Xenoblade Chronicles X

This game tries to be a lot of things, and in general it succeeds well at them.Without spoiling anything that isn't part of the intro, it's the not far distant future, and Earth gets caught in a conflict between two super powerful alien races. The Earth is destroyed in that conflict, but arks are sent out with the remnants of humanity to find new worlds to settle. Destroyed in battle after the aliens catch up with it, your ark crash lands on the planet Mira. Only two month since the crash, it sets a good backdrop for needing to explore the world, defend the settlement from the indigenous species, and locate the remnants of the Lifehold, which held most of the colonists in stasis.For those of you who played the original Xenoblade Chronicles - don't worry - there's a lot of the same elements in this game that we loved in the original. The game has tons and tons of side-quests for you to complete. There's a wide variety of gear. Lots of customization. Giant robots to battle in. The battle system has some similar elements, but is better polished. The graphics are an obvious step up. The world is enormous, intricate, and beautiful. Definitely there is a lot to love.For those of you who didn't play the original Xenoblade Chronicles (or other "Xeno" titles) - don't fret - you don't need the background from those to play this title. You might miss out on a few references, but it isn't set on the same world, doesn't have the same characters, etc... You'll be able to enjoy this game just fine.The one thing that is a bit off putting is how the main story is told in the cut scenes. In the original Xenoblade Chronicles the main character, Shulk, had back-story, a history within the world of Xenoblade Chronicles, relationships, etc... You are immediately immersed in his story, and the story receives the benefits not just of his back-story, but the greater control the writers have to craft a story - you feel immediately connected to the events around you. In Xenoblade Chronicles X, because of the online play, you create the main character, pick their gender, name, appearance, etc... You can't all play the same character - wouldn't it be odd to have a bunch of Shulk's running around together? However, the lack of immediate back-story and the requirements that imposes on the writers makes the story feel a bit less immersive, at least for the first several chapters. It doesn't help that your character does not speak in cut-scenes. You communicate through nods, body language, etc..., but you don't speak. The sooner you can adjust to that, the more easily you'll be able to settle into the story though, which is still interesting, and improves as it progresses.While I'm not sure I would have made the same single player / story compromises to accommodate the online play, I do have to say that they integrated it well. You have a lot of freedom to still stay focused on the single player storyline if you want, while periodically joining up with others to tackle missions that are too difficult to do solo. Normally I avoid a lot of the online play in an RPG (just give me the main story and single player side quests, thank you), but somehow they've managed to get me interested in doing co-op missions. I haven't personally played Monster Hunter, but I've heard people make comparisons between it and the online play of Xenoblade Chronicles X.In the end, despite having to work a bit at letting myself get pulled into the single player story for the first few chapters, I still have to give the title 5 stars. Thus far I have not been able to put it down except when I've had to (work... *sigh* ... have to be able to pay for my gaming habit somehow :p). I bought my Wii U for this title, and I still feel happy with that decision.

