To anyone checking the comments while readying your own angry comment, I'd absolutely recommend watching through the video, if you haven't already, because you'd be surprised with how positive and fair this video is. Anyway, fantastic video. This game is old and safe. At times it shows what the devs are really capable of, but it's very easy to see why it could be an overall disappointing experience to many. And as you seemed to have been predicting, yes, DE does nothing to change the basic gameplay of the original. There's maybe a few tweaks to improve the party member AI, but there's no changes that should be noticeable to even the most experienced of players. Future Connected is also a great presentation of how the series has evolved in the decade since the first game, so hopefully your enjoyment of it is a good sign for the future. Anyway, every complaint of yours I can remember gets addressed at some point in the series. That's not to say you'll necessarily enjoy how they're addressed, but hopefully you do :)
Thank you so much! That's gonna be interesting for when I progress through the other games :) I'm also gonna pin this comment for that first part haha, really appreciate it!!
@@itsme7285 Future Connected released in 2020 together with the Xenoblade 1 remaster for switch, Future Redeemed (the DLC for Xenoblade 3) is the one that released earlier this year
@@Arkry_ I think the main thing about xenoblade 1 is it's story also the gameplay using "vision" was very cool and novel back in 2010, i can understand if the gameplay looks a bit dated for current standard, but yeah. the main thing is the story and its fundamental that you remember some key points when continuing with the SEQUEL you are lucky if u have beat XC1 first, because XC2 & XC3 is a great SEQUEL, and i feel you cannot skip XC1 story for the best experience However, it is also OK if you decide not to play XC2 right now you can do it whenever you need a good JRPG with great battle system XC2 had the best battle system out of the 3 (in my opinion) XC3 main thing is a bit spoilery... So I'm not going to tell people unless they want ask it themselves
It took me 3 playthroughs to finally finish Xenoblade. I tried twice on the Wii and finally finished on the Switch with the Definitive Edition. It's definitely a slog in some parts, but it's definitely a journey that I loved to have experienced.
I agree with this video quite a lot. I first tried playing the first game after having played through Xenoblade X, when it came out as a downloadable Wii game on Wii U. I struggled to get through the game and stopped around the place where Alvis teaches Shulk to use the Monado, or meeting Rikki or Melia (somewhere around there. Bit of a blur). Didn’t play through the rest of the game until it came to Switch after playing through Xenoblade 2 when I played through the whole game and Future Connected as you have just done. I’m now a series die hard fan but the first one is hard to get attached to early on.
Just started the video, for context xenoblade 1 and 3 share a spot for my favourite games of all time, and all i can say is that I'm really glad you decided to make a video about why your expectations for this game were met with dissapointment. Some people can be overwhelming and annoying with treating your voice as an attempt at spreading facts. Excited for this one!
What's funny is the more I watch this video the more I hear a lot of positives lol. Meaning I thought you'd have a lot more of a negative experience with it, but the most important thing is you gave it a shot. Lots of people hate on Xenoblade (especially 1 and 2) without knowing anything or trying them at all but I'm really glad you tried it yourself and made your own opinion! Also I kinda do agree with a lot of your criticisms like Sharla is a mod character, the open areas are pretty barren, no backstories for characters, side quest, etc. But I won't get your expectations too high... But I will say the other games focus on these a lot and fix some things quite a bit. I'm really happy you're trying out the others and I'm excited to see what you think of 2 and 3!!
The thing is that I have a lot of problems with this game but there are also a lot of things to like. But because the gameplay wasnt my thing, the world wasnt interesting to explore, I dont care about most of the cast and I couldnt get THAT invested into the story etc, it just makes the experience as a whole dissapointing. I do always shit on the game and while that might be exaggerated, its still a 50-60 hour game of which I only really enjoyed 5-10 hours so its hard to be positive about it in a casual conversation haha
54:14 The 3DS version was actually a port. This was originally on the Wii, so yea a game like this on there was pretty damn impressive. Also, great video! I like how in depth you were with your review and opinions on the game. I really like all the Xenoblade games, and I can understand your criticisms. Parts of the game did feel like they dragged on for me too.
Oh damn thanks for correcting me! And thanks for the kind words!! It's nice to know that even if you really like the game you still had a good time watching it :D
I tried multiple times over the years to beat this across multiple systems, but always ended up dropping it. Finally succeeded this year with the Switch remaster. My disappointment is similar to yours. Thankfully, despite the conventional wisdom, Monolith improved the mainline series dramatically with each new entry, culminating with one of my favorite JRPGs in XC3. Glad you're choosing to stick with the series, as each one really is its own thing. Great video!
For me it's the exact opposite. XC3 feels polished in the gameplay department but lacks that spark of originality plot and soundtrack wise that XC1 definitely has. Also I really dislike the combat system in XC3, where what you do in combat DOESN'T MATTER AT ALL, the only thing that matters is what you do before the fight itself (gems, arts, grinding levels etc)
@@Qwerty10254I can definitely see that! My personal problems are the slow cooldowns until late game, chain attacks not feeling very tangible to build up...and then being an enemy deletion button, and not really having the same "flow" that I think the first two games excel at. However late game crit recharge and shackle ring builds are a blast and switching between characters to sort of orchestrate your party definitely adds a level of execution that you could be missing out on!
As someone who has XC1 as there favorite Xenoblade, while I love the game to death I did see some flaws in my playthrough. I can see the cast being a little underdeveloped but I still think they're all great characters (minus Sharla) There were also characters that were just there and didn't do much (Like Gadolt and Yumea) I personally didnt have a problem with the combat but to be fair I was playing on easy. I enjoyed exploring most od the world and also enjoyed filling out the collectopedia. And of course, I love the story itself. It feels the most like a traditional rpg the same way Xenogears does while still standing out from the rest, which is really the main reason its my favorite. There isnt really a Xenoblade that I dont like. I personally find Xenoblade 3 to be the weakest but its still a really good game. And I had fun with Xenoblade 2 even if it did have mechanics and sideqeusts that I didnt like.
@@jabbahatt4655 I'm not sure if I'll play it on launch but I will play it at some point. I've heard that X is more gameplay focussed with a bigger open world and stuff tho. But even if that doesn't sound too interesting at first glance, I want to try it and form my own opinion on it. I started this journey so I will see it through until the end 🫡
You’re not alone. My first game in the series was XC2 and I fucking LOVED that game. Multiple nights playing until the sun was up. The characters were all full of life. When I went back to XC, it didn’t click as much with me. I haven’t played 3 yet but it’s in my backlog!
Thank you, I really appreciate that! And yeah Xenoblade definitely has this echo chamber where you see it being praised everywhere you go. But this comment section has surprised me with how positive it is, despite my generally negative review. It's nice to see the more open-minded fans aswell!
I played this game as a teen when I randomly stumbled upon it. I think that shaped the majority of my experience since I went in blind and I had no idea what a jrpg was. Having people tell you how good a game is before going makes it ruin it's own hype.
Yeah I definitely agree, its part of the reason why the intro to this video is so long as I wanted to give context to how I got introduced to this game
I understand, it’s not for everyone. Though an objective masterpiece and the story is great, the gameplay sometimes had me feeling sluggish. I can happily say XC2 and 3 are way better in my eyes. Both in story and DEFINITELY in gameplay. It was nice seeing someone have a different take on a game I love.
I can almost 1000% guarantee that XB3 will be your favorite, it’s the most cast-centered game with tons of character focused moments. Insane how just off the box art you were able to make such great predictions.
