98 replies to this topic

[Raiden]

No shock about Chrono Trigger they did work on that. Also has a little bit of Final Fantasy XII.

 

Side note

Xenoblade reminded me in ways of Phantasy Star and seems to me that Nintendo with the new Xeno branded games is similar to SEGA's situation in the SMS.Gen days with Nintendo with Final Fantasy and Sega had Phantasy Star (not talking PSO)

Xenoblade has the setting similar to that of PS games and a smidge of Chrono.

[lucario23]

It was confirmed with the dialog in the chatbox in the very first trailer.

"So what do you want to do today?"

"Oh wow thats huge!"

"Lets go get it!"

Not usually something you see in a single player game.
 

Wow. Apparently I haven't been following this title as closely as I thought I was. I remember that box, but I didn't know the translations had confirmed they were targeting Online co-op. 

That's pretty awesome!! 

 

What else am I currently unaware of regarding this game? All I basically knew was that it was an HD successor to Xenoblade with Mechs. And some people think there may be space travel between planets.

[Socalmuscle]

X seems like what Destiny wants to be:

 

Online co-op, large mechs, boss fights along with smaller, more numerous battles, etc.

 

I see some major differences, but also some clear similarities. Taking single player social.

 

So far, I like X's idea with the almost He-Man like mix of science fiction and fantasy rolled into one. Destiny's wannabe Star Wars approach intrigues me and I will definitely get that game - I have been hyped for it for a long time... but X has me a little more excited. Desitny almost "feels" like they are copying the Start Wars "Episode x" model too closely from character design to sound, voice, environs, etc. Not necessarily a bad thing, but not entirely "new" feeling.

 

Part of the excitement for "X" is because of the greatness of Xenoblade (even though it was on a vastly underpowered console, it was pure awesome) and part because of the little I have seen so far. It's obvious we have seen nearly nothing. But it almost has a Robotech / monster hunter (minus the crazy monster hunter strategy?) nature to it and that is exciting. 

 

Probably will see Destiny come to market first. The job postings don't necessarily mean that they are that far behind. It could be a result of turnover or adding to the staff they have. Perhaps the scope of the already ambitious game has increased. 

 

Either way, the game may very well still be in the ALPHA stage. It has been in development for over two years by an amazing studio. You know what that tells me? It's OK to be excited for this game. 

[3Dude]

Wow. Apparently I haven't been following this title as closely as I thought I was. I remember that box, but I didn't know the translations had confirmed they were targeting Online co-op. 
That's pretty awesome!! 
 
What else am I currently unaware of regarding this game? All I basically knew was that it was an HD successor to Xenoblade with Mechs. And some people think there may be space travel between planets.

Well, we definately know they arent from the planet. Translations of character party chatter talk about colonizing the planet....

Also, in the gameplay footage we just got, their is a ship in the background, with the american flag on it labeled 'united states'.

[Raiden]

So it's Xenoblade Lost Planet 2. I'm down.

[3Dude]

X seems like what Destiny wants to be:
 
Online co-op, large mechs, boss fights along with smaller, more numerous battles, etc.
 
I see some major differences, but also some clear similarities. Taking single player social.
 
So far, I like X's idea with the almost He-Man like mix of science fiction and fantasy rolled into one. Destiny's wannabe Star Wars approach intrigues me and I will definitely get that game - I have been hyped for it for a long time... but X has me a little more excited. Desitny almost "feels" like they are copying the Start Wars "Episode x" model too closely from character design to sound, voice, environs, etc. Not necessarily a bad thing, but not entirely "new" feeling.

 
Part of the excitement for "X" is because of the greatness of Xenoblade (even though it was on a vastly underpowered console, it was pure awesome) and part because of the little I have seen so far. It's obvious we have seen nearly nothing. But it almost has a Robotech / monster hunter (minus the crazy monster hunter strategy?) nature to it and that is exciting. 
 
Probably will see Destiny come to market first. The job postings don't necessarily mean that they are that far behind. It could be a result of turnover or adding to the staff they have. Perhaps the scope of the already ambitious game has increased. 
 
Either way, the game may very well still be in the ALPHA stage. It has been in development for over two years by an amazing studio. You know what that tells me? It's OK to be excited for this game.

I have also drawn paralells to destiny with this. It will be interesting to see these different takes on the sci fi space techno fantasy. Im excited for both.

Its not a matter of being 'behind', its a matter of the size of the team, and the size of the workload. There is a reason monolith soft is labeling these positions as urgent, they need more people, making more assets, at the same time.

