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[Vincent Grayson]

A lot of people said that Xenoblade had very poor tutorials and that some systems had no proper explanation... then I played the game and saw that every new mechanic was explained in 3 o 4 panels of texts and diagrams giving very detailed explanations.

There needs to be a balance, too much and people complain tha the game "is holding their hands and don't let them experiment and explore" but too little and the complaints are "the game gives no explanation of it's systems, it's obscure for the sake of being obscure".

I will be happy if the tutorials are the same as the original: nice, quick and on point.

If it's like XBC, that's fine. I had no problem understanding what to do in XBC.

When someone says "This game doesn't explain it's systems", I assume they're talking something akin to the Souls series.

 

[Heroman]

Did you read the tutorials, or skip them?

Little bit of both

 

[theSlacker]

Elma is

Spoiler

29 years old

, from today's information.

Good. I hope all the characters are that or older. No teens out in the military saving the world please.

Well, at least this should stop people from freaking out that Takahashi was going to make a game without much of a story. Not that those fears were ever rational.

Does nothing for those fears since they have always been related to the main character being custom and disconnected from the story because of it. Not about the size of the story or how silent the mai...

But... but, mute protagonist!

I still think she's gonna end up turning into the Monado

That would be a little on the nose, what with her hairclips.

I think some of those criticisms from a design perspective are pretty valid honestly.

The world is big and all, but there's only so much you can fit in it that's actually very interesting. The game could be a whole lot of good hiding the whole lot of super awesome great. 300hours but how much or that is truly enjoyable? I'd say playing Xenoblade for me even was great had this flaw during some of the sidequests and other optional stuff like grinding out every landmark and area.

Basically this.

Honestly, with how big the world is in this one I'm surprised at only 300 hours. Think my final time with doing everything in Xenoblade was close to that already. So I really don't have any fear in that regard. Just make sure the towns are as filled with quests and npc interactions as the first game and it will be great.

 

[Hugstable]

But... but, mute protagonist!

The way I see it, Chrono Trigger had a mute protagonist and is one of the most legendary JRPG adventures of all time. It's very possible to have a mute protag and an amazing story.

 

[theprodigy]

You know, the city almost looks like it's from a completely different game from everything else.

 

[Elfforkusu]

I'll be shocked if this game is lower than a 9 out of 10 on my own scale. (which is obviously the best and most unbiased one)

It's like Smash, I don't need reviews to guess the quality. (Smash exceeded my expectations, hopefully X does the same!)

 

[Space Medafighter X]

I'll be shocked if this game is lower than a 9 out of 10 on my own scale. (which is obviously the best and most unbiased one)

It's like Smash, I don't need reviews to guess the quality. (Smash exceeded my expectations, hopefully X does the same!)

Pretty much my opinion as well lol.

I was honestly surprised at Xenoblade Chronicles famitsu score.

 

[Sable~Knight]

I was with you up to the last bit. Poorly explained system is a negative, no matter how you slice it. Whether their definition of "poorly explained" matches mine, or yours, or other actual players is another question though.

People thought Xenoblade was 'poorly explained'. Many of those people skipped the tutorials... Lol, but it did tell you enough to get the basics, then let you figure out the intricacies by playing around yourself. We already know this game has many of the same systems, with additions and improvements, and more NEW systems. I think Famitsu just got overwhelmed by the sheer depth here, and didn't really take the time to get too into them before judging. That's my take though. From what I've seen there are a lot of systems, but they don't look particularly convoluted or confusing at all, and in fact they're laid out much better than they were in Xenoblade Wii.

You know, the city almost looks like it's from a completely different game from everything else.

You mean, as if it's a Human colony that crash landed on an alien planet....? Hmmm, I think I can see what you're getting at just a little.... Nah. That's impossible.

 

[Weltall Zero]

That's not true at all. The only way you need any charts for Xenogears or Xenosaga is if you don't pay attention. The stories aren't nearly as complicated as people try to make them out to be.

You can't tell with a straight face that someone who hasn't played the game can understand what the intercut scenes with Cain, the Gazel ministry, Krelian, Grahf, Ramsus, Miang, Sigmund, etc. mean until a second playthough. The game is literally overflowing with scenes and conversations you aren't supposed to get the meaning of the first time through, a staple of late 90's and onward anime (as inspired by Evangelion).