I understand you are talking about your personal experience but I just want to point out that as a proper critique, 99% of this video is wrong and history proves it. Storywise, what you wanted from it is exactly what Takahashi did in the past. Do you know what he got from doing what you wanted? He got fired and lost funding twice, that was his reward for creating the greatest JRPG story ever written. XC1 was his last chance. Instead of going 80% story/20% gameplay he tried 50-50. He hired a proper script writer to trim his story down for XC1. This is also why the Sharla chapter is a story lull. It was never a mistake or accident, Takahashi knew the intro chapter had to be story focused to introduce the setting and themes so naturally the next episode had to be gameplay focused if he were to achieve that 50-50 balance. Likewise, it is no coincidence that new gameplay concepts stop being introduced as the story picks up. It was all carefully planned. It is ironic that you compare this open world design to Zelda BotW when the latter wouldn't exist without the former. It is also funny that you criticize the trimmed story of XC1 when Zelda BotW's open world design is the trimmed, baby version of Xenoblade Chronicles X. This is why Nintendo funded Takahashi from the start, to create the engine and direct the map of Zelda BotW. I understand your sentiment of disappointment. As a story, XC1 is a kids book compared to Xenogears. As a game, it is also a shadow compared to Xenoblade Chronicles X. But as a project, this is the only JRPG I would say has the right to stand in the holy trinity with Chrono Trigger and FF7 (or FF6). Xenogears was pitched as FF7. At the time, it was deemed too complex. FF7 had 3D characters on 2D backgrounds that aged horrendously. Xenogears had 2D characters on 3D maps with platforming. Takahashi was pretty much fired soon afterwards. Today, FF7 Rebirth is a AAA remake that took hundreds of millions of dollars to make and it sold poorly. Each Xenoblade costs a fraction of that to make and sell more and more. The map of Zelda BotW and Xenoblade Chronicles X is the result of that development team who got fired for creating one of the 1st 3D JRPG platformer. I could elaborate on why you are wrong about every other point you made besides being able to switch party members on the fly, like how good XC1's side-quest design gives you things like rebuilding an entire city, unlocking secret skill trees, discovering the true identity of one of the Faced Mechon you kill in the main plot, tons of character development through heart-2-hearts, etc. but I fail to see the point since it's a skill issue (a bunch of western gamers like you don't know how to do side-quests, they think they have to accept a quest, beeline to it, conclude and only then accept a new one. It is similar to the issue where western gamers assume a game is grindy when they fail because they can't try a different strategy and assume grind is necessary). You say this open world is vast and dull but it is you who is naive and fail to perceive the design. It is true that the Nintendo Wii was not powerful enough for physics simulation and irregular terrain (as observed by what Takahashi did in XCX and Zelda BotW) but that does not mean the mostly flat world is devoid of meaning. Every single corner of XC1's world has a point to it, be it a mining spot for crafting a stronger gem, a boss that gives you better gear, a collectible that unlocks deep lore in some quest, a vista that gives you EXP and a teleport spot, etc. XC1 is not one of my favorite games. I don't like it very much, both gameplay-wise and story-wise. But even then I can see it is without a doubt a masterpiece of game design and there is very little valid criticism I can direct at it. Most of your video wasn't it, for every argument you make I can point to 10 counter arguments in the game. For example, your criticism of the couple fights where Shulk does only 1 damage? That was not an oversight, it was storytelling. Yes, it is a bit annoying gameplay-wise but it is a reminder that the Monado can't cut people, preceding the story beat where we finally unlock the power to cut people. How can you say in good faith that this is bad game design? Again, I understand you are talking about your subjective experience but if you don't know why the designers put something there because you didn't engage in some side-quest that points to it then what could possibly be the point of your criticism? Isn't it just naive? As another example, one of what you call the early fetch quests points to a mini-boss that not only gives you cool equipment rewards, but it is specifically designed to beat you at the recommended level unless you apply the Break>Topple mechanic. My suggestion is, if you want to criticize something, try to understand why they are the way they are first. You made an hour long video and the only point I can see any validity is the ability to swap party members on the fly but even then I know exactly why they didn't implement this (hint: warn your ally about your vision). So again, it was not a design mistake but a choice.
As a big fan of the franchise I can absolutely understand all your points and where you're coming from. I also have many gripes with basically all the games in the series, but that's part of the course with them I feel. 2 was a very mixed bag for me, with some of the highest highs and the lowest lows. I fucking hated the game for the first 20 hours, but fell in love after that when it started to get going. I also hated 3, even though no games ending ever made me cry this fucking much, but after the DLC (which is phenomenal) and some reflection I can at least say that I like it. Because each game is so different from each other I feel it is a blessing and a curse for the series. You might not like one game, but love the next, but I promise you, if you stick with the trilogy till the very end, you won't regret it.
I think I mostly agree with the things you say in this video. I've actually played through Xenoblade like 1.9 times. I first played it on the Wii (this is the actual original game, not 3DS btw) and then I played the Definitive Edition on Switch many years later. For one, I will say I consider DE the highly superior version, not only because of graphics, but because of QoL. Of course, those things won't be mentioned here since this isn't a comparison video, but I will say the big world was a bigger problem in the original version. I did ended up somewhat enjoying the combat, though mostly when it was a big fight... it was kinda annoying for the small fights, but planning fights such as the super bosses felt good (it is MUCH better in XB2 though). That said, this world is absolutely outstanding for its time, though I do remember being kinda disappointed the game was on the Wii instead of the PS3, because of the graphic limitations. The music of course is a 10/10. My biggest problem with this game comes with the characters. Melia was a character I quite enjoyed, and I did kinda enjoy Shulk (I mean, the plot really is about him), but I didn't really care for any of the other characters. Wanted to like Dunban because I really like his japanese voice actor, but I just couldn't care much about him, and contrary to you, I found Fiora to be a very mediocre character because pretty much everything about her was "Shulk this, Shulk that"... even one of those skill tree lines was pretty much "Shulk", and I personally like characters to have motivations beyond just loving the main character (see Melia, who did love Shulk, but her character was much more than her love for Shulk). Oh, and the side content, I absolutely agree it was mostly a chore. The world was interesting, Future Connected was great and I do agree the story had some really great points. Overall I do think it's a good game, but I also don't think it's a masterpiece or nowhere near close to that. Good thing is I do absolutely love XB2 and XB3 (hard to pick one of them, but not gonna go into that in a XB1 video) even if I did start with XB1. I guess you're currently playing XB2, so hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Tutorials suck, but once you understand how things work, you'll find some really good gameplay... and yes, the game does have a much bigger focus on characters (and not just the main character)... and side content gets better.
Subscribed because I want to watch 1 hour long of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Xenoblade Chronicles 3. After Future Redeemed, Xenoblade Chronicles IP is my main reason to justify buying my Switch and I have plans to upgrade my PC to play with mods, I love Xenoblade that much. The irony is that I love to exploration of the series, although I concede that the first Xenoblade was the weakest to reward you.
Im playing Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition for the first time after bought it at launch. I enjoy the combat so far, story is JRPG out of 10 lol but there are quite of dark elements in it than I expected. I have not played X,X2 or X3 but I prefer the character design way more than the anime-ish style in 2 (I know the original looks way worse but this remake feel just right to me.
Yeah the original characters look rough but I like how they look in the remaster aswell. It is a bit strange how different the style is for 2, I personally like how they look but it is a completely different vibe when compared to the first one
So I do have a question, did you do any of the heart to hearts? It sounds like (and I am very early in he video so maybe you go into it but you’re mentioning character interactions at the point I’m at so I’m asking before I forget) you just blasted through the main story and didn’t really explore. Maybe you’re not into doing that, and that’s fine, but Xenoblade Chronicles is all about that. So if you don’t enjoy that then I could see you not enjoying the game I mean exploration helps you learn more about the world, you find the secret areas, complete quests, interact with NPC and build relationships with them,while you explore you battle and as you battle you gain affinity, this unlocks heart to hearts which in turn helps you learn more about the characters and how they interact with each other which I think would help you with your issue with the characters
I talk about it more later in the video (you might've watched it by now but just in case...), I tried to do some heart to hearts and I liked the ones I did but because I wasn't really a fan of the gameplay/exploration it locked me out of a lot of them. I could've definitely tried to grind for them but since I just didnt enjoy the gameplay I dont think it would've made me enjoy the overall game more.
@@Arkry_ I did get to that part later and it was like I suspected; the gameplay loop rewards you with these things, however you didn't enjoy that part so it explains why you didn't enjoy the game. To each their own
I have the unpopular opinion of liking 1's sudequests. They're very underrated. The mechanics are often poorly explained, but it does get very satisfying to fill out the affinity chart, and there's a grander world lore that's engaging to dive into. It needs time to blossom and it's actively a pain to put up with, however accidentally assisting in a bird person drug ring run by a nopon kingpin who fights you with a pterodactyl as one of the strongest sidequest bosses is one of the most beautiful pieces of wacky JRPG sidequest chains I've ever seen. But people spam A because the generic NPCs have no personality, which is unfortunate. They're individually simple stories, but it's telling the story of the world as a bigger picture. Some are genuinely funny or cute, some are stinkers, but plenty are charming in a unique way that's hard to describe.
Xenoblade Chronicles (XB1) I would say is actually a watered down version of Xenogears. Both games share the same underlying themes except that Xenogears is way more ambitious in its presentation. Xenogears is also unfinished though, which is probably why XB1 is as condensed as it is. Monolith Soft had an issue when it came to managing projects before they joined Nintendo.
What a great video! I'm surprised that you identified all of these issues in your first playthrough. From what I've noticed, it generally boils down to whether you have a strong preference for games with a strong character development focus. But overall - I agree with most of your points: - The story is very Shulk-focused and most other characters don't contribute anything to the game's plot. - While there are many very good side quest chains, they are buried behind a ton of fetch quests and an affinity chart. - The battle system is very experimental (for a JRPG) and interesting, but not fleshed out properly. - A lot of features of the game are very experimental in terms of: you can see that they have a lot of potential, but they also have plenty of issues holding them back. That all being said, I can not call it just an "OK" game. I can definitely see why you would be disappointed if you played it in 2023 and it was overhyped to you since it's a relatively old game. Still, to be fair to your opinion, I don't think that for you it's only about outdated game design - I can see that you prefer character-focused storytelling, which this game definitely does not deliver properly. A few words on my experience with the game: I played the original Wii version on my Wii U sometime in 2015 in preparation for the release of XCX. I never heard anything about the game, so I didn't have any expectations, I was just impressed by the mecha design in XCX trailers and decided to try the first game before the release of X. My experience was somewhat similar to yours - very impressed by the setting and worldbuilding, but I started getting bored around Makna region until Prison Island brought my interest back in a big way. In the end, I was very impressed by the game's story and naturally played the second game when it was released. And this is where it gets weird. After finishing the second game, I liked it way more gameplay-wise, but I was convinced that it was weaker story-wise. That was until the first game was re-released on switch and I've replayed both games again (and watched many playthroughs of other people). With every playthrough of the first game, I started noticing issues with the narrative more and more, while for the second game, it was the opposite - I appreciated the story more and more. I think it comes down to the way these games are structured - the first game's narrative relies too much on crazy twists, which carry you through the game the first time but once you know them, the story becomes somewhat flat and you start noticing big holes in the narrative. In contrast, the second game relies more on character building and their motivation, which you appreciate even more once you're attached to them.
