...Yeah. This isn't a joke.
So, some context first. My spring break just started. Unfortunately I'm both piss broke and out of games to play. I cut into some of my backlog (finished LittleBigPlanet 2 and MGS: Peace Walker) but alas, I had nothing to play. Its been forever since I used my Wii and I was testing it for, um, Dream Mix TV Reality Fighters. Don't ask, I thought it'd be something goofy to play in a party setting. So I hooked up my hard drive as well, went through the games there, and still saw Xenoblade Chronicles. Thought I'd give it another shot.
It's not that bad. It's good for a JRPG. However, "good for a JRPG" doesn't mean best game ever in my book, it means it's still several steps below a WRPG. Mind you I'm 4 hours in but I got the combat down it seems and the story is established to an extent. So while I won't go to in depth, I'll give some broader overtones of my experience so far.
First off, the choice of platform is awful. This is mostly my biggest complaint. Like you can bitch all you want that "If it wasn't for Nintendo this game wouldn't exist" or whatever, but the Wii makes absolutely no fucking sense as a platform. I'm using a Nunchuck + Wiimote and the controls and camera just kinda suck ass. Mind you it's still a pseudo-JRPG so you don't need stellar controls but the camera is really obnoxious. You can say "Why not use a Classic Controller?" and that's because I don't have one. Gamecube controller support should be there at least.
But I think the larger issue is technical limitations. The game looks really bland. A lot of people wank off about how good the game looks for the Wii but it's still for the Wii. For a game that displays such environment and storytelling, a much stronger system would do this wonders. Waiting a couple years and giving this a Wii U release, hell it'd be a shitload better. I mean I still don't see this as leagues better looking than Final Fantasy XII. At least that had prerendered cutscenes as well. Yeah, graphics aren't everything but I find they definitely go a long way in a game that's atmospheric and has an interesting setting. Yes those were backhand compliments.
Aside from hardware, I do find the screen to be cluttered and distracting. There's like a thousand different things popping so it can be a pain targeting enemies.
EDIT: My second big complaint is the lack of map icons for sidequests. Like I just want sidequests to work like Skyrim or any open world WRPG. You select the quest and a marker pops up so you go to it. I don't want some bullshit excuse like it "encourages exploration", it's inflated gameplay time. Monster quests should just have a radius where to find certain ones (or a flat out icon for Unique Monsters) a la Red Dead Redemption. Fetch quests and such should just have icons. In Colony 9, I must've spent a solid 5-10 minutes near the Ether Light square or whatever looking for some chick named Desiree to deliver a watch. Just running in circles. It was mindnumbing.
Now you may think I'm mindlessly hating on it, but I'm not. I have some positives too.
The combat is pretty good once you get around to it. Kinda reminds me of a Dragon Age Origins meets FFXII system. It's not convoluted although I find they keep throwing new mechanics at me and I don't want it to be a jumbled mess.
Probably the strongest point of the game is that it's not so fucking cliche like most JRPGs. It doesn't stuff you with a Paint By Numbers JRPG cast (pussy male, ditsy female, overconfident male, independent/strong female, etc). The characters do feel defined more by themselves than the roles they're supposed to fill. That doesn't make much sense but it seems you remember, say, the cast of FFXIII more by their run-of-the-mill characteristics (Vanille is ditsy! Hope is a pussy! Snow is overconfident!) then by original characterization. The voice acting (I'm playing the UK version) is also pretty good I suppose. No I'm not a weaboo cunt so I play in English.
EDIT: Also another minor compliment goes to the fast fast travel. I was so used to loads in games like Skyrim that I was shocked to select a destination on the map and it warp there instantly. It was almost unsettling. Not a bad thing, it's just weird for it to be so instantaneous. I mean the world isn't as big as Skyrim by any means but it's large enough that this is both useful and good.
There are a few eye-roll moments that slap me upside the head and shout "THIS A JRPG HOW DID YOU FORGET!" but it's not as bad as most JRPGs.
So far this gets a "better than most JRPGs but that's not saying much" rating from me. Congratulations. I'll keep playing it.
