Gaming Forums => Nintendo Gaming => Topic started by: Evan_B on November 29, 2017, 05:26:29 PM
Title: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: Evan_B on November 29, 2017, 05:26:29 PM
I'm surprised that, with the release of this game only two days away, there is absolutely no discussion of this title.
That's right, the original innovator of "big world with collection quests" on Nintendo consoles is back for another round with a fiery sequel(?)! Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is all about a boy and his blade, who is a super special blade, trust me, because its red and has a Zohar on it. So! Let's highlight some of the key elements, shall we?
Exploration: A major difference, and perhaps a key factor in the speedy development of the title, is the segmented nature of the world. Each different biome is actually atop a flying creature called a Titan, proof that, in any sequel, more is better. Titans vary in size, and many are used as airships to travel from one place to the next.
While time of day will affect the ecosystem, another element is the cloud sea itself, which has rising and falling tides that will allow access to certain areas. Likewise, there are diving points where Rex will be able to recover materials and other surprises...
Combat: Some new innovations to combat mean that Arts selection is... easier, I guess. But it's more committal in regards to positioning and auto-attack combo chaining, in addition to a revelation regarding secondary and tertiary "levels" of specific blade arts. Not only will raising a blade art level in combat change its effects, but it can be chained with party blade arts into even more devastating attacks. Chain attacks from the first Xenoblade also make a return, although with an added layer of complexity found in the blade art chaining.
With less of a focus on equipment, the main area of customization comes from Blades themselves, as each character can wield up to three at a time, switching between them in combat. A fun aesthetic note is that, as with several character designs, Monolith reached out to prolific Japanese character designers and artists to create a vast amount of unique designs for rare Blades that can be found throughout the world.
Quests: According to hands-on experience, the quest system in Xenoblade 2 is even more streamlined than XCX, with objective markers and character portraits featured. If you have excess Blades that are of a weaker level, you can rent them out to a mercenary group in order to complete missions on their own and improve their abilities. there's a specific Titan full of Nopon merchants with special accessories for your party members, and even townspeople may be suspicious and challenge you to battles.
Aside from these aspects, there are some elements of the story that I find particularly curious, but I won't go into any storyline specifics, as two major points that I would consider rather spoiler-ish were revealed in the last Direct. Is anyone planning on picking this up? I'll admit, I told myself I would pick up a Switch when Monolith's next project was announced, which was at the Switch reveal last year, so... yeah.
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: Order.RSS on November 29, 2017, 06:45:38 PM
That's right, the original innovator of "big world with collection quests" on Nintendo consoles
Obviously someone has forgotten about the 'collect 30 Dogg bones to play as Snoop Dogg for an hour' collection quest in the innovative open world game True Crime: Streets of L.A.!
But yeah it's interesting that the hype for this one seems subdued, might be that the Nintendo audience is still 400 Power Moons short and hasn't had time to board the hypetrain yet? For what it's worth, Xenoblade X is the game that sold me on a Wii U 3 full years into the system's life, but the new one isn't doing the same for me and Switch (yet). I think it's the character designs, I just kinda dislike them. It's the eyes, maybe? That was less of a concern last time with the character creator.
Hope it turns out amazing though!
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: Evan_B on November 29, 2017, 09:54:23 PM
I find that rather amusing, as one of the primary issues people tended to have with XCX was the soul-destroying dead eyes (which makes sense, in context) and the "potato faces." (which doesn't really make sense, in context)
Although XC2 has a decidedly more "anime" aesthetic, I think it suits the look of the title rather well. I'm consistently impressed with how faithful the transition from character art to 3D models are in this game. I think that the art style of the main character designer (the name is escaping me at the moment) transitions to 3D very well, however. Their designs were also used in a completely CG film called "Expelled from Paradise," which you can view on Netflix. Either way, from what I've seen of the game and its iterative improvements on the previous Xenoblade titles, it looks fantastic. Sure, it doesn't have giant robots and its not a direct sequel to the first game, but I already got used to the "Final Fantasy" idea of each title being self-contained with XCX. While I have an immense love for the original Xenoblade, I'm always willing to give new characters and storylines a chance.
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: ejamer on November 30, 2017, 08:08:16 AM
I'm thrilled that it's getting released, but... * was disappointed with the direction Xenoblade Chronicles X (XCX) compared to the first Xenoblade game; still have to finish playing through that game eventually * don't own a Switch and have no plans in the near-term to buy another console due to huge backlog of games I already own and want to play
But the new game looks awesome. Just saw the NWR review, and feel like XC2 will be much closer to what I wanted from XCX. At some point, I will play this game. Just not for a while.