When the Wii U first came out, I, like many people, didn't actually understand what the hell it was. The system had literally been out for well over a year before I realized it WAS a new gaming system and not just a Wii peripheral. Unfortunately, this seems to have been a fairly common situation because only now as the Wii U reaches the end of its lifespan are we finally getting games that should have been there right at launch to showcase what this system is and why you want it. Xenoblade Chronicles X is exactly the kind of game that could have carried the Wii U to a broader market and showed developers what they needed to do to really take advantage of the system.In many games, the second screen inset into the primary Wii U controller is distracting, unnecessary, poorly utilized, or some combination of the three. If you've played Pokken Tournament, you may have even noticed that it can serve as a deliberate handicap when playing local multiplayer. Xenoblade Chronicles X, on the other hand, shows exactly why and how that screen can be utilized to elevate a game to a whole new level. As a sci-fi action game that includes planetary exploration, flying robosuits, and robust combat against foes that range from house cat sized to giant creatures that might snack on Godzilla, there's consistently a lot going on on screen and a relatively limited window through which to view it. By outsourcing the HUD, fast travel functions, and mapping functions to the Wii U controller, Xenoblade Chronicles X frees up as much screen space as possible so you can enjoy the stunning vistas and intense combat free of visual encumbrance.Xenoblade Chronicles X doesn't just innovate within the medium of the hardware you play it on either, it also has a truly fun and inspired in-game interface as well. Xenoblade Chronicles X both is and is not, an MMO, or perhaps it's more accurate to say that it's as much of an MMO as you want it to be. Want to participate with large groups of players in sprawling and epic public event battles? It does that. Want to play a quiet MMO by yourself without worrying about D4rth_d0ucheb4g running across your screen and spoiling your immersion with his stupid screen name? Xenoblade Chronicles X has you covered there too. As someone who frequently plays RPGs to quietly enjoy the story and loves every Final Fantasy except the MMOs, I appreciate the level of fine control that XBC:X puts in the player's hands when determining how they experience the game.Speaking of, there is A LOT to experience in this game. As one of the survivors of a crashed colony ship that escaped Earth's destruction at the hands of alien forces, you get to explore a massive world populated by myriad alien creatures, some hostile, some friendly, and some waiting for you to decide what the nature of humanity's relationship with them will be. XBC:X gives you a huge degree of customization in your characters as well; while NPC classes are preset, you still have full control over their gear and can heavily influence their development, and your primary PC can be customized in appearance, development, equipment, party role, etc. The cast of characters who can join your team are so deep, and so expansive, my biggest dilemma with the game was that I would get too involved in relationship development and sidequests and would forget that I should be advancing the main story until I hit relationship events that were gated to later chapters!To sum up: Xenoblade Chronicles X is a massive, immersive, beautiful game that shows exactly why the hardware it's presented on should exist. It's a sci-fi space opera with mechs, tech, and a deep cast of alien friends and foes, and is possibly one of the best RPGs I've ever played, up there with Xenosaga and Final Fantasy X (maybe not quite an FF7 or ChronoTrigger, but what is?). I cannot recommend this game enough to fans of RPGs, sci-fi, MMOs or the Xeno franchise. Pick it up, you won't be disappointed.

Adqurí este título hace apenas un par de semanas con un muy buen descuento, directamente de Amazon México. La entrega fue bien, llegó a mi domicilio el día que debía llegar, en condiciones óptimas, sin ningún detalleLa calidad del videojuego es algo que no se pone en tela de duda. Hasta este momento voy rozando las 25 horas de juego y apenas he explorado alrededor del 25% de las zonas del magnífico planeta Mira. Un planeta que te llama a explorarlo, unas vistas que siempre parecen inigualables, cada sitio se siente integral al desarrollo, es un logro asombroso la manera en que han hecho que se sienta absolutamente orgánico.La hermosura de este planeta equivale a una sola cosa: la dificultad del juego. Es una experiencia que exige tiempo, dedicación, paciencia, interés, atención y habilidad. Ser capaz de entender los conceptos, no desesperarse cuando algo parece inalcanzable. Este mundo te da las recompensas que tu esfuerzo merece. Mi hermano de 11 años puede jugarlo, no hay que tenerle miedo a este título.En cuanto a otros aspectos, el juego es muy bueno. En otros, queda a deber.-Depende mucho de las INTERMINABLES misiones secundarias, lo cual en sí no es un problema, pero es importante saberlo, pues la trama se desarrolla significativamente en dichas misiones.-La música es excelente, pues va acorde a cada entorno del mundillo, pero en comparación a la entrega anterior, parece estar ligeramente debajo.-El apartado gráfico, hablando principalmente de diseños de personajes u objetos, no se ve tan bien. Pero cuando hablamos de los entornos, de los paisajes, de la distancia de visión y de toda su flora y fauna, luce excelente.Todos los que tengan la oportunidad de atravesar este planeta, deberían tomarla pues es un goce que da para mucho.

