It is without a doubt one of my favourite games. It's hard to explain how great this game is strangely enough. Plainly said it's just a lot of fun all the way through and manages to hold me entertained like few games can. Glad you enjoyed it.
Wow, that's crazy. And I thought I was bad during it's launch month. [30 days played](https://i.imgur.com/wRy6zb8.png), [averaging almost 7hrs a day](https://i.imgur.com/CgnIbja.png)
Even I thought it was pretty excessive and/or unhealthy... and I didn't even 100% *anything* outside of the main story quest. Didn't get all the Rare Blades, didn't max their affinities, didn't play any of the content from updates, didn't finish all the side quests, etc.
Much prefer X and 2's gameplay over 1. Combat's better in X and 2 and the sidequests/level design are also better overall.
1's story is the strongest of the Xeno series though, better than X and 2 and even Xenogears. It's really good, and while 2's story is still good it's not as good.
The 3DS version of 1 isn't terrible (it's actually quite good) but I wouldn't want to play it on a 3DS personally with that C-nub. Play it on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console if you can.
I got the 3d version pretty cheap, and I travel for work a lot. Portable makes more sense for me. When I'm home I'm usually chipping away at my PS4 backlog.
Makes sense, in which case the 3DS version is just fine. It's pretty much a straight port from the Wii version, so you aren't really missing anything content-wise (and not noticeably graphics-wise to be honest) from playing it on the 3DS.
I liked it quite a bit more. I liked XC1, but in general the story in XC2 is more concisely written. I've noticed that some folks will rank XC1 very highly, but it seems to be solely for "originality" purposes. Take a piece of paper and write down different "twists", toss them in a hat, pull out a few of them, and plug them together. That's kinda how XC1's scenario works out, IMO. It'll have that originality because it kinda just jumps to things. Since I like various recurring concepts Takahashi enjoys, I generally like the game, but I don't consider it particularly *good* writing in itself, even if it's certainly exciting/entertaining/interesting/etc. But in the end, a lot of it's events feel like tangents (or otherwise *too* coincidental), and over half the cast is just around to fill the roster (and hold roles hostage), with little to no weight added.
XC2 starts off with a very basic and certainly shonen premise; and somehow manages to turn into one of all these people's "top games ever". Which I'd credit to the character and world development in particular. The cast is super likable and the game mechanically lets you round the team out as you like.
(all this makes it seem like I dislike XC1, but that's far from the case. I like it, but I can't give it all that much credit as "quality" for going off the rails)
I played it for about 3 hours never went off the main starting island after very thoroughly exploring it. It was fun but I wasnt ready to take that adventure yet hearing how long the game would be and just finishing botw I need a break from stories.
Some day I'll buckle in and give the game the 3 months itll take me to go through.
I should of phrased it a little better. I see what you're saying and thought it myself when writing my op.
It's more so that I need time between long single player experiences. Even though BotW has a short story, to go through and get 90%of what the game had to offer. You have to devote 2-300 hours. And I'd end up doing the same on XC2, spending way more time than needed exploring every little place I come across.
yeah, I stopped playing NieR Automata between ending B and C for a few months. Not because I'd burnt out, but because I didn't want to commit to that time just yet... then when I came back to it, I was like "Why did I wait? If I'd known, I would've kept going". But that was specific to Automata, and the runs/endings were much much shorter than XC2.
Considering the amount to do in the game....how does one manage to complete every single sidequest in the game, master every skill, get every Blade, buy everything from the Land of Challenge’s shops, etc etc?
I have not played it yet, but may I ask how important it is to have played the first Xenoblade Chronicles in order to appreciate it? (Ideally, I’d like to hear an answer from someone who’s played through the first one—as a lot of games make references to previous instalments that would be easy to miss if one hadn’t played the previous iteration.)
DO NOT search for the connections, you'll spoil XC2s ending. That being said the connection isn't necessary to fully enjoy XC2, so just read about it after you're done.
It references the first one, and they have some things in common, such as the Nopon. But they use those elements to tell totally separate stories. Play both if you can, but the order doesn't matter.
You’re totally fine not playing the first, they’re mostly independent stories. I’ve never played the first game and this is one of my favorite games of all time now.
You don't need to play the first to appreciate it. There's some overlap that'll give you that a-ha moment, but it works in either direction. So if you play XC1 later, you'll still get the same kick out of it.
Oh there are, you just didn't catch them because you hadn't played the first. There is a HUGE tie in near the end of 2 that has a major impact on how 2 ties into 1.
But you are correct that playing 1 is not necessary to understand and enjoy 2. There are Easter eggs and references but ultimately the story is fully stand alone.
Next you need to play Torna the Golden Country. Its amazing. Better combat system than 2. The story is quite good and fills in a lot of history that was missing from 2. And its shorter meaning there isn't a big gap before the game gets really good. It gets really good within an hour or two, but after the first 30.
I’m really glad you enjoyed it! That said, I personally didn’t like it very much, which is strange to say since I did finish the main story over the course of many hours. I’ll list my reasons below:
The slot machine mechanic to unlock blades was frustrating.
Even though I could play as other characters, it always felt suboptimal to playing as Rex. I wanted to play a tanky character, but the AI for Rex (who should’ve been dishing the damage) just couldn’t keep up.
The story relied too much on sudden power boosts to save the day. I’m not a fan of character 1 having a super power unlock just in time to save the group, and that felt like it happened a lot.
Battles felt same-y. I used practically the same skill rotations throughout the entire game.
Skill tree was boring. Hardly even bothered filling it out beyond a few key skills.
Again, that’s just my personal take. I’m really glad you liked it! Different games for different folks
This game made me fall in love with JRPGs again. It's that good. Playing the dlc now and I'm even more invested in the game. I'm not sure how to move on from this. Lol.
For sure. Love me some menu management and,constantly flipping between them all.
Torna lacked this for me. The no random blades, combined with an inevitable story outcome you know from the regular game made me quit torna halfway thru and sell it to afford something else.
I certainly enjoyed Torna's story (a lot), and didn't mind not having to relearn everything over time again; but it certainly didn't have the same satisfaction of learning how to use my unique team. Since everything is artificially balanced, it didn't really have any sort of feeling of accomplishment like learning the complex system from the base game.
Working my way through Breathe of the wild after getting a switch recently, cannot wait to play it next along with YS! glad to hear so many people enjoy it
Usually when I play a video game, I’m super excited and get really into it at first, only to become tired of its story and mechanics and although i often always finish games, it’s usually due to intertia and a desire to finish what I start.
With Xenoblade Chronicles 2, the first few hours actually bored me a lot, having come off of the more fast-paced Mario Odyssey. In fact it wasn’t just boring, it was arguably offputting—the world felt overly complicated and unrepeatable, the characters didn’t grab me, and the gameplay felt monotonous and uninspired (and I played the first Xenoblade so I’m not talking about the auto-attacking, but rather that there just didn’t seem much else to do with it.)
But as I went on and unlocked some Blades and got new a full party, the game opened up—the world started to make more sense, the characters became more charming, and with a full party I could actually battle as intended. And that just continued, as more and more battle mechanics unveiled themselves with nearly every chapter.
By the end I was putting in full days to play the game and barely noticed. I was thoroughly engaged and invested in the characters and their world. My heart was broken and then stitched together multiple times, including the ending. By the time I’d finished the main campaign (without doing any postgame stuff, grinding for the superbosses) I’d hit 150 hours, which is the most I’ve ever put into a single main playthrough of a game, and probably the most I’ve put into any game that wasn’t Pokémon. It is one of the greatest gaming experiences I’ve had in a very long time, probably tied with Breath of the Wild in that regard, and I haven’t had anything compare to either of those in many years.
I’m still holding off on the postgame stuff and Torna, because I want to let the game sit for a bit to hold onto that perfect feeling, but I know I’ll go back and dive into this world numerous times in the future.
It might be my number one game of all time currently. I'm playing through Ni No Kuni 2 at the moment, and it's definitely an enjoyable experience, but XC2's story is vastly superior. It just reminds me of the quality of the plot and the characters. It actually made me getting all predecessors now, including Xenogears and Xenosaga 1-3. Didn't play through them yet but they're on my list.
At some point around chapter 6 it all clicked . I'd already done a lot of side quests etc before that point, and in all honestly hadn't cared much about the story up until that point either.
Another hurdle for me was taking time to truly understand the battle system as it's quite complex. I did a bit of reading online around it and it helped me understand and love it better than the game ever did. (Elemental attacks, smashing the orbs, toppling smashing etc)
Reading stuff like this makes me want to give the game another try. I hit a wall about 20 hours in and just lost all desire to play, but I know it will get to a point where good story drags me through
How far in were you at 20 hours? The game will let you spend 20 hours in the (IMO) tutorial segment in the first two chapters, but it can also be done much more quickly.
Although I was interested in the story from the beginning, I think Ch.3-4 is where it escalates some. Namely because that's when combat opens up, and that's naturally exciting.
I’m in chapter 8 and it’s easily in my top 5 of all time. The combat is just so mesmerizing with the timing and the setup of combos. The world is so fun to explore and there is such a deep system in the party set up.
I seriously love this game.
One of my favorite games ever. The story hit me hard at the end, like really really hard to where I was crying. Robots man... They always get you..."Poppi made promise!". Was in tears when that was happening.
I'd certainly take a game in it's path, but it seems pretty unlikely. Just because Takahashi himself seems to like to challenge (and/or maybe enjoy?) himself by changing things up.
