Current Events > bout five hours into Xenoblade 2

(+) Yeah! (+)

The cutscene direction is really lopsided with all the really "anime" moments with emoticon faces or sudden bursts of over-the-top wacky movement like Nia seeing her wanted poster or Rex's tantrum after he finds out he's dead clashing hard with the rest of it. These moments clash even more with the English voice acting, which usually lines up more with the sort of tone that would make sense for the occurring events and the rest of the scenes and is very consistent in that way, but doesn't line up at all with what is actually happening visually. And while some like the diving or action scenes are really well animated, others are extremely stiff, have strangely abrupt cuts, or feel like other animations were intended for the scene but never implemented so they defaulted to something pre-existing.

Also Rex's English VA can't shout or scream to save his life, and his design would be way better if it was always in diving mode, but with the helmet obviously off and the top still unzipped for reasons relating to the plot. It would look a lot cooler than his weird thigh windows and bare arm and a half. You even get to see his diving suit in diving mode with the helmet off in a few scenes, and it really does look way cooler.

Otherwise, I like what I've seen of the systems, quests, and level design a lot more than the original so far. Despite the weird direction issues, I'm enjoying the story elements too.

They dial back the anime moments. Shit's funny, but too much of it and it'd get dull.

I know what you mean on the abrupt cuts though -- it's like, someone says something that sounds like it's intended to have a follow-up, but then the voice acting cutscene ends and it reverts to button-pressing talking for like five bubbles just to tell you where to go next.

Second_Chances posted...

Also Rex's English VA can't shout or scream to save his life

Yeah the whole AAAIIIIIIIIIIyah thing in the end of chapter (I think 1? -- pretty sure you saw it at this point) made me laugh. He does it like three times and it is just awful.
---

A webm posted on /v/ has ensured that I will play with Japanese VA
---

I've seen a couple YouTube videos of Rex's English VA. He is definitely no Adam Howden.
---

Esrac posted...

I've seen a couple YouTube videos of Rex's English VA. He is definitely no Adam Howden.

so far he can do the actual dialogue pretty well but when it comes to attack names and shouts he just fumbles as hard as possible, definitely no Howden

Second_Chances posted...

English VA

Haha
---

I'm towards the end of chapter 7. The anime stuff has been dialed back considerably. Which just makes the early stuff stand out even more as big "wtf is this?" moments.
But some still do pop up. Like both Giga Rosa boss fights. Just wtf is that shit? Especially since it shows up once the story starts going into decidedly non shit directions.
---

Second_Chances posted...

Esrac posted...

I've seen a couple YouTube videos of Rex's English VA. He is definitely no Adam Howden.

so far he can do the actual dialogue pretty well but when it comes to attack names and shouts he just fumbles as hard as possible, definitely no Howden

Howden could really let out a hot-blooded yell.

For a brit.
---

The English VA is a giant mixed bag. Nia's VA is pretty unique and adds a lot of personality to Nia where the JP voice has her as the bratty tsundere archetype voice.

There's really a lot more effort into the English VA. If you let Rex's VA's inability to scream bother you, you'll miss out on some very fine details.

All the Gormotti have heavy Welsh accent, all the Ardainians have heavy Scottish accent, the Torna have American accent, the Tantalese have British accent, and the Leftherians have a small Scottish or British accent, and they stick with this pattern for the entire story including the NPCs. Most blades have American accent

Considering they live on isolated titans or in some cases have lived in ancient civilizations, the stark difference between their accent makes a lot of sense.

Meanwhile... the two most important characters Rex and Pyra have... very mediocre voice acting. Pyra's VA gets better over time, and her side quest and heart to heart dialogues are very very well voiced compared to her main story. And Pyra's supposed to sound super depressed early. There are a lot of nuances in the early cutscenes that may seem "odd" or "anime" but there's a purpose to it. A lot of it is an act. Of course Rex... oh god Rex. He has one very very good scene, which is near the end of the game where there's a Rex crying scene, but it's not a cry out loud scene, and that's what makes his voice acting so good. They should've gotten somebody who can scream like Adam Howden because jesus the JP counterpart screams a LOT

Gameplay tips time, get the X and Y at the beginning fo the battle driver affinity skill ASAP, and then get the Driver Art cancel to Driver Art affinity also ASAP. That'll cut your battle time by 2/3, no joke
---

Can someone explain cancel? I got a tutorial about it at one point but i didnt understand a thing about it.
---

Spidey5 posted...

Can someone explain cancel? I got a tutorial about it at one point but i didnt understand a thing about it.

