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Xenoblade 2 Announced (Not XCX, new sequel to XB, ACE music, 2017)

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RPGCrazied

Member
If it IS a direct a sequel, I'm curious if any of the other characters will make an appearance or if it's gonna be set far into the future and everyone is dead. :(

I saw none in the trailer, some are speculating the main character(dark haired boy?) might be Shulk's son?

Who knows.
 

MCD

Junior Member
Your bringing up Xenosaga III reminded me of the really jarring character design changes between Xenosaga I and II (III was a kind of hybrid between I and II I thought).

Does Takahashi / Monolithsoft just not like using the same character designers for games in a series, even direct sequels?

Saga 2 art was really weird lol. They really tried hard with the realistic look. 3 blended 1 and 2 just right.
 

DemWalls

Member
Couldn't have said it better.

In comparision, this is Xenosaga III character CG renders:



Anime yet not as generic as your everyday shonen art found in Xenoblade 2 with the big eyes and weird deformed look they got going.

As long as they don't nail their "realistic anime" 3D models, I honestly prefer something like XB 2, even if uninspired.
 

Golnei

Member
If it IS a direct a sequel, I'm curious if any of the other characters will make an appearance or if it's gonna be set far into the future and everyone is dead. :(

Everyone is dead except for Melia, who is
a mutant part-transformed Telethia bonus boss in constant pain who begs for death.
 

royox

Member
Just reached home and wathed this.

So you are telling me that:

>We had Xenoblade Chronicles on Wii
>We wanted Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (a direct secuel) on WiiU
>Instead we had Xenoblade X
>Xenoblade X ended in the biggest cliffhanger EVER
>We want Xenoblade X 2 (direct secuel of WiiU).
>But they release Xenoblade Chronicles 2, the direct secuel of the Wii game.


I don't know if they are doing this to troll us xD
 
I don't know whether this has already been mentioned in this thread, but I just would like to stress that it is absolutely imperative that we get British English voice acting for this game again.
 

Mistle

Member
I don't know whether this has already been mentioned in this thread, but I just would like to stress that it is absolutely imperative that we get British English voice acting for this game again.
For real, Xenoblade's voice actors were fantastic and going from it to X was really jarring.

I'd imagine they'd get British voice actors considering it's a sequel.
 

Sciel

Member
Not a fan of the main character's design (Face/Outfit).

I do think the game looks good though. Obviously more animu than XC1 but it works for me.
 

skypunch

Banned
I don't know whether this has already been mentioned in this thread, but I just would like to stress that it is absolutely imperative that we get British English voice acting for this game again.

This, so much this. If it's stock standard American anime VA, the game is dead to me. I can't STAND the Disney drama voice acting from stock standard American anime VA.
 

MicH

Member
I don't know whether this has already been mentioned in this thread, but I just would like to stress that it is absolutely imperative that we get British English voice acting for this game again.
Oh my god yes, this needs to happen.

ACE making the soundtrack again is also great news. The first game had an incredible soundtrack
 

XiaNaphryz

LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
If it IS a direct a sequel, I'm curious if any of the other characters will make an appearance or if it's gonna be set far into the future and everyone is dead. :(

Melia's race has a long enough lifespan that it's possible she'd be around if the game's not too far ahead in the timeline.
 

MomoQca

Member
Why not? Xenoblade was the title in Japan, not Chronicles for its NA release. This is titled Xenoblade 2, not Xenoblade X 2.

It has to be a sequel.

Right. My point is that people are acting like this is a direct continuation to the original Xenoblade. Shulk's story is done--everything from this trailer seems to suggest an all-new universe and set of characters.
 
I mean... does anyone who was a fan of X not like the original Xenoblade? I feel like the original was so good.

I think the problem is more that X fans feel really cut off here, unless the theory about having two parallel series holds water.

Right. My point is that people are acting like this is a direct continuation to the original Xenoblade. Shulk's story is done--everything from this trailer seems to suggest an all-new universe and set of characters.

Given the way XBC1 ended, that doesn't exactly rule out the idea of this being a direct sequel.
 

TrueBlue

Member
Xenoblade X did okay in terms of sales, right? Okay if course being relative to Wii U and the popularity of the series as a whole.

I don't think there's any reason to suspect we won't see an X2. Having two separate sub-series might actually be a good idea in the long run.
 