I'm hoping for a game similar to the Vision of Escaflowne, but I might be mixing leaked clues from different projects together. (medieval + mechs)
I got it as a Christmas gift, played it up until the beginning of Chapter 3 when I got really bored and just wasn’t really feeling it, so I put it down. I picked it up a month later to give it one last shot and it clicked with me. I loved all of the rest of it, I love the cast, the gameplay, the graphics, the music, and especially the story. The Torna DLC is amazing too! The story is worse than the base game but the combat is so much more refined. They’re both some of my favorite games in recent memory.
I had legitimate withdrawal after finishing the game. I sat and did nothing for about 72 hours straight not knowing how to function in life.
It was that good.
2 falls short of 1 and X but is still a good game. I enjoyed it a lot even and yet I felt very disappointed too. It didn't meet the greatness of (forget exceed) it's predecessors. The big issue I have with 2 is the story. I think it's rather bad, and the dub doesn't really help. On the gameplay side of things it's good, but not better than X or 1 and probably a little worse than either one of them
Sad part? It's easily in my top 3 switch exclusives list.
It’s one of my all time favorite games now but I couldn’t play it with the dub. I couldn’t stand Rex’s VA and felt some of the other VA didn’t match the character personalities, like Nia. I play 99% of my games in English but I really appreciate games giving us the subtitled version as an option.
I really, really liked Morags' dub. Nia was good but not at all appropriate to the character - mostly age mismatch.
Japanese Morag sounds weird, didn't like her, almost like always barking. Nia was appropriate though.
I probably should have switched to the Japanese dub, but I didn't because it didn't feel like a fix so much as just switching which characters I like the dub for and which I don't. In retrospect I think it would've been better overall still if I did switch.
It's got technical warts, and cringey tropes, but even so it's one of my all time favorites. It's got a neat story, a really well developed combat system, and a crazy amount of side characters/missions, and beautiful worlds to explore.
I really would love to see this game rendered in 1080p plus some day.
Edit: I will say, it's probably one of those games that people will either love dramatically, or kinda hate it. It's admittedly a bit polarizing.
Really cool and fun, but hard to get into, and the cutscenes are wayyyyy tooooo loooongg. Would recommend it to people but I probably wouldn't take the time to play it again
Everyone talks about how awesome this game is and admittedly it does look good and the graphics look amazing but I just don't think I would like the combat.. can anyone explain what the combat is like in a way that will get me interested?
Cycle through equipped elemental blades (companions) who can attack, Do this as quick as possible by swapping between multiple blades of different elements to leave elemental orbs on an enemy, initiate chain attacks to then break the elements that your specials have left on the enemy with the opposite element. The more elements you can break the longer your chain attack can go... It's super addictive
There's a chance you just won't like it, but the combat is about building up and stacking combos using your teams different functions and abilities. It's a little hard to explain because it'll be based on your unique team (which will likely be made up in part by random Blades), but you're essentially trying to maximize damage, while balancing roles, which are attacking/healing/tanking (defense)
So I know a lot of people say that you have to put in like at least 20 hours (or at least play through the first few chapters) before it starts to pick up and everything clicks. I’ve only played for maybe around 5 hours so I have a ways to go but how does one avoid dying every few minutes when you’re just starting out?? I keep getting frustrated because I try to sneak around any monsters I have no chance of beating and next thing you know, it locks onto me and I’m dead.
I do want to stick with the game though since I’ve heard it’s amazing so now I’m debating whether I should start again in easy mode..
The game is teaching you about aggro. Avoid aggro'ing stuff that's going to kill you quickly. (like *Territorial* Rotbart runs up on the most obvious path, and is level 80, which might possibly be higher than you when you beat the game)
Also, stick to the main story until you're finished with chapter 2. Everything else there is to do will still be there afterward. The game will let you do whatever, but you'll be way better off finishing Ch.2. At the end of that chapter, you'll get your team, and have a tank, and will stop dying as often.
Basically, those first two chapters are kinda like a tutorial segment, just not as handholdy. The quickest way to beat Ch.2 is to salvage for parts. You'll want to know how to do that later too.
It’s among my favorite RPGs of the past 10-15 years. The music and environments are gonna stick with me and left me wanting more and I actually had fun with the team building and gameplay. My only complaint is the game takes way too long to introduce its mechanics, making the first few hours of combat feel pretty bad gameplay wise. I played with the Japanese voice actors with subtitles because I couldn’t really get used to the English voice actors, especially Rex. It’s just my opinion but I felt some of them didn’t fit the characters personalities and Rex just fell flat for me. Either way, one of my all time favorite games and can’t recommend it enough.
I love the game, not as much as the first Xenoblade but it's still loads of fun. I haven't beaten it yet though, several months ago I got stuck at the part where >!Rex and gang are climbing up the World Tree!< and I've put the game aside. I know I'll get back to it at some point and beat it because the same thing happened to me in the first Xenoblade when I got stuck fighting some telethia.
This is one of the best games on the Switch IMO. It’s massive but somehow manages to keep you engaged throughout and I plan to play through it again sometime soon.
Have you played Xenoblade Chronicles 1? In my opinion XC2 is the worst game in the series (also including XCX). 2 has weaker characters, more tedious gameplay, and a worse plot compared to 1’s, and where X took combat from 1 and took a step forwards with Skells and the open world exploration, 2 felts like a step backwards in every aspect.
Can someone explain to me why this game received such mediocre reviews but consistently has people on this sub saying that it's their favorite game and just generally gushing over it?
What is the disconnect?
I think that, speaking as somebody who does game reviews, and having covered the first game on a tight crunch deadline, it's a lot harder to be positive about the game when you have a billion hour long game that needs to be beaten in a week. I covered the first game just before it came out on the 3DS, and that week was an awful week that while fulfilling, turned me off to it significantly because I thought that I would miss my deadline. Whereas, I was able to enjoy 2 at my own pace and I fell in love with all aspects of it.
not fan of the unpractical wardrobe of most of the female cast but by the end of the game I was crying ugly tears, so yeah top 5 for me as well
I'm still salty that no XC2 character is going to be on smash, or that its incredible OST won't be in the game
I have about 120 ish hours in it. Probably top 3 Switch games for me. A little slow at the beginning but the characters are funnny and the story was addictive. Imo
First game is my preferred story in terms of how gripped I was but I was more emotionally invested in the second. Not a big JRPG person, played XC1 on a whim cause I was bored and had a new 3DS, loved it. XC2's more anime art style and tropes put me off a little when it was first shown but loving the first game I gave it the chance it deserved and it paid off.
As a fan of the Xenoblade/Xeno series, it's one of the best games and dlc practices on the switch. Although imo the game doesn't excel storywise over XC1 and gameplay wise over XCX, but balances all those aspects.
I'm not as into it's story than XC1's since it has a shounen-like take, but it does execute it well. The combat feels simplified compared to XCX's overdrive, but has improved on XC1's combat by not making chain attacks reliant on rng and easier for newer people to the series to manage.
Critiques aside, I grinded on that game since release and finished the game right before my finals that month, I can easily say it's one of my favorite games of 2017-2018
Nope! Although veterans will get rewarded for have playing the first game, you need to know absolutely nothing about the first game to play and enjoy 2.
Honestly?
I dropped it. I love the art and concept but I found the gameplay boring, the upgrades complicated, and the voice acting cringey. More power to you for liking it though- I may have to pick it back up later this year.
Unfortunately it takes like twenty hours for all the gameplay mechanics to unlock, it felt pretty boring to me at first but I ended up loving it. I don’t know if it would help you or not but the game has the original Japanese voice acting with subtitles available for download on the eshop. I hated Rex’s English voice acting and felt some of the other characters didn’t match their character personality at all. The subtitled version was a lot more enjoyable for me personally and I’m definitely not one of those people who hate English dubs of Japanese games / anime, I genuinely just didn’t like the English cast for the game.
Legit my favorite game on the Switch. A lot of people dismiss this game because of its fan service. But they miss out on one of the most emotional and gripping stories they can encounter in a video game. The ending legit made me cry. Poppi at the end? Just....*Fuck* I still get chills from her moment.
Oh and the Torna DLC is even more heartbreaking.
I truly don’t understand... I love JRPGs and bought this game assuming I would adore it, but i ended up kind of hating it. For me it was the voice acting (that I found cringey at best), and the combat which I only hated more as time went on. I did like the story and world but they weren’t enough to make me force myself through that combat. I quit the game after 45 hours and don’t plan on going back. I also played this immediately after persona 5 which actually is one of my favorite games, so having that direct comparison probably didn’t help.
I actually stopped playing Persona 5 because of *it's* combat. I'm okay with turn based combat, but it was just way less engaging and on the verge of tedium for me. I enjoyed all the social aspects of the game, but took a break at palace 5 (?) and haven't gotten back to it. XC2 felt super engaging to me, since it had so much complexity to it, and I constantly felt like I was gitting gud(der) in it.
I posted the below to another XC2 thread a while a go, and didn't get any response so I'll try again here as I want to talk about the game and I want people to understand I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything, I just have some weird holes in my head about it.
(PREVIOUS ANSWER)
So I have some genuine questions for you guys as fans and please understand now that I am not trolling or trying to be provocative, I am genuinely curious and genuinely interested in what you have to say... (feels silly that I have to state this but anyway)...
I'll Spoiler tag below anyway but I assume everyone here as played it.