As someone who has this game in their top 5 games of all time (with xb3 being number 1) I could never share this sentiment. HOWEVER, all the points you make are valid as the plot in 1 could get boring at times but imo I just fell so in love with the characters and the world so much. But stories are all subjective so there’s nothing wrong with disliking elements of it. It’s just personally speaking I consider the story to be a masterpiece and while I could talk about why there’s plenty of videos on RUclips which can explain it much better than I can. As for gameplay it gets much better in 2 and 3. 2 has a fun combat system which imo is refined in 3 to make the imo best in the series. Still respect for speaking your mind.
I'm playing through the first one now and i am a bit baffled that there's so much positive hype about this game. It was particularly jarring that colony 9 was devastated but then everything went back to normal except for the removal of the colonal. Also the number of quests, and the item drop rate is overwhelming to the point that it all just becomes irrelevant noise. I barely ever get equipment from an actual quest that's better than random drops. The day night system only serves to frustrate me. Plus, the scale of the bionis so far is kind of ruined by the amount of time it takes to get around, the titans are definitely smaller than something like Cuba but it's got varied biomes. There's just so many more things to point to that barely make sense.
the first one is a refined, mature, and mealy option that gets spoiled by the saccharine, cutesy over-the-top sweetness of the second, if you start with that one.
Yeah I've been enjoying the second game so far but it does have a VERY different vibe compared to the first one, it's a bit weird even how different it feels in that way
@@Arkry_ Tetsuya Takahashi, the executive director of Xenoblade, has stated in interviews that he tends to get bored easily, so he likes trying new things.
That is not entirely true at all. The second game does have very dark themes, sometimes even more so than the original dealing with elements of human trafficking, slavery, loss and grief :-)
@@SamM_Scot you're not wrong, but all the anime/aegyo/saccharine cute overlay on these themes SEVERELY dampens the punch. its like pouring sugar all over your steak.
I'm a big fan of 1 and 3, but I have a lot of personal gripes with 2. Regardless, I hope you'll enjoy the rest of the series! It was nice to hear your thoughts on the first one, and to see you were able to articulate them, rather than just saying "I don't like this", haha
I'm a big fan of the trilogy but I have the same feeling than you for Xenoblade 2, the one I liked the least. When I think about the ending of the game, I genuinely think it's a big masterpiece ! But then I reflect on everything I did on this game and on 60 hours of gameplay, there is maybe 6 that I really enjoyed. But if you are characters driven, I think you're going to prefer Xenoblade 2 over 1. But especially 3! In terms of character writing, X3 is *CLEARLY* the best And for open world mechanic, Xenoblade chronicles X seem to be the best of the franchise but I can't confirm since I didn't played it yet 😅 Also this is the first time I heard about the autorun system because I only played Xenoblade 1 on Wii (that's a Wii game not a 3ds game in the first place)
I played xenoblade 2 first and I did go from hating that game to love it after I fully understood the combat. I cant remember any other game that turned me around in that big way. X1 was sadly disapointing to play after x2. Not to say that the game is bad but in comparison of x2 it feelt like a less epic adventure. X2 had a combat that was way more impactfull and intresting. The music was way more epic in x2. Even the calm music was better but it had way more music that was of the chart epic. I prefer music that get the blood pumping and this game has ALOT of it. Story was more epic in x2. It had a light hearted tone mixed with a much more serious tone. I liked that about the mix and I had a more fun experience with it. I liked the charachters way more in x2. These was charachters that you dont forget in the first place. They had personality and colors. Bought x3 and had hoped to get the x2 feel but it was more from x1 and modernized. Combat was like a basic mmo and no epic feeling. It was running around the enemies and using different abilities. Music was only slow for the most part with some up tunes in combat. There was no over the top feeling or badass cutscenes. Charachters where pretty basic and almost all feelt very same. I feelt more depressed by playing x1 and x3. It was mostly serious story with basic mmo combat and charachters that did not stick out. X2 combat felt rewarding,fun,interactive. Everything felt super saiyan 😂 and I fucking loved it. The mix of light hearted tone and dark story was fun and engaging. I never felt depressed and the wildly different charachters was something i never can forgett. One of the best games i ever played. I will say that if I had started with x1 first or played it at realese i would probably appreciated the game more.
Everything you said about 1 is how I felt about 2 and vice versa. I didn't like the story and moments of 2 like 1. I honestly felt Xenoblade 2's combat system was more auto pilot and less engaging and the story and cast far more tropey like a more stereotypical Shonen Jump story.
Yeah, I'm playing the game currently and I man do the sidequests suck a lot (which annoys me since those are the best way to get EXP since fighting regular monsters takes forever to level up a single time). And man do these maps are so big I feel like I'm playing a walking simulator. I did play 2 first and I don't remember complainig about this... maybe they fixed it or maybe I need to replay 2 to compare but yeah the feeling of walking a lot is there. It's still not bad but come on!
I recently finished 1 and future connected. Now, I'm 3 chapters into Xenoblade 2 and can say the difference is the maps in 1 being larger, as well as the slower movement of the characters. I feel like both games could use vehicles of some sort though.
Glad you tried with it, I love all the games so dearly even if I've only played XC1 and XC3- (watched chuggaconroy play XC2 and JohneAWesome XC X). The games beautiful, and not all beautiful things mean the same to everyone.
As someone who 100%'d XC 1, I understand the excitement to call it one of the best games of all time, and also not at all. It's story is pretty good and it has a very interesting world that it builds, but the equipment system was poorly explained, the open world is really neat and has a lot, but there's not much of an incentive to explore aside from the game's unique monsters and the collectopedia. There are sidequests, but the sidequests sorta suck and the game is bloated with them. I legitimately had to put down the game for a month halfway through the game since I was so bored with the sidequests. And without taking a few sidequests, you're probably going to be a bit behind on levels, so you might have to grind. which is a general problem with XC1 and 2 (maybe 3). Some characters are just not as strong as others and some are just horrible, like Sharla who is unplayably bad. Future games carry a good amount of these problems (2 has bad tutorials and mostly meaningless sidequests in the affinity charts, There isnt much reason to explore maps aside from quests, uniques, and collection which varies throughout the series until they make it work in Future Redeemed. for some reason 3 doesnt have the heart to hearts) though I think they also fix other problems. Also the DLC campaigns are just generally better for some reason.
I don't know abour sharla being unplayably bad, yeah her overheat is not good but that doesn't make the character that horrible ( every tier list, power scale people are gonna wack me in the head). Im watchi'g a newcomer on xenoblade and sharla is doing the work of god, her extrême healing and various support does much depending of how you takes advantage of it. Now im pretty sure that when people talk about Good or bad they thinks about endgames stuff but its still a bit sad to see newcomers avoid characters because X or Y said that the subject if unplayable/bad/useless ect...
Personally xenoblade 2 is probably the most conflicted I've ever been on a game the combat music and environments are so good but the story was quite boring.
I like 1s story but as time goes on the gameplay is so bad compared to 2+3 even as a huge xenoblade fan i couldn't bring myself to play much if future connected because the gameplay is so slow
I ironically had the opposite effect personally. When I played FC after grinding away in Xenoblade 2, I felt liberated from my jump not being scuffed, to the UI and even the battle system in some ways. I will have to eventually go back to 2 to clean up the post game, but idk if it will be particularly fun.
47:29 They actually do for the fight against Tyrea. In general though, yeah. The gameplay in these games is always very mediocre and one basically needs to be "Xenopilled" to enjoy them. That does not really change in later games(Though I didn't play 3 yet), even if they speak more to diffrent people most likely. They have a lot of the same issues under the hood and for each annoyance they remove, they argubly add a unique one(And in the case of 2 specifically, they also made it very "guide-dangit" because they just added or expanded 2491091848 diffrent systems to multiply your performance by small amounts each and fail to properly explain most of it, while also making it impossible to review the advice they do infact give at a later point). I personally put myself into a situration where I want to clean the entire series in a completionist sense AND do some serious wikiwork for my primary language(Thankfully, there is an existing english one I can copy from. Turns the workload from nigh-impossible down to lunacy), so I definitly know how infuriating it can get when the games just don't work with me. Some fights that don't seem playtested at all, the godforsaken travelspeed where the max boosted version(I think it was +29% in this one, upped from the +25% cap in the original game) being what I would have wanted the *default* speed to be and difficultyspikes that one has to either worm around in a weird way, or minmax past. Or in some places cruel and unusual amounts of randomness, because reasons.