EDarkness

Member
I wouldn't worry about the main character's armor. If it's like the previous games, we'll be able to change it based on what gear he's wearing. Bathing suits, anyone?
 

heringer

Member
"Anime" doesn't fucking mean anything other than animated. The Western implications of "anime" can mean a thousand different things due to the huge breadth of Japanese influenced art across all visual mediums.

My issue isn't that it's "hur hurr animeee", it's that it aesthetically so far has nothing in common with Xenoblade. Xenoblade was technically dated but had for most part a very coherent, cohesive artistic direction in the use of tones, colours, styles, and proportions for its characters, creatures, vistas, setpieces, and world. Xenoblade Chronicles X adopted its own style, and fair enough because change is fine, and I didn't like that.

This looks nothing like Xenoblade at all except maybe hints of scope in the environment. Obvious there's a huge draw in how the game plays since ultimately that's what drew me to Xenoblade in the first place, but when I'm playing a narrative driven, character heavy video game it's not in the least bit unreasonable to wish to feel some kind of interest and investment in the advertised cast. It's ludicrous to think that in a game innevitably loaded with dialogue and characterisation that these things don't matter at all.

In the same way that I've been turned away from countless games from all over the world because they're narrative/character driven and I've been aggressively put off by the chosen art and design style, so too am I feeling this for Xenoblade 2. Obviously I'm going to keep my mind open but the content shown so far looks intensely unappealing to me. Tales also looks the same. I'm actively deterred by the chosen art direction, and mentally automatically put up blocks of disinterest in wanting to engage with the cast and their adventure.

Xenoblade might have had low poly, low texture resolution characters but the art was on point. The dialogue was fantastic too, as was the dub. Xenoblade has such great grounded sci-fi fantasy direction to almost everything; the right amount of whimsical adventure with a sense of believability and seriousness.

If this wasn't branded Xenoblade 2 I wouldn't recognise it as Xenoblade at all. And I don't think it's unfair to voice that disappointment.

Character design aside, the rest is totally Xenoblade. I don't see how you can look at the backgrounds they showed and not think of Xenoblade. It's far more similar to Chronicles than X was.

We also don't know anything about the dialogue or the dub, so I don't know what was your point by mentioning those aspects?

I don't think it's unfair at all to voice your disappointment, though. Ultimately, the char design really is different, for better or worse. Personally, I think it's inferior to Chronicles but far superior to X.
 

matmanx1

Member
More Xenoblade is always a good thing but I still want a proper sequel to XCX. We need to know what happens to planet Mira and our intrepid band of explorers!

So in other words I don't hate this announcement but I'm not quite as excited as I could have been.
 

-shadow-

Member
I haven't seen anyone mention it yet but:

20150804_Xenoblade_Chronicels_3D_splash.jpg


Schermafbeelding-2017-01-13-om-05.38.54-800x445.png


That callback ❤
 

TLH

Neo Member
The last song in the trailer really sounds like something from Mitsuda.

The trailer was ok except for the title drop which I think was fantastic. I'm sure that future trailers will leave a better impression (like the very first trailer for Super Mario 3D World vs the second trailer). I'm especially happy that Monolith didn't just get rid of Sawano but also got most of the XC composers on board. Wow.
 

varkuriru

Member
Hmm so some speculation from my rear:

The girls costumes seem similar to Elma - so maybe it might touch some plot points from XCX or at least some vague reference

The giant creature at the end is Melia and the game is thousands of years after the first :p
 

Byvar

Member
I like that they chose an anime art style personally, but yeah it is a bit extreme (also, that new Monado/other special sword design is hideous). Personally I think they should go back to Xenogears's art style. Actually they should just go back to Xenogears altogether.

Mitsuda being back is great news too but I'm betting he'll only do like 3 tracks. :/
 
I feel this game is more of a direct sequel to Xenoblade Chronicles then Xenoblade Chronicles X ever was, at least going by visuals and that final shot. The unfortunate thing I feel is that this game is at least 2 years away maybe more just like XCX.
 

Kneefoil

Member
The characters' faces look better than the ones in X, so that's good. I still prefer the art direction of the first Xenoblade though. It was still anime, but the characters didn't clash as much with the environment as they do here, and it was less... moe? I think that's the right word. Anyway, the clash between the detailed environments and plain characters still not too bad, except for the character close ups.

Also, all the major characters we've seen so far seem really young. Hopefully this game too has important adult characters like Dunban, Dickson and Sharla.