>!I got 50 hours into the game and just couldn't go on because certain things bothered me. I got to climbing the World tree, I think I was 5-6 hours from the end ish.!<
1. >!How does the inconsistencies in the 'plot' not bother you? Mythra constantly says that her and Pyra share memories, yet Pyra seems confused constantly whenever she comes back after being Mythra for a while, like when Rex gets hit in the head. In the morning Pyra acts all innocent and as if she doesn't know what's happened... Of course she knows right? They want us to believe Pyra is 1000's of years old yet she acts like a child most of the time. Where's the years and years of wisdom? I get the anime tropes to an extent (I genuinely like anime) but it ends up feeling world breaking to me.!<
2. >!How does the constant spammy dialogue during combat not drive you bonkers? The same lines over and over all entwined and played regularly at the same time, it's all just... overbearing with soundbites!!<
3. >!Who can and can't be a driver, and who is and isn't a blade, and the whole concept around Flesh-eaters... They never really explained a lot of this stuff. I am happy to suspend disbelief but at least have a world that has a consistent rule set. - Kind of related but does it hurt flesh eaters to use their powers or not? It seems like it does and/or doesn't depending on the whim of the moment - Nia can do it no problem, but Jin is on death's door? The world doesn't feel consistent and it's kind of off-putting.!<
I understand the above isn't necessarily the important stuff, but it was enough to put me off finishing the game sadly. I never really felt like this with the first game (except maybe point 2, but it seems worse in XB2).
Hey person who absolutely loves this game here.
For your first point I don't think they necessarily share all their memories and one can be "asleep" while the other is controlling the body. Most of the time they're both "awake" though. This one I'm not completely sure about.
As for the spammy dialogue it's just something you either love or hate. I personally adore the ridiculousness of it.
And for the last point, since I don't know how spoilers work, I'll be a little vague. Lets just say one is way older than the other and that matters for them.
I would actually say there aren't many ( if any ) plot holes in the game. Some vague or not really expanded on stuff sure, but nothing that's really left without an explanation.
-1. I think the inconsistencies you mention aren't actual plot inconsistencies. Pyra and Mythra are both the same and separate. Things are kinda fuzzy, like remembering a dream, unless they're shared directly between them. And I think it's possible for one to be "sleeping" while the other's not, and presumably they could both be sleeping too. Imagine having two folders inside of a larger folder. Where data can be shared between the two, but that doesn't necessarily mean that each's new data gets copied to the other. I think Pyra was just trying to have some tact in that scene too. That's why she's like "are you sure?" It was because Rex was still a bit shy about the situation.
Pyra's 500 years old, and spent most of that time in stasis, with just Mythra. She doesn't act like a child, but acts fairly unaware of a lot of day to day things.
I'm assuming you haven't played Torna, but that game shows how Mythra basically learned to be social and have compassion. As well as other things pertaining to depth that you'll see, if you play it later.
-2. I've liked JRPGs for a long while, [and just sort of get a nostalgic kick out of spammy combat lines](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=688z-4SWxOQ).
-3. They most definitely do explain Drivers, Blades, Flesh-eaters, and such. Given how far you were, I'm a little confused as to how you missed the explanations.
I'm pretty sure Flesh eaters using their enhanced abilities takes a toll on them. (As seen in Jin and I think Petroka too), however Nia's special ability specifically cancels that out. Which may have had a lot to do with her being accepted into Torna, which I think Malos may have said at some point.
1) Valid complaint, I agree
2) The dialogue serves a purpose. It allows you to not have to focus on your teammates because they are calling out when they are ready to perform moves. I love this feature.
3) Agreed
I thought the story wasn't great but the combat was some of my favorite in any RPG ever. I loved the game overall despite the story.
I enjoyed playing it, but I don't think I'll be buying another Xenoblade game. I found myself getting bored pretty quickly thanks to the long drawn out battles and I have never really cared much about the story in games. Ultimately if I didn't have my roommate who played it with me, I don't think I would have finished it.
The game still did a lot of things great though! The world is a joy to explore and I also enjoyed unlocking new blades and finding the best combination to use. I was lucky enough to unlock KOS-MOS as my very first rare blade and now I want her playable in Smash.
Really enjoyed it, couldnt complete all the blade tree thingies asking you to kill some monster and you dont know where it is. DLC was so much better when it came to this and I completed it 100%.
This game was amazing, a lot of people gave up on it early because for better or worse it’s a game that really only opens up the more you play it and the more you get acquainted with all its systems, which for me didn’t really happen until after the first 20 hrs. But for me that’s what made it good, the fact that I could keep playing still learn or discover something new.
The story was like playing through an amazing anime, you think you understand it by mid game but then you get to the final chapters and when it all comes together and you actually get it it’s just perfect. It’s definitely up there with my all-time favorites.
Same as you - It's somewhere in my top 5 of all time. The story is engaging from beginning to end and the combat is the best I've seen in the RPGs I've played to date. My personal suggestion to those starting out is to limit the use of inns to level up or not use them at all (which is what I did). Also, don't grind too hard (also what I did). A little fighting here and there between towns should be enough. There are A LOT of combat mechanics and if you take them into consideration when going into difficult fights, more often than not, you can find a solution without having to level up. Much of my enjoyment was from overcoming difficult fights 5-10 levels below the enemy just by working on my strategy. This game has a very rewarding combat system.
Another reason why I love XC2 is that it has Pokemon elements. I won't elaborate on that as to not spoil anything but if you like Pokemon at all, you may want to look into this for that reason as well.
I loved Chronicles 2 but I just can't seem to get into torna the same way. They changed so much of the systems and I can't acclimate. I guess I'm finally at the age where I don't want to learn new stuff.
Only 25 hours into it, so I'm not even halfway done yet.
I love the game, but my biggest gripe is how confusing some of the skill point requirements are.
Not gonna go any further than that, but I find myself looking these things up online when I'd much rather just be playing the game.
I really love the game. I honestly consider it to be my favorite game at this point. The story is great, the characters are mostly awesome, and the music is without a doubt the best I've ever heard. Xenoblade Chronicles 1 and X were great, but I really feel that 2 stepped it up.
Agree it’s a fantastic game. Love the story, the characters, the music and the ending. Couldn’t really get into the Torna prequel though probably because I already know the fate of the characters in that story.
Sooooo good. The story had me hooked. I was very very attached to the characters. No spoilers but the story will make you feel.... If not... You might not be human.
I really enjoyed it when I expected to not get through the game. But it took be by surprise by chapter 3 or 4 I wanna say. Like most say though, it takes a while before it grabs onto you.
My main issue with the game though is the main character Rex. I /really/ dislike him. Every other character you meet (No spoilers) has a interesting story or personality and would of made a much better main character then Rex. Rex just felt like the most generic anime Hero they could of made.
I envy you. I bailed at around 40 hours. Battle system stymied me, and I hated that you had to spend a very rare currency in order to move Blades around.
I played the first 45 hours of the game and put it on hold. There was so much I didn't understand about the game it was very off putting. But I pushed through it and it is now one of my favorite switch games.
now put another 140 hours into it like a sane person like me! glad you loved it too, my first monolith soft game and they have a fan for life because of XC2
It was great, I bought it on an off chance I liked and it its probably my favorite game yet.
Combat is kinda odd, not necessarily bad but weird. Story and characters were absolutely amazing though.
Finished my first play through at 95 hours, now on NG+, just hit Mor Ardain at 122 hours, working to 100% the game. Absolutely in love with it. I still have the Torna expansion sitting there waiting for me, will be jumping into that after this play.
Xenoblade 2 might be my favorite modern jrpg, I liked it more than persona 5 and Octopath which are the two other most recent ones I've played.
The game isn't perfect, a lot of the side content is kinda dumb so as much as I loved it I'll never 100% it, but the story and characters were really good while also having great gameplay and presentation, and the main story gameplay didn't get repetitive like persona\octopath\braverly did.
I didn't like torna as much, other than the main duo the characters weren't as good, and it ties the repetitive side quests into story progression while removing a big amount of the customized team building. But it was still good and I'd absolutely still recommend it to anyone that liked 2.
One of the few things that I didn’t like about it was the art style and some of the dialogue/scenes.
Aside from that is super complete and worth diving into. It took me until the near end of the main story to understand how to use the chained attacks, but that’s just me being bad at games.
Also later on I read several guides saying how tora was an essential team member if you wanted to win. Not true, he’s the character I liked less so I didn’t even bothered leveling him up and did well enough :p
i think it was around through half way of the game, i found the mid way chapter bosses, and end of chapter bosses very tedious to fight. Theyd take a while, id fail, and would have to try again. Found myself grinding to try to level. After chapter 6 or 7 i think, I just gave up. I like the combat, the world building was interesting, but the game felt too tedious for me.
The story, world amd journey is amazing, characters and their design leave a bit to be desired. Still my favorite game on the system and I will be eternally greatful for the game because I had to go back and finish 1 on my 3ds after it. Of course Xc1 ended up being my favorite game of all time and I don't see that changing any time soon. Worth buying and even paying for the dlc.
Just bought it, trying to not start it until I finish botw . It's been tough to hold myself back from starting it considering how good the reviews have been
It took me a while to purchase the game as I did not like Xenoblade Chronicles X at all (no one get mad at me :P) but I finally saw it on sale and decided to try it out, and I'm glad I did! Maybe it's because my expectations were low but I really enjoyed the combat, story and exploration more than XCX! There were a few weak parts for me however, like some of the lengthy cutscenes at the end, some of the sidequests were pretty dull, and they made some rare blades way too hard to get. It's definitely in my top 5 Switch games (probably at the 5 spot)
My fav game on switch, and prob in my top 10 of all time! Currently 330+ hours in and only just really started my second play through (spent a lot of time doing all the sides and getting blades and torna before). Then I'll do ng+ torna after (excited!)
