Game Debate #73: Xenoblade Chronicles

[Reed Rothchild | 9,523]

[Nintegageo | 582]

I played it when it was a wii game. Pretty sure I signed some petition to get this, The Last Story and sme other game to North America. Great game. 8/10.

[RH | 4,903]

I couldn't get into XC2 after two restarts and a collective 25 hours in the game. It just wasn't for me and I doubt the first would would be otherwise.

Sorry guys. I'm just not into Nintendo RPGs, it seems (this, Earthbound, Pokemon, Fire Emblem, etc.)

[spacepup | 2,404]

I gave this one a 9.  It is easily one of my favorite games on the Wii, and I replayed it recently on the Switch version.  I remember when it came out, just how stunning it was visually, especially for the Wii, and I loved exploring the world they created.  It has a very interesting story, and I had a blast with it.

I LOVED XC2 as well.

 

[Philosoraptor | 468]

22 minutes ago, RH said:

I couldn't get into XC2 after two restarts and a collective 25 hours in the game. It just wasn't for me and I doubt the first would would be otherwise.

Sorry guys. I'm just not into Nintendo RPGs, it seems (this, Earthbound, Pokemon, Fire Emblem, etc.)

I couldn't get into Xenoblade Chronicles 2 either. The OST is criminal, the mechs don't matter, and I don't like the Ubisoft-style, tower-centric map exploration. 

I gave Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii version) a 10. It's absolutely one of my favorite RPGs and even though I dumped 100+ hours into it, I always enjoyed it and wanted more, and this is coming from someone who usually wants an RPG to end at around 40 hours. The world and exploration is absolutely my favorite part of the experience, and I wished 2 was more of the same.

I think Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Xenoblade Chronicles are my favorite games on the console. Both 10s. Both amazing. Both worth owning a Wii for.

[Gloves | 11,777]

I've tried, and not enjoyed, all of these. 

[Brickman | 3,983]

1 hour ago, RH said:

I couldn't get into XC2 after two restarts and a collective 25 hours in the game. It just wasn't for me and I doubt the first would would be otherwise.

Sorry guys. I'm just not into Nintendo RPGs, it seems (this, Earthbound, Pokemon, Fire Emblem, etc.)

I hate 2 and thought the same thing as you about it but I gave 1 a go and absolutely loved it. It is so much better and the combat isn't as convoluted as the second one. The story and voice acting in the first game is really good too. I recommend giving it a go if you get a chance. It's almost night and day a different game.

I give it a 9. The story, characters, world, soundtrack are all incredibly good. A must play for JRPG fans.

[cj_robot | 542]

I was super excited about this game when it came out, and a decade later I still haven't played it.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

One day I'll get to it.

[Estil | 1,264]

You guys think I might like this one?

[Reed Rothchild | 9,523]

6 minutes ago, Estil said:

You guys think I might like this one?

You'll find out when you finally buy a Switch in 2025

[Estil | 1,264]

Just now, Reed Rothchild said:

You'll find out when you finally buy a Switch in 2025

No sir, it's on the Wii originally.

[Brickman | 3,983]

Estil you don't have a Switch?! It's like the perfect RPG machine! RPG's on the go and you can put the console to sleep and jump right back into the action. Get on it and get this game while you're at it!

[Reed Rothchild | 9,523]

1 hour ago, Estil said:

No sir, it's on the Wii originally.

Gross

[Tanooki | 4,933]

Attempted it 2x
Finished it 0x

To me that says a lot.  That instantly discounts it right out of the top 1/4 of choices immediately because there is some flaw or flaws to the game that hold it back from being truly great enough if what's there kills motivation enough NOT to finish it.  In either case of attempting it, I never saw more than I believe around the 60% mark of the primary story as far as distance goes.  It was a strange mix of a great story and atmosphere in the land mired in some clunky RPG play, way too much side story distraction and collection of stuff going on, and just other things that felt entirely placed there to grind the game to an even slower crawl to drag out more time on the clock.  When a game has you sit in place doing this or that directly or by distraction that you feel like a Dragon Quest title would save time, you're doing it wrong.  DQ at least kept you engaged and entertained around its grind, this one doesn't and turns life sucking.

I never did this one on the Wii, knew even then about the time involved with the game, not how it was ground home, so I ignored it until it hit the New3DS handheld which had refined the game somewhat around the edges.

[erac | 78]

10/10. Played it on the Wii and enjoyed it thoroughly.

[Estil | 1,264]

7 hours ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Gross

What's that supposed to mean?