I don't even know how to express how good this game is (see last paragraph for short summary - before the edit). I'll start by saying that I'm a long time fan of the Xeno games (since the days of Xenogears in the 90's) and JRPGs in general. This game is what you get from a developer that has taken all of their experience in those 17 years, and shoved it into one game to make it the best it can be.It's not like the first Xenoblade Chronicles. The first game followed a very story driven, classic JRPG formula. Monolithsoft tested out a new idea with Xeno X, where they set aside the story aspect a bit, and let the gameplay come to the forefront. There is definitely still story, and it's very captivating in how routed in reality the themes are (political corruption, conflicts between racial and religious groups, the whole nine-yards!). The only game I could conceivably compare the story progression to would be the Mass Effect series. It's massive, and you often have 2 outcomes for every mission you take, and no clue if what you do means you get characters killed later in the story or earn the friendship of different alien races, etc. I'll give you an early example (SKIP THE ** PART TO AVOID SPOILERS).SPOILER******In the early game you can accept a minor mission to exterminate some wild life that made a nest near the city. When you get there, you discover that they're just babies, and have to make the decision if you'll kill them anyway (because they will grow up and could be dangerous), or spare them. If you show mercy, it unlocks a mission later called "A Painful Lesson." You can imagine how poorly that turned out.******END SPOILER.The whole game is one big interconnected web of characters and side stories, and while not all missions will have direct consequences on the world/characters, the game gives you no clue when your actions will change things. The story missions are obvious, but these significant decisions are often hidden in normal missions as well. So it always feels like you should care about what you're doing.Where Xenoblade X really shines is the gameplay. The battle system is similar to Xenoblade Chronicles, but better. I don't know how, but it feels more refined, and is just different enough to not feel like a copy-paste situation. The missions are decently varied to keep your attention (I've heard some people complain about the Gathering missions. Tip: save your squad tickets to purchase the more difficult items, and DON'T SELL ANYTHING). The whole world just feels well crafted for exploring.One thing you will notice is that they sacrificed some graphical quality to make the game perform as well as it does. It's a fact of life that none of the consoles can run a game this massive without some shortcuts (I think some super-PCs could manage it). I think Monolithsoft had to look at their game and decide where to focus their efforts "Graphics or Game Play?" I wish more developers would set aside their graphic obsession and just work on the game. There's a noticeable pop-up effect for characters/monsters in crowded areas, and environment textures can be a little wonky looking at times. Overall I don't think it hurts the experience at all. They've made very unique looking environments to explore, and it's a small sacrifice to make to see the graphics run smoothly (and with no loading screens). Also yes, I do have all 4 data packs downloaded, and while they do shorten the load-times and help with the pop-up issue, nothing helps when you're running through a part of the map crowded with Skells or monsters.Also, new-comers to JRPGs, there are is a lot of stat building in this game (even compared to other jrpgs). Your stat menus have stat menus. You have to upgrade your character skills, job class, division level, your Skell, your recruitable characters, etc... There's also an economic aspect to the game where you use data probes to earn revenue and mine minerals to invest in the local corporations to unlock better armour/weapons. I love the strategic aspect of this part of the game, but I can imagine it'll be a bit of a learning curve for someone who hasn't played a lot of JRPGs.I advise you to read the eManual and/or buy the game guide (note that the game guide has a lot of the same stuff as the eManual, but the map info is dead useful). It's not a "must read" for people who are used to jrpgs and have recent experience with the first Xenoblade, but there are useful tips.One last note: Hiroyuki Sawano is the composer. He's most well known for doing the Attack on Titan soundtrack. Incredible music overall (Look up Sylvalum Day/Night Theme. At first you're like, "Oh, this is nice, kinda lullaby-ish," but then the longer you listen, the more it starts to really draw you in. Themex is also a good one, since it plays so early in the game). There are a couple songs I didn't like at first, but after hearing them a couple times, they just seem to fit well with the game.I could probably go on for 10 pages about this game, but I'd prefer to go play it, lol. It's a well-crafted, unique game, and I think if you have any interest in RPGs, open world games, or just Sci-Fi, this is a must-play game for you.EDIT/UPDATE: Ok, I'm now almost 40 hours into the game, so I thought I should update this (don't worry, no spoilers).You can see how much love went into this game. I don't know how to explain it. The main story is good (some very interesting twists so far), but what really drives it home for me is the amount of detail in even the minor parts. Every character you talk to seems constructed with their own story in mind.There's just so much reality in it. They feel like real people with the fact that you have your likeable characters, but you also have your bigoted jerks that you have to learn to work with because you need them for survival too. You have aliens with different cultures and beliefs that you have to learn to navigate, because you have to be able to negotiate and solve arguments between the races sometimes.It feels like whoever wrote this game took a look at the real world, what people are really like, and tried to squeeze as much of that into Xeno X's characters as they could.And all of this is just in the side dialogue. You won't learn any of this from the main story or just running around slaying things. It's all done in the dialogue from over-heard conversations in town, or speaking with minor characters. This game will hold a lot of appeal for someone who can appreciate thorough world building. I spend hours wandering around town talking to people, and often after a mission you'll notice new aliens moved in, or characters hanging out in a different part of town, and it's so interesting being able to run up and talk to them, and see a tangible way that your decisions affect the city and characters (keep in mind: their dialogue isn't extensive. They'll often repeat the same thing until the story progresses or something you've done affects that character personally, but there are so many NPCs that I'm kind of glad I don't have to talk to them all constantly).But at the same time, this is all side stuff. It can feel tedious after a while, and you can just go slay things for a few hours (which isn't as fascinating, but more fun, lol). This is very much a game where you get as much as you invest into it.Also, for all the serious issues Xeno X brings up, there is also some silliness to balance it out. One of the alien races becomes obsessed with pizza. There's some really quirky characters that are genuinely entertaining. Also, I dressed my dude in combat cargo pants, cat ears and pink heart-shaped sunglasses (no shirt, nothing else). And there is nothing more hilarious than watching the NPCs discuss "the dire fate of humanity," and then the camera flashes to my character nodding seriously (yes, all your fashion choices appear in cut-scenes).