To top that off, very little information from the other eras, especially the Eldridge and the Zeoym era, is given at all in the game, and most information on the complex roles and relationships between Deus, the Zohar, Kadomony, the Contact, the Antitype, the Gazel, the Anima, the Animus (different things, even though in Latin one is the plural of the other), etc, etc. are sparse in the game and only expanded upon within Perfect Works. You can ignore all of that and still enjoy the game, but it severely diminishes the attractive of the game's complex universe.

Hell, the very first scene of Fei getting in Weltall's cockpit is undecipherable until you learn

Spoiler

he has two more personalities and he's literally seeing one of them in front of him.

I think some of those criticisms from a design perspective are pretty valid honestly.

The world is big and all, but there's only so much you can fit in it that's actually very interesting. The game could be a whole lot of good hiding the whole lot of super awesome great. 300hours but how much or that is truly enjoyable? I'd say playing Xenoblade for me even was great had this flaw during some of the sidequests and other optional stuff like grinding out every landmark and area.

Basically this.

Your point is solid, it just don't see how it applies to XCX. Fr one, it wasn't even in the Famitsu complaints, unless I missed one. For another, every shot we've seen of the game seems packed with fascinating alien fauna and geographical features. Of course, if exploration for its own sake doesn't seem all that appealing to you, then that's not going to change much...

 

[theSlacker]

You can't tell with a straight face that someone who hasn't played the game can understand what the intercut scenes with Cain, the Gazel ministry, Krelian, Grahf, Ramsus, Miang, Sigmund, etc. mean until a second playthough. The game is literally overflowing with scenes and conversations you aren't supposed to get the meaning of the first time through, a staple of late 90's and onward anime (as inspired by Evangelion).

To top that off, very little information from the other eras, especially the Eldridge and the Zeoym era, is given at all in the game, and most information on the complex roles and relationships between Deus, the Zohar, Kadomony, the Contact, the Antitype, the Gazel, the Anima, the Animus (different things, even though in Latin one is the plural of the other), etc, etc. are sparse in the game and only expanded upon within Perfect Works. You can ignore all of that and still enjoy the game, but it severely diminishes the attractive of the game's complex universe.

Hell, the very first scene of Fei getting in Weltall's cockpit is undecipherable until you learn

Spoiler

he has two more personalities and he's literally seeing one of them in front of him.

You make me miss the past.

 

[Weltall Zero]

You make me miss the past.

That seems to be a theme with my posts today, for some reason.

 

[jorgejjvr]

Story trailer with English sub

https://youtu.be/3I16IarGHHg

 

[tonyh24613]

Less than a week to go...

 

[Rebel Leader]

Little bit of both

 

[johnsavage]

Story trailer with English sub

https://youtu.be/3I16IarGHHg

Thanks for the link. I miss story driven RPGs.

 

[Weltall Zero]

At least he was honest

 

[ivysaur12]

Reading some of Gessenkou's translations of excerpts from the Dengeki review and it's all pretty interesting. I appreciate that I can change my avatar if I feel like there's a look I want to go for. :3

Also gotta get rich so I can deck out my Doll Garage (Dollhouse?)

I played this review copy for much more than 100 hours, but there was still so much left to see in the game. There were many things we were unable to fit into this review, so we hope you play it yourself to experience all of its limitless fun!

 

[CAAAAAAAAAAAW]

Site's updated. Online things and kizuna/affinity chart, and the last part of Takeda's story.

 

[Hours Left]

Site's updated. Online things and kizuna/affinity chart, and the last part of Takeda's story.

!!!!!

 

[foxuzamaki]

I'm thinking of making a thread for the dengeki review

 

[Renewed]

Site's updated. Online things and kizuna/affinity chart, and the last part of Takeda's story.

I keep thinking I can get away. Then I get pulled back in. Once again, thanks for all your contributions!

I'm thinking of making a thread for the dengeki review

Nothing from Famitsu has been translated? Gonna check now.

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

420/10

 

[theprodigy]

Reading some of Gessenkou's translations of excerpts from the Dengeki review and it's all pretty interesting. I appreciate that I can change my avatar if I feel like there's a look I want to go for. :3

Also gotta get rich so I can deck out my Doll Garage (Dollhouse?)

wait, I just noticed this part...

After clearing a certain quest, you’re able to freely re-customize your avatar. You can even change genders, perfect for moody people who think “I don’t want to look like an old man again today.”

wat


also I look forward to the creative ways people are gonna reach areas early in this one

 

[foxuzamaki]

wait, I just noticed this part...



wat


also I look forward to the creative ways people are gonna reach areas early in this one

Im now also interested in the glitches speedrunners are gonna find to beat the game super early.