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: Adrock on November 30, 2017, 09:20:23 AM
I just cancelled my pre-order. I can’t justify spending $60 on this game when I haven’t finished most games I purchased on Switch. I’ve had Axiom Verge for over a week and I haven’t put the card in my console. I did manage to snag a Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Pro Controller so my brother and I can finally play Fire Emblem Warriors together as it was meant to be played.
I’ve yet to unwrap Xenoblade Chronicles X on Wii U which I found in a Target bargain bin for $30 either last year or the year before (they all blend together because I’m old). I still want Xenoblade Chronicles 2, and I’m hoping to catch it on sale down the road.
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: broodwars on November 30, 2017, 10:45:44 AM
I'll be picking up my SE order from Walmart tomorrow after work. Dunno how much of it I'll play right away, though. I have to get to Persona 5 & finish Danganronpa 3 by February's NFR GOTY recording. I don't know if I have enough time to properly devote to this game.
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: Evan_B on December 01, 2017, 02:25:49 PM
Oh lord.
That Special Edition box.
Lordy lordy.
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: broodwars on December 01, 2017, 08:25:37 PM
FedEx delayed the delivery of my copy till Monday because they were "backed-up."
That certainly won't leave me bitter all weekend. -_-
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: Evan_B on December 03, 2017, 11:16:16 AM
Four hours in, the combat is already much more satisfying than the previous two games, and that's before getting alternate Blades.
With an increase in player interaction, however, comes a bit more proactive thinking.
EDIT: Six hours in, and sweet jebas, Monolith has made SO MANY PURCHASABLE ITEMS IN THIS GAME
Also, this game is... waaaaaaaaay more anime than the original Xenoblade. The first game had some occasional moments of silliness, but this game is over-the-top in all the best and worst ways.
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: broodwars on December 05, 2017, 02:37:50 PM
My copy, which was supposed to be available Friday, finally "arrived" (Walmart spent all day "processing" it) today...at the wrong Walmart. At least I have it now. Wow, that art book is both larger & heavier than I was expecting.
The soundtrack CD sounds good, better than X certainly. Bugs me, though, that Track 3 continually uses the exact note pattern from the main refrain of "Tomorrow is Another Day" from The Rescuers. Just something that bugs me as someone who's very familiar with old Disney songs.
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: broodwars on December 06, 2017, 02:30:55 AM
Reached the Gormott Plains, and so far I'm quite enjoying this game. I never finished Xenoblade 1 (I doubt I even got halfway in), but I really didn't like what I played of Xenoblade X. Xenoblade 2 does feel like a proper successor to the 1st game, just in its tone & style.
IMO, it's the only Nintendo-developed Switch game this year that's actually lived-up to its hype.
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: Enner on December 06, 2017, 12:35:33 PM
All the anime is happening at once! It's a bit exhausting to do this all again a third time, but I'm enjoying it so far. The combo-heavy, animation-canceling nature of the reworked battle system is really intriguing as I begin my journey in to the second big titan.
I kinda wish this game got more care or time in development. There are a bunch of little unrefined and weird quirks that makes moving around or organizing things that makes everything take that little bit longer.
I'm playing it with Japanese audio (the lip sync ain't great here either), but what I've heard of the English voice-overs doesn't seem to be a total disaster some reviews have lamented.
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: Evan_B on December 06, 2017, 09:46:20 PM
I'm honestly shocked how much care has already gone into the game. The fact that it is as big as it is, with as much content and complexity, after XCX having been released in 2014, baffles me.
General note: the Arts experience gathered is only for the weapon type that has been used and doesn't transfer over to others, but it is a universal upgrade across blades of that type. So even if you summon a new blade, their combat potential is still high. I love this feature and it makes me so happy.
I see Blade Combos in my sleep.
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: Enner on December 07, 2017, 05:31:55 AM
Another tip: Auto-attack hits build up the charge for your Arts. Most of the three-hit auto-attack chains of weapons end with a lengthy animation to reset the chain. You can cancel that animation by moving your character a bit after landing the hits of your character's third auto-attack. Your character should quickly start over the auto-attack chain.