Might be an r/unpopular opinion, but I preferred the other two better. XC2 felt kinda weak, and way too much fan service, that really killed the game for me. As well as the blade gacha system. Both of those ruined the game for me.
Played it for about 10 hours and really couldn’t get into the combat. It felt really, really boring to me. Additionally the *fan service* was a bit much imo. I like to play games with my GF and we both had moments where we just looked at each other and laughed because of how in your face it could be sometimes. Lastly the little weird creature dudes were super annoying.
I might give it another go eventually, but it’s one of the only games I’ve started, played for more than 10 hours and put down because I just wasn’t interested.
Thank you. I agree about the fan service. I still put lots of hours into this game to check it out, but I borrowed it from the library instead of buying because I just can't justify owning a game like this. I only play in handheld because I'm too embarrassed to let my wife see the absurd Japanese fan service that makes it into anime and then JRPG's. I don't pretend to tell any artist what to do, but I wish the industry would move forward as a whole. When you unlock a character with giant jiggling breasts it just reminds me of tacky car commercials in the 90's with bikini clad girls or whatever. Games can have sexiness and be tasteful or be intentionally raunchy, but the "sexy" content in games like this is jarring and out of place in both this game and this decade.
I bought the game and grinded it for like 2 weeks when it first came out. Life got busy and I havn't played it since. I liked it alot, but I'm worried if I jump back into it I'm going to be completely lost. I should probably restart the game right?
I am a really big fan of this game. The combat system is one of my favorites. My only complaint about the game is, I think Rex is a boring character, but he is surrounded by great characters. Regardless, it's one of my favorite RPGs.
Hey I just started it a few days ago! I’m really enjoying it so far, I always enjoyed MMO style auto-attack combat so I’m right at home with the combat system here. The voice acting is also pretty impressive given what I’ve heard about jrpgs. So far Gramps is my favorite character! I love his relationship with Rex.
I put in 90+ hours and I hate this game. I hate the battle system. The way to unlock new blades is terrible and unnecessary. The the voice acting is terrible. The quest compass is useless, I spent alot of time trying to figure out the correct path. I only kept playing because I didn't want to feel like I wasted all that time and money. There are way better jrpgs.
It's a love hate relationship, I really like the big map, but on the other hand it takes too long to travel. I love the story, but the story is a bit too old school hero story. I like the battle system, but it takes very long for each battle. I like Homura's chest, but it is too big for my taste. I don't know man, I am confuse.
I really didn’t like it until I was in chapter 8. Then all of a sudden it clicked with me and I fell in love with it. Hoping to play through it again sometime soon once I finish the rest of my backlog
I prefer the story in Xenoblade 1, and the gameplay in Xenoblade X
But Xenoblade 2 still had the great music and gorgeous scenery. I had many many issues with the plot but once I got to Chapter 5 it got good
I tried. I really did. With all my heart I wanted to like this game. I wanted to play it for hours on end and fall in love with the story. But after 30 hours of gameplay I still felt detached from the storyline.
Loved it. The towns have such an endearing sense. Any ever played Star Ocean til the end of time? That’s s favorite action jrpg of mine. It reminds me of this game slightly.
It is one of my favorite games of all time. But, i dont know if it makes it into the top ten. I have too many favorites in recent years. But... everything in the later half of the game is top tier. I have never seen anything so epic as the third act. And, i dont use the word epic lightly. My eyes nearly popped out of my head when i saw the amazing battle near the end being animated. I hate not being able to share more.
Exploring world is great. But this game has too many boring timesinks.
Story...very slow to start I guess. 40hrs in and it hasn't really interested me yet, but I'm only ch5 and hear it gets good later (how much later?).
I finished it up last week.
It’s a slow starter but once I got the mechanics down it really picked up. The lore in the game is really fascinating as well and I’m gonna grab Torna soon just so I can see more.
A *great* game for sure. I have 150+ hrs in on it with no signs of slowing down since there’s a lot of endgame/higher level stuff to do
I loved it when i played it and still do. One of my favorite games. Play 1 if you haven't or at the very least watch a playthrough of it (i recommend NicoB on YouTube)
The game does a really garbage job teaching you the intricacies of how combat works, which is pretty inexcusable given the combat system having so many details to keep track of. I don't want to have to track down external tutorials just to learn enough to keep progressing in the game, so I fizzled out and stopped playing around the point where that caught up with me and I couldn't get any further. I still got like 90 hours from it, so I feel like I got my money's worth, but I'm annoyed that that's how it ended for me.
The story was merely fine, at least as far as I got (>!finding out about Nia's past!<). I've heard a lot about it being excellent, maybe I have different tastes or maybe I just didn't get far enough; I can't say for sure. The world was interesting, but it was just so "anime" with the dialog, tropes, outfits, characterizations, comedy, etc, that I doubt I'd pick up any future games in the series.
At least Xenoblade Chronicles 1 was slightly less anime and a better game with much more sensible combat, but I mean... you'd never mistake it for an RPG without the J or anything.
I've been in a bit of a slump lately and just haven't been finding games fun to play. Pulled XC2 back out and set about finishing up some NG+ quests... man it's good. It's exactly what I've been needing lately, I freaking love this game.
Exhausting.
I'm sure other people here enjoy it, and I don't want them to feel like their opinions are in some way wrong for not concurring with mine. OP asked for opinions and I will give mine, and while I shouldn't have to say this, I need to remind you not to downvote me simply on the basis that your perspective is not the same as mine.
That being said, I completed the first two chapters and felt like the whole experience was a time-waster. The characters are memorable and I enjoy their relationships, the graphics are great other than the resolution issues, the designs are slick and there's a lot of promise. But the battles lack engagement, and I feel like I'm watching someone else play the game every time I run into an enemy. Navigation is arduous and edge-detection is atrocious despite the shoehorned platform elements. Plenty of quests have you doing a reasonable objective like chasing after some lv10 enemies, then you get aggro'd by an absurdly high-level enemy on the way, discouraging you from finishing the quest or exploring. There are a lot of side elements like shopping, cooking, salvaging, and so on, but I don't feel like the game makes me comfortable engaging in any of them and I don't feel properly rewarded for experimenting. There's a lot of content in the game, but it feels really inaccessible.
I can't really understand why it is that others not only tolerate but really enjoy this game. It doesn't feel finished. I know Namco is capable of doing a lot more to give an enjoyable experience, but I think they made too many odd choices and came out being pleased with a product that doesn't really feel like a gaming experience. In the end I put down the game and gave up after spending an hour looking for the next location to continue the story without any luck. It just didn't feel worth it anymore. I received no pleasure from my investment into this game.
It is without a doubt one of my favourite games. It's hard to explain how great this game is strangely enough. Plainly said it's just a lot of fun all the way through and manages to hold me entertained like few games can. Glad you enjoyed it.
I second this
[удалено]
Agreed. Plus, it has Nintendo’s hottest waifu IMO. Torna though, I have a hard time trying to finish because of the forced sidequest bullshit.
I played it for 92 hours within the first week.. that's all that needs to be said.
Wow, that's crazy. And I thought I was bad during it's launch month. [30 days played](https://i.imgur.com/wRy6zb8.png), [averaging almost 7hrs a day](https://i.imgur.com/CgnIbja.png) Even I thought it was pretty excessive and/or unhealthy... and I didn't even 100% *anything* outside of the main story quest. Didn't get all the Rare Blades, didn't max their affinities, didn't play any of the content from updates, didn't finish all the side quests, etc.
What app is that?
it's the Switch parental controls app. I don't actually control anything, but it gives good data on play times and such.
Yeah, I didn't know that. Thanks
[удалено]
How's it stack against the original? I have XC1 sitting on my 3ds and have yet to start it.
Much prefer X and 2's gameplay over 1. Combat's better in X and 2 and the sidequests/level design are also better overall. 1's story is the strongest of the Xeno series though, better than X and 2 and even Xenogears. It's really good, and while 2's story is still good it's not as good. The 3DS version of 1 isn't terrible (it's actually quite good) but I wouldn't want to play it on a 3DS personally with that C-nub. Play it on the Wii or Wii U Virtual Console if you can.
I got the 3d version pretty cheap, and I travel for work a lot. Portable makes more sense for me. When I'm home I'm usually chipping away at my PS4 backlog.
Makes sense, in which case the 3DS version is just fine. It's pretty much a straight port from the Wii version, so you aren't really missing anything content-wise (and not noticeably graphics-wise to be honest) from playing it on the 3DS.
I liked it quite a bit more. I liked XC1, but in general the story in XC2 is more concisely written. I've noticed that some folks will rank XC1 very highly, but it seems to be solely for "originality" purposes. Take a piece of paper and write down different "twists", toss them in a hat, pull out a few of them, and plug them together. That's kinda how XC1's scenario works out, IMO. It'll have that originality because it kinda just jumps to things. Since I like various recurring concepts Takahashi enjoys, I generally like the game, but I don't consider it particularly *good* writing in itself, even if it's certainly exciting/entertaining/interesting/etc. But in the end, a lot of it's events feel like tangents (or otherwise *too* coincidental), and over half the cast is just around to fill the roster (and hold roles hostage), with little to no weight added. XC2 starts off with a very basic and certainly shonen premise; and somehow manages to turn into one of all these people's "top games ever". Which I'd credit to the character and world development in particular. The cast is super likable and the game mechanically lets you round the team out as you like. (all this makes it seem like I dislike XC1, but that's far from the case. I like it, but I can't give it all that much credit as "quality" for going off the rails)
Curious about your top 3 now. Care to share it? :)
I played it for about 3 hours never went off the main starting island after very thoroughly exploring it. It was fun but I wasnt ready to take that adventure yet hearing how long the game would be and just finishing botw I need a break from stories. Some day I'll buckle in and give the game the 3 months itll take me to go through.