 

[random25]

wait, I just noticed this part...



wat


also I look forward to the creative ways people are gonna reach areas early in this one

Saw that one too. Looks like they're giving too much freedom to players lol.

I wonder if story quests would be "linear" too. It would be too awesome if doing things in different order nets you different scenarios.

 

[theprodigy]

Im now also interested in the glitches speedrunners are gonna find to beat the game super early.

well, you still have to do all the story quests unless you can just skip to the final chapter or something lol

also:

They allow you to lower the difficulty on a boss if you lose to it several times. There’s no penalties for lowering the difficulty, so people who don’t play RPGs often can still enjoy the story.

interesting...

and

You don’t get money for buying equipment from killing monsters. You can sell the materials you get from them, but that doesn’t net you much cash. So, how do you get money on Mira? The Frontier Net, of course. It’s not just for gathering info on the planet. The person who placed the probe receives payments regularly(fixed intervals), from the citizens of NLA who pay a fee to view images and information recorded by the probes. The more Data Probes you set, the more money you make.
The moneymaking occurs in real time, so you’ll make a lot if you just leave the game there and space out!

real time as in actual game time, or system time? if it's the latter I'm looking forward to the Type-0 HD-like farming by moving the clock forward several years for the lols

 

[Sable~Knight]

Nothing from Famitsu has been translated? Gonna check now.

Translation of full Famitsu review comments, thanks to Sonsaru from GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/701151-xenoblade-chronicles-x/71681115):

9 / An intricate and involved story, tough difficulty that will give you a solid challenge, and a system with high usability make this a wonderfully old-school RPG in the best sense of the term. The massive open world is crammed with countless stories, and giving them all their due takes time and hard work. The Dolls that you can pilot offer dynamic control, transformations and a rich variety of customization; enough to send any robo-head into a tizzy. There’s so much to do that it can be overwhelming at times, but it also feels very substantial.

9 / Adventuring seamlessly across the vast, liberating world is a lot of fun, and the massive native creatures also provide plenty of thrills. The skip travel function that allows you to move around by touching the map is really convenient, and adventuring remains stress free. There is also a wealth of elements relating to combat and tactics and, while a little complicated, the unique systems are good fun, such as the “Soul Voices” that activate under certain conditions. There’s plenty of other stuff to enjoy as well, including arts, skills and Dolls, providing a wealth of tactics and customization.

8 / A massive title perfectly suited to the word “epic.” The vast game world is beautiful, with vistas changing come day or night, providing an endless source of excitement. The explanation of the world is handled with care, but movies break the action up again and again, slowing down the pacing, which is a bit of a shame. The tempo of the conversations could have done with being a bit faster, too. In terms of battle, it’s great that you can really go on the offensive once you have the system down. The enemies, Dolls and attacks launched from custom parts are all very appealing too.

8 / There’s zero stress in adventuring across the open world, which can be traversed seamlessly, and there are also many elements that take advantage of the size of the map, making moving around and exploring a lot of fun. Battle has a great tempo, combining an action game with command inputs, and is very strategic too. The story is told with care, and you want to find out what happens next, but it also gives you a strong feeling of just sitting there watching movies. Furthermore, a lot of details about the game system are left unexplained, leaving me with an impression of having to blindly stumble through things myself.

 

[SiegRein of Takamagahara]

I'm thinking of making a thread for the dengeki review

Do it!!

They have a 50 page cover after all

Translation of full Famitsu review comments, thanks to Sonsaru from GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/701151-xenoblade-chronicles-x/71681115):

9 / An intricate and involved story, tough difficulty that will give you a solid challenge, and a system with high usability make this a wonderfully old-school RPG in the best sense of the term. The massive open world is crammed with countless stories, and giving them all their due takes time and hard work. The Dolls that you can pilot offer dynamic control, transformations and a rich variety of customization; enough to send any robo-head into a tizzy. There’s so much to do that it can be overwhelming at times, but it also feels very substantial.

9 / Adventuring seamlessly across the vast, liberating world is a lot of fun, and the massive native creatures also provide plenty of thrills. The skip travel function that allows you to move around by touching the map is really convenient, and adventuring remains stress free. There is also a wealth of elements relating to combat and tactics and, while a little complicated, the unique systems are good fun, such as the “Soul Voices” that activate under certain conditions. There’s plenty of other stuff to enjoy as well, including arts, skills and Dolls, providing a wealth of tactics and customization.