I don't know whether this has already been mentioned in this thread, but I just would like to stress that it is absolutely imperative that we get British English voice acting for this game again.
^A thousand times this. I'm not expecting now that the series is popular in the United States as well, though.
 

DemWalls

Member
I like that they chose an anime art style personally, but yeah it is a bit extreme (also, that new Monado/other special sword design is hideous). Personally I think they should go back to Xenogears's art style. Actually they should just go back to Xenogears altogether.

Mitsuda being back is great news too but I'm betting he'll only do like 3 tracks. :/

If we're talking about characters, "Xenogears' art style" would most probably mean getting XCX's faces again. I'd rather avoid that.
 

Bebpo

Banned
Right. My point is that people are acting like this is a direct continuation to the original Xenoblade. Shulk's story is done--everything from this trailer seems to suggest an all-new universe and set of characters.

Well a direct sequel set hundreds of years later wouldn't have any of the same cast, but the direct connections would be the world (races and enemies and such). Could even be thousands of years later, new story about the new people living on the planet.

I'm not even sure how you would make the story connection a big point. Unlike XBX there's no big mysteries of the universe left unexplained. Shulk literally
remade the entire universe from start.
 

Somnid

Member
Confirmed 2017? Hell yeah, I thought this was going to be like XBX where it was shown early and didn't release for 3 years. I can get proper hyped.
 
"Anime" doesn't fucking mean anything other than animated. The Western implications of "anime" can mean a thousand different things due to the huge breadth of Japanese influenced art across all visual mediums.

My issue isn't that it's "hur hurr animeee", it's that it aesthetically so far has nothing in common with Xenoblade. Xenoblade was technically dated but had for most part a very coherent, cohesive artistic direction in the use of tones, colours, styles, and proportions for its characters, creatures, vistas, setpieces, and world. Xenoblade Chronicles X adopted its own style, and fair enough because change is fine, and I didn't like that.

This looks nothing like Xenoblade at all except maybe hints of scope in the environment. Obvious there's a huge draw in how the game plays since ultimately that's what drew me to Xenoblade in the first place, but when I'm playing a narrative driven, character heavy video game it's not in the least bit unreasonable to wish to feel some kind of interest and investment in the advertised cast. It's ludicrous to think that in a game innevitably loaded with dialogue and characterisation that these things don't matter at all.

In the same way that I've been turned away from countless games from all over the world because they're narrative/character driven and I've been aggressively put off by the chosen art and design style, so too am I feeling this for Xenoblade 2. Obviously I'm going to keep my mind open but the content shown so far looks intensely unappealing to me. Tales also looks the same. I'm actively deterred by the chosen art direction, and mentally automatically put up blocks of disinterest in wanting to engage with the cast and their adventure.

Xenoblade might have had low poly, low texture resolution characters but the art was on point. The dialogue was fantastic too, as was the dub. Xenoblade has such great grounded sci-fi fantasy direction to almost everything; the right amount of whimsical adventure with a sense of believability and seriousness.

If this wasn't branded Xenoblade 2 I wouldn't recognise it as Xenoblade at all. And I don't think it's unfair to voice that disappointment.

PREACH.

Another thing to note here, this game has shown me that Monolith has given up on trying to get anime/realistic faces translated well to 3D. To them it simply costs too much time and frustration, and so they instead went for the pure anime approach, as that's an easier aesthetic to work with in terms of 3D modeling. The problem is that in turn creates dissonance between the enemy and environment design and the character design art. Xenoblade as least was cohesive about this which mitigated their somewhat bland character models.

The models here are undoubtably better, but the artstyle clash is so prominent that I can't shake it off.
 

Dragnipur

Neo Member
I'm really excited for this, mostly because I hated X due to the lack of focus on story. XB had something to drive me forward, X didn't.
 

rjinaz

Member
Well a direct sequel set hundreds of years later wouldn't have any of the same cast, but the direct connections would be the world (races and enemies and such). Could even be thousands of years later, new story about the new people living on the planet.

I'm not even sure how you would make the story connection a big point. Unlike XBX there's no big mysteries of the universe left unexplained. Shulk literally
remade the entire universe from start.

Theoretically it could though. Pretty much all the characters, maybe outside of Reyn and Sharla, are long lived. You could even make the argument for Shulk living a long time considering what happened to him.
 
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