiences with a focus on narrative. Open World design bores me because the emphasis isn't on the story or the characters, but on the massive laundry list of things to do. And
because there's so much emphasis on the side content, two specific things
always happen:
1. The main story doesn't get the attention it needs during development to make it memorable, because so many resources have been devoted to adding side content. When was the last time you played an open world game and came away with more than indifference to the main plot? I've played just about every open world game made in the last 2-3 years, and outside Sunset Overdrive (where the game has a ton of side content, but makes no attempt to trap you in it) I can't say I
cared about anything in their main plots? Sauron's going to flood the land in darkness? Whatever...I'm running around collecting herbs. Humanity's trapped in a virtual reality simulation? Whatever...I'm running around collecting orbs and beating people up. An ancient dragon's flying around resurrecting dead dragons to conquer the world?
WHATEVER...my quest log is so full of crap to do that I can't even TELL where the main quest is anymore, nor do I care.
2. Bugs. I played Skyrim PS3. Enough said. I just finished playing Saints Row 4 Re-Elected: a game that just came out on new hardware and yet has crashed on me at least a dozen times now because the game's buckling under the strain of handling so many concurrent quests & variables. Dragon Age Inquisition (a comparable game to Xenoblade Chronicles X in ambition and design) has had its own laundry list of issues that are
still being resolved. The more you stray from that linear path, the more you open your engine up to unforeseen problems from players doing anything in any order.
Like I said, if this style of game appeals to you, more power to you. It's just not for me. I play RPGs for narrative and character interaction, and that's not the focus of this style of game.