Monolith soft Tokyo, at its core, as around 30 people. On top of that, their is no life destroying crunch time employee abuse at monolith soft that is so prevelant in 'AAAAAAA' garbage factories out west. Overtime must have superior approval, as Monolith softs work culture is determined not to go past regular work hours. I believe this work culture is fundamentally linked to the quality of their product.

The Skyrim team, who made a 14 square mile open world game, where 1/4 of it was unplayable and blocked by invisible barriers, was 100 members deep, and worked brutal crunch shifts.

X is set to make skyrim look microscopic, far more so than xenoblade already did, however, monolithsoft only has less than 1/3rd of the manpower, who arent abused and forced to work terrible hours, than a team that made a tiny 14 square mile game.

Monolith soft needs to greatly increase its content throughput by widening the content creation pipeline, the wider the pipeline, the faster the project can come together. Which is why they have been on a massive hiring spree for the past 6 months.



Definately not monster hunter. The only people who make those comparisons are those who dont play monster hunter. Its not just 'minus the crazy monster hunter strategy'. Practically every single aspect to monster hunter is fundamentally, irreconcilably opposite of xenoblade/x, beyond the most superficial cosmetic similarities, like it has monsters to fight. Monster hunter does have a family member (cousin twice removed) that would make a more suitable comparison: Dragons Dogma.

[Socalmuscle]

I have also drawn paralells to destiny with this. It will be interesting to see these different takes on the sci fi space techno fantasy. Im excited for both.Its not a matter of being 'behind', its a matter of the size of the team, and the size of the workload. There is a reason monolith soft is labeling these positions as urgent, they need more people, making more assets, at the same time.Monolith soft Tokyo, at its core, as around 30 people. On top of that, their is no life destroying crunch time employee abuse at monolith soft that is so prevelant in 'AAAAAAA' garbage factories out west. Overtime must have superior approval, as Monolith softs work culture is determined not to go past regular work hours. I believe this work culture is fundamentally linked to the quality of their product.The Skyrim team, who made a 14 square mile open world game, where 1/4 of it was unplayable and blocked by invisible barriers, was 100 members deep, and worked brutal crunch shifts.X is set to make skyrim look microscopic, far more so than xenoblade already did, however, monolithsoft only has less than 1/3rd of the manpower, who arent abused and forced to work terrible hours, than a team that made a tiny 14 square mile game.Monolith soft needs to greatly increase its content throughput by widening the content creation pipeline, the wider the pipeline, the faster the project can come together. Which is why they have been on a massive hiring spree for the past 6 months.Definately not monster hunter. The only people who make those comparisons are those who dont play monster hunter. Its not just 'minus the crazy monster hunter strategy'. Practically every single aspect to monster hunter is fundamentally, irreconcilably opposite of xenoblade/x, beyond the most superficial cosmetic similarities, like it has monsters to fight. Monster hunter does have a family member (cousin twice removed) that would make a more suitable comparison: Dragons Dogma.

Agreed.

However, the scope is what is making the game take so long. Time is what was referenced by being behind. It was a reference to time and state of game in terms of completion. I think it fits, since it was originally mentioned as a possible 2014 release. It's looking less likely now. And that's a good thing the game can only be better due to this. The thing that hurts is I desperately want this in my Wii U disc slot NOW.

And I've played Monster Hunter. Each monster is it's own multi-level boss battle. Saw a parallel to that in the most recent trailer. At least that's what it looked like. And when I say crazy strategy, it's not derogatory. It refers to the difficulty in mastery versus what you'd find in "mini boss" type characters the likes of which we saw in the recent X footage.

Everything about X looks perfect. True, 3D real time combat, online social co-op, giant creatures, mini-boss type monsters with appropriate strategy requirements, stuff for sci-fi geeks, stuff for fantasy geeks, combo systems, rpg elements, etc.

Has the potential to be a defining game of this generation.

[GAMER1984]

I am still excited about the game. Will be my first RPGish game. I just think its too much to pass up. HUGE open world, Mechs, Animals I can fight and hunt, and probably the best visuals on the Wii U once released for an open world game. Should be a fun experience and something I can learn to love.

[3Dude]

Agreed.

However, the scope is what is making the game take so long. Time is what was referenced by being behind. It was a reference to time and state of game in terms of completion. I think it fits, since it was originally mentioned as a possible 2014 release. It's looking less likely now. And that's a good thing the game can only be better due to this. The thing that hurts is I desperately want this in my Wii U disc slot NOW.