I've played Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (which is one of my favourite Switch games), and decided to play this one. To be honest, I kind of hate it. The characters aren't believable, the emotional moments feel rushed, and the combat is unbelievably clunky and repetitive. I've reached Mechonis, and will take a break for a while. I might come back later. Don't know if it will be worth it. People who say a game like Breath of the Wild is empty need to take a look at this one.
It's odd, but everything you are saying about XC1, a feel exactly this about XC2. I couldn't get into the game and story at all, I personally thought the XC2 cast was rather shallow, I felt the stories cliches were a little more blatant and tropey than the first game, the English dub voice acting constantly put me off the developments of the plot. I didn't vibe with the combat system much either. All with a bad tutorial and the combat felt so automatic that I didn't feel engaged with the rhythm of combat and I didn't have as much issue with party member AI in either 1 and X. Haven't played 3 yet though. I liked the DLC story from what I watched on RUclips and it was much easier to track everything in XC2, but overall, it was a game that left me wanting more than what I got. I actually prefer 1 and even X over it.
Based off your complaints about lack of character moments/character RELATIONSHIP development, you’ll love XB2 and especially XB3 more as those games put much more emphasis on characters and less on hype plot moments (they still do have those ofc, but not as many as XB1)
Yeah holy shit im listening to your complaints more and yea you are gonna LOVE Xenoblade 3, it’s the most main cast-centered game I’ve played and every character gets a ton of relationship development, you’ll love it
I just finished this game myself on switch, and after how much it was hyped up by people over the years I was def also disappointed. I find the endless 'yeah, power of friendship
seems like your biggest issue was the game not focusing on characters as much and the heart to hearts that could have helped you having an annoying gatekeep preventing you from experiencing them. the rest of the trilogy is significantly more character driven especially 3, the reason why xc1 is this way is because it was made right after Xenosaga which had characters so deep to the point people hated the cast specifically Shion the MC
Its kinda funny, i played X1 years ago and never really got into it, come X2, XX and X3, I really love the games. After going back to try the X1 remaster i can firmly say its my least favorite, and a part of why goes to fans overhyping it for years as peak fiction when in reality it has the weakest cast and story out of the series. It's not a bad game but it lacks in so many places i genuinely can't understand how its regarded as "the best jrpg" in any capacity. And it's even more confusing when X1 fans are always either shitting on X2 or downplaying X3 when they do more right than wrong in comparison and are the more popular in the series.
First one has the sloggiest (if this even the word lmao) gameplay I’ve experienced. The only good thing are the plot in the cutscenes and everything between is INCREDIBLY boring. Still liked the plot so I looking forward to the XC2 but maybe XC X first
Great video. XC1 for me, I didn't feel as attached to the story or the characters. Sure, you have a great cast but at the same time massively underdeveloped. Considering that a lot of the cast gets shoved into the background. XC2 is my favorite overall. it definitely has a stronger focus on the characters. I love that cause it means the story can take its time with the world and the cast. I will say that XC2's character interactions are some of the best the series has to offer. There's so much variety in the side quests and the heart-to-hearts have a lot more heart and meaning put into them. It's gonna be worth it.
@@Arkry_ XC2 is a fun experience. Glad you're enjoying it. Honestly, this game rewards you for taking your time. I'll say that for how XC2 tells its story it works. The characters being more expressive helps you understand them better cause you get to spend a lot of time with them. There's more to them than what you see on the surface. Side note: don't worry about having to grind. You'll get tons of experience.
The game is a masterpiece, that beats several modern and classic RPGs, and is better than every ever new final fantasy game. The same is true of every other entry in the blade franchise.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2, amazing 10/10 masterpiece, i loved it so much! story, characters, world, lore, music/soundtrack, audio design, gameplay, etc. was so well done! peak of the series by far and i adore it so much! only reason i have a hard time going back to it is because of how insanely long the game is... Xenoblade chronicles torna i say 7/10 - it is fine-to-good xenoblade chronicles 1 i say 6/10 - it is passable - worst in the series xenoblade chronicles 3 i say 8/10 - a ton of quality of life improvements, but a lot of things fail like the story, setting, characters were bland for the most part, world is not very interesting unlike xenoblade chronicles 2 which has an amazing world!
Interesting, if I had to give a number rating to XC1 it would probably be the same so I wonder if my experiences with the other titles will be similar or not. I am really enjoying XC2 so far tho! Even if I'm not that far into it (chapter 3 rn)
@@Arkry_ the art styles, worlds, characters and music is so much more interesting and alive and really feel like a real world - plus there is a reason to explore the world with loot, look out points, and having the items to pick up scattered through out the world (you should always walk everywhere and pick that stuff up, it will make leveling the towns and doing side quests easier and faster later since you have the items already) attack canceling into arts canceling and blade swap canceling and doing all of that well was so satisfying and fun to do for the combat as well (3 you can choose between xenoblade 2 or xenoblade 1 combat depending on which character you use; tho xenoblade 2 combat is not fully unlocked in xenoblade 3 until pretty far into the game) Also, Nia best waifu!
I just can't get into Xenoblade, I found the combat incredibly dull and hard to keep invested. Could only do a handful of hours in it before I gave up on it! Probably my favourite part from the short time I played is that its nice hearing British accents, can get a bit dull constantly hearing American accents in every game.
Yeah I can definitely see that, if you like the different accent things you should look up some trailers for Xenoblade 2 haha they're even more diverse
Cool video dude. But I think you didn't get main point of this game. I like this game not because of it characters but rather for its world. This game is more about a journey rather than character. If this game was about a characters it will became another persona game (or Metaphor at this point)). And I love this game because of this. It tries to create something new.
Thanks! I can see what you mean and I can definitely see why people would still like the game for that reason but I disagree. You can still have fantastic story & journey while also having good and in-depth characters. There are a lot of RPGs that manage to do both so I would still see that as a flaw of this game. And while Persona games do focus more on the characters, the main plot is still really good, especially in 3.
@@Arkry_ Yeah, you can have both. But this journey will never be like in Xenoblade or modern Zelda. Because it's very hard to connect story and unscripted exploration of a big world. Xenoblade tries to fix this issue with hearts to hearts (but requirements from them are harsh) but fails. Zelda did it better with memories of the past. So my point is that xenoblade have great story but it tries to focus more on the world exploration. And tries is a key word her. Because the story is always tries to go on and on and there is not enough quite moment to fully explore locations. So because of that the player is confused about this game pacing and strange moments like in mountains occur.
A whole bunch of nothing until a super good last part is basicly the standard for Xenoblade 1 / 2 / 3, that would also apply to most rpgs, Xenoblade X is very different tough if you get to play it. I've seen this opinion a couple of time, mainly from Definitive edition players which is the inferior version of the game ( the best is to play it on the WII, or on Dolphin with improved graphics ), the anime designs simply don't work and set the wrong tone for the game.
This is literally the first time I've ever seen any of your content, so opening the video talking about having some sort of online presence is a bit conceited to the average person.
I never really thought of this intro in that way but now that you mention it, I can definitely see what you mean 😅 When I said that, I didn't mean it in the way of creating content or being someone that people would know or anything. I meant it in the literal sense of "ever since I started browsing youtube or twitter or other websites where you see people talk about games" as in, even before I started posting stuff.
I think you're reading too much into it and have a chip on your shoulder lol. I heard that same sentence and assumed that he was just talking about his personal experience as a game consumer and enjoyer, not as a content creator
To anyone checking the comments while readying your own angry comment, I'd absolutely recommend watching through the video, if you haven't already, because you'd be surprised with how positive and fair this video is.
Anyway, fantastic video. This game is old and safe. At times it shows what the devs are really capable of, but it's very easy to see why it could be an overall disappointing experience to many. And as you seemed to have been predicting, yes, DE does nothing to change the basic gameplay of the original. There's maybe a few tweaks to improve the party member AI, but there's no changes that should be noticeable to even the most experienced of players. Future Connected is also a great presentation of how the series has evolved in the decade since the first game, so hopefully your enjoyment of it is a good sign for the future.
Anyway, every complaint of yours I can remember gets addressed at some point in the series. That's not to say you'll necessarily enjoy how they're addressed, but hopefully you do :)
Thank you so much! That's gonna be interesting for when I progress through the other games :)
I'm also gonna pin this comment for that first part haha, really appreciate it!!
Just finished the main story and going to start Future Connected. Was Future Connected created this year?