Art cancels? If youre playing Rex, as soon as the auto attack lands, press a special move on one of the face buttons. It builds the blade supers faster. If you wait till the final hit, you get even more meter
---

Oh, you mean the thing about using arts at the same time as an auto attack? I play as Tora so when the meter on the A button reaches 2, it lets off pandemic then Vandham uses Final strike. I know about that, I thought "Cancel" was an entirely different mechanic.
---

Spidey5 posted...

Can someone explain cancel? I got a tutorial about it at one point but i didnt understand a thing about it.

Basically, you notice when you attack that your animation kinda stops a bit (similar to how it happens in fighting games)? Well, at that moment you get a bonus for canceling the animation into something else. For auto-attacks you can cancel into an Art or Special, and Arts can be canceled into Specials (or other Arts if you have the affinity skill unlocked).

You can also do Blade Switch at the right time to get a cancel bonus.
---

fifteen hours now, feelings are basically the same

Tiger Tiger is an alright minigame but it seems like you'll have to grind it a lot unless later stages give much better ether rewards

I despise Rex and his two bitches. They really ruined a good chunk of the game with how bland they are, everybody else wasn't that special,too but at least they had some redeeming factor those three however they were shitty main characters a real step down from the X1 cast
---

Think you can take me!?
---

I honestly love this game despite the flaws. I haven't finished it yet but Xenoblade Chronicles 2 may be one of my favorite games of 2017.
---

i just finished chapter 3 and quite honestly i couldn't give a damn about the story.

they just killed off one of the only tolerable characters in a cliche sacrifice scene and now i'm being forced through a literal filler arc


this game is basically all the worst shounen anime cliches rolled into one and i kind of hate it
---

Still in Chapter 3, basically right after meeting Zeke, fully expecting the Driver you can't bond any cores with and who gives you an infodump on what happens to Blades when the Driver dies to die.

As for Rex and his marketing Blades, I like Rex, he's a good hearted guy without being a total dumbass shounen protag, and he's got some real good expressions. Pyra is just kind of there but at least is a little different from other mysterious JRPG waifs I've seen with how detached she seems to be most of the time without being all sighs or going full "what is 'dinner'". And Mythra hasn't shown up yet.

solosnake posted...

Think you can take me!?

Don't forget me!

Second_Chances posted...

I like Rex, he's a good hearted guy without being a total dumbass shounen protag

Ugh, now I know you're full of shit because Rex is as standard shounen protag as they come. Just admit it dude, you're self inserting as the guy, he's just another one of those characters made exactly for dudes like you.
---

solosnake posted...

Think you can take me!?

Dont forget me!
---

Delirious_Beard posted...

i just finished chapter 3 and quite honestly i couldn't give a damn about the story.

they just killed off one of the only tolerable characters in a cliche sacrifice scene and now i'm being forced through a literal filler arc


this game is basically all the worst shounen anime cliches rolled into one and i kind of hate it

That "filler arc" was supposed to show off Rex's potential to replace Vandham as a guild leader. The thing is, there are a lot of subtleties in the earlier cutscenes. But it only really comes into play when you actually realize the true goal of the journey. If you only look at the surface and not look out for things, yeah you might think it's just a shounen plot.

I'll just say, it gets pretty existential later on
---

tremain07 posted...

I despise Rex and his two bitches. They really ruined a good chunk of the game with how bland they are, everybody else wasn't that special,too but at least they had some redeeming factor those three however they were shitty main characters a real step down from the X1 cast

If you call Pyra a bad character, you haven't played past the halfway point in the game. And it's a coming of age story. Rex is supposed to be intolerable or flawed early and gradually learn as he goes. Plus, he's only 15. I'm pretty sure all of us were snot-nosed at 15. It's less realistic when some 15 year old kid acts like he's experienced everything in his life
---

legendarylemur posted...

The English VA is a giant mixed bag. Nia's VA is pretty unique and adds a lot of personality to Nia where the JP voice has her as the bratty tsundere archetype voice.

There's really a lot more effort into the English VA. If you let Rex's VA's inability to scream bother you, you'll miss out on some very fine details.

All the Gormotti have heavy Welsh accent, all the Ardainians have heavy Scottish accent, the Torna have American accent, the Tantalese have British accent, and the Leftherians have a small Scottish or British accent, and they stick with this pattern for the entire story including the NPCs. Most blades have American accent

Considering they live on isolated titans or in some cases have lived in ancient civilizations, the stark difference between their accent makes a lot of sense.