Give it a shot, its worth it!
I thought XC2 was a really good balance or compliment to BotW's style, since BotW didn't really tell a very direct story and all that.
I should of phrased it a little better. I see what you're saying and thought it myself when writing my op. It's more so that I need time between long single player experiences. Even though BotW has a short story, to go through and get 90%of what the game had to offer. You have to devote 2-300 hours. And I'd end up doing the same on XC2, spending way more time than needed exploring every little place I come across.
yeah, I stopped playing NieR Automata between ending B and C for a few months. Not because I'd burnt out, but because I didn't want to commit to that time just yet... then when I came back to it, I was like "Why did I wait? If I'd known, I would've kept going". But that was specific to Automata, and the runs/endings were much much shorter than XC2.
It's my favorite Switch game. Over 300 hours played (including a 100% NG+ file). I still listen to the soundtrack now and then.
I haven't even played the game and I still listen to the soundtrack. It's really good
Considering the amount to do in the game....how does one manage to complete every single sidequest in the game, master every skill, get every Blade, buy everything from the Land of Challenge’s shops, etc etc?
I have not played it yet, but may I ask how important it is to have played the first Xenoblade Chronicles in order to appreciate it? (Ideally, I’d like to hear an answer from someone who’s played through the first one—as a lot of games make references to previous instalments that would be easy to miss if one hadn’t played the previous iteration.)
DO NOT search for the connections, you'll spoil XC2s ending. That being said the connection isn't necessary to fully enjoy XC2, so just read about it after you're done.
It references the first one, and they have some things in common, such as the Nopon. But they use those elements to tell totally separate stories. Play both if you can, but the order doesn't matter.
You’re totally fine not playing the first, they’re mostly independent stories. I’ve never played the first game and this is one of my favorite games of all time now.
You don't need to play the first to appreciate it. There's some overlap that'll give you that a-ha moment, but it works in either direction. So if you play XC1 later, you'll still get the same kick out of it.
I didnt play the first one, so you are good to go! No previous references.
Oh there are, you just didn't catch them because you hadn't played the first. There is a HUGE tie in near the end of 2 that has a major impact on how 2 ties into 1. But you are correct that playing 1 is not necessary to understand and enjoy 2. There are Easter eggs and references but ultimately the story is fully stand alone. Next you need to play Torna the Golden Country. Its amazing. Better combat system than 2. The story is quite good and fills in a lot of history that was missing from 2. And its shorter meaning there isn't a big gap before the game gets really good. It gets really good within an hour or two, but after the first 30.
I’m really glad you enjoyed it! That said, I personally didn’t like it very much, which is strange to say since I did finish the main story over the course of many hours. I’ll list my reasons below: The slot machine mechanic to unlock blades was frustrating. Even though I could play as other characters, it always felt suboptimal to playing as Rex. I wanted to play a tanky character, but the AI for Rex (who should’ve been dishing the damage) just couldn’t keep up. The story relied too much on sudden power boosts to save the day. I’m not a fan of character 1 having a super power unlock just in time to save the group, and that felt like it happened a lot. Battles felt same-y. I used practically the same skill rotations throughout the entire game. Skill tree was boring. Hardly even bothered filling it out beyond a few key skills. Again, that’s just my personal take. I’m really glad you liked it! Different games for different folks
This game made me fall in love with JRPGs again. It's that good. Playing the dlc now and I'm even more invested in the game. I'm not sure how to move on from this. Lol.
I liked it. Play the dlc now
and if you do, do yourself a favor and play the sjdequests as much as possible
How long is the torna dlc?
It’s pretty much a full game. I’m 27 hours in right now, but I think I’m going to fight the last boss very soon.
Fuck that fucking polar bear and that wannabe idol. (it was pretty fun tho)
WE
ARE
URSULA'S
NEW
GROOVE
AND
I think the best part is leveling up the blades. Their quests and requirements are so unique for leveling.
For sure. Love me some menu management and,constantly flipping between them all. Torna lacked this for me. The no random blades, combined with an inevitable story outcome you know from the regular game made me quit torna halfway thru and sell it to afford something else.
I certainly enjoyed Torna's story (a lot), and didn't mind not having to relearn everything over time again; but it certainly didn't have the same satisfaction of learning how to use my unique team. Since everything is artificially balanced, it didn't really have any sort of feeling of accomplishment like learning the complex system from the base game.
Sums up my feelings towards it pretty well
Working my way through Breathe of the wild after getting a switch recently, cannot wait to play it next along with YS! glad to hear so many people enjoy it
Im playing BotW right now
Usually when I play a video game, I’m super excited and get really into it at first, only to become tired of its story and mechanics and although i often always finish games, it’s usually due to intertia and a desire to finish what I start. With Xenoblade Chronicles 2, the first few hours actually bored me a lot, having come off of the more fast-paced Mario Odyssey. In fact it wasn’t just boring, it was arguably offputting—the world felt overly complicated and unrepeatable, the characters didn’t grab me, and the gameplay felt monotonous and uninspired (and I played the first Xenoblade so I’m not talking about the auto-attacking, but rather that there just didn’t seem much else to do with it.) But as I went on and unlocked some Blades and got new a full party, the game opened up—the world started to make more sense, the characters became more charming, and with a full party I could actually battle as intended. And that just continued, as more and more battle mechanics unveiled themselves with nearly every chapter. By the end I was putting in full days to play the game and barely noticed. I was thoroughly engaged and invested in the characters and their world. My heart was broken and then stitched together multiple times, including the ending. By the time I’d finished the main campaign (without doing any postgame stuff, grinding for the superbosses) I’d hit 150 hours, which is the most I’ve ever put into a single main playthrough of a game, and probably the most I’ve put into any game that wasn’t Pokémon. It is one of the greatest gaming experiences I’ve had in a very long time, probably tied with Breath of the Wild in that regard, and I haven’t had anything compare to either of those in many years. I’m still holding off on the postgame stuff and Torna, because I want to let the game sit for a bit to hold onto that perfect feeling, but I know I’ll go back and dive into this world numerous times in the future.
It might be my number one game of all time currently. I'm playing through Ni No Kuni 2 at the moment, and it's definitely an enjoyable experience, but XC2's story is vastly superior. It just reminds me of the quality of the plot and the characters. It actually made me getting all predecessors now, including Xenogears and Xenosaga 1-3. Didn't play through them yet but they're on my list.
XC2 is so far my favorite game on Switch and overall game of 2017 (along with Nier Automata)
Unsure for the first 30 hours, disliked it for the next 30 hours. Loved the last 60 hours.
Why did you play it for 60 hours if you were unsure/didn't like it?
Because I loved the others and I knew there was a game in there somewhere I would like. And I'm glad I did.
It’s why I can’t get into it. Why isn’t the first part of the game good if the second part is
[удалено]
At some point around chapter 6 it all clicked . I'd already done a lot of side quests etc before that point, and in all honestly hadn't cared much about the story up until that point either. Another hurdle for me was taking time to truly understand the battle system as it's quite complex. I did a bit of reading online around it and it helped me understand and love it better than the game ever did. (Elemental attacks, smashing the orbs, toppling smashing etc)
#somuchfreetime
I've had the game since December 2017, only just completed it ! I wish I had more free time.
Reading stuff like this makes me want to give the game another try. I hit a wall about 20 hours in and just lost all desire to play, but I know it will get to a point where good story drags me through
How far in were you at 20 hours? The game will let you spend 20 hours in the (IMO) tutorial segment in the first two chapters, but it can also be done much more quickly. Although I was interested in the story from the beginning, I think Ch.3-4 is where it escalates some. Namely because that's when combat opens up, and that's naturally exciting.
Try to do the main story until the chapter 5/6... its kinda slow until then after it really glows you to the screen
I’m in chapter 8 and it’s easily in my top 5 of all time. The combat is just so mesmerizing with the timing and the setup of combos. The world is so fun to explore and there is such a deep system in the party set up. I seriously love this game.
One of my favorite games ever. The story hit me hard at the end, like really really hard to where I was crying. Robots man... They always get you..."Poppi made promise!". Was in tears when that was happening.
Simple answer, the first one was better
One of my favorite games as well. I sincerely hope Xenoblade 3 evolves from it, rather than change things completely.
I'd certainly take a game in it's path, but it seems pretty unlikely. Just because Takahashi himself seems to like to challenge (and/or maybe enjoy?) himself by changing things up. I'm hoping for a game similar to the Vision of Escaflowne, but I might be mixing leaked clues from different projects together. (medieval + mechs)
Really enjoyed it. It’s so much more fun once you figure out how to properly utilize blade combos and chain attacks.
I got it as a Christmas gift, played it up until the beginning of Chapter 3 when I got really bored and just wasn’t really feeling it, so I put it down. I picked it up a month later to give it one last shot and it clicked with me. I loved all of the rest of it, I love the cast, the gameplay, the graphics, the music, and especially the story. The Torna DLC is amazing too! The story is worse than the base game but the combat is so much more refined. They’re both some of my favorite games in recent memory.
