XenoBlade Chronicles

I have been a fan of this team's work across their various publishers, and Xenoblade definitely has recognizable DNA. With the disclaimer that I have not yet finished the game, I can already see a typically strong focus on story and character design. Art is rich within the confines of the platform, and while I can't say I remember much of the musical score offhand, it does fit the areas and it doesn't get tedious. Combat is once again completely redefined from past and similar titles, but once you're eased into the complexities, the system flows quite well.Most strikingly, there has been some very obvious effort in Xenoblade to streamline out aspects which typically slow down or break the flow of RPGs: Saving and loading can be done virtually anywhere. Consumable items are nonexistant (and you don't miss them), so farming is fairly irrelevant. Enemies significantly weaker than the player simply do not attack unless actively engaged, and enemies significantly stronger telegraph their strength well enough to be avoided. In combat, basic attacks are carried out automatically whenever characters are in range, so battle orchestration becomes an act of choosing when and how to direct and deploy characters' unique abilities. A liberal instant travel system makes backtracking/revisiting a breeze. Gimmicks and subgames are conspicuously sparse. I will dock a few points on the sheer number of sidequests available, which can tend to derail story progress, but at least quests are all tied to named and fleshed-out NPCs rather than stapled onto a faceless board purely for completionism. Plus, most are considered 'completed' as soon as requirements are met, without even needing to report back anywhere.The net result is, I must concede, a game which feels far more like a MMO than a typical JRPG, even though certain JRPG elements remain strong. It is not the classical formula of turn-based challenges bolted onto an independent narrative e.g. traditional Final Fantasy, but it does stop short of the complete freeform experience e.g. Elder Scrolls which has been in vogue recently. Offhand, I might liken it to a Final Fantasy XII (but with more kinks worked out, and less focus on content for content's sake) or a Last Story (but with less dynamic action and more party/control flexibility), or perhaps a modern Star Ocean (albeit with considerably less character development complexity). If you're just looking for a build a character / save the world open-ended timekill, you can do far better for the price. If you want a game that's going to be well-known and well-traveled, that you can look up, grind through, and check off your list, you can do better for the price. However, if you look at an RPG from the price backwards to the amount of time and investment you'll be able to put into it, and the fresh, engaging experiences you'll get out of it, Xenoblade Chronicles is thus far standing up to the $80-odd I got my copy for, and I could definitely see deluxe packs with additional materials being worth more.

I originally skipped the Wii but I bought the Wii U, primarily to play the upcoming sequel 'X'. Xenoblade's released went under my radar, after hearing from people calling it one of the BEST RPG of this (7th) Console generation, I became intrigued.Graphics: impressive for the Wii, huge environments, solid framerate. The facial expressions on the main characters (during real time cutscenes) is most impressive to me, may not be the 'micro-expressions' as in Halo4 or LA Noir but still one of the best I've seen rendered in real time. I wish this game was in HD!On a technical note saving and loading is near instant when on the same map and loading a different maps take ~13s.Sound: Music is phenomenal, English voice acting is good, (British accents are refreshing compared to the poochy squeaky voices I often hear in Japanese games and anime).Gameplay: many compare it to FF-XII, I compare it to Star Wars:KOTOR, only you control the leader, there is (generally) no pause during combat and characters do regular attacks automatically but you can select special attacks and skills to use them. Easy to learn and addicting.Story: In the begining two titans Bionis (the organic one) and Mechonis (the mechanical one) battled for eons until they eventually killed each other and life emerges ON their bodies... War rages between the robotic 'Mechon' and the human-like 'Homs'... You play Shulk, a young scientist who (thankfully is NOT a whiny brat and) is researching the sword (the Monado) that helped to Homs defeat the Mechon. Main story is very compelling feels like a watching a good anime, and you can easily get attached to the main characters. There is a scene near the beginning of the story that can be hard to watch (won't spoil it sorry -I will say I'm not one to cry but it got me teary) -it fills you with a strong desire to destroy the antagonist.There is A LOT to explore and do, and completing the many side quests sometimes feels like you're making an impact on people. Monsters and items respawn, NPCs have daily routines, they wanted to mimicking an MMORPG and it sure feels like it.In conclusion is this game great? YES! Is it the best RPG this gen? It is certainly not disappointing me; I would say it is on par with my favorite xbox360 JRPG Lost odyssey. It is a crying shame Xenoblade got only a limited release in NA. If 'X' for the Wii U is anything like this it could be a killer app.

My only complaint is that I no longer have access to the television. Kid has been playing this during all his free time. Graphics are excellent and gameplay hold's my son's interest. Can't believe I spent so much money on a video game, no Gamestops near me had it available, but he was very happy, so that was worth it.