Meanwhile... the two most important characters Rex and Pyra have... very mediocre voice acting. Pyra's VA gets better over time, and her side quest and heart to heart dialogues are very very well voiced compared to her main story. And Pyra's supposed to sound super depressed early. There are a lot of nuances in the early cutscenes that may seem "odd" or "anime" but there's a purpose to it. A lot of it is an act. Of course Rex... oh god Rex. He has one very very good scene, which is near the end of the game where there's a Rex crying scene, but it's not a cry out loud scene, and that's what makes his voice acting so good. They should've gotten somebody who can scream like Adam Howden because jesus the JP counterpart screams a LOT

Gameplay tips time, get the X and Y at the beginning fo the battle driver affinity skill ASAP, and then get the Driver Art cancel to Driver Art affinity also ASAP. That'll cut your battle time by 2/3, no joke

This this 1000x this

I love the consistency in the races' voice acting and accents. It's damn good worldbuilding, imo.
---

tremain07 posted...

Second_Chances posted...

I like Rex, he's a good hearted guy without being a total dumbass shounen protag

Ugh, now I know you're full of shit because Rex is as standard shounen protag as they come. Just admit it dude, you're self inserting as the guy, he's just another one of those characters made exactly for dudes like you.

Shut the fuck up
---

What a disappointment of a game, I hope it kills the franchise or it's doomed to become what Fire Emblem, Zelda and eventually Pokemon will be, shameless pathetic pandering through dangling sluts in front of a lonely player.

legendarylemur posted...

tremain07 posted...

I despise Rex and his two bitches. They really ruined a good chunk of the game with how bland they are, everybody else wasn't that special,too but at least they had some redeeming factor those three however they were shitty main characters a real step down from the X1 cast

If you call Pyra a bad character, you haven't played past the halfway point in the game. And it's a coming of age story. Rex is supposed to be intolerable or flawed early and gradually learn as he goes. Plus, he's only 15. I'm pretty sure all of us were snot-nosed at 15. It's less realistic when some 15 year old kid acts like he's experienced everything in his life

I watched that whole goddamn story Pyra is shit, she's just there along with her other half to get fucked by Rex. That's not a character that's a hooker
---

tremain07 posted...

What a disappointment of a game, I hope it kills the franchise or it's doomed to become what Fire Emblem, Zelda and eventually Pokemon will be, shameless pathetic pandering through dangling sluts in front of a lonely player.

legendarylemur posted...

tremain07 posted...

I despise Rex and his two bitches. They really ruined a good chunk of the game with how bland they are, everybody else wasn't that special,too but at least they had some redeeming factor those three however they were shitty main characters a real step down from the X1 cast

If you call Pyra a bad character, you haven't played past the halfway point in the game. And it's a coming of age story. Rex is supposed to be intolerable or flawed early and gradually learn as he goes. Plus, he's only 15. I'm pretty sure all of us were snot-nosed at 15. It's less realistic when some 15 year old kid acts like he's experienced everything in his life

I watched that whole goddamn story Pyra is shit, she's just there along with her other half to get fucked by Rex. That's not a character that's a hooker

Holy shit, you're awful.
---

double spin edge

i'll show you a thing or three

ready or gormotti, here i [unintelligible]

tremain, you are becoming a caricature at this point.
---

Is that like being dead? Because that's what I feel right now, dead inside and dead forever.
---

tremain07 posted...

Second_Chances posted...

I like Rex, he's a good hearted guy without being a total dumbass shounen protag

Ugh, now I know you're full of shit because Rex is as standard shounen protag as they come. Just admit it dude, you're self inserting as the guy, he's just another one of those characters made exactly for dudes like you.

I like standard as long as they aren't full hyperactive dumbass, like most of the ones I have been exposed to have been. It's nothing special, but I like it.

Yeah it's ok man. I've gone through phases where I couldn't enjoy anything either. I'm sure you'll one day find something to open you up
---

Johnny, take your meds. Youre losing it
---

Jeez trem, calm down a bit.
---

legendarylemur posted...

Delirious_Beard posted...

i just finished chapter 3 and quite honestly i couldn't give a damn about the story.

they just killed off one of the only tolerable characters in a cliche sacrifice scene and now i'm being forced through a literal filler arc


this game is basically all the worst shounen anime cliches rolled into one and i kind of hate it

That "filler arc" was supposed to show off Rex's potential to replace Vandham as a guild leader. The thing is, there are a lot of subtleties in the earlier cutscenes. But it only really comes into play when you actually realize the true goal of the journey. If you only look at the surface and not look out for things, yeah you might think it's just a shounen plot.