And I've played Monster Hunter. Each monster is it's own multi-level boss battle. Saw a parallel to that in the most recent trailer. At least that's what it looked like. And when I say crazy strategy, it's not derogatory. It refers to the difficulty in mastery versus what you'd find in "mini boss" type characters the likes of which we saw in the recent X footage.

Everything about X looks perfect. True, 3D real time combat, online social co-op, giant creatures, mini-boss type monsters with appropriate strategy requirements, stuff for sci-fi geeks, stuff for fantasy geeks, combo systems, rpg elements, etc.

Has the potential to be a defining game of this generation.

So then it was Xenoblade you didnt play. I knew i should have added 'or xenoblade' in there. Why didnt you play xenoblade? WHY ARENT YOU PLAYING XENOBLADE RIGHT NOW????

There is no real time 3dcombat in Xenoblade, nor X. Its turn based, with an active time system, the time between attacks determined by character statistics and move levels. Normalattacks, like sword swings and shooting shown in the video, are performed automatically as long as you are in range. Special moves are selected from the menu shown at the bottom of the screen, and each move has its own cool down time period. Attack ranges and hit boxes are determined by a radius, or cones, or long lines, or other broad hitboxes, whether an attack hits or not is determined by an accuracy stat, the position of the monsters at the time of the moves activation (NOT whether the move physically makes contact or not) There is no item usage, no potions, no ethers, no stamina restoring, no buff items, you are restored when out of battle... There may be a feature for seeing future moves the enemy will make, and being able to change the future. It is a turn based battle system like chrono trigger You can simply just position yourself in real time.

The monsters arent anything like the ones in monster hunter, aside from being big monsters, those were just normal monsters, the demonstrator was just farting around to show various stuff rather than take the monsters out quickly or use any manner of strategy whatsoever.

I am a big fan of both xenoblade/monster hunter, and they are complete opposites.


Yes, the scope of the game is whats taking so long, however, again, its not simply a matter of being behind. The core of the game, is being made by the main body of monolithsoft.

The overall design, the story, what the world is going to be like, the enemy designs, stats, events... This stuff needs to be laid out before hand, and generally cant really be sped up no matter how many people you throw at it. This where 99% of western games fail today.

However, modeling mountains, or cities, texturing them, modeling enemies, vehicles, plains, landmarks, special effects, animations, sound effects, these are the things that make open world games take longer the larger they are, the content it takes to fill them. The more people you have side by side making this content, the wider your content creation pipeline is going to be, the faster things are going to go, without 'rushing' the game out the door. This is what western game publishers are really good at.

Monolithsoft is still hiring these paralellizable job positions under the urgent descriptor. The reason Nintendo isnt giving a real release date for na, is because whether or not the game can be finished with quality+localization time, is entirely hinged on whether monolithsoft can hire enough talent. It is literally still up in the air.

So, its not a simple matter of being behind.

[Azure-Edge]

So then it was Xenoblade you didnt play. I knew i should have added 'or xenoblade' in there. Why didnt you play xenoblade? WHY ARENT YOU PLAYING XENOBLADE RIGHT NOW????

There is no real time 3dcombat in Xenoblade, nor X. Its turn based, with an active time system, the time between attacks determined by character statistics and move levels. Normalattacks, like sword swings and shooting shown in the video, are performed automatically as long as you are in range. Special moves are selected from the menu shown at the bottom of the screen, and each move has its own cool down time period. Attack ranges and hit boxes are determined by a radius, or cones, or long lines, or other broad hitboxes, whether an attack hits or not is determined by an accuracy stat, the position of the monsters at the time of the moves activation (NOT whether the move physically makes contact or not) There is no item usage, no potions, no ethers, no stamina restoring, no buff items, you are restored when out of battle... There may be a feature for seeing future moves the enemy will make, and being able to change the future. It is a turn based battle system like chrono trigger You can simply just position yourself in real time.

The monsters arent anything like the ones in monster hunter, aside from being big monsters, those were just normal monsters, the demonstrator was just farting around to show various stuff rather than take the monsters out quickly or use any manner of strategy whatsoever.

I am a big fan of both xenoblade/monster hunter, and they are complete opposites.


Yes, the scope of the game is whats taking so long, however, again, its not simply a matter of being behind. The core of the game, is being made by the main body of monolithsoft.

The overall design, the story, what the world is going to be like, the enemy designs, stats, events... This stuff needs to be laid out before hand, and generally cant really be sped up no matter how many people you throw at it. This where 99% of western games fail today.