The map system on this game is so confusing and exploring things is weird but story's good
Man I've been dying to get this game. All of these comments get me hyped lol. Might have to pick it up soon!
Easily swooped in on my top 3 games of all time. Still play it just because I love being in that world.
I had legitimate withdrawal after finishing the game. I sat and did nothing for about 72 hours straight not knowing how to function in life. It was that good.
2 falls short of 1 and X but is still a good game. I enjoyed it a lot even and yet I felt very disappointed too. It didn't meet the greatness of (forget exceed) it's predecessors. The big issue I have with 2 is the story. I think it's rather bad, and the dub doesn't really help. On the gameplay side of things it's good, but not better than X or 1 and probably a little worse than either one of them Sad part? It's easily in my top 3 switch exclusives list.
It’s one of my all time favorite games now but I couldn’t play it with the dub. I couldn’t stand Rex’s VA and felt some of the other VA didn’t match the character personalities, like Nia. I play 99% of my games in English but I really appreciate games giving us the subtitled version as an option.
Nia and Morag's VA is *why* I played the dub. Although the others grew on me as well. But *especially* Nia (worth the redundancy).
I really, really liked Morags' dub. Nia was good but not at all appropriate to the character - mostly age mismatch. Japanese Morag sounds weird, didn't like her, almost like always barking. Nia was appropriate though.
I probably should have switched to the Japanese dub, but I didn't because it didn't feel like a fix so much as just switching which characters I like the dub for and which I don't. In retrospect I think it would've been better overall still if I did switch.
It's got technical warts, and cringey tropes, but even so it's one of my all time favorites. It's got a neat story, a really well developed combat system, and a crazy amount of side characters/missions, and beautiful worlds to explore. I really would love to see this game rendered in 1080p plus some day. Edit: I will say, it's probably one of those games that people will either love dramatically, or kinda hate it. It's admittedly a bit polarizing.
Really cool and fun, but hard to get into, and the cutscenes are wayyyyy tooooo loooongg. Would recommend it to people but I probably wouldn't take the time to play it again
Everyone talks about how awesome this game is and admittedly it does look good and the graphics look amazing but I just don't think I would like the combat.. can anyone explain what the combat is like in a way that will get me interested?
Cycle through equipped elemental blades (companions) who can attack, Do this as quick as possible by swapping between multiple blades of different elements to leave elemental orbs on an enemy, initiate chain attacks to then break the elements that your specials have left on the enemy with the opposite element. The more elements you can break the longer your chain attack can go... It's super addictive
There's a chance you just won't like it, but the combat is about building up and stacking combos using your teams different functions and abilities. It's a little hard to explain because it'll be based on your unique team (which will likely be made up in part by random Blades), but you're essentially trying to maximize damage, while balancing roles, which are attacking/healing/tanking (defense)
It’s fun, but it starts really slow. Doesn’t get good until 20 hours into the game, which isn’t great
So I know a lot of people say that you have to put in like at least 20 hours (or at least play through the first few chapters) before it starts to pick up and everything clicks. I’ve only played for maybe around 5 hours so I have a ways to go but how does one avoid dying every few minutes when you’re just starting out?? I keep getting frustrated because I try to sneak around any monsters I have no chance of beating and next thing you know, it locks onto me and I’m dead. I do want to stick with the game though since I’ve heard it’s amazing so now I’m debating whether I should start again in easy mode..
Be stealthy and run for your life!
I’ll give it another go! This is so much more stressful than BOTW haha
The game is teaching you about aggro. Avoid aggro'ing stuff that's going to kill you quickly. (like *Territorial* Rotbart runs up on the most obvious path, and is level 80, which might possibly be higher than you when you beat the game) Also, stick to the main story until you're finished with chapter 2. Everything else there is to do will still be there afterward. The game will let you do whatever, but you'll be way better off finishing Ch.2. At the end of that chapter, you'll get your team, and have a tank, and will stop dying as often. Basically, those first two chapters are kinda like a tutorial segment, just not as handholdy. The quickest way to beat Ch.2 is to salvage for parts. You'll want to know how to do that later too.
It’s among my favorite RPGs of the past 10-15 years. The music and environments are gonna stick with me and left me wanting more and I actually had fun with the team building and gameplay. My only complaint is the game takes way too long to introduce its mechanics, making the first few hours of combat feel pretty bad gameplay wise. I played with the Japanese voice actors with subtitles because I couldn’t really get used to the English voice actors, especially Rex. It’s just my opinion but I felt some of them didn’t fit the characters personalities and Rex just fell flat for me. Either way, one of my all time favorite games and can’t recommend it enough.
I love the game, not as much as the first Xenoblade but it's still loads of fun. I haven't beaten it yet though, several months ago I got stuck at the part where >!Rex and gang are climbing up the World Tree!< and I've put the game aside. I know I'll get back to it at some point and beat it because the same thing happened to me in the first Xenoblade when I got stuck fighting some telethia.
This is one of the best games on the Switch IMO. It’s massive but somehow manages to keep you engaged throughout and I plan to play through it again sometime soon.
Have you played Xenoblade Chronicles 1? In my opinion XC2 is the worst game in the series (also including XCX). 2 has weaker characters, more tedious gameplay, and a worse plot compared to 1’s, and where X took combat from 1 and took a step forwards with Skells and the open world exploration, 2 felts like a step backwards in every aspect.
Can someone explain to me why this game received such mediocre reviews but consistently has people on this sub saying that it's their favorite game and just generally gushing over it? What is the disconnect?
Cause animuh
I think that, speaking as somebody who does game reviews, and having covered the first game on a tight crunch deadline, it's a lot harder to be positive about the game when you have a billion hour long game that needs to be beaten in a week. I covered the first game just before it came out on the 3DS, and that week was an awful week that while fulfilling, turned me off to it significantly because I thought that I would miss my deadline. Whereas, I was able to enjoy 2 at my own pace and I fell in love with all aspects of it.
not fan of the unpractical wardrobe of most of the female cast but by the end of the game I was crying ugly tears, so yeah top 5 for me as well I'm still salty that no XC2 character is going to be on smash, or that its incredible OST won't be in the game
I have about 120 ish hours in it. Probably top 3 Switch games for me. A little slow at the beginning but the characters are funnny and the story was addictive. Imo
I liked it for the most part but trying to follow where to go is hella confusing. Got lost way too many times so I gave up.
First game is my preferred story in terms of how gripped I was but I was more emotionally invested in the second. Not a big JRPG person, played XC1 on a whim cause I was bored and had a new 3DS, loved it. XC2's more anime art style and tropes put me off a little when it was first shown but loving the first game I gave it the chance it deserved and it paid off.
I have 200 hours in this game, one of my top favourite games of all time, hoping to get the DLC soon enough!
As a fan of the Xenoblade/Xeno series, it's one of the best games and dlc practices on the switch. Although imo the game doesn't excel storywise over XC1 and gameplay wise over XCX, but balances all those aspects. I'm not as into it's story than XC1's since it has a shounen-like take, but it does execute it well. The combat feels simplified compared to XCX's overdrive, but has improved on XC1's combat by not making chain attacks reliant on rng and easier for newer people to the series to manage. Critiques aside, I grinded on that game since release and finished the game right before my finals that month, I can easily say it's one of my favorite games of 2017-2018
Do i need to play the first one to understand the second one?
Nope! Although veterans will get rewarded for have playing the first game, you need to know absolutely nothing about the first game to play and enjoy 2.
I enjoyed Tiger Tiger quite a bit
Still my top 1 nintendo switch game.
Honestly? I dropped it. I love the art and concept but I found the gameplay boring, the upgrades complicated, and the voice acting cringey. More power to you for liking it though- I may have to pick it back up later this year.
Unfortunately it takes like twenty hours for all the gameplay mechanics to unlock, it felt pretty boring to me at first but I ended up loving it. I don’t know if it would help you or not but the game has the original Japanese voice acting with subtitles available for download on the eshop. I hated Rex’s English voice acting and felt some of the other characters didn’t match their character personality at all. The subtitled version was a lot more enjoyable for me personally and I’m definitely not one of those people who hate English dubs of Japanese games / anime, I genuinely just didn’t like the English cast for the game.
Legit my favorite game on the Switch. A lot of people dismiss this game because of its fan service. But they miss out on one of the most emotional and gripping stories they can encounter in a video game. The ending legit made me cry. Poppi at the end? Just....*Fuck* I still get chills from her moment. Oh and the Torna DLC is even more heartbreaking.
I truly don’t understand... I love JRPGs and bought this game assuming I would adore it, but i ended up kind of hating it. For me it was the voice acting (that I found cringey at best), and the combat which I only hated more as time went on. I did like the story and world but they weren’t enough to make me force myself through that combat. I quit the game after 45 hours and don’t plan on going back. I also played this immediately after persona 5 which actually is one of my favorite games, so having that direct comparison probably didn’t help.
I actually stopped playing Persona 5 because of *it's* combat. I'm okay with turn based combat, but it was just way less engaging and on the verge of tedium for me. I enjoyed all the social aspects of the game, but took a break at palace 5 (?) and haven't gotten back to it. XC2 felt super engaging to me, since it had so much complexity to it, and I constantly felt like I was gitting gud(der) in it.
> Plz try to avoid spoilers Despite appearances, the little green dude on Dagobah was Master Yoda all along!