[Estil | 1,264]

8 hours ago, Shmup said:

Estil you don't have a Switch?! It's like the perfect RPG machine! RPG's on the go and you can put the console to sleep and jump right back into the action. Get on it and get this game while you're at it!

I thought the SNES and PS1 were the perfect RPG machines?  But seriously $500+ (system, Pro Controller, first game) is just too much for me right now.  Still, I got several other systems (all Nintendos except Switch, all PS's except PS5, Master System/CD ready Genesis) with Everdrives/PSIO on all the cartridge based ones) to keep me occupied not to mention my reading projects and my trading card collection to keep me busy so don't feel too sorry for me; hee hee  

Edited October 29, 2021 by Estil

[themisfit138 | 523]

@Tanooki Stated my feelings on the game pretty well. I did finish the game after a long break though. 

[DarkTone | 984]

4/10.

[Abelardo | 154]

Finished it last year on a New 3DS and became one of my favorite RPGs of all time, great story, huge areas to explore, seemingly endless side quests to keep you entertained if you choose to, easy to recommend to anyone that's into RPGs and doesn't mind playing for 100+ hours but it's not for everyone, in particular I had a lot of difficulty with the combat, at around hour 15 I hadn't fully grasped the combat mechanics so I googled some video tutorials (should've done it sooner), after that it was smooth sailing. I think it took me 160 hours but did so many side quests and I was overleveled for the final battle.

[Estil | 1,264]

How are the chicks in this game (main party ones)?  Are any of them cute?

 

[Abelardo | 154]

1 hour ago, Estil said:

How are the chicks in this game (main party ones)?  Are any of them cute?

 

Well, it's a JRPG 

[AstralSoul | 502]

I used to consider myself a huge RPG nerd. This is the game that changed my view on that. Let me explain.

I absolutely love Xenogears and I really liked Xenosaga Episode 1 (never got around to 2&3) so I had high expectations for Xenoblade when it first came out on Wii. My first impression was overall positive. At the time I liked that it felt like a single player MMO, the graphics were great and so was the music. But my enjoyment with it fizzled out pretty early on. I forget at what point but it was around the 10 hour mark I'm guessing. And I never got around to finishing it, ultimately decided Im never going to play it, and sold it. When Xenoblade Chronicles 2 came out I thought maybe the sequel would keep me the way the first didn't. Nope, my interest fizzled out even quicker. Then Xenoblade Chronicles HD was released on Switch and I figured I'd give it another shot because it felt like a game I should like, but maybe it just wasn't the right timing or what. But same exact thing happened. I played it for 10 (possibly less) hours and I was just bored. I can't even pinpoint what it is about it that makes me not like it. Maybe because knowing it's an 80 hour adventure and getting 10 hours in and how much longer I'd have to go? Because that's what Dragon Quest does to me. I start out loving those games, get 10-15 hours in and I'm like "wait HOW much longer is this game???" And I quit because I just can't commit to that long of a game. I lose interest and get bored after a while. 

Then it hit me. Maybe I'm just not that big of an RPG nerd. And you know what? It turns out I'm not. Not anymore anyway. I can't stick to 40+ hour games anymore. There are rare exceptions like the Final Fantasy games, or Zelda Breath of the Wild but Xenoblade is the game that made me question how much I actually like RPGs and for that I'm actually thankful because I keep buying them and not playing them. Now at least I can accept that I just don't have the time for them anymore.

Had I been younger with more time on my hands, 15-20 years ago, I think I would've absolutely loved Xenoblade. But I think it's just not my kind of game anymore. No fault of the game, it's probably a stellar game. But for me personally I gave it a 5/10. I'll never touch another Xenoblade game most likely or any RPG that's supposed to be 60+ hours long (with extremely rare exceptions). Sorry Xenoblade.

[Estil | 1,264]

I'm not a true "RPG nerd" either...I mainly just want to experience that video game history I missed out on.  Just like how I didn't have or feel the need for the PS1 back when it was in its prime (my HS days) so I'm glad I'm able to catch up on it now.

[Brickman | 3,983]

3 hours ago, Estil said:

I'm not a true "RPG nerd" either...I mainly just want to experience that video game history I missed out on.  Just like how I didn't have or feel the need for the PS1 back when it was in its prime (my HS days) so I'm glad I'm able to catch up on it now.

My advice, work your way up to this one. Play through some ps1 & 2 JRPGs and then give this game a go. You will notice how the genre has evolved (and not evolved) and appreciate games like this that are miles ahead of a lot of older JRPGs. Ignore all the low scores here, they don’t know what they’re talking about