However, modeling mountains, or cities, texturing them, modeling enemies, vehicles, plains, landmarks, special effects, animations, sound effects, these are the things that make open world games take longer the larger they are, the content it takes to fill them. The more people you have side by side making this content, the wider your content creation pipeline is going to be, the faster things are going to go, without 'rushing' the game out the door. This is what western game publishers are really good at.

Monolithsoft is still hiring these paralellizable job positions under the urgent descriptor. The reason Nintendo isnt giving a real release date for na, is because whether or not the game can be finished with quality+localization time, is entirely hinged on whether monolithsoft can hire enough talent. It is literally still up in the air.

So, its not a simple matter of being behind.

 

Agreed. Xenoblade is amazing. I've barely made any head way in the story just because I am spending hours upon hours working to complete TONS of side-quests. 

[Raiden]

To all those just starting on Xenoblade. Build and finish Colony 6. It's like a more extentive version of Skies of Arcadia when you rebuilt the island. It too me hours upon hours for days and finding some things were really hard but when I finished it. Oh man did I feel proud almost as proud if you built your own house by hand. The largest and best sidequest in the history of RPG's that I played.
 
I want you to be surprised but if you really need to know what you would be working on before hand for motivation....

Spoiler

Everything you see you had to build and even recruit all the people from across the world.

If you have a real hard time and need a guide NOT A CHEAT Don't cheat. If you get stuck then try this
http://xenoblade.wik..._Reconstruction

[Socalmuscle]

So then it was Xenoblade you didnt play. I knew i should have added 'or xenoblade' in there. Why didnt you play xenoblade? WHY ARENT YOU PLAYING XENOBLADE RIGHT NOW????There is no real time 3dcombat in Xenoblade, nor X. Its turn based, with an active time system, the time between attacks determined by character statistics and move levels. Normalattacks, like sword swings and shooting shown in the video, are performed automatically as long as you are in range. Special moves are selected from the menu shown at the bottom of the screen, and each move has its own cool down time period. Attack ranges and hit boxes are determined by a radius, or cones, or long lines, or other broad hitboxes, whether an attack hits or not is determined by an accuracy stat, the position of the monsters at the time of the moves activation (NOT whether the move physically makes contact or not) There is no item usage, no potions, no ethers, no stamina restoring, no buff items, you are restored when out of battle... There may be a feature for seeing future moves the enemy will make, and being able to change the future. It is a turn based battle system like chrono trigger You can simply just position yourself in real time.The monsters arent anything like the ones in monster hunter, aside from being big monsters, those were just normal monsters, the demonstrator was just farting around to show various stuff rather than take the monsters out quickly or use any manner of strategy whatsoever.I am a big fan of both xenoblade/monster hunter, and they are complete opposites.Yes, the scope of the game is whats taking so long, however, again, its not simply a matter of being behind. The core of the game, is being made by the main body of monolithsoft.The overall design, the story, what the world is going to be like, the enemy designs, stats, events... This stuff needs to be laid out before hand, and generally cant really be sped up no matter how many people you throw at it. This where 99% of western games fail today.However, modeling mountains, or cities, texturing them, modeling enemies, vehicles, plains, landmarks, special effects, animations, sound effects, these are the things that make open world games take longer the larger they are, the content it takes to fill them. The more people you have side by side making this content, the wider your content creation pipeline is going to be, the faster things are going to go, without 'rushing' the game out the door. This is what western game publishers are really good at.Monolithsoft is still hiring these paralellizable job positions under the urgent descriptor. The reason Nintendo isnt giving a real release date for na, is because whether or not the game can be finished with quality+localization time, is entirely hinged on whether monolithsoft can hire enough talent. It is literally still up in the air.So, its not a simple matter of being behind.

Wow.

That's great.

Have a nice day.

Real time combat was in reference to what X appears to provide. Not xenoblade ( they may be related, but don't have to be exactly the same). Reading comprehension... It works wonders...

And the rest... So basically behind. Thanks.

Edited by Socalmuscle, 22 February 2014 - 02:24 PM.

[3Dude]

Wow.

That's great.

Have a nice day.

Real time combat was in reference to what X appears to provide. Not xenoblade ( they may be related, but don't have to be exactly the same). Reading comprehension... It works wonders...

And the rest... So basically behind. Thanks.

No, guy. Since you somehow, decided to argue this far and say things like 'reading comprehension' as if there was any possible way you referring specifically to X made any kind of difference, since you somehow, are not making the connection that X is in no way shape or form real time because it uses xenoblades battle engine.... Im going to have to be more direct.