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: Enner on December 14, 2017, 12:03:27 PM
In addition to some bug fixes, we will address the following points:
An easy mode will be added to Tiger! Tiger! When you press the X button, the Skip Travel screen will open the map to your current location. We hope this will make it easier to spot Skip Travel locations and Salvage Points on the map. An additional 1:1 zoom on the mini map will be displayed by pressing the L Stick. This will allow improved visibility of your surroundings and make it easier to check quest locations. We will further improve the convenience of the mini map as we add more quests and additional elements for second playthroughs next year for all players (not just those who purchased the Expansion Pass!) We appreciate your continued patience.
In your second playthrough, you will be able to have “those” Blades join your party! You can also dispatch Blades like Pyra and Dromarch as a Merc Group, and unlock the “LV 4 Special” of a certain Blade. We will distribute the following useful items to those who purchased the Expansion Pass: - Driver Essentials Set: 10 x Rare Core Crystal, 1 x Legendary Core Crystal, 3 x Overdrive Protocol
- Upgrade Parts for Poppi: 30,000 ether
- Pyra’s Favorite Things: 5 x Jenerossi Tea
- Nia’s Favourite Things: 5 x Ardainian Bear Carving
Monolith Soft will continue to add improvements that will make the world of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 even more enjoyable for a long time. And even though there may be times when we cannot address every need immediately because we are working on these improvements in parallel with the Expansion Pass, we truly appreciate your continued support for Xenoblade Chronicles 2!
The Xenoblade 2 Early Access program!
Okay, mean joke aside, it's nice to see these sorts of changes.
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: broodwars on December 14, 2017, 03:14:46 PM
In addition to some bug fixes, we will address the following points:
An easy mode will be added to Tiger! Tiger! When you press the X button, the Skip Travel screen will open the map to your current location. We hope this will make it easier to spot Skip Travel locations and Salvage Points on the map. An additional 1:1 zoom on the mini map will be displayed by pressing the L Stick. This will allow improved visibility of your surroundings and make it easier to check quest locations. We will further improve the convenience of the mini map as we add more quests and additional elements for second playthroughs next year for all players (not just those who purchased the Expansion Pass!) We appreciate your continued patience.
In your second playthrough, you will be able to have “those” Blades join your party! You can also dispatch Blades like Pyra and Dromarch as a Merc Group, and unlock the “LV 4 Special” of a certain Blade. We will distribute the following useful items to those who purchased the Expansion Pass: - Driver Essentials Set: 10 x Rare Core Crystal, 1 x Legendary Core Crystal, 3 x Overdrive Protocol
- Upgrade Parts for Poppi: 30,000 ether
- Pyra’s Favorite Things: 5 x Jenerossi Tea
- Nia’s Favourite Things: 5 x Ardainian Bear Carving
Monolith Soft will continue to add improvements that will make the world of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 even more enjoyable for a long time. And even though there may be times when we cannot address every need immediately because we are working on these improvements in parallel with the Expansion Pass, we truly appreciate your continued support for Xenoblade Chronicles 2!
The Xenoblade 2 Early Access program!
Okay, mean joke aside, it's nice to see these sorts of changes.
Yeah, I wouldn't start using the "Early Access" joke until we start getting to Final Fantasy 15-levels of absurdity, where the entire game has pretty much been replaced at this point, in both mechanics & content.
And yes, I'm still waiting to play FF 15 until it comes out of Early Access sometime in 2020.
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: Enner on December 15, 2017, 02:49:51 AM
Woof on Final Fantasy 15.
Still, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, more than any other recent Nintendo game I can think of (or care to think of), feels like it made it's release date ahead of many other concerns. This is the sloppiest I've seen Monolith Soft at. I've had the game crash on me, which shocked me really bad. Thankfully, I save often so I didn't lose too much progress in this titanic game with no auto-save. Hopefully the crash bugs will be squashed.
One feature I do hope they patch in the future is some adjustment to the Core Crystals to make being a Rare Blade completionist less of a horrible endeavor. From what little I gathered, there are no adjustments or pity rates with the Core Crystals that have become codified in the gacha systems of mobage that the Core Crystals emulate. It's nice that Tetsuya Takahshi was able to get all the Rare Blades after playing for 220 hours, but it would be nicer if it didn't take everyone at least that long to get them.
One thing I have no faith in being fixed is your party members learning to not stand in the poison.