@@itsme7285 Future Connected released in 2020 together with the Xenoblade 1 remaster for switch, Future Redeemed (the DLC for Xenoblade 3) is the one that released earlier this year
@@Arkry_
I think the main thing about xenoblade 1 is it's story
also the gameplay using "vision" was very cool and novel back in 2010, i can understand if the gameplay looks a bit dated for current standard, but yeah. the main thing is the story and its fundamental that you remember some key points when continuing with the SEQUEL
you are lucky if u have beat XC1 first,
because XC2 & XC3 is a great SEQUEL,
and i feel you cannot skip XC1 story for the best experience
However, it is also OK if you decide not to play XC2 right now
you can do it whenever you need a good JRPG with great battle system
XC2 had the best battle system out of the 3 (in my opinion)
XC3 main thing is a bit spoilery... So I'm not going to tell people unless they want ask it themselves
It took me 3 playthroughs to finally finish Xenoblade. I tried twice on the Wii and finally finished on the Switch with the Definitive Edition. It's definitely a slog in some parts, but it's definitely a journey that I loved to have experienced.
I agree with this video quite a lot. I first tried playing the first game after having played through Xenoblade X, when it came out as a downloadable Wii game on Wii U. I struggled to get through the game and stopped around the place where Alvis teaches Shulk to use the Monado, or meeting Rikki or Melia (somewhere around there. Bit of a blur). Didn’t play through the rest of the game until it came to Switch after playing through Xenoblade 2 when I played through the whole game and Future Connected as you have just done. I’m now a series die hard fan but the first one is hard to get attached to early on.
Just started the video, for context xenoblade 1 and 3 share a spot for my favourite games of all time, and all i can say is that I'm really glad you decided to make a video about why your expectations for this game were met with dissapointment. Some people can be overwhelming and annoying with treating your voice as an attempt at spreading facts. Excited for this one!
Thank you, I hope you enjoyed the video!
What's funny is the more I watch this video the more I hear a lot of positives lol. Meaning I thought you'd have a lot more of a negative experience with it, but the most important thing is you gave it a shot. Lots of people hate on Xenoblade (especially 1 and 2) without knowing anything or trying them at all but I'm really glad you tried it yourself and made your own opinion! Also I kinda do agree with a lot of your criticisms like Sharla is a mod character, the open areas are pretty barren, no backstories for characters, side quest, etc. But I won't get your expectations too high... But I will say the other games focus on these a lot and fix some things quite a bit. I'm really happy you're trying out the others and I'm excited to see what you think of 2 and 3!!
The thing is that I have a lot of problems with this game but there are also a lot of things to like. But because the gameplay wasnt my thing, the world wasnt interesting to explore, I dont care about most of the cast and I couldnt get THAT invested into the story etc, it just makes the experience as a whole dissapointing. I do always shit on the game and while that might be exaggerated, its still a 50-60 hour game of which I only really enjoyed 5-10 hours so its hard to be positive about it in a casual conversation haha
@@Arkry_ yeah that makes sense. Still glad you loved the end and the two most based characters of Alvis and Melia though! 😄
@@nishquikpops Imagine not loving Melia
@@Arkry_ Shulk. He clearly picked the wrong one. 😅
54:14 The 3DS version was actually a port. This was originally on the Wii, so yea a game like this on there was pretty damn impressive.
Also, great video! I like how in depth you were with your review and opinions on the game. I really like all the Xenoblade games, and I can understand your criticisms. Parts of the game did feel like they dragged on for me too.
Oh damn thanks for correcting me!
And thanks for the kind words!! It's nice to know that even if you really like the game you still had a good time watching it :D
I tried multiple times over the years to beat this across multiple systems, but always ended up dropping it. Finally succeeded this year with the Switch remaster. My disappointment is similar to yours.
Thankfully, despite the conventional wisdom, Monolith improved the mainline series dramatically with each new entry, culminating with one of my favorite JRPGs in XC3. Glad you're choosing to stick with the series, as each one really is its own thing.
Great video!
Thanks! Yeah every following game looks like it improves on some pretty major things, I'm already enjoying XC2 so far!
For me it's the exact opposite. XC3 feels polished in the gameplay department but lacks that spark of originality plot and soundtrack wise that XC1 definitely has. Also I really dislike the combat system in XC3, where what you do in combat DOESN'T MATTER AT ALL, the only thing that matters is what you do before the fight itself (gems, arts, grinding levels etc)
@@Qwerty10254I can definitely see that! My personal problems are the slow cooldowns until late game, chain attacks not feeling very tangible to build up...and then being an enemy deletion button, and not really having the same "flow" that I think the first two games excel at. However late game crit recharge and shackle ring builds are a blast and switching between characters to sort of orchestrate your party definitely adds a level of execution that you could be missing out on!
As someone who has XC1 as there favorite Xenoblade, while I love the game to death I did see some flaws in my playthrough. I can see the cast being a little underdeveloped but I still think they're all great characters (minus Sharla) There were also characters that were just there and didn't do much (Like Gadolt and Yumea) I personally didnt have a problem with the combat but to be fair I was playing on easy. I enjoyed exploring most od the world and also enjoyed filling out the collectopedia. And of course, I love the story itself. It feels the most like a traditional rpg the same way Xenogears does while still standing out from the rest, which is really the main reason its my favorite. There isnt really a Xenoblade that I dont like. I personally find Xenoblade 3 to be the weakest but its still a really good game. And I had fun with Xenoblade 2 even if it did have mechanics and sideqeusts that I didnt like.
Play Xenoblade X at some point, someone had to say it.
If it gets a port I will definitely play it, if it doesn't I might emulate it but that depends on my enjoyment of 2 & 3
I second this recommendation
@@Arkry_Unless X gets a remake, I don't think you'd like X based on your criticism with XC1.
@@Arkry_ now that xc x port has announced will you play it?
@@jabbahatt4655 I'm not sure if I'll play it on launch but I will play it at some point. I've heard that X is more gameplay focussed with a bigger open world and stuff tho. But even if that doesn't sound too interesting at first glance, I want to try it and form my own opinion on it.
I started this journey so I will see it through until the end 🫡
You’re not alone. My first game in the series was XC2 and I fucking LOVED that game. Multiple nights playing until the sun was up. The characters were all full of life. When I went back to XC, it didn’t click as much with me. I haven’t played 3 yet but it’s in my backlog!
Niceee, I've also been enjoying 2 so far even if I'm only a few hours in!
After this video, I think you'll end up loving Xenoblade 2 and 3 a lot.
Thank god someone outside of the Xenoblade echo chamber brought these story and character issues to light. Will be subscribing and sharing this around
Thank you, I really appreciate that!
And yeah Xenoblade definitely has this echo chamber where you see it being praised everywhere you go. But this comment section has surprised me with how positive it is, despite my generally negative review. It's nice to see the more open-minded fans aswell!
I played this game as a teen when I randomly stumbled upon it. I think that shaped the majority of my experience since I went in blind and I had no idea what a jrpg was. Having people tell you how good a game is before going makes it ruin it's own hype.
Yeah I definitely agree, its part of the reason why the intro to this video is so long as I wanted to give context to how I got introduced to this game
I understand, it’s not for everyone. Though an objective masterpiece and the story is great, the gameplay sometimes had me feeling sluggish. I can happily say XC2 and 3 are way better in my eyes. Both in story and DEFINITELY in gameplay. It was nice seeing someone have a different take on a game I love.
I can almost 1000% guarantee that XB3 will be your favorite, it’s the most cast-centered game with tons of character focused moments. Insane how just off the box art you were able to make such great predictions.
Thanks haha, I'm really excited to play it this year!!
Gael'Gar is the best Xenoblade character hands down 🔥💯 Peak fictional villain
I understand you are talking about your personal experience but I just want to point out that as a proper critique, 99% of this video is wrong and history proves it. Storywise, what you wanted from it is exactly what Takahashi did in the past. Do you know what he got from doing what you wanted? He got fired and lost funding twice, that was his reward for creating the greatest JRPG story ever written.
XC1 was his last chance. Instead of going 80% story/20% gameplay he tried 50-50. He hired a proper script writer to trim his story down for XC1.
This is also why the Sharla chapter is a story lull. It was never a mistake or accident, Takahashi knew the intro chapter had to be story focused to introduce the setting and themes so naturally the next episode had to be gameplay focused if he were to achieve that 50-50 balance. Likewise, it is no coincidence that new gameplay concepts stop being introduced as the story picks up. It was all carefully planned.
It is ironic that you compare this open world design to Zelda BotW when the latter wouldn't exist without the former. It is also funny that you criticize the trimmed story of XC1 when Zelda BotW's open world design is the trimmed, baby version of Xenoblade Chronicles X. This is why Nintendo funded Takahashi from the start, to create the engine and direct the map of Zelda BotW.
I understand your sentiment of disappointment. As a story, XC1 is a kids book compared to Xenogears. As a game, it is also a shadow compared to Xenoblade Chronicles X. But as a project, this is the only JRPG I would say has the right to stand in the holy trinity with Chrono Trigger and FF7 (or FF6).
Xenogears was pitched as FF7. At the time, it was deemed too complex. FF7 had 3D characters on 2D backgrounds that aged horrendously. Xenogears had 2D characters on 3D maps with platforming. Takahashi was pretty much fired soon afterwards.
Today, FF7 Rebirth is a AAA remake that took hundreds of millions of dollars to make and it sold poorly. Each Xenoblade costs a fraction of that to make and sell more and more. The map of Zelda BotW and Xenoblade Chronicles X is the result of that development team who got fired for creating one of the 1st 3D JRPG platformer.