8 / A massive title perfectly suited to the word “epic.” The vast game world is beautiful, with vistas changing come day or night, providing an endless source of excitement. The explanation of the world is handled with care, but movies break the action up again and again, slowing down the pacing, which is a bit of a shame. The tempo of the conversations could have done with being a bit faster, too. In terms of battle, it’s great that you can really go on the offensive once you have the system down. The enemies, Dolls and attacks launched from custom parts are all very appealing too.

8 / There’s zero stress in adventuring across the open world, which can be traversed seamlessly, and there are also many elements that take advantage of the size of the map, making moving around and exploring a lot of fun. Battle has a great tempo, combining an action game with command inputs, and is very strategic too. The story is told with care, and you want to find out what happens next, but it also gives you a strong feeling of just sitting there watching movies. Furthermore, a lot of details about the game system are left unexplained, leaving me with an impression of having to blindly stumble through things myself.

Hot damn

Wheres my non linear chrono triggerisms mentions

 

[foxuzamaki]

well, you still have to do all the story quests unless you can just skip to the final chapter or something lol

also:



interesting...

and



real time as in actual game time, or system time? if it's the latter I'm looking forward to the Type-0 HD-like farming by moving the clock forward several years for the lols

Chances are there are flags all around the world that are inactive until you complete a story quest or even a sidequest once you reach a certain part on a the map that will trigger a cutscene, the fact that they can basically be activated at anytime means theres probably alot of shenanigans that can get some to activate even when you havent reached that point in the story yet.

 

[BY2K]

Wait, you can re-customize your character at any time passed a certain point?

 

[Renewed]

Translation of full Famitsu review comments, thanks to Sonsaru from GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/701151-xenoblade-chronicles-x/71681115):

9 / An intricate and involved story, tough difficulty that will give you a solid challenge, and a system with high usability make this a wonderfully old-school RPG in the best sense of the term. The massive open world is crammed with countless stories, and giving them all their due takes time and hard work. The Dolls that you can pilot offer dynamic control, transformations and a rich variety of customization; enough to send any robo-head into a tizzy. There’s so much to do that it can be overwhelming at times, but it also feels very substantial.

9 / Adventuring seamlessly across the vast, liberating world is a lot of fun, and the massive native creatures also provide plenty of thrills. The skip travel function that allows you to move around by touching the map is really convenient, and adventuring remains stress free. There is also a wealth of elements relating to combat and tactics and, while a little complicated, the unique systems are good fun, such as the “Soul Voices” that activate under certain conditions. There’s plenty of other stuff to enjoy as well, including arts, skills and Dolls, providing a wealth of tactics and customization.

8 / A massive title perfectly suited to the word “epic.” The vast game world is beautiful, with vistas changing come day or night, providing an endless source of excitement. The explanation of the world is handled with care, but movies break the action up again and again, slowing down the pacing, which is a bit of a shame. The tempo of the conversations could have done with being a bit faster, too. In terms of battle, it’s great that you can really go on the offensive once you have the system down. The enemies, Dolls and attacks launched from custom parts are all very appealing too.

8 / There’s zero stress in adventuring across the open world, which can be traversed seamlessly, and there are also many elements that take advantage of the size of the map, making moving around and exploring a lot of fun. Battle has a great tempo, combining an action game with command inputs, and is very strategic too. The story is told with care, and you want to find out what happens next, but it also gives you a strong feeling of just sitting there watching movies. Furthermore, a lot of details about the game system are left unexplained, leaving me with an impression of having to blindly stumble through things myself.

Makes sense it'd be from the one place I forgot to check. Thanks!

Wait, you can re-customize your character at any time passed a certain point?

Typically you'd think that to be an endgame thing. But if it isn't I'm gonna abuse that as I discover new armour and weapons.

 

[-Horizon-]

Do it!!

They have a 50 page cover after all



Hot damn

Wheres my non linear chrono triggerisms mentions

Lucky Japan getting to play it next week (I think). As the whole world watches with bated breath as they play with the probable GOTY.

 

[theprodigy]

Chances are there are flags all around the world that are inactive until you complete a story quest or even a sidequest once you reach a certain part on a the map that will trigger a cutscene, the fact that they can basically be activated at anytime means theres probably alot of shenanigans that can get some to activate even when you havent reached that point in the story yet.

well hopefully(?)

however it's possible that progression is tied to quests and that you can't advance anything by just showing up at an area, which would stop that

 

[random25]

real time as in actual game time, or system time? if it's the latter I'm looking forward to the Type-0 HD-like farming by moving the clock forward several years for the lols

That would be broken if so lol. I think it would be game time as they said you'll just space out while the game is running.