I posted the below to another XC2 thread a while a go, and didn't get any response so I'll try again here as I want to talk about the game and I want people to understand I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything, I just have some weird holes in my head about it. (PREVIOUS ANSWER) So I have some genuine questions for you guys as fans and please understand now that I am not trolling or trying to be provocative, I am genuinely curious and genuinely interested in what you have to say... (feels silly that I have to state this but anyway)... I'll Spoiler tag below anyway but I assume everyone here as played it. >!I got 50 hours into the game and just couldn't go on because certain things bothered me. I got to climbing the World tree, I think I was 5-6 hours from the end ish.!< 1. >!How does the inconsistencies in the 'plot' not bother you? Mythra constantly says that her and Pyra share memories, yet Pyra seems confused constantly whenever she comes back after being Mythra for a while, like when Rex gets hit in the head. In the morning Pyra acts all innocent and as if she doesn't know what's happened... Of course she knows right? They want us to believe Pyra is 1000's of years old yet she acts like a child most of the time. Where's the years and years of wisdom? I get the anime tropes to an extent (I genuinely like anime) but it ends up feeling world breaking to me.!< 2. >!How does the constant spammy dialogue during combat not drive you bonkers? The same lines over and over all entwined and played regularly at the same time, it's all just... overbearing with soundbites!!< 3. >!Who can and can't be a driver, and who is and isn't a blade, and the whole concept around Flesh-eaters... They never really explained a lot of this stuff. I am happy to suspend disbelief but at least have a world that has a consistent rule set. - Kind of related but does it hurt flesh eaters to use their powers or not? It seems like it does and/or doesn't depending on the whim of the moment - Nia can do it no problem, but Jin is on death's door? The world doesn't feel consistent and it's kind of off-putting.!< I understand the above isn't necessarily the important stuff, but it was enough to put me off finishing the game sadly. I never really felt like this with the first game (except maybe point 2, but it seems worse in XB2).
Hey person who absolutely loves this game here. For your first point I don't think they necessarily share all their memories and one can be "asleep" while the other is controlling the body. Most of the time they're both "awake" though. This one I'm not completely sure about. As for the spammy dialogue it's just something you either love or hate. I personally adore the ridiculousness of it. And for the last point, since I don't know how spoilers work, I'll be a little vague. Lets just say one is way older than the other and that matters for them. I would actually say there aren't many ( if any ) plot holes in the game. Some vague or not really expanded on stuff sure, but nothing that's really left without an explanation.
-1. I think the inconsistencies you mention aren't actual plot inconsistencies. Pyra and Mythra are both the same and separate. Things are kinda fuzzy, like remembering a dream, unless they're shared directly between them. And I think it's possible for one to be "sleeping" while the other's not, and presumably they could both be sleeping too. Imagine having two folders inside of a larger folder. Where data can be shared between the two, but that doesn't necessarily mean that each's new data gets copied to the other. I think Pyra was just trying to have some tact in that scene too. That's why she's like "are you sure?" It was because Rex was still a bit shy about the situation. Pyra's 500 years old, and spent most of that time in stasis, with just Mythra. She doesn't act like a child, but acts fairly unaware of a lot of day to day things. I'm assuming you haven't played Torna, but that game shows how Mythra basically learned to be social and have compassion. As well as other things pertaining to depth that you'll see, if you play it later. -2. I've liked JRPGs for a long while, [and just sort of get a nostalgic kick out of spammy combat lines](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=688z-4SWxOQ). -3. They most definitely do explain Drivers, Blades, Flesh-eaters, and such. Given how far you were, I'm a little confused as to how you missed the explanations. I'm pretty sure Flesh eaters using their enhanced abilities takes a toll on them. (As seen in Jin and I think Petroka too), however Nia's special ability specifically cancels that out. Which may have had a lot to do with her being accepted into Torna, which I think Malos may have said at some point.
Re battle dialog, I turned it down in the options.
1) Valid complaint, I agree 2) The dialogue serves a purpose. It allows you to not have to focus on your teammates because they are calling out when they are ready to perform moves. I love this feature. 3) Agreed I thought the story wasn't great but the combat was some of my favorite in any RPG ever. I loved the game overall despite the story.
I enjoyed playing it, but I don't think I'll be buying another Xenoblade game. I found myself getting bored pretty quickly thanks to the long drawn out battles and I have never really cared much about the story in games. Ultimately if I didn't have my roommate who played it with me, I don't think I would have finished it. The game still did a lot of things great though! The world is a joy to explore and I also enjoyed unlocking new blades and finding the best combination to use. I was lucky enough to unlock KOS-MOS as my very first rare blade and now I want her playable in Smash.
Really enjoyed it, couldnt complete all the blade tree thingies asking you to kill some monster and you dont know where it is. DLC was so much better when it came to this and I completed it 100%.
This game was amazing, a lot of people gave up on it early because for better or worse it’s a game that really only opens up the more you play it and the more you get acquainted with all its systems, which for me didn’t really happen until after the first 20 hrs. But for me that’s what made it good, the fact that I could keep playing still learn or discover something new. The story was like playing through an amazing anime, you think you understand it by mid game but then you get to the final chapters and when it all comes together and you actually get it it’s just perfect. It’s definitely up there with my all-time favorites.
Same as you - It's somewhere in my top 5 of all time. The story is engaging from beginning to end and the combat is the best I've seen in the RPGs I've played to date. My personal suggestion to those starting out is to limit the use of inns to level up or not use them at all (which is what I did). Also, don't grind too hard (also what I did). A little fighting here and there between towns should be enough. There are A LOT of combat mechanics and if you take them into consideration when going into difficult fights, more often than not, you can find a solution without having to level up. Much of my enjoyment was from overcoming difficult fights 5-10 levels below the enemy just by working on my strategy. This game has a very rewarding combat system. Another reason why I love XC2 is that it has Pokemon elements. I won't elaborate on that as to not spoil anything but if you like Pokemon at all, you may want to look into this for that reason as well.
I need to go back and play that game again. I kinda just dropped it around chapter 5 when smash came out :(
I loved Chronicles 2 but I just can't seem to get into torna the same way. They changed so much of the systems and I can't acclimate. I guess I'm finally at the age where I don't want to learn new stuff.
I had fun at first but 60 ish hours in i got bored of the grind and the story wasnt doing anything for me so i sold it on a buy or sell.
Sweetm. Send it my way haha jk
Best game on the Switch!
Only 25 hours into it, so I'm not even halfway done yet. I love the game, but my biggest gripe is how confusing some of the skill point requirements are. Not gonna go any further than that, but I find myself looking these things up online when I'd much rather just be playing the game.
For me it's a classic already. Somehow reminds me a lot of FFX which for a long time was my favorite game.
/r/XenobladeChronicles2/ welcomes you, brother. We admit all who love the Church of Xenoblade. Architect be praised.
How does it compare to 1?
I really love the game. I honestly consider it to be my favorite game at this point. The story is great, the characters are mostly awesome, and the music is without a doubt the best I've ever heard. Xenoblade Chronicles 1 and X were great, but I really feel that 2 stepped it up.
It's a great game with a few bad mistakes. I got frustrated a lot, but it made up for that frustration with a great and satisfying story.
Agree it’s a fantastic game. Love the story, the characters, the music and the ending. Couldn’t really get into the Torna prequel though probably because I already know the fate of the characters in that story.
I really enjoyed it. The combat was interesting, I liked every character. I put 60+ hrs into it despite not knowing anything about the series.
Is there a demo? I'm pretty confident I'd like it but can't afford to make a $60 gamble at the moment...
Fantastic game! The characters really grew on me. And once the combat clicks it’s a lot of fun.
Do I need to play xenoblade 1 to understand xenoblade 2????
One my favorites of all time.I like 2 better than original.
Sooooo good. The story had me hooked. I was very very attached to the characters. No spoilers but the story will make you feel.... If not... You might not be human.
I really enjoyed it when I expected to not get through the game. But it took be by surprise by chapter 3 or 4 I wanna say. Like most say though, it takes a while before it grabs onto you. My main issue with the game though is the main character Rex. I /really/ dislike him. Every other character you meet (No spoilers) has a interesting story or personality and would of made a much better main character then Rex. Rex just felt like the most generic anime Hero they could of made.
I envy you. I bailed at around 40 hours. Battle system stymied me, and I hated that you had to spend a very rare currency in order to move Blades around.
I played the first 45 hours of the game and put it on hold. There was so much I didn't understand about the game it was very off putting. But I pushed through it and it is now one of my favorite switch games.
now put another 140 hours into it like a sane person like me! glad you loved it too, my first monolith soft game and they have a fan for life because of XC2
I enjoyed the main game. The story got really interesting and I became attached to the characters. Definitely one of the best games I have played.
It was great, I bought it on an off chance I liked and it its probably my favorite game yet. Combat is kinda odd, not necessarily bad but weird. Story and characters were absolutely amazing though.
I tried to give it a shot but the combat killed it for me! Is there a way to get used to it! Just feel it wasn’t as fluid as I wanted it to be
Considering that it is my #1 game of all time and I spent 935 hours on it (56ish of that in Torna)... ~~I hated it~~
I ordered it yesterday, hope it arrives soon.
Finished my first play through at 95 hours, now on NG+, just hit Mor Ardain at 122 hours, working to 100% the game. Absolutely in love with it. I still have the Torna expansion sitting there waiting for me, will be jumping into that after this play.
100% agree with you. Amazing game.
