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Post by Imperial Khador on Apr 29, 2018 18:20:40 GMT
I've been trying the Operation Rainfall games, and finally started on Xenoblade Chronicles a few weeks ago.
So far I've been taking things pretty slowly, but I am enjoying it. I found the English voice acting wasn't to my liking so I ended up switching over to Japanese with subtitles.
The characters and story haven't grabbed me much (I'm about 8 hours in and just getting to Colony 6), but I've really enjoyed just wandering around between missions. The world is pretty (particularly considering it is a Wii game), and areas are quite expansive. I get a bit of the same feelings that I had wandering around Hyrule in Breath of the Wild, and I can definitely see why Nintendo brought Monolithsoft on to help with that title.
Combat reminds me of an MMO, or of Final Fantasy XII. It is serviceable, and fits the semi-open world nature of the game.
The soundtrack is excellent, which helps when you're wandering around on a side quest for an hour or two.
Since there are so many side quests, I quite like the time skip and fast travel options. Once an area is initially loaded, fast traveling to a different location, or changing the time of day has no loading time at all...which is also pretty impressive for a Wii game.
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dschult3
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Post by dschult3 on Apr 29, 2018 18:24:55 GMT
I've been trying the Operation Rainfall games, and finally started on Xenoblade Chronicles a few weeks ago. So far I've been taking things pretty slowly, but I am enjoying it. I found the English voice acting wasn't to my liking so I ended up switching over to Japanese with subtitles. The characters and story haven't grabbed me much (I'm about 8 hours in and just getting to Colony 6), but I've really enjoyed just wandering around between missions. Stick with it. The story gets deeper as time goes on. I'm glad you've enjoyed it thus far. Just be sure to stay away from the spoilers that are all over the internet. |
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Cervantes
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Post by Cervantes on Apr 29, 2018 22:09:46 GMT
I have the New 3DS version, I should play it one of these days. From the few minutes I played, I can certainly say that it's the best looking game on the platform.
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stratogustav
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Post by stratogustav on Apr 29, 2018 23:10:29 GMT
I heard this people Monolith Soft are the same people from Xenosaga back in the PS1 days. Their reputation as RPGs developers is very high just like Level-5, Square, Enix, and Quintet.
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leaon79s
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Post by leaon79s on Apr 30, 2018 16:30:11 GMT
The Xeno series started with Xeno gears from Squaresoft (before the merger with Enix) for the PS1 in the 90s. But the man behind the project - Tetsuya Takahashi - wasn't satisfied with the lack of creative freedom he got from Square so left with some like minded people to form Monolith Soft. Monolith's flagship game series was to be Xeno saga, a trilogy published by BandaiNamco for the PS2 and a spiritual successor to Xenogears using similar themes although not explicitly related to it due to the rights of Gears still belonging to Square. Even so, there were many recognizable characters and core concepts from Gears that made reprisals in Saga's story and as such it is widely regarded as a sort-of-but-not-officially prequel to Gears. When Monolith was acquired by Nintendo they eventually began a then supposedly completely unrelated new project initially titled 'Monado: Beginning of the World', which was eventually rebranded as 'Xeno blade' in deference to the old series (and presumably also to take advantage of the more established brand name)... Blade is a very different concept compared to the Saga/Gears continuity however (which are among my personal favorite games of all time), and can be regarded as something completely unrelated... Much to my chagrin, as I bought a Wii just to play it in the hopes there would be some allusion to characters and events of Xenosaga. Still, it's a very good game in it's own right, and I don't regret my time with it. It's true allure was in the massive and fantastically imaginative open world design, rather than the pretty standard but still satisfying enough story - contrasting with Saga/Gears where the narrative was seemingly of paramount focus and importance. Combat gameplay & exploration were seemlessly integrated and offered alot of freedom, but I personally found myself settling into a routine battle strategy that worked 90% of the time... A 'B+' game if I were to grade it. (~8.8) I have yet to play the follow up games though... The 3 existing Blade games forming another trilogy of sorts... With no immediate plans for a Switch, that isn't looking to change anytime soon... Perhaps one day...  Oh, 2B (Pyra) - Wait for me...! |
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dschult3
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Post by dschult3 on Apr 30, 2018 22:39:43 GMT
The 3 existing Blade games forming another trilogy of sorts... With no immediate plans for a Switch, that isn't looking to change anytime soon... Perhaps one day... Oh, 2B (Pyra) - Wait for me...! I wouldn't count X as part of a trilogy as of yet. There isn't a tie in so far, and most of the fans that do tie it together are basing it off of conjecture. 1 and 2 are definitely tied together, though. It isn't clear until you discover the true history of Ontos, Logos, and Pneuma. When I watched that scene in two, it felt like a massive historical discovery was made, and everything in this world began to make sense. I will say no more to avoid spoilers. |
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dschult3
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Post by dschult3 on Apr 30, 2018 22:51:34 GMT
When Monolith was acquired by Nintendo they eventually began a then supposedly completely unrelated new project initially titled 'Monado: Beginning of the World', which was eventually rebranded as 'Xeno blade' in deference to the old series (and presumably also to take advantage of the more established brand name)... Blade is a very different concept compared to the Saga/Gears continuity however (which are among my personal favorite games of all time), and can be regarded as something completely unrelated... Much to my chagrin, as I bought a Wii just to play it in the hopes there would be some allusion to characters and events of Xenosaga. There are many people who compare the Conduit to the Zohar in the Xenosaga series. It makes sense after chapter 10 in Xenoblade 2, and I think they are making some sort of connection to the older games. (I think that explains why Kos-Mos and T-elos were added to Xenoblade 2.) Can you tell I'm a fan? I feel like I'm nerding out here, but the story telling is phenomenal in this series. The scope and sequence of one game feels astronomical, but then they blow it up by tying in a deeper and larger story. I can't get enough of it. |
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leaon79s
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Post by leaon79s on May 1, 2018 9:39:14 GMT
Yea, while Xenoblade 1 was more or less an independent entity from the old continuity, it's elating that Xb2 seems to be making overtures in tying them all together - finally doing something I had been pining for since the start of the decade (or was it the milennium now)That and the reappearence of Kos Mos (prayers answered) is part of the reason I'm so flustered it has to be Nintendo exclusive now... Even though as I understand it, she's merely a cameo/guest character without any real narrative significance...  But regardless, the fact that the connection is finally happening is very reassuring, as is the notion that I can sorta skip XbX and get straight into Xb2 without missing out on too much from an overall mythos standpoint - as was my hope and intention all along. But conversely also adds to my exasperation in my current inability to get back into it...
