LogFAQs > #899259559

46. Xenoblade Chronicles
Original Release: 2012 (US), 2011 (EU/AU)
Developer: Monolith Soft
Platform: Wii

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Xenoblade Chronicles is a completionist's nightmare. This game is absolutely fucking loaded. There's simply too much to do, and for an OCD JRPG'er like me, that is a problem, especially in 2012 when I was employed full-time and going to school. When a game is this large, I at least like to get 75% of it done completion wise. That's what I did with FFXII and FFTA2. But dare I say it, Xenoblade Chronicles is bigger than both of those games and sometimes for the wrong reasons. I had to come to terms about not finishing it. Simply put, this game is breathtaking but painstakingly dull.

First off, there are hundreds of sidequests in this game but pretty much every single one amounts to "go kill 5 of these guys" or "gather 5 of these things" and that's it. Sometimes it's a mark hunt. None of these are really any interesting at all, and yes you can get through the game without doing any of them, but at least FFXII gave you more of a variety, even if it was just a little more. It's true that you don't have to do them, but here's the thing. The game has difficult boss battles and the only reason they are difficult is because you're not leveled high enough, so your best bet is to go grind. Now, are you going to go randomly kill random bad guys or are you going to partake in one of the trillion side quests that require you to go kill the same random bad guys for rewards (and also their exp)? Yeah, I thought so. There were plenty of times where I had to grind just to get past the next boss.

And boy golly was the battle system a piece of work. First off, the interface. This isn't an HD game, and they manage to cram as much shit as they possibly could on the screen, so everything is just so cluttered. Second, every move you use has a cooldown effect. So you're constantly using the move, using another move, using another, then waiting...and waiting...and waiting....till the cooldown resets and then using the move again and waiting...and waiting...you get the drill. There's a ton of battles. I mean lots. The world is huge and most of it is spent battling, so if you don't like the battle system it's hard to appreciate the game.

Regardless of what I thought of the gameplay, Xenoblade is designed well. Each of the areas of the game are teeming with life and personality. They're huge and there's plenty of discover, and the music that accompanies each area is amazing. These areas felt less like RPG dungeons/fields and more like worlds from Super Mario 64 or Banjo Kazooie. There's a ton to discover in each area and many different enemies to fight, and you're always able to come back and do more. Colony 9 and Valak Mountain were my favorites. I also enjoyed the design of the Ether Mine, for some reason (it's usually forgettable).

I also loved the main cast of characters, except for Riki. I think Melia was my favorite, for reasons I do not know. I just found her so endearing. The story was pretty good but it's no Xenogears or Xenosaga. Lots of exposition is spread out between large segments of exploration and battling.

Lastly, I gotta say I'm not entirely sure why this game is so highly regarded. I don't know if it's because of the Xeno name, as it is made for the Wii when the rest of them were made for PS consoles. It could be because Nintendo fanboys were craving a JRPG on their console and overrated it to hell, I dunno, but bless them for succeeding with Operation Rainfall and getting Nintendo to bring this game over. It's still overrated because the gameplay just ain't that good. I also wish for an HD remaster/remake where the entire Bionis is seamless, so you can fall off Eryth Sea and land in Colony 9, but that will never happen.