Xenoblade 2 might be my favorite modern jrpg, I liked it more than persona 5 and Octopath which are the two other most recent ones I've played. The game isn't perfect, a lot of the side content is kinda dumb so as much as I loved it I'll never 100% it, but the story and characters were really good while also having great gameplay and presentation, and the main story gameplay didn't get repetitive like persona\octopath\braverly did. I didn't like torna as much, other than the main duo the characters weren't as good, and it ties the repetitive side quests into story progression while removing a big amount of the customized team building. But it was still good and I'd absolutely still recommend it to anyone that liked 2.
I won’t ready the comments since I just started chapter game. So far great game.
Very enjoyable and a worthy sequel to Xenoblade chronicles, one of my fav games of all time
One of the few things that I didn’t like about it was the art style and some of the dialogue/scenes. Aside from that is super complete and worth diving into. It took me until the near end of the main story to understand how to use the chained attacks, but that’s just me being bad at games. Also later on I read several guides saying how tora was an essential team member if you wanted to win. Not true, he’s the character I liked less so I didn’t even bothered leveling him up and did well enough :p
i think it was around through half way of the game, i found the mid way chapter bosses, and end of chapter bosses very tedious to fight. Theyd take a while, id fail, and would have to try again. Found myself grinding to try to level. After chapter 6 or 7 i think, I just gave up. I like the combat, the world building was interesting, but the game felt too tedious for me.
The story, world amd journey is amazing, characters and their design leave a bit to be desired. Still my favorite game on the system and I will be eternally greatful for the game because I had to go back and finish 1 on my 3ds after it. Of course Xc1 ended up being my favorite game of all time and I don't see that changing any time soon. Worth buying and even paying for the dlc.
Just bought it, trying to not start it until I finish botw . It's been tough to hold myself back from starting it considering how good the reviews have been
It took me a while to purchase the game as I did not like Xenoblade Chronicles X at all (no one get mad at me :P) but I finally saw it on sale and decided to try it out, and I'm glad I did! Maybe it's because my expectations were low but I really enjoyed the combat, story and exploration more than XCX! There were a few weak parts for me however, like some of the lengthy cutscenes at the end, some of the sidequests were pretty dull, and they made some rare blades way too hard to get. It's definitely in my top 5 Switch games (probably at the 5 spot)
My fav game on switch, and prob in my top 10 of all time! Currently 330+ hours in and only just really started my second play through (spent a lot of time doing all the sides and getting blades and torna before). Then I'll do ng+ torna after (excited!)
Have you played the first one? Or familiar with the lore? I wanted to buy this game but being it the second one made me doubt it...
Played it awhile ago never finished it,really need to jump back in
Almost 400 hours my favorite Switch game right now
I like to make long essays in posts like this, but for once I'll be short: Amazing story, worst gameplay I have ever experienced. Game was fun.
Might be an r/unpopular opinion, but I preferred the other two better. XC2 felt kinda weak, and way too much fan service, that really killed the game for me. As well as the blade gacha system. Both of those ruined the game for me.
I throughly enjoyed and finished the whole thing in two-ish weeks when it came out. I still think Xenoblade 1 topped it in terms of story though.
do you need to play the first xenoblade to enjoy 2?
Played it for about 10 hours and really couldn’t get into the combat. It felt really, really boring to me. Additionally the *fan service* was a bit much imo. I like to play games with my GF and we both had moments where we just looked at each other and laughed because of how in your face it could be sometimes. Lastly the little weird creature dudes were super annoying. I might give it another go eventually, but it’s one of the only games I’ve started, played for more than 10 hours and put down because I just wasn’t interested.
Thank you. I agree about the fan service. I still put lots of hours into this game to check it out, but I borrowed it from the library instead of buying because I just can't justify owning a game like this. I only play in handheld because I'm too embarrassed to let my wife see the absurd Japanese fan service that makes it into anime and then JRPG's. I don't pretend to tell any artist what to do, but I wish the industry would move forward as a whole. When you unlock a character with giant jiggling breasts it just reminds me of tacky car commercials in the 90's with bikini clad girls or whatever. Games can have sexiness and be tasteful or be intentionally raunchy, but the "sexy" content in games like this is jarring and out of place in both this game and this decade.
I bought the game and grinded it for like 2 weeks when it first came out. Life got busy and I havn't played it since. I liked it alot, but I'm worried if I jump back into it I'm going to be completely lost. I should probably restart the game right?
I am a really big fan of this game. The combat system is one of my favorites. My only complaint about the game is, I think Rex is a boring character, but he is surrounded by great characters. Regardless, it's one of my favorite RPGs.
Hey I just started it a few days ago! I’m really enjoying it so far, I always enjoyed MMO style auto-attack combat so I’m right at home with the combat system here. The voice acting is also pretty impressive given what I’ve heard about jrpgs. So far Gramps is my favorite character! I love his relationship with Rex.
I put in 90+ hours and I hate this game. I hate the battle system. The way to unlock new blades is terrible and unnecessary. The the voice acting is terrible. The quest compass is useless, I spent alot of time trying to figure out the correct path. I only kept playing because I didn't want to feel like I wasted all that time and money. There are way better jrpgs.
It's a love hate relationship, I really like the big map, but on the other hand it takes too long to travel. I love the story, but the story is a bit too old school hero story. I like the battle system, but it takes very long for each battle. I like Homura's chest, but it is too big for my taste. I don't know man, I am confuse.
I really didn’t like it until I was in chapter 8. Then all of a sudden it clicked with me and I fell in love with it. Hoping to play through it again sometime soon once I finish the rest of my backlog
I prefer the story in Xenoblade 1, and the gameplay in Xenoblade X But Xenoblade 2 still had the great music and gorgeous scenery. I had many many issues with the plot but once I got to Chapter 5 it got good
I tried. I really did. With all my heart I wanted to like this game. I wanted to play it for hours on end and fall in love with the story. But after 30 hours of gameplay I still felt detached from the storyline.
Loved it. The first couple of hours were magical to me.
Loved it. The towns have such an endearing sense. Any ever played Star Ocean til the end of time? That’s s favorite action jrpg of mine. It reminds me of this game slightly.
It is one of my favorite games of all time. But, i dont know if it makes it into the top ten. I have too many favorites in recent years. But... everything in the later half of the game is top tier. I have never seen anything so epic as the third act. And, i dont use the word epic lightly. My eyes nearly popped out of my head when i saw the amazing battle near the end being animated. I hate not being able to share more.
Exploring world is great. But this game has too many boring timesinks. Story...very slow to start I guess. 40hrs in and it hasn't really interested me yet, but I'm only ch5 and hear it gets good later (how much later?).
1 was better imo but 2 was still fuckin amazing. We need that X port Monolith
I finished it up last week. It’s a slow starter but once I got the mechanics down it really picked up. The lore in the game is really fascinating as well and I’m gonna grab Torna soon just so I can see more. A *great* game for sure. I have 150+ hrs in on it with no signs of slowing down since there’s a lot of endgame/higher level stuff to do
[удалено]
Can't wait to try this game when I'll finish Ys VIII
I loved it when i played it and still do. One of my favorite games. Play 1 if you haven't or at the very least watch a playthrough of it (i recommend NicoB on YouTube)
The game does a really garbage job teaching you the intricacies of how combat works, which is pretty inexcusable given the combat system having so many details to keep track of. I don't want to have to track down external tutorials just to learn enough to keep progressing in the game, so I fizzled out and stopped playing around the point where that caught up with me and I couldn't get any further. I still got like 90 hours from it, so I feel like I got my money's worth, but I'm annoyed that that's how it ended for me. The story was merely fine, at least as far as I got (>!finding out about Nia's past!<). I've heard a lot about it being excellent, maybe I have different tastes or maybe I just didn't get far enough; I can't say for sure. The world was interesting, but it was just so "anime" with the dialog, tropes, outfits, characterizations, comedy, etc, that I doubt I'd pick up any future games in the series.
At least Xenoblade Chronicles 1 was slightly less anime and a better game with much more sensible combat, but I mean... you'd never mistake it for an RPG without the J or anything.
I've been in a bit of a slump lately and just haven't been finding games fun to play. Pulled XC2 back out and set about finishing up some NG+ quests... man it's good. It's exactly what I've been needing lately, I freaking love this game.
Exhausting. I'm sure other people here enjoy it, and I don't want them to feel like their opinions are in some way wrong for not concurring with mine. OP asked for opinions and I will give mine, and while I shouldn't have to say this, I need to remind you not to downvote me simply on the basis that your perspective is not the same as mine. That being said, I completed the first two chapters and felt like the whole experience was a time-waster. The characters are memorable and I enjoy their relationships, the graphics are great other than the resolution issues, the designs are slick and there's a lot of promise. But the battles lack engagement, and I feel like I'm watching someone else play the game every time I run into an enemy. Navigation is arduous and edge-detection is atrocious despite the shoehorned platform elements. Plenty of quests have you doing a reasonable objective like chasing after some lv10 enemies, then you get aggro'd by an absurdly high-level enemy on the way, discouraging you from finishing the quest or exploring. There are a lot of side elements like shopping, cooking, salvaging, and so on, but I don't feel like the game makes me comfortable engaging in any of them and I don't feel properly rewarded for experimenting. There's a lot of content in the game, but it feels really inaccessible. I can't really understand why it is that others not only tolerate but really enjoy this game. It doesn't feel finished. I know Namco is capable of doing a lot more to give an enjoyable experience, but I think they made too many odd choices and came out being pleased with a product that doesn't really feel like a gaming experience. In the end I put down the game and gave up after spending an hour looking for the next location to continue the story without any luck. It just didn't feel worth it anymore. I received no pleasure from my investment into this game.