X and xenoblade have the same non real time battle system, even if you didnt play xenoblade and do not instantly recognize the same exact non real time battle engine in action that you should have spent 100+ hours with in xenoblade and instantly recognize on sight because it is permanantlly etched into your heart.... You should know its not real time anyways because Iwata specifically states it is the same non real time battle engine as Xenoblade in the Direct this footage comes from.

Seriously though, why have you not played xenoblade? Why would you do that? Do you hate Gottfried Leibniz And are punishing him from beyond his grave?

[GAMER1984]

No, guy. Since you somehow, decided to argue this far and say things like 'reading comprehension' as if there was any possible way you referring specifically to X made any kind of difference, since you somehow, are not making the connection that X is in no way shape or form real time because it uses xenoblades battle engine.... Im going to have to be more direct.

X and xenoblade have the same non real time battle system, even if you didnt play xenoblade and do not instantly recognize the same exact non real time battle engine in action that you should have spent 100+ hours with in xenoblade and instantly recognize on sight because it is permanantlly etched into your heart.... You should know its not real time anyways because Iwata specifically states it is the same non real time battle engine as Xenoblade in the Direct this footage comes from.

Seriously though, why have you not played xenoblade? Why would you do that? Do you hate Gottfried Leibniz And are punishing him from beyond his grave?

 

 

maybe not an RPG fan. I have never been able to play one but X will be my first attempt to no matter what fight through it and make it work. I tried many rpg's and just dont get the system. I want to be a fan of them so bad. So X is a game i am really excited for... could be a game that changes my gaming experience for the better.

[Raiden]

maybe not an RPG fan. I have never been able to play one but X will be my first attempt to no matter what fight through it and make it work. I tried many rpg's and just dont get the system. I want to be a fan of them so bad. So X is a game i am really excited for... could be a game that changes my gaming experience for the better.

Try the Ys series,Dragon Quest the old FF games on SNES/PS1.Chrono Trigger,Super Mario RPG,Mana series,Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara,Dragon's Crown,Muramasa,Paper Mario,Blue Dragon.  These will give you a bit of variety from straight Action RPG Like Ys to oldschool turn base very simple like Dragon Quest and games using a little additions to it like ATB in CT. Mario games are great for novice players.

 

 

In fact go to Wii U VC and snag Super Mario RPG. It's very basic but good.

[3Dude]

Try the Ys series,Dragon Quest the old FF games on SNES/PS1.Chrono Trigger,Super Mario RPG,Mana series,Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara,Dragon's Crown,Muramasa,Paper Mario,Blue Dragon.  These will give you a bit of variety from straight Action RPG Like Ys to oldschool turn base very simple like Dragon Quest and games using a little additions to it like ATB in CT. Mario games are great for novice players.
 
 
In fact go to Wii U VC and snag Super Mario RPG. It's very basic but good.

If nothing else you will rather quickly begin seperating the battle systems you cant stand, from the ones you can tolerate, to the ones you enjoy.

My guess is you favor real time action adventure (You should totally check out dragons dogma if you havent already), will strongly dislike completely turn based w/random battles (This has been a turn for me since 1994 when chronotrigger came out) unless they have some really fantastic stuff going for them in other areas, and the quality of active time based systems games will determine whether you like them, tolerate them, or dont want to play them.

[GAMER1984]

If nothing else you will rather quickly begin seperating the battle systems you cant stand, from the ones you can tolerate, to the ones you enjoy.

My guess is you favor real time action adventure (You should totally check out dragons dogma if you havent already), will strongly dislike completely turn based w/random battles (This has been a turn for me since 1994 when chronotrigger came out) unless they have some really fantastic stuff going for them in other areas, and the quality of active time based systems games will determine whether you like them, tolerate them, or dont want to play them.

 

Yeah I like X because it does look more not boring for a lack of words. i guess ACTION would be the best way to describe it.  I tried bravely default demo on 3ds and the back and forth i hit you then you hit me.... I dont like that AT ALL. I need something more like X thats available for Nintendo systems... I only own Nintendo systems. I even tried monster hunters and cant get into that either.

Edited by GAMER1984, 22 February 2014 - 11:26 PM.

[Raiden]

Forgot to mention Earthbound another on VC a must have. If you have Steam get Ys Oath in Felghana and Ys Origins. Does not matter if your PC is old. The games are old. I am very biased but no better Action RPG series than that. Also on Eshop snag S&D Mystara. Sidescrolling RPG Beat em up.