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: broodwars on December 15, 2017, 10:44:37 AM
I haven't run into any major technical issues in my play through, but I'm early in CH. 2. I've had other things cone up recently that have made me put this fane on the backburner.
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: Evan_B on December 16, 2017, 12:29:58 PM
One feature I do hope they patch in the future is some adjustment to the Core Crystals to make being a Rare Blade completionist less of a horrible endeavor. From what little I gathered, there are no adjustments or pity rates with the Core Crystals that have become codified in the gacha systems of mobage that the Core Crystals emulate. It's nice that Tetsuya Takahshi was able to get all the Rare Blades after playing for 220 hours, but it would be nicer if it didn't take everyone at least that long to get them.
One thing I have no faith in being fixed is your party members learning to not stand in the poison.
While I also experienced a crash (and lost about two and a half hours of affinity buffing and sidequest completion), I do appreciate that the game saves every time you resonate with a Core Crystal, as it feels like a natural way of autosaving progress. While, yes, the game does feel a bit rushed in that respect, we do live in the age of patches and there are other aspects of the game that feel incredibly smooth and polished, so it's a weird circumstance. Loading times are incredibly fast, and the amount of unique content is really impressive.
In terms of getting all the rare blades, there are ways to obtain Legendary Core Crystals through exploiting the game's mechanics, so I wouldn't make too big a stink about the randomization factor. Something that you need to consider is that there are a number of rare blades that are unlocked through extensive side quests, so obtaining them all might also have to do with properly managing your investment in the main narrative as well as all the other content. I have a pretty high number of rare blades myself, and I...
*looks at playtime*
...Oh. I have ninety-three hours logged.
I'd like to go back to a previously stated notion, which is, holy crap, this game has a ton of unique content. I don't think there has been a single instance in which I have had a simple "kill x enemies" or "collect x things" quest, and if I have, it has been lost among the sea of genuinely satisfying and character-driven side quests. There's a lot more depth to these in comparison with either of the previous Xenoblade titles, and while they don't auto-complete like those titles, the payoff and investment you have in them is drastically higher.
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: Enner on December 19, 2017, 02:54:43 AM
I really like how Monolith Soft excised most of the menial side quests. While I somewhat lament the lack of auto-completion, a good number of the side quests are multi-part and involving affairs.
I spoiled myself a little bit in regards to Rare Blades, so I am glad that quite a number of them are attained through quests. For me, I'm not bothered by the gacha of Rare Blades since I'll most likely will myself to play every inch of this game. I just want to express sympathy for those who are frustrated with the gacha.
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: Mop it up on December 23, 2017, 01:24:29 PM
I've considered getting this, but I may be a bit Xeno'd out at the moment. I know there have been just two games, but they're huge games... Plus, I already have a lot of RPGs on my backlogue.
But I'll probably end up getting it anyway because I'm irresponsible.
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: Enner on December 24, 2017, 01:14:58 AM
The new patch has added some very welcome fixes. The map fix was much needed and is much appreciated.
The easy mode for Tiger, Tiger! takes away wall damage which makes it so much more pleasant.
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: Adrock on December 25, 2017, 12:52:15 PM
But I'll probably end up getting it anyway because I'm irresponsible.
That’s the spirit. Join the Dark Side.
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: Evan_B on December 31, 2017, 01:28:49 AM
I have just passed the 100+ hour mark (on the Switch user page, as the game incorrectly logs suspended/sleep mode time as gameplay hours- that clock sits at around 197 hours for me) and, while I still believe Zelda is a far better-designed game than this one, I’m just enjoying this game so much. The combat is truly a revelation. If there’s one system I’d like Monolith to carry on into other Xeno- titles, it’s this cancel mechanic that adds a level of attention and depth to battles.
Questing in this game is just so vastly improved from previous entries because of how collection points and the narrative-based scenarios function, everything is far more memorable and feels much less like busy work.
I’d go into a bit more detail, but I’m still only at chapter 8 and I’d offer a few ranks so far:
Combat Systems: XC2>XCX>XC Narrative: XCX>XC>XC2 Side quests: XCX>XC2>XC World Design: XCX>XC>XC2 Party Members: XC>XC2>XCX
I might elaborate on these later.
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: ThePerm on January 08, 2018, 03:49:25 PM
It's funny how there are two video game companies named Monolith. The two of them collectively are Duolith.
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: Evan_B on January 21, 2018, 10:02:38 PM
So, I finished my first story playthrough at just over 210 hours, I definitely spent around 30 of those grinding Legendary Cores for getting every Rare Blade.
