Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Switch)

[Fhloston]

Got the game today (paid $50 for the special edition, couldn't resist dat steelbook). Anything I should know going in?

It's not as good as the first Xenoblade Chronicles. Not even close. They also added 500% more anime tropes & awkward humor. English voice acting is garbage. Don't let me shit on your parade though, it's still a competent game so far.

I'm 55 hours in, chapter 5. I quit doing doing side quests since they don't really seem to pay off as much as they did in the first XC. They're boring as shit, too. NPC & town affinity is gone for whatever reason. The dialog from NPCs tends to drag on. I did three heart-to-hearts and won't do anymore. The "kawaii-desu" levels are too much for me. Also, Tiger! Tiger! grind. Who the fuck approved that?

Graphics are gorgeous. Music is on point, but it's Mitsuda, so that's a given. Character/Blade designs are great.

So far though, and I know I'll get shit for this, but FFXIII was more fun to play than this currently is. I'll see how the rest of the chapters go.

[Fhloston]

Also, don't let all the tutorials intimidate you. The combat isn't as complex as it appears. It's painfully slow at first but starts to pick up around the end of chapter 4.

[Madeline]

FFXIII was more fun to play than this currently is.

I think that's the first time I've ever read anyone say 13 is better than [insert anything]

[arus2001]

Don't have the game/system, either, but in reading the thread over time, I guess one thing to not do is kill the baby crab.

[Tyrath]

It's not a crab. It's a baby armu

[Daydreamer]

It's not as good as the first Xenoblade Chronicles. Not even close. They also added 500% more anime tropes & awkward humor. English voice acting is garbage. Don't let me shit on your parade though, it's still a competent game so far.

I'm 55 hours in, chapter 5. I quit doing doing side quests since they don't really seem to pay off as much as they did in the first XC. They're boring as shit, too. NPC & town affinity is gone for whatever reason. The dialog from NPCs tends to drag on. I did three heart-to-hearts and won't do anymore. The "kawaii-desu" levels are too much for me. Also, Tiger! Tiger! grind. Who the fuck approved that?

Graphics are gorgeous. Music is on point, but it's Mitsuda, so that's a given. Character/Blade designs are great.

So far though, and I know I'll get shit for this, but FFXIII was more fun to play than this currently is. I'll see how the rest of the chapters go.

100% agree about the waifu. The only thing I don't really care for about the game is that there's basically an entire race of neckbeards saying 'meh' over and over and over and over.

[Nitsuki]

The only thing I don't really care for about the game is that there's basically an entire race of neckbeards saying 'meh' over and over and over and over.

This is the greatest thing i’ve read about this game. Lmao

[Fhloston]

I think that's the first time I've ever read anyone say 13 is better than [insert anything]

13 was just more fun to "play". Still a bad FF overall. "Dramatic" things happen in XC2 and I'm just sitting there, not caring, or skipping cut scenes because they become boring. Never did that with FF13. As I mentioned I'm still on Ch. 5, so they can still drop a huge story bomb on me.

First XC had me hooked from the get go. I put 200 hours in to that beast.

[Fhloston]

100% agree about the waifu. The only thing I don't really care for about the game is that there's basically an entire race of neckbeards saying 'meh' over and over and over and over.

LOL THIS. Thank god for the JP voice track option.

[Daydreamer]

LOL THIS. Thank god for the JP voice track option.

I really wish I could play with the JP option. I hate rex's and nia's voice, but at the same time I don't like being forced to stare at the screen because I'm often multitasking. At least Pyra's voice is perfect and I do like Tora's voice actor despite not liking his actual meh lines.

[Kaslo]

I really wish I could play with the JP option. I hate rex's and nia's voice, but at the same time I don't like being forced to stare at the screen because I'm often multitasking. At least Pyra's voice is perfect and I do like Tora's voice actor despite not liking his actual meh lines.

I actually don't mind Rex unless its a scene where he's suppose to scream, then he's the worst.

Nia was strange at first, but after a few hours I stopped having an issue.

[Julian]

IDK what y'all are going on about but "meh meh meh" is the best line in the game.

[Kirin]

Down to one more blade to get - Adenine.

