I started Xenoblade Chronicles for the first time tonight.

Oh. I took two teleporters and I was there. That wasn't nearly the daunting dungeon I thought was ahead of me. This giant's pretty chill with us, for locking him up. Oh shit the Mechon know who Zanza is. Aaaaand he dead. I was really starting to curse Shulk for being such a wimp who refuses to think for himself and just takes everything he ever hears at face value, but it turns out Zanza was actually being truthful. Alright.

Wait, Metal Face is that guy from the opening? They didn't show him die, so I expected him to have some kind of role, but this wasn't it. Ohhhhh fuck, it's Fiora. But she super died! I was like "oh ok they kidnap people and have them pilot these Gundams, I can kinda get behind that, actually." I mean, didn't they have a funeral for her? Did they not take her body? This raises many many questions.

Can I just take a minute to talk about motives here?

The Mechon are obviously on some kind of agenda, possibly of the world-ending variety, and they're certainly not stopping that any time soon. Shulk has been designated the true heir of the Monado, which it turns out is a weapon to surpass even Metal Gear, one that he JUST HEARD FROM ITS MAKER is capable of destroying any enemy he puts his mind to, everything short of a god. I would think, hey maybe it'd cross my mind at least once, that maybe my actions are saving the world? No? Because literally any time the word Mechon leaves his mouth, the only concept accompanying it is revenge. For one person that died in a massive attack on his hometown.

"Hey you, Metal Face, you'll pay for what you did to Fiora. Not taking over the world, or ending the world, or killing the other, like 30% of my hometown's people and tons of Colony 6 residents and however many people you've killed that I haven't met, since this is such a massive thing we live on and all. Nope, just one person I'm avenging and then when you're dead, the rest of the Mechon can end the world for all I care."

This cutscene has made me realize that I actually don't like Shulk as a protagonist. He's so simple-minded for someone meant to be a genius who works in his own fucking laboratory. And everyone else just lets him coast on his bullshit and never questions him. There was one cutscene about halfway through to where I am now that everyone banded together to have Shulk tell them his visions and they'll all act on it and change the future, but he still keeps all his shit to himself and it pisses me off.

Oh, not to mention the Emperor just told him that the Bionis was waking up and if he does, all life will end. But no worries, just gonna kill this guy and then let bygones be bygones.

Sorry, had to rant a bit because the more I thought about it, the more the rage built up, and I wanna see if anyone else felt this way this far into the game.

Shulk take it easy

I've got a wall of text somewhere that talks about why I fucking adore Shulk as a protagonist, but it goes in to stuff well beyond where you're at. By that point in the game I didn't dislike him but I definitely know where youre coming from on his insistence on clamming up about his visions.

MrSmartGuy posted...

He's so simple-minded for someone meant to be a genius who works in his own fucking laboratory

How is this contradictory at all? In the intro they couldn't stop talking about how focused Shulk gets on one thing to the point of being oblivious to everything around him. It's totally realistic and incredibly refreshing that Shulk is motivated by revenge for his friend here. It would be weird if he was so eager to jump on some world saving quest.

People had the same complaints about Tidus. If these characters were the cookie cutter RPG protagonist, we sure as hell wouldn't be talking about them 5, 10, 20 years after the game came out.

So I said Sunday was my last day in hell week, but it got extended through tomorrow. Should start seeing more regular updates starting Friday.

It is painful to read the posts and responses to them and realize you cannot respond because what's on your mind spoils stuff about the rest of the game.

See, I like Tidus a lot. He's actually one of my favorite video game protagonists ever. Uh... I guess spoilers for FFX, but who hasn't played it that's gonna still be in this topic. Whatever.

The whole game, he has Auron telling him this is his story and he has to become the hero, but he fights it almost every step of the way, because the only thing he's known is how to be the biggest Blitzball star since his dad. As he travels through this new foreign land to him, he starts to see how fucked up everything is in how the world is being run, constantly being lied to to uphold this tradition of sacrifice, and that's when he finally decides to embrace his role as hero, to fight this corruption. It's a really refreshing change of pace from how a traditional RPG is told, and I found Tidus to be incredibly relatable.