Con más de 140 horas jugadas (y todavía mucho por hacer) este juego te tenderá muy entretenido simplemente explorando el enorme planeta (que realmente se siente como un mundo y no sólo unas áreas al azar). Su historia te tendrá aprendiendo más del mundo y te divertirás haciéndote más fuerte y jugando con combinaciones de habilidades, equipos, etc.Lo único malo son los controles complicados pero te acostumbrarás, y el juego le da un excelente uso a la pantalla del Wii U para mapas y viaje rápido. Y sí vale mucho la pena instalar los packs descargables de la tienda para que cargue menos del disco (y más rápido).Si te gustan los RPGs o nunca los has probado, si te gustan los robots gigantes y batallas épicas ¡DEBES tener este juego para tu Wii U!

The game is cool, the story is inteersting and the combat system reminds me of Dragon Age. It's a mix of Single and Multi-player JRPG. At first I found akward that there were not coliision detection during the battle and it feel weird to walk into the enemy, but it's not that important. The characters are okay, I find it more addictive then Fallout 4. I will probably log more hours in this because the story is more interesting and Fallout 4 story isn't that interesting.

Este juego fue creado con una meta, crear el mundo más extenso jamás visto (hasta ese entonces) en un videojuego. El mundo de este juego es fascinante, no solo por su geografía, que es impresionante, sino también por su fauna, flora, y por supuesto los protagonistas y sus historias. Te dará horas de diversión simplemente explorando sus extensas y variadas regiones, y aun así el juego esta lleno de misiones secundarias que cumplir y diferentes aliados por reclutar y conocer a fondo sus pasados.Aunque a pesar de todos sus aspectos positivos, también tiene muchos aspectos tediosos que pondrán a prueba tu paciencia. Aunque esto es más que nada para aquel que quiere explorar todo el juego en su totalidad. Este juego es muy extenso, demasiado para su propio bien, así que si quieres verlo en su totalidad ocuparas mucho tiempo y dedicación.Si eres un entusiasta de los RPGs o juegos de mundo abierto, no puedes ignorar este juego, ya que es de lo mejor en ambos generos.