Everyone I do have is lvl 3, with 80% at level 4. All story blade are lvl 5 and I may hold there depending on how NG+ works.

Is there a good resource where to find these post-game bosses? I've cleared Zenobia's affinity chart off, but realized when the adult armu NM kicked my ass pretty quick that I probably should be lvl 95+ before tacking these.

Also, randomly warped to abandoned factory looking for one of Zenobia's NM and suddenly every mob there is 90+. Yikes.

[Kaslo]

Down to one more blade to get - Adenine.

Everyone I do have is lvl 3, with 80% at level 4. All story blade are lvl 5 and I may hold there depending on how NG+ works.

Is there a good resource where to find these post-game bosses? I've cleared Zenobia's affinity chart off, but realized when the adult armu NM kicked my ass pretty quick that I probably should be lvl 95+ before tacking these.

Also, randomly warped to abandoned factory looking for one of Zenobia's NM and suddenly every mob there is 90+. Yikes.

I think Adenine was like my... 2nd Rare Blade? I loved her even if she wasn't a great healer.

[Kachiko]

Definitely hope they carry over rare blade and affinity, because I'm not going to do a NG+ and spam fizzy drinks down the throats of my characters for 6+ hours to max them out; how they don't have to pee is beyond me....

Even so, I've been eyeing MHW, so that may be my next game once I'm done maxing out this playthrough.

[Tomiko]

IDK what y'all are going on about but "meh meh meh" is the best line in the game.

Lies, Finch's "I'll sniff em out. Sniff em good!" line is the best.

[Daydreamer]

I both love and loathe the affinity charts of the rare blades. I got ursula last night (YAY! I was wanting her), and apparently now have to hire ari goldpon to be her agent and make her a star.

I love the depth on that but the thought of doing it for all rare blades seems daunting. Especially when I had one side quest recently that branched into 4 sub quests, some of which also branched into even more quests. You need some medicine? Cool just get me the ingredients. Oh thanks for the ingredients, but can you also help my parents not be racist?

[Kirin]

I both love and loathe the affinity charts of the rare blades. I got ursula last night (YAY! I was wanting her), and apparently now have to hire ari goldpon to be her agent and make her a star.

I love the depth on that but the thought of doing it for all rare blades seems daunting. Especially when I had one side quest recently that branched into 4 sub quests, some of which also branched into even more quests. You need some medicine? Cool just get me the ingredients. Oh thanks for the ingredients, but can you also help my parents not be racist?

Game so woke.

Even Alrest doesn't discriminate against dreamer pop stars who are carried around by their polar bears in temperate and sub tropical climates.

[Kachiko]

I both love and loathe the affinity charts of the rare blades. I got ursula last night (YAY! I was wanting her), and apparently now have to hire ari goldpon to be her agent and make her a star.

I love the depth on that but the thought of doing it for all rare blades seems daunting. Especially when I had one side quest recently that branched into 4 sub quests, some of which also branched into even more quests. You need some medicine? Cool just get me the ingredients. Oh thanks for the ingredients, but can you also help my parents not be racist?

You can level most of the charts through merc missions, so I wouldn't' worry about it too much; quests are actually good because they give each blade a story. Usala is great to get early because she will take a lot of merc time to unlock her affinity chart, but that's okay, because it levels your other blades too.

[Kirin]

http://www.siliconera.com/2018/02/02...ent-struggles/

So it seems like Monolith was split 60/40 between BotW and Xenobalde during the bulk of Xenoblades guts development. A handful of people were on R&D.

-They lost three UI programmers midway through and had to finish with a depleted staff.
-Character models and late development was outsourced and then tuned in house.

At least theres some explanation about why the UI feels a little disjointed. It also sounds like they had some ideas for how characters were to be done internally, but had to settle for adjustments after outsourcing them in an effort to save time.

I'm guessing Nintendo made a decision to ensure Zelda was as close to 100% as possible even if it meant Xenoblade ended up at 80% polished instead of having Zelda come in at 80 and Xenoblade 100%. Which is fine, Monolith is Nintendo's to deal with; though I doubt they'll make that decision again with Monolith now providing proven sales numbers for Nintendo.

tl;dr Monolith lost 3 UI programmers halfway through development and basically made Xenoblade 2 with 40 people.