I could elaborate on why you are wrong about every other point you made besides being able to switch party members on the fly, like how good XC1's side-quest design gives you things like rebuilding an entire city, unlocking secret skill trees, discovering the true identity of one of the Faced Mechon you kill in the main plot, tons of character development through heart-2-hearts, etc. but I fail to see the point since it's a skill issue (a bunch of western gamers like you don't know how to do side-quests, they think they have to accept a quest, beeline to it, conclude and only then accept a new one. It is similar to the issue where western gamers assume a game is grindy when they fail because they can't try a different strategy and assume grind is necessary).
You say this open world is vast and dull but it is you who is naive and fail to perceive the design. It is true that the Nintendo Wii was not powerful enough for physics simulation and irregular terrain (as observed by what Takahashi did in XCX and Zelda BotW) but that does not mean the mostly flat world is devoid of meaning. Every single corner of XC1's world has a point to it, be it a mining spot for crafting a stronger gem, a boss that gives you better gear, a collectible that unlocks deep lore in some quest, a vista that gives you EXP and a teleport spot, etc.
XC1 is not one of my favorite games. I don't like it very much, both gameplay-wise and story-wise. But even then I can see it is without a doubt a masterpiece of game design and there is very little valid criticism I can direct at it. Most of your video wasn't it, for every argument you make I can point to 10 counter arguments in the game.
For example, your criticism of the couple fights where Shulk does only 1 damage? That was not an oversight, it was storytelling. Yes, it is a bit annoying gameplay-wise but it is a reminder that the Monado can't cut people, preceding the story beat where we finally unlock the power to cut people. How can you say in good faith that this is bad game design?
Again, I understand you are talking about your subjective experience but if you don't know why the designers put something there because you didn't engage in some side-quest that points to it then what could possibly be the point of your criticism? Isn't it just naive?
As another example, one of what you call the early fetch quests points to a mini-boss that not only gives you cool equipment rewards, but it is specifically designed to beat you at the recommended level unless you apply the Break>Topple mechanic.
My suggestion is, if you want to criticize something, try to understand why they are the way they are first. You made an hour long video and the only point I can see any validity is the ability to swap party members on the fly but even then I know exactly why they didn't implement this (hint: warn your ally about your vision). So again, it was not a design mistake but a choice.
As a big fan of the franchise I can absolutely understand all your points and where you're coming from. I also have many gripes with basically all the games in the series, but that's part of the course with them I feel. 2 was a very mixed bag for me, with some of the highest highs and the lowest lows. I fucking hated the game for the first 20 hours, but fell in love after that when it started to get going. I also hated 3, even though no games ending ever made me cry this fucking much, but after the DLC (which is phenomenal) and some reflection I can at least say that I like it.
Because each game is so different from each other I feel it is a blessing and a curse for the series. You might not like one game, but love the next, but I promise you, if you stick with the trilogy till the very end, you won't regret it.
I think I mostly agree with the things you say in this video. I've actually played through Xenoblade like 1.9 times. I first played it on the Wii (this is the actual original game, not 3DS btw) and then I played the Definitive Edition on Switch many years later.
For one, I will say I consider DE the highly superior version, not only because of graphics, but because of QoL. Of course, those things won't be mentioned here since this isn't a comparison video, but I will say the big world was a bigger problem in the original version.
I did ended up somewhat enjoying the combat, though mostly when it was a big fight... it was kinda annoying for the small fights, but planning fights such as the super bosses felt good (it is MUCH better in XB2 though).
That said, this world is absolutely outstanding for its time, though I do remember being kinda disappointed the game was on the Wii instead of the PS3, because of the graphic limitations. The music of course is a 10/10.
My biggest problem with this game comes with the characters. Melia was a character I quite enjoyed, and I did kinda enjoy Shulk (I mean, the plot really is about him), but I didn't really care for any of the other characters. Wanted to like Dunban because I really like his japanese voice actor, but I just couldn't care much about him, and contrary to you, I found Fiora to be a very mediocre character because pretty much everything about her was "Shulk this, Shulk that"... even one of those skill tree lines was pretty much "Shulk", and I personally like characters to have motivations beyond just loving the main character (see Melia, who did love Shulk, but her character was much more than her love for Shulk).
Oh, and the side content, I absolutely agree it was mostly a chore.
The world was interesting, Future Connected was great and I do agree the story had some really great points. Overall I do think it's a good game, but I also don't think it's a masterpiece or nowhere near close to that. Good thing is I do absolutely love XB2 and XB3 (hard to pick one of them, but not gonna go into that in a XB1 video) even if I did start with XB1.
I guess you're currently playing XB2, so hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Tutorials suck, but once you understand how things work, you'll find some really good gameplay... and yes, the game does have a much bigger focus on characters (and not just the main character)... and side content gets better.
Subscribed because I want to watch 1 hour long of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Xenoblade Chronicles 3. After Future Redeemed, Xenoblade Chronicles IP is my main reason to justify buying my Switch and I have plans to upgrade my PC to play with mods, I love Xenoblade that much.
The irony is that I love to exploration of the series, although I concede that the first Xenoblade was the weakest to reward you.
Im playing Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition for the first time after bought it at launch. I enjoy the combat so far, story is JRPG out of 10 lol but there are quite of dark elements in it than I expected. I have not played X,X2 or X3 but I prefer the character design way more than the anime-ish style in 2 (I know the original looks way worse but this remake feel just right to me.
Yeah the original characters look rough but I like how they look in the remaster aswell. It is a bit strange how different the style is for 2, I personally like how they look but it is a completely different vibe when compared to the first one
So I do have a question, did you do any of the heart to hearts? It sounds like (and I am very early in he video so maybe you go into it but you’re mentioning character interactions at the point I’m at so I’m asking before I forget) you just blasted through the main story and didn’t really explore. Maybe you’re not into doing that, and that’s fine, but Xenoblade Chronicles is all about that. So if you don’t enjoy that then I could see you not enjoying the game
I mean exploration helps you learn more about the world, you find the secret areas, complete quests, interact with NPC and build relationships with them,while you explore you battle and as you battle you gain affinity, this unlocks heart to hearts which in turn helps you learn more about the characters and how they interact with each other which I think would help you with your issue with the characters
I talk about it more later in the video (you might've watched it by now but just in case...), I tried to do some heart to hearts and I liked the ones I did but because I wasn't really a fan of the gameplay/exploration it locked me out of a lot of them. I could've definitely tried to grind for them but since I just didnt enjoy the gameplay I dont think it would've made me enjoy the overall game more.
@@Arkry_ I did get to that part later and it was like I suspected; the gameplay loop rewards you with these things, however you didn't enjoy that part so it explains why you didn't enjoy the game. To each their own
I have the unpopular opinion of liking 1's sudequests. They're very underrated. The mechanics are often poorly explained, but it does get very satisfying to fill out the affinity chart, and there's a grander world lore that's engaging to dive into. It needs time to blossom and it's actively a pain to put up with, however accidentally assisting in a bird person drug ring run by a nopon kingpin who fights you with a pterodactyl as one of the strongest sidequest bosses is one of the most beautiful pieces of wacky JRPG sidequest chains I've ever seen. But people spam A because the generic NPCs have no personality, which is unfortunate. They're individually simple stories, but it's telling the story of the world as a bigger picture. Some are genuinely funny or cute, some are stinkers, but plenty are charming in a unique way that's hard to describe.
We stan Melia in this house. I actually like Melia's story more than the main story of this game.
extremely based
Xenoblade Chronicles (XB1) I would say is actually a watered down version of Xenogears. Both games share the same underlying themes except that Xenogears is way more ambitious in its presentation. Xenogears is also unfinished though, which is probably why XB1 is as condensed as it is. Monolith Soft had an issue when it came to managing projects before they joined Nintendo.
The 19 dislikes haven't watched passed the 5 minute mark
What a great video!
I'm surprised that you identified all of these issues in your first playthrough. From what I've noticed, it generally boils down to whether you have a strong preference for games with a strong character development focus. But overall - I agree with most of your points:
- The story is very Shulk-focused and most other characters don't contribute anything to the game's plot.
- While there are many very good side quest chains, they are buried behind a ton of fetch quests and an affinity chart.
- The battle system is very experimental (for a JRPG) and interesting, but not fleshed out properly.
- A lot of features of the game are very experimental in terms of: you can see that they have a lot of potential, but they also have plenty of issues holding them back.
That all being said, I can not call it just an "OK" game. I can definitely see why you would be disappointed if you played it in 2023 and it was overhyped to you since it's a relatively old game. Still, to be fair to your opinion, I don't think that for you it's only about outdated game design - I can see that you prefer character-focused storytelling, which this game definitely does not deliver properly.