It may come as a surprise to all of you, but I absolutely adore this game for a number of reasons. However, I can understand that it's not something for everyone, but I'm already a huge fan of Monolith's style and this just had so many great improvements on a lot of their previous concepts.
I'm going to be writing a rather extensive analysis of the game over the next two weeks or so, which will likely be posted somewhere...
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: Enner on January 25, 2018, 02:05:33 AM
Gratz on the game completion! I'm still chipping away at my game bit by bit as I progress through Chapter 9. The game goes UNLIMITED ANIME starting at (for me) the middle of Chapter 7, and I adore it for it.
Still miffed about the gacha system of the Core Crystals as a whole, but it's on me that I decided to open 99 Common Core Crystals in one sitting. I really do hope Monolith adds a pity rate (e.g. Fire Emblem Heroes increases the percentage chance of summoning a 5-star hero in a gacha banner as you fail to summon a 5-star hero) to the Core Crystal system. Ah, I guess I should take advantage of the systems in this game and just spend the time to grind out Legendary Core Crystals.
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: Evan_B on January 25, 2018, 09:21:56 AM
I’ve been grinding Legendary Cores in order to get my final four unique Blades. It has been tedious, but the final two I need are Justice Booster fodder so I think I have a good rhythm going. By the time I had reached the endgame, I only had six unique Blades left to get, so all in all, I don’t think the facts system reall got the best of me until I started going out of my way to try to pull uniques. I do hope, however, that the DLC Blades are obtained through quests rather than pulls...
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: Enner on February 09, 2018, 01:36:58 PM
The amount of new things and options are exciting, even outside of New Game Plus. More sorting options are really welcome!
Alas, I see no hint of improving Portable Mode performance or a pity rate for Core Crystals.
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: Evan_B on February 09, 2018, 01:51:17 PM
The draw rate isn’t that bad- unless you think all the Rare Blades in ththe game are unlocked via using it. There are a number of spots where you can grind Legendary Core Crystals, and with the Blade Bonding animation now skippable, it’s going to go a lot faster for people who haven’t finished the game/summoned all the Blades.
But I do warn you, as of right now only 21 of the 38 Rare Blades that exist are drawn from Core Crystals. Don’t drive yourself mad and beat your head against the wall for all of them.
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: Enner on February 10, 2018, 10:41:15 PM
I already did some reading to know which Rare Blades can be drawn from crystals and which are from quests.
And if you want to get at the heart of my (minor) frustration, it's that I saw a friend draw a KOS-MOS before me after I reminded him to use Justice Boosters before using his Legendary Core Crystal.
I have yet to grind hard for Legendary Core Crystals, so please take my frequent gripes with the system as tiny sour grapes! Well, outside of the iffiness of including a system from free-to-play mobage in to a full-priced JRPG with an expansion pass.
I haven't played much of the game, but I did manage to play enough "Tiger! Tiger!" to properly power up all of the Poppis. QT Pi is something else!
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: Evan_B on February 11, 2018, 01:03:01 AM
I am not a huge fan of the system either, trust me. While I think its still somewhat bearable, it really has no place existing in a game of its kind. What's worse, I can think of a number of ways that it could have been improved in order to work somewhat more reliably while still offering plenty of variation.
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: TOPHATANT123 on June 24, 2018, 02:07:13 PM
Ok 185 hours to credits, I think I'm done with the game now until the expansion.
The Good + A good trimming of the fat from the past two Xenoblade games, I'm glad they changed up the affinity tree, armour system and the collectopedia with it's unique descriptions of every item in the game (which I felt obligated to read). We've done that twice already and I'm glad they focused their attention on other areas. + Although I think I prefer the old style battle system I'm glad they changed it for the sake of variety. + Rex is a likable protagonist on par with Shulk + I enjoyed the different motifs they had running through the music. + There's sooooo much music and music variety + A return to really well choreographed fight scenes that were lacking in X's cutscenes + Great economy in this game, you are tangibly rewarded for buying things and I didn't feel like money was basically no object like in Chronicles and X. + Voiced heart to hearts are great. + The return of English voice acting + Welsh + Scottish + Australian + Fonsett Village gave me Xenogears vibes. + The land of Morytha was an unexpected curve ball, I'm glad they managed to tie the two games together. + When Amalthus brings all the titans together near the end and you can go to those titan's and see them fighting from different angles. + Vandham's chapter and the end when the vocals kick in, too good.