In this game, Dunban tries to be Auron, the rational guy who leads the main characters down the right path, but he has the same motive Shulk does in saving/avenging Fiora, and as a result, it feels like everyone's just glossing over really important information being shoved in their face because they all have blinders on. I thought Melia might turn into an Auron-like character that would remind the crew that bigger stakes exist than getting revenge, but now her dad's been killed, so those hopes are beginning to fade.

I just want the team to think about what their ultimate goal might really be once in a while. If they just had a moment with Zanza, when he'd asked Shulk to allow him to unshackle the Monado, to kinda debate amongst themselves why that might be useful in stopping the Mechon assault, that would've been perfect timing. Then I at least know they're sort of aware of things going on around them. While they discuss this, Metal Face can kill Zanza and they would realize their indecision led to a moment of weakness and they'll be more unified in stopping the looming Mechon threat. Then when Fiora shows up, that can throw them back on the Fiora track this game keeps going down, and it would be more complicated and I'd be way more invested. Instead, the scene plays out with Melia butting in with "no Shulk don't do that" and Shulk goes "but I need this" and Melia says "oh ok" and nothing actually happens between the team whatsoever.

I just want there to be a "Tidus finds out what the pilgrimage really is" kind of moment where the team is finally together on saving the world.

Yeah all of that makes sense. Obviously you're not done with the game so talking more would get into spoiler territory. But I think at that point in the game, Shulk's behavior made a lot of sense (and Reyn and Dunban... Riki maybe not so much) and was refreshing for an RPG protagonist. Even if it makes him a bad "hero".

I think it's especially interesting how much of a driving force Shulk is in avenging Fiora, even though Dunban is literally her brother. Its show how numb Dunban is to death in this world, which makes him feel more of a stoic veteran than even Auron, whose motivation was way more mild (until the truth is revealed with Yunalesca ).

God dammit, Shulk just handed the Monado over to Metal Face. I guess I shouldn't be surprised or even disappointed, but I still am. Kicked the shit out of Mamkhar or whatever and met a whoooooole bunch more Mechon, including their apparent leader, Egil. He seems neat. Once again, I'm left wondering what our party is actually thinking because, after dropping a speech talking about liberating everyone from the tyranny of the Bionis and that Mechonis will welcome them with open arms, the only discussion afterwards is IF WE GO THROUGH HERE SURELY FIORA WILL BE THERE. Not even a passing "I wonder what he meant by that" musing by Reyn.

Mumkhar!

Dunban!

Bob

I haven't checked this topic in a while and I think we're in spoiler territory for me <_< So I guess I should bow out until I get back to playing my file lol. This would give me a good excuse to do that though...

Did some old sidequest stuff a bit last night. Nothing too exciting, though.

How have I not seen this topic yet?

Also,

Panthera posted...

It is painful to read the posts and responses to them and realize you cannot respond because what's on your mind spoils stuff about the rest of the game.

Bump

I see the purge coming for this topic

Luckily I have Monado Bump to prevent it

I will get back to this, I swear. If not tomorrow, then probably Thursday.

It's a shame tomorrow never actually arrives

He's so close to the part of the story he is asking for too

I actually did play tonight, but too tired for sentences. Thoughts tomorrow.

OK, so I did play some last night, but it was just finishing off the third tier of Colony 6 and then going through a couple of gates in Sword Valley before I got too tired. I wanted to wait until I actually did something substantial before doing an update, and boy was there just something substantial I just witnessed.

Shulk did a cool thing for once. Sort of, anyway, but I mean AT LEAST HE'S THINKING ABOUT THINGS THIS IS WHAT I WANTED. I don't know what saving Mumkhar is going to do in accomplishing his goal of learning about the Homs-in-Mechon outbreak. It's not like Mumkhar would've ever told him why, but again, he's fucking talking through his feelings and goals like he's, I dunno, traveling with a group of people he trusts, for once. Hallelujah.

And then as if the game decided I was too happy with where things were going, Shulk gets a vision of Fiora dying again and like a god damn nincompoop, tries to hide that fact from the others.

Why, Xenoblade, why?