A few words on my experience with the game:
I played the original Wii version on my Wii U sometime in 2015 in preparation for the release of XCX. I never heard anything about the game, so I didn't have any expectations, I was just impressed by the mecha design in XCX trailers and decided to try the first game before the release of X. My experience was somewhat similar to yours - very impressed by the setting and worldbuilding, but I started getting bored around Makna region until Prison Island brought my interest back in a big way. In the end, I was very impressed by the game's story and naturally played the second game when it was released. And this is where it gets weird. After finishing the second game, I liked it way more gameplay-wise, but I was convinced that it was weaker story-wise. That was until the first game was re-released on switch and I've replayed both games again (and watched many playthroughs of other people). With every playthrough of the first game, I started noticing issues with the narrative more and more, while for the second game, it was the opposite - I appreciated the story more and more. I think it comes down to the way these games are structured - the first game's narrative relies too much on crazy twists, which carry you through the game the first time but once you know them, the story becomes somewhat flat and you start noticing big holes in the narrative. In contrast, the second game relies more on character building and their motivation, which you appreciate even more once you're attached to them.
As someone who has this game in their top 5 games of all time (with xb3 being number 1) I could never share this sentiment. HOWEVER, all the points you make are valid as the plot in 1 could get boring at times but imo I just fell so in love with the characters and the world so much. But stories are all subjective so there’s nothing wrong with disliking elements of it. It’s just personally speaking I consider the story to be a masterpiece and while I could talk about why there’s plenty of videos on RUclips which can explain it much better than I can. As for gameplay it gets much better in 2 and 3. 2 has a fun combat system which imo is refined in 3 to make the imo best in the series. Still respect for speaking your mind.
I'm playing through the first one now and i am a bit baffled that there's so much positive hype about this game. It was particularly jarring that colony 9 was devastated but then everything went back to normal except for the removal of the colonal. Also the number of quests, and the item drop rate is overwhelming to the point that it all just becomes irrelevant noise. I barely ever get equipment from an actual quest that's better than random drops. The day night system only serves to frustrate me. Plus, the scale of the bionis so far is kind of ruined by the amount of time it takes to get around, the titans are definitely smaller than something like Cuba but it's got varied biomes. There's just so many more things to point to that barely make sense.
the first one is a refined, mature, and mealy option that gets spoiled by the saccharine, cutesy over-the-top sweetness of the second, if you start with that one.
Yeah I've been enjoying the second game so far but it does have a VERY different vibe compared to the first one, it's a bit weird even how different it feels in that way
@@Arkry_ Tetsuya Takahashi, the executive director of Xenoblade, has stated in interviews that he tends to get bored easily, so he likes trying new things.
That is not entirely true at all. The second game does have very dark themes, sometimes even more so than the original dealing with elements of human trafficking, slavery, loss and grief :-)
@@SamM_Scot you're not wrong, but all the anime/aegyo/saccharine cute overlay on these themes SEVERELY dampens the punch. its like pouring sugar all over your steak.
@@yamammiwammi Yeah I do agree with you on many of the more anime tropes :-)
I'm a big fan of 1 and 3, but I have a lot of personal gripes with 2. Regardless, I hope you'll enjoy the rest of the series! It was nice to hear your thoughts on the first one, and to see you were able to articulate them, rather than just saying "I don't like this", haha
can't for xenoblade 2 and torna review
I'm a big fan of the trilogy but I have the same feeling than you for Xenoblade 2, the one I liked the least. When I think about the ending of the game, I genuinely think it's a big masterpiece ! But then I reflect on everything I did on this game and on 60 hours of gameplay, there is maybe 6 that I really enjoyed. But if you are characters driven, I think you're going to prefer Xenoblade 2 over 1. But especially 3! In terms of character writing, X3 is *CLEARLY* the best
And for open world mechanic, Xenoblade chronicles X seem to be the best of the franchise but I can't confirm since I didn't played it yet 😅
Also this is the first time I heard about the autorun system because I only played Xenoblade 1 on Wii (that's a Wii game not a 3ds game in the first place)
I played xenoblade 2 first and I did go from hating that game to love it after I fully understood the combat. I cant remember any other game that turned me around in that big way.
X1 was sadly disapointing to play after x2. Not to say that the game is bad but in comparison of x2 it feelt like a less epic adventure.
X2 had a combat that was way more impactfull and intresting. The music was way more epic in x2. Even the calm music was better but it had way more music that was of the chart epic. I prefer music that get the blood pumping and this game has ALOT of it.
Story was more epic in x2. It had a light hearted tone mixed with a much more serious tone. I liked that about the mix and I had a more fun experience with it. I liked the charachters way more in x2. These was charachters that you dont forget in the first place. They had personality and colors.
Bought x3 and had hoped to get the x2 feel but it was more from x1 and modernized. Combat was like a basic mmo and no epic feeling. It was running around the enemies and using different abilities.
Music was only slow for the most part with some up tunes in combat. There was no over the top feeling or badass cutscenes. Charachters where pretty basic and almost all feelt very same.
I feelt more depressed by playing x1 and x3. It was mostly serious story with basic mmo combat and charachters that did not stick out.
X2 combat felt rewarding,fun,interactive. Everything felt super saiyan 😂 and I fucking loved it. The mix of light hearted tone and dark story was fun and engaging. I never felt depressed and the wildly different charachters was something i never can forgett. One of the best games i ever played.
I will say that if I had started with x1 first or played it at realese i would probably appreciated the game more.
Everything you said about 1 is how I felt about 2 and vice versa. I didn't like the story and moments of 2 like 1. I honestly felt Xenoblade 2's combat system was more auto pilot and less engaging and the story and cast far more tropey like a more stereotypical Shonen Jump story.
Yeah, I'm playing the game currently and I man do the sidequests suck a lot (which annoys me since those are the best way to get EXP since fighting regular monsters takes forever to level up a single time).
And man do these maps are so big I feel like I'm playing a walking simulator. I did play 2 first and I don't remember complainig about this... maybe they fixed it or maybe I need to replay 2 to compare but yeah the feeling of walking a lot is there.
It's still not bad but come on!
I recently finished 1 and future connected. Now, I'm 3 chapters into Xenoblade 2 and can say the difference is the maps in 1 being larger, as well as the slower movement of the characters. I feel like both games could use vehicles of some sort though.
Glad you tried with it, I love all the games so dearly even if I've only played XC1 and XC3- (watched chuggaconroy play XC2 and JohneAWesome XC X). The games beautiful, and not all beautiful things mean the same to everyone.
Yeah the dislike bar is about what I expected but open-minded comments like this are why I'm here, so thank you :)
As someone who 100%'d XC 1, I understand the excitement to call it one of the best games of all time, and also not at all. It's story is pretty good and it has a very interesting world that it builds, but the equipment system was poorly explained, the open world is really neat and has a lot, but there's not much of an incentive to explore aside from the game's unique monsters and the collectopedia. There are sidequests, but the sidequests sorta suck and the game is bloated with them. I legitimately had to put down the game for a month halfway through the game since I was so bored with the sidequests. And without taking a few sidequests, you're probably going to be a bit behind on levels, so you might have to grind. which is a general problem with XC1 and 2 (maybe 3). Some characters are just not as strong as others and some are just horrible, like Sharla who is unplayably bad. Future games carry a good amount of these problems (2 has bad tutorials and mostly meaningless sidequests in the affinity charts, There isnt much reason to explore maps aside from quests, uniques, and collection which varies throughout the series until they make it work in Future Redeemed. for some reason 3 doesnt have the heart to hearts) though I think they also fix other problems. Also the DLC campaigns are just generally better for some reason.
I don't know abour sharla being unplayably bad, yeah her overheat is not good but that doesn't make the character that horrible ( every tier list, power scale people are gonna wack me in the head). Im watchi'g a newcomer on xenoblade and sharla is doing the work of god, her extrême healing and various support does much depending of how you takes advantage of it.
Now im pretty sure that when people talk about Good or bad they thinks about endgames stuff but its still a bit sad to see newcomers avoid characters because X or Y said that the subject if unplayable/bad/useless ect...
Personally xenoblade 2 is probably the most conflicted I've ever been on a game the combat music and environments are so good but the story was quite boring.
That's interesting to hear, I'm still pretty early in the game so I wonder how I'll end up feeling once I finish it
Calling XC2's story boring is absolutely insane to me
I'm only on chapter 3 and I'm absolutely hooked on the storyline... I think we may end up disagreeing on that statement.
I like 1s story but as time goes on the gameplay is so bad compared to 2+3 even as a huge xenoblade fan i couldn't bring myself to play much if future connected because the gameplay is so slow
I ironically had the opposite effect personally. When I played FC after grinding away in Xenoblade 2, I felt liberated from my jump not being scuffed, to the UI and even the battle system in some ways. I will have to eventually go back to 2 to clean up the post game, but idk if it will be particularly fun.
Everybody takes an L once in a while, still a goated game
epic vid
Yoooo, I got the SamuelTalksAboutGames approval 🙌
47:29 They actually do for the fight against Tyrea.
In general though, yeah. The gameplay in these games is always very mediocre and one basically needs to be "Xenopilled" to enjoy them. That does not really change in later games(Though I didn't play 3 yet), even if they speak more to diffrent people most likely. They have a lot of the same issues under the hood and for each annoyance they remove, they argubly add a unique one(And in the case of 2 specifically, they also made it very "guide-dangit" because they just added or expanded 2491091848 diffrent systems to multiply your performance by small amounts each and fail to properly explain most of it, while also making it impossible to review the advice they do infact give at a later point).