The Bad - General quality of life stuff. Questing feels really slow and much more of a chore than both Chronicles and X even though it's clear they put more effort into them this time round. - Field skills are a fun idea but the way they are implemented is so annoying. Unequipping and equipping blades is just the worst. - The music isn't as distinct as Chronicles or X, to be fair it's a very high bar. - I love a good credits song, compared to Chronicles and X the credits were weak. - Movement feels slow compared to even Chronicles. - Forced to quick travel breaks immersion. - The game was really lacking when it came to world building, Chronicles and X have some of the best worlds in video games but 2 had too much ambiguity for my liking. What is a blade? Are they like Pokemon and you keep them in your bag or is it implied that you have an army of blades hanging out at the mercenary camp? Do blades need to eat and sleep, if they can't die that would imply that they don't? Why do some blades look like humans and others looks like big monsters? - Exploring the titans isn't as interesting as in Chronicles. For example you never get to go up onto the Gormotti titan's head, in Mor Ardain you only get to go on the titan's shoulder, in Leferia you never even see the titan. In Chronicles they really emphasise the fact that you are exploring a Titan and I feel in this area 2 didn't really do as well. - I find Rex and Pyra/Mythra's relationship to be really weird. The cast keep pushing him to be like "Eh eh Rex you're in love with them right!", but the game never sets any precedent for blade/human relationships and never really goes into detail to what a blade actually is. It just doesn't sit right with me, Rex is a kid and they're like a 500+ year old super computer processor or whatever. - You spend the ENTIRE game trying to reach Elysium but when you get there the game never goes into detail as to what Elysium actually was, why the hell was Klaus under a church? - How does Azurda transform back into a titan at the end of the game? If Pyra reawakened his titan abilities or whatever why didn't they do that ages ago? - It's implied that Mythra and Pyra still remember Rex at the end of the game, again never explained and if they do remember him there was no sacrifice whatsoever making the whole ending sequence redundant on the space station redundant. - Malos has really poor motivations and I don't even understand Jin's motivations, Torna in general needed more development. - Looking at the artbook Nomura's designs look awesome in 2D but in the game Torna just look out of place, I wish they had stuck with one art design for the human characters.
All in all Xenoblade is my favourite series and I'm glad that because of the Switch's success the game has started to hit the mainstream with it's 1.31 million sales, I still really enjoyed it even if I have some gripes. There's still Torna: The Golden Country to come and then hopefully (fingers crossed) at some point Xenoblade Chronicles X-2.
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: Evan_B on June 24, 2018, 09:35:58 PM
The more information I see about Torna: The Golden Country, the more impressed I am by the amount of improvements and changes made to XC2's already solid fundamentals.
That being said, many of the cons you listed are the same problems I had with the game, although I thought side-quests were a fair bit more brisk, at least in comparison with XCX. I did not appreciate having to have specific Blades equipped in order to trigger cutscenes and side-quest starting points, however.
I can also say with confidence that this game has some moments of very good voice acting and some of the worst examples in the entire series.
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: TOPHATANT123 on June 25, 2018, 02:33:36 AM
With X so long as you were strong enough if you had a quest you could complete it, in 2 a lot of the time I would play a side quest up until the game blocked me from continuing because I didn't have the right field skills. So I suppose sitting down and just wanting to work on quests wasn't as satisfying because of all the stopping and starting.
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: Shorty McNostril on June 25, 2018, 04:08:47 AM
Title: Re: Xenoblade Chronicles 2: How is Monolith Soft so Monolithic?
Post by: Enner on June 28, 2018, 01:58:59 AM
They over explain so much in the end, that it's easy to blank on some details that might explain a thing or two.
I saw credits on the game a while back and started a little bit ways in to New Game+. I enjoyed my time with it, but come away a little frustrated. There's a lot of ambition in XC2, perhaps a bit too little refinement, and maybe a bit too much male-otaku-demographic late night anime (not that I would complain about that, but that aspect might grate on some).
More than anything, a tiny sense of general exhaustion has set on me as I did my rounds through the game. This is my third go around of Xenoblade, and I feel I've had a lot of how these games move and feel.
Whatever Monolith Soft is working on next, I pray it is something completely different. And shorter.
Oh, as for the run speed, I thought you go fast enough after you take care to buy the shop deeds that increase movement speed.