 

[Zero²]

wait, I just noticed this part...



wat


also I look forward to the creative ways people are gonna reach areas early in this one

LOL
This game really has everything haha

 

[theSlacker]

wait, I just noticed this part...



wat


also I look forward to the creative ways people are gonna reach areas early in this one

Well it could mean that you being formless and customizable is story related. I mean I can hope for that I guess...

 

[shadow2810]

well, you still have to do all the story quests unless you can just skip to the final chapter or something lol

also:



interesting...

and



real time as in actual game time, or system time? if it's the latter I'm looking forward to the Type-0 HD-like farming by moving the clock forward several years for the lols

I wouldn't do that. They could easily implement a check if system time is changed to screw you over though.

 

[-Horizon-]

Well it could mean that you being formless and customizable is story related. I mean I can hope for that I guess...

...Nah, that's crazy

Spoiler

I kid I kid

 

[Zero²]

One the things I'm curious about it why they decided to make the time mechanic more restrictive this time around. By making that you can only change the time of day by going to those "rest spots"...
Maybe because they thought that it would add immersion? I myself am completely fine with it, but looking at all the changes from xenoblade it seems a bit odd.

 

[Diffense]

Well it could mean that you being formless and customizable is story related. I mean I can hope for that I guess...

I was just about to post this. Maybe the fact that the player is also an "alien" that has an avatar in the game is being embraced by the story. You, the player, are really an extra-dimensional creature experiencing the world of Elma and co. Possibly, after a story-related development where you remember your origins, you'll be able to change your look at will.

They allow you to lower the difficulty on a boss if you lose to it several times.

Boo...
Everything else sounds good though,

 

[Otakumegane]

One the things I'm curious about it why they decided to make the time mechanic more restrictive this time around. By making that you can only change the time of day by going to those "rest spots"...
Maybe because they thought that it would add immersion? I myself am completely fine with it, but looking at all the changes from xenoblade it seems a bit odd.

My guess on this is to not allow the changing of times/weather in preparation for cutscenes or something, kind of like you weren't allowed to skip travel either.

 

[theprodigy]

I wouldn't do that. They could easily implement a check if system time is changed to screw you over though.

er...why would they do that?

also

what is this

 

[Overside]

Well it could mean that you being formless and customizable is story related. I mean I can hope for that I guess...

It is literally described as such in the very first story trailer we ever got.

 

[random25]

what is this

The megane fad.

 

[theSlacker]

I was just about to post this. Maybe the fact that the player is also an "alien" that has an avatar in the game is being embraced by the story. You, the player, are really an extra-dimensional creature experiencing the world of Elma and co. Possibly, after a story-related development where you remember your origins, you'll be able to change your look at will.



Boo...
Everything else sounds good though,

I'm really hoping for that, so now I got to believe it isn't the case so I'm not super disappointed when it turns out that it's wrong and the game just lets you keep customizing your character because whatever, your character doesn't matter.

Also the no penalty is the worst part about that boss thing. I mean even the Mario games make it clear you used baby mode if you use the super powerup.

It is literally described as such in the very first story trailer we ever got.

That if it actually played an ongoing role in the story is what worried me. This gives me cause for hope.

 

[shadow2810]

er...why would they do that?

also

what is this

...to prevent people cheating the system (like how they "punish" you for 24 hours if you change the time in pokemon games in order to get certain events).

also megane

Also the no penalty is the worst part about that boss thing. I mean even the Mario games make it clear you used baby mode if you use the super powerup.

why? I'm pretty sure you will not get drops from story boss, so I guess there is nothing to penalize players besides reducing exp? (which is meaningless IMO)

 

[Zero²]

The megane fad.

My Oribe is glasses free

Spoiler

Love that it looks like she is doing the "directly to you" pose xD

 

[-Horizon-]

The megane fad.

Best fad.

My Oribe is glasses free

Zero pls

 

[foxuzamaki]

er...why would they do that?

also

what is this

The next waifu for smash by the looks of things.

Spoiler

the director of #FE posted a picture of a megane of the main character and said they considered putting her in glasses but ultimately decided against it, they released a version with and without glasses, and it took off.

 

[-Horizon-]

The next waifu for smash by the looks of things.

Spoiler

the director of #FE posted a picture of a megane of the main character and said they considered putting her in glasses but ultimately decided against it, they released a version with and without glasses, and it took off.

Fox pls
That is a dangerous word to drop around here.