I'll just say, it gets pretty existential later on

i really doubt it, the game is poorly written through and through so far
---

Delirious_Beard posted...

legendarylemur posted...

Delirious_Beard posted...

i just finished chapter 3 and quite honestly i couldn't give a damn about the story.

they just killed off one of the only tolerable characters in a cliche sacrifice scene and now i'm being forced through a literal filler arc


this game is basically all the worst shounen anime cliches rolled into one and i kind of hate it

That "filler arc" was supposed to show off Rex's potential to replace Vandham as a guild leader. The thing is, there are a lot of subtleties in the earlier cutscenes. But it only really comes into play when you actually realize the true goal of the journey. If you only look at the surface and not look out for things, yeah you might think it's just a shounen plot.

I'll just say, it gets pretty existential later on

i really doubt it, the game is poorly written through and through so far

Well you're wrong. There's a reason why Pyra was so willing to give up half her life force, why she says what she says about the journey. Rex's naivete is constantly put on court, too. And in the end, you're made aware that nobody in the party is satisfied by the end. And the their pilgrimage constantly makes different turns. It's better writing than what you'd find in most video games for the last few years.

And you're on freaking chapter 3 where they're just done introducing most of the long staying characters. You don't even know anything about them lol. You know what's funny? You're never gonna enjoy this story because you already decided you're gonna hate it before seemingly you started even playing. That's what a lot of people did, and they say literally wrong shit on various boards, and I have to point out the exact cutscene where they say something that proves them wrong. When you're playing something on a negative mindset, you won't enjoy it. Just stop playing the game.
---

you are going above and beyond to defend what most people agree is a mediocre story at best, making excuses for poor writing and characterization which is poor even by video game standards

i don't know if your dad worked on the game or what but cool it
---

Delirious_Beard posted...

you are going above and beyond to defend what most people agree is a mediocre story at best, making excuses for poor writing and characterization which is poor even by video game standards

i don't know if your dad worked on the game or what but cool it

lol okay, child.

Xenoblade 2 is a good game by any metric. The story is good by videogame standards. But its always fun to be a hater, so keep at it boy
---

solosnake posted...

Think you can take me!?

Dont forget me!

Think you can take me?
---

wait people think xenoblade chronicles 2's story is good??

wut

i like the game but come on now
---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fk0gyrX1W3U

Ive been enjoying the story so far
---

Compushwa posted...

wait people think xenoblade chronicles 2's story is good??

wut

i like the game but come on now

It's a fun little romp but so far I like Xenoblade 1's story better.
---

solosnake posted...

Delirious_Beard posted...

you are going above and beyond to defend what most people agree is a mediocre story at best, making excuses for poor writing and characterization which is poor even by video game standards

i don't know if your dad worked on the game or what but cool it

lol okay, child.

Xenoblade 2 is a good game by any metric. The story is good by videogame standards. But its always fun to be a hater, so keep at it boy

"lol ur just a hater"

back to the game board with you
---

Twenty hours, Chapter 3 done. Things really do speed up a lot in battle when you can switch between three Blades. Does Tora ever get to?

Second_Chances posted...

Chapter 3 done.

I thought I was in the MGSV topic for a moment and was like "the fuck"
---

Second_Chances posted...

Twenty hours, Chapter 3 done. Things really do speed up a lot in battle when you can switch between three Blades. Does Tora ever get to?

He gets a second Blade pretty soon, and an optional third one pretty late into the game. He's pretty slow when it comes to getting a variety of options but considering the customization potential for each Blade he gets (yes they're all artificial) he becomes an absolute beast of a tank when you put the effort into that Tiger Tiger minigame.

Edit: Battles speed up even more when you unlock the Art-to-Art Cancel skill for your characters. You end up spamming arts and with the right setup you can't be stopped by cooldowns.
---

27 hours. Really dig the field music on Mor Ardain, wish it overrode the regular battle music.

Should I hold off the Beastly Core Crystal for anyone in particular? I know who the other two party members are.

Second_Chances posted...

27 hours. Really dig the field music on Mor Ardain, wish it overrode the regular battle music.

Should I hold off the Beastly Core Crystal for anyone in particular? I know who the other two party members are.

Some say to wait until you get the 5th party member, but honestly it's a waste to wait that long when you can just Overdrive it later anyways after building him up. Give him to Rex asap, and then Overdrive later if you want.
---

this game's story is really fucking bad

but the exploration and combat are good enough to get me to push through it
---