 

Dragons Dogma didn't care for the demo but that was a long time ago when I was raging at Capcom so my view was probably skewed. May check back into it one day

Edited by Ryudo, 22 February 2014 - 11:28 PM.

[3Dude]

Yeah I like X because it does look more not boring for a lack of words. i guess ACTION would be the best way to describe it.  I tried bravely default demo on 3ds and the back and forth i hit you then you hit me.... I dont like that AT ALL. I need something more like X thats available for Nintendo systems... I only own Nintendo systems. I even tried monster hunters and cant get into that either.

Yeah, I would imagine bravely default would be a worst case scenario for you.

Well monster hunter is on the other side of Extremely demanding action. Its as hardcore as hardcore gets, and is incredibly demanding.... And that is literally all their is to the game. Their is nothing else. No story to see what happens next, no new areas to explore or secrets to find, So if that alone doesnt do it for you, Monster hunter is impossible to get into.

I think you would love dragons dogma, but since you dont have a ps3 or 360, thats kind of out the window.

X and xenoblade are turn based, but they are an active time based system. What that means is, while the game still plays like an rpg, you attack automatically with normal attacks and select special attacks from a menu. There is a key difference, instead of watching two unmoving sides play damage tennis, you and your enemy are free to move, and spatial positioning is crucial to combat strategy (Some moves do more damage from behind, or inflict a status effect from the side). Its definately more immersive than the old school turn based systems like ff or bd, but its a completely different ballpark than a real time combat engine, you have to have your mind in a completely different place.... Like conducting a symphony, as opposed to playing one of the instruments, Or you will just get frusterated at not being able to 'control' your guys 'right'.

Aside from that, comabt, while well done enough to be enjoyable, and even the story, while very well done and clever on many levels (most people actually have no idea what is going on, similar to saga and gears, the rabbit hole goes much deeper once you understand exactly what they were basing their world/story off of), neither of these are the main draw of Xenoblade, and that will be the case for X as well. Exploring the massive worlds is the main draw of X, just like it was in Xenoblade. ANd the way it all comes together so well Is why Xenoblade is held in such high regaurd, and why people who played Xenoblade are frothing for X.




You should really check out Xenoblade, Its right here, right now and if it turns out you like it, X is going to blow your mind with no chance of dissapointment.

And if not, you can temper your expectations, and mitigate the dissapointment. And also start recieving treatment for missingsoulitus.

[GAMER1984]

Yeah, I would imagine bravely default would be a worst case scenario for you.

Well monster hunter is on the other side of Extremely demanding action. Its as hardcore as hardcore gets, and is incredibly demanding.... And that is literally all their is to the game. Their is nothing else. No story to see what happens next, no new areas to explore or secrets to find, So if that alone doesnt do it for you, Monster hunter is impossible to get into.

I think you would love dragons dogma, but since you dont have a ps3 or 360, thats kind of out the window.

X and xenoblade are turn based, but they are an active time based system. What that means is, while the game still plays like an rpg, you attack automatically with normal attacks and select special attacks from a menu. There is a key difference, instead of watching two unmoving sides play damage tennis, you and your enemy are free to move, and spatial positioning is crucial to combat strategy (Some moves do more damage from behind, or inflict a status effect from the side). Its definately more immersive than the old school turn based systems like ff or bd, but its a completely different ballpark than a real time combat engine, you have to have your mind in a completely different place.... Like conducting a symphony, as opposed to playing one of the instruments, Or you will just get frusterated at not being able to 'control' your guys 'right'.

Aside from that, comabt, while well done enough to be enjoyable, and even the story, while very well done and clever on many levels (most people actually have no idea what is going on, similar to saga and gears, the rabbit hole goes much deeper once you understand exactly what they were basing their world/story off of), neither of these are the main draw of Xenoblade, and that will be the case for X as well. Exploring the massive worlds is the main draw of X, just like it was in Xenoblade. ANd the way it all comes together so well Is why Xenoblade is held in such high regaurd, and why people who played Xenoblade are frothing for X.




You should really check out Xenoblade, Its right here, right now and if it turns out you like it, X is going to blow your mind with no chance of dissapointment.

And if not, you can temper your expectations, and mitigate the dissapointment. And also start recieving treatment for missingsoulitus.

 

 

ok but Xenoblade is not easy to find right. I think now is a perfect time for me to jump in to it to at LEAST try and get the basics down so that when X does arrive since they will be so similar I will be good to go. I will no doubt put all I have into X I cant remember the last time I was this excited for a game... and never have been for an RPGish type of game.