I personally put myself into a situration where I want to clean the entire series in a completionist sense AND do some serious wikiwork for my primary language(Thankfully, there is an existing english one I can copy from. Turns the workload from nigh-impossible down to lunacy), so I definitly know how infuriating it can get when the games just don't work with me. Some fights that don't seem playtested at all, the godforsaken travelspeed where the max boosted version(I think it was +29% in this one, upped from the +25% cap in the original game) being what I would have wanted the *default* speed to be and difficultyspikes that one has to either worm around in a weird way, or minmax past. Or in some places cruel and unusual amounts of randomness, because reasons.
I've played Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (which is one of my favourite Switch games), and decided to play this one. To be honest, I kind of hate it. The characters aren't believable, the emotional moments feel rushed, and the combat is unbelievably clunky and repetitive. I've reached Mechonis, and will take a break for a while. I might come back later. Don't know if it will be worth it.
People who say a game like Breath of the Wild is empty need to take a look at this one.
It's odd, but everything you are saying about XC1, a feel exactly this about XC2. I couldn't get into the game and story at all, I personally thought the XC2 cast was rather shallow, I felt the stories cliches were a little more blatant and tropey than the first game, the English dub voice acting constantly put me off the developments of the plot. I didn't vibe with the combat system much either. All with a bad tutorial and the combat felt so automatic that I didn't feel engaged with the rhythm of combat and I didn't have as much issue with party member AI in either 1 and X. Haven't played 3 yet though. I liked the DLC story from what I watched on RUclips and it was much easier to track everything in XC2, but overall, it was a game that left me wanting more than what I got. I actually prefer 1 and even X over it.
Based off your complaints about lack of character moments/character RELATIONSHIP development, you’ll love XB2 and especially XB3 more as those games put much more emphasis on characters and less on hype plot moments (they still do have those ofc, but not as many as XB1)
Yeah holy shit im listening to your complaints more and yea you are gonna LOVE Xenoblade 3, it’s the most main cast-centered game I’ve played and every character gets a ton of relationship development, you’ll love it
Last comment: XB2/3 are much more character driven than XB1, which is story/plot driven
I just finished this game myself on switch, and after how much it was hyped up by people over the years I was def also disappointed. I find the endless 'yeah, power of friendship
seems like your biggest issue was the game not focusing on characters as much and the heart to hearts that could have helped you having an annoying gatekeep preventing you from experiencing them. the rest of the trilogy is significantly more character driven especially 3, the reason why xc1 is this way is because it was made right after Xenosaga which had characters so deep to the point people hated the cast specifically Shion the MC
Its kinda funny, i played X1 years ago and never really got into it, come X2, XX and X3, I really love the games. After going back to try the X1 remaster i can firmly say its my least favorite, and a part of why goes to fans overhyping it for years as peak fiction when in reality it has the weakest cast and story out of the series.
It's not a bad game but it lacks in so many places i genuinely can't understand how its regarded as "the best jrpg" in any capacity. And it's even more confusing when X1 fans are always either shitting on X2 or downplaying X3 when they do more right than wrong in comparison and are the more popular in the series.
I love this game
First one has the sloggiest (if this even the word lmao) gameplay I’ve experienced. The only good thing are the plot in the cutscenes and everything between is INCREDIBLY boring. Still liked the plot so I looking forward to the XC2 but maybe XC X first
Great video. XC1 for me, I didn't feel as attached to the story or the characters. Sure, you have a great cast but at the same time massively underdeveloped. Considering that a lot of the cast gets shoved into the background. XC2 is my favorite overall. it definitely has a stronger focus on the characters. I love that cause it means the story can take its time with the world and the cast.
I will say that XC2's character interactions are some of the best the series has to offer. There's so much variety in the side quests and the heart-to-hearts have a lot more heart and meaning put into them. It's gonna be worth it.
Thank you so much! And yes I definitely agree, I'm only at the beginning of chapter 3 right now but I have been enjoying XC2 a lot more so far!
@@Arkry_ XC2 is a fun experience. Glad you're enjoying it. Honestly, this game rewards you for taking your time. I'll say that for how XC2 tells its story it works.
The characters being more expressive helps you understand them better cause you get to spend a lot of time with them. There's more to them than what you see on the surface.
Side note: don't worry about having to grind. You'll get tons of experience.
The game is a masterpiece, that beats several modern and classic RPGs, and is better than every ever new final fantasy game. The same is true of every other entry in the blade franchise.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2, amazing 10/10 masterpiece, i loved it so much!
story, characters, world, lore, music/soundtrack, audio design, gameplay, etc. was so well done! peak of the series by far and i adore it so much!
only reason i have a hard time going back to it is because of how insanely long the game is...
Xenoblade chronicles torna i say 7/10 - it is fine-to-good
xenoblade chronicles 1 i say 6/10 - it is passable - worst in the series
xenoblade chronicles 3 i say 8/10 - a ton of quality of life improvements, but a lot of things fail like the story, setting, characters were bland for the most part, world is not very interesting unlike xenoblade chronicles 2 which has an amazing world!
Interesting, if I had to give a number rating to XC1 it would probably be the same so I wonder if my experiences with the other titles will be similar or not.
I am really enjoying XC2 so far tho! Even if I'm not that far into it (chapter 3 rn)
@@Arkry_ the art styles, worlds, characters and music is so much more interesting and alive and really feel like a real world - plus there is a reason to explore the world with loot, look out points, and having the items to pick up scattered through out the world (you should always walk everywhere and pick that stuff up, it will make leveling the towns and doing side quests easier and faster later since you have the items already)
attack canceling into arts canceling and blade swap canceling and doing all of that well was so satisfying and fun to do for the combat as well (3 you can choose between xenoblade 2 or xenoblade 1 combat depending on which character you use; tho xenoblade 2 combat is not fully unlocked in xenoblade 3 until pretty far into the game)
Also, Nia best waifu!
I just can't get into Xenoblade, I found the combat incredibly dull and hard to keep invested. Could only do a handful of hours in it before I gave up on it! Probably my favourite part from the short time I played is that its nice hearing British accents, can get a bit dull constantly hearing American accents in every game.
Yeah I can definitely see that, if you like the different accent things you should look up some trailers for Xenoblade 2 haha they're even more diverse
Cool video dude. But I think you didn't get main point of this game. I like this game not because of it characters but rather for its world. This game is more about a journey rather than character. If this game was about a characters it will became another persona game (or Metaphor at this point)). And I love this game because of this. It tries to create something new.
Thanks! I can see what you mean and I can definitely see why people would still like the game for that reason but I disagree.
You can still have fantastic story & journey while also having good and in-depth characters. There are a lot of RPGs that manage to do both so I would still see that as a flaw of this game.
And while Persona games do focus more on the characters, the main plot is still really good, especially in 3.
@@Arkry_ Yeah, you can have both. But this journey will never be like in Xenoblade or modern Zelda. Because it's very hard to connect story and unscripted exploration of a big world. Xenoblade tries to fix this issue with hearts to hearts (but requirements from them are harsh) but fails. Zelda did it better with memories of the past. So my point is that xenoblade have great story but it tries to focus more on the world exploration. And tries is a key word her. Because the story is always tries to go on and on and there is not enough quite moment to fully explore locations. So because of that the player is confused about this game pacing and strange moments like in mountains occur.
A whole bunch of nothing until a super good last part is basicly the standard for Xenoblade 1 / 2 / 3, that would also apply to most rpgs, Xenoblade X is very different tough if you get to play it.
I've seen this opinion a couple of time, mainly from Definitive edition players which is the inferior version of the game ( the best is to play it on the WII, or on Dolphin with improved graphics ), the anime designs simply don't work and set the wrong tone for the game.
The Wii also very obviously had anime styled characters, thus reads like someone who's only played like 2 rpgs in their life
Your take is horrible. It was always meant to be anime, just more gritty
Xenoblade Chronicles 1 is the weakest of the three games so I totally understand why there was disappointment
Promo'SM
disappointing*
Oh fuck
How did I not notice this earlier or how did nobody notice and/or point this out to me until now lol, thank you! I'm changing it right now
I hated the game. And I adore JRPGs.
This is literally the first time I've ever seen any of your content, so opening the video talking about having some sort of online presence is a bit conceited to the average person.
I never really thought of this intro in that way but now that you mention it, I can definitely see what you mean 😅
When I said that, I didn't mean it in the way of creating content or being someone that people would know or anything. I meant it in the literal sense of "ever since I started browsing youtube or twitter or other websites where you see people talk about games" as in, even before I started posting stuff.
@@Arkry_ we typically call that lurking. A presence is outward facing. Live and learn
@@cpthardluckhanging on the edge of tomorroooow!!! Sorry..
I think you're reading too much into it and have a chip on your shoulder lol. I heard that same sentence and assumed that he was just talking about his personal experience as a game consumer and enjoyer, not as a content creator