So, some context first. My spring break just started. Unfortunately I'm both piss broke and out of games to play. I cut into some of my backlog (finished LittleBigPlanet 2 and MGS: Peace Walker) but alas, I had nothing to play. Its been forever since I used my Wii and I was testing it for, um, Dream Mix TV Reality Fighters. Don't ask, I thought it'd be something goofy to play in a party setting. So I hooked up my hard drive as well, went through the games there, and still saw Xenoblade Chronicles. Thought I'd give it another shot.
It's not that bad. It's good for a JRPG. However, "good for a JRPG" doesn't mean best game ever in my book, it means it's still several steps below a WRPG. Mind you I'm 4 hours in but I got the combat down it seems and the story is established to an extent. So while I won't go to in depth, I'll give some broader overtones of my experience so far.
First off, the choice of platform is awful. This is mostly my biggest complaint. Like you can bitch all you want that "If it wasn't for Nintendo this game wouldn't exist" or whatever, but the Wii makes absolutely no fucking sense as a platform. I'm using a Nunchuck + Wiimote and the controls and camera just kinda suck ass. Mind you it's still a pseudo-JRPG so you don't need stellar controls but the camera is really obnoxious. You can say "Why not use a Classic Controller?" and that's because I don't have one. Gamecube controller support should be there at least.
But I think the larger issue is technical limitations. The game looks really bland. A lot of people wank off about how good the game looks for the Wii but it's still for the Wii. For a game that displays such environment and storytelling, a much stronger system would do this wonders. Waiting a couple years and giving this a Wii U release, hell it'd be a shitload better. I mean I still don't see this as leagues better looking than Final Fantasy XII. At least that had prerendered cutscenes as well. Yeah, graphics aren't everything but I find they definitely go a long way in a game that's atmospheric and has an interesting setting. Yes those were backhand compliments.
Aside from hardware, I do find the screen to be cluttered and distracting. There's like a thousand different things popping so it can be a pain targeting enemies.
EDIT: My second big complaint is the lack of map icons for sidequests. Like I just want sidequests to work like Skyrim or any open world WRPG. You select the quest and a marker pops up so you go to it. I don't want some bullshit excuse like it "encourages exploration", it's inflated gameplay time. Monster quests should just have a radius where to find certain ones (or a flat out icon for Unique Monsters) a la Red Dead Redemption. Fetch quests and such should just have icons. In Colony 9, I must've spent a solid 5-10 minutes near the Ether Light square or whatever looking for some chick named Desiree to deliver a watch. Just running in circles. It was mindnumbing.
Now you may think I'm mindlessly hating on it, but I'm not. I have some positives too.
The combat is pretty good once you get around to it. Kinda reminds me of a Dragon Age Origins meets FFXII system. It's not convoluted although I find they keep throwing new mechanics at me and I don't want it to be a jumbled mess.
Probably the strongest point of the game is that it's not so fucking cliche like most JRPGs. It doesn't stuff you with a Paint By Numbers JRPG cast (pussy male, ditsy female, overconfident male, independent/strong female, etc). The characters do feel defined more by themselves than the roles they're supposed to fill. That doesn't make much sense but it seems you remember, say, the cast of FFXIII more by their run-of-the-mill characteristics (Vanille is ditsy! Hope is a pussy! Snow is overconfident!) then by original characterization. The voice acting (I'm playing the UK version) is also pretty good I suppose. No I'm not a weaboo cunt so I play in English.
EDIT: Also another minor compliment goes to the fast fast travel. I was so used to loads in games like Skyrim that I was shocked to select a destination on the map and it warp there instantly. It was almost unsettling. Not a bad thing, it's just weird for it to be so instantaneous. I mean the world isn't as big as Skyrim by any means but it's large enough that this is both useful and good.
There are a few eye-roll moments that slap me upside the head and shout "THIS A JRPG HOW DID YOU FORGET!" but it's not as bad as most JRPGs.
So far this gets a "better than most JRPGs but that's not saying much" rating from me. Congratulations. I'll keep playing it.