Looks like you'll have to continue enjoying it for my part too. Btw, there are supposedly rumors of a pending Xenosaga trilogy remaster making the rounds... Heil yeaia...!  But please not be Switch exclusive too....  Holding out hope cause it's NamcoBandai and not Nintendo... |
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Post by Imperial Khador on May 1, 2018 16:49:08 GMT
To be honest, while I played and enjoyed the Xenosaga games when they came out, I don't have much in the way of nostalgia for them. No urge to replay or 'encephalon dive' back into them if there is a remaster.  I definitely have a lot more nostalgia for Xenogears, even with its compressed second disk. Still enjoying Xenoblade Chronicles so far. I think I will probably give X a try afterwards, even if the only connection is the game mechanics. Seems like it will still be a fun time exploring. |
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Post by Imperial Khador on May 1, 2018 18:10:58 GMT
One thing I've noticed that has proven to be a minor irritation is the 'Heart-to-Heart' conversations. I've dozens of locations on the maps, but except for one near the beginning of the game, every one I've come across has said I need more character affinity or more commonly, that I just can't get this one yet. I believe the latter means I may be missing a needed party member.
I quite like the 'skits' in the Tales games, and this seems to have a similar purpose, giving little character moments that expand on relationships or backstory. Nice in concept, but I'm not looking forward to ton of backtracking in order to unlock them.
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Post by Imperial Khador on May 1, 2018 19:43:02 GMT
And I just hit the boss fight with Xord in the ether mines. Apparently this is where a lot of people stop playing I will come back to it, but definitely very annoying to hit a stumbling block like this after a few hours. Usually just as I've built the affinity gauge up, someone dies. More than a dozen attempts now so...yeah, time for a break. |
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stratogustav
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Post by stratogustav on May 2, 2018 3:29:47 GMT
I heard of these blocks in RPG games like Demon Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Nioh for example. I guess they are common in the RPG genre.
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leaon79s
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Post by leaon79s on May 2, 2018 3:32:41 GMT
To be honest, while I played and enjoyed the Xenosaga games when they came out, I don't have much in the way of nostalgia for them. No urge to replay or 'encephalon dive' back into them if there is a remaster. It's the trophy support that entices me. Finally, I can officially add Xenosaga to my gamer repertoire for all eternity... or as long as PSN exists anyway... If it comes out for PS4...  Plus, to my shame I never really hunted down everything there was to in the games during their day. I was so enraptured in advancing the story I didn't even bother to complete the Erde Kaiser robot in any of the trilogy games... or did any of the post game dungeons... Not this time ! I definitely have a lot more nostalgia for Xenogears, even with its compressed second disk. My nostalgia is for Gears too, but I have to confess my affinity is for Saga - especially that sweet Episode III ending.  |
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leaon79s
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Post by leaon79s on May 2, 2018 3:40:37 GMT
And I just hit the boss fight with Xord in the ether mines. Apparently this is where a lot of people stop playing I will come back to it, but definitely very annoying to hit a stumbling block like this after a few hours. Usually just as I've built the affinity gauge up, someone dies. More than a dozen attempts now so...yeah, time for a break. I heard of these blocks in RPG games like Demon Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Nioh for example. I guess they are common in the RPG genre. I believe that's just before you meet up with Dunban again, if I'm not mistaken. Sorry if that's a minor spoiler...But oh, the world really opens up to so much more amazing vistas after that. |
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Post by Imperial Khador on May 2, 2018 4:38:24 GMT
I heard of these blocks in RPG games like Demon Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Nioh for example. I guess they are common in the RPG genre. Heh, sort of. From my understanding, they're more or less the point of the Souls games, Bloodborne, and the sub-genre they had spawned. My roommate plays a lot of those...he seems to hate a lot of the games he plays, but he keeps playing them  |
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