Xenoblade Chronicles X [Wii U]

[KrazyBean]

Well they definitely don't look as good as Orbital Frames

[Lady Soniko]

No mecha looks as good as an Orbital Frame though, those things are on point and seem to be at least more advanced than X's dolls.

[Celestia]

 

Subs for the last XenoDirect! Like last time, there's going to be a second version of this with even more text and stuff translated later on, but for now, enjoy!

[Celestia]

We've got a new 6-minute gameplay video from Nintendo of Japan's youtube channel.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqgI2vL6DNI

 

Edit: Doesn't seem to be anything particularly new, as far as I can tell. Though that reminds me, I wonder if GameXplain's going through the three Xenoblade X directs to do an analysis video...

 

Edit 2: Oh, there is some new cutscene stuff near the end, don't think we've seen any of those scenes before.

Edited April 15, 2015 by Celestia

[error1]

Xenoblade X seems to be shaping up pretty well so far. The mechs also look pretty good.

[Autosaver]

 

 

 

 

Damn, this game looks sick.

[Zaysho]

So I learned that some reviews are coming in since I track the Xenoblade Chronicles X tag on Tumblr, so figured I'd post about them real quick.

 

-First, Famitsu's review is in, they gave the game a 34/40 (9/9/8/8). Whether you put stock into Famitsu's rating system or not is up to you, but in any case, it's something. Apparently the score is due to too many cutscenes/being story heavy (...) and apparently some systems in the game aren't explained as clearly as they should. Also worth noting the original Xenoblade scored a 36/40. Source.

 

-Next is Dengeki's review. There's no score, but based on the excerpts translated, it's very positive. Apparently the reviewer spent over 100 hours with the game and was still playing by the time the review was published, and even though their review copy is on a disc, there are few issues with loading. A translation:

 

We left NLA and walked from one end of the continent to the other, and there really were no load times. I was surprised that the game didn’t run choppily due to the disc seeks.

 

However, there are three points where there are some small loading: when you go in and out of the BLADE Home, use skip travel, or view cutscenes.

And since this preview version is disc-only, the textures and character assets would sometimes take several seconds to load in when we’d drive around with the Doll at high speeds, or immediately after those load points. I’m interested in seeing to what extent the ‘load time reduction data packs’/digital version can reduce this delay.

[Celestia]

Gonna comment a bit on the bits that jumped out to me...

 

The bit about the load times in the other review is interesting as well. From the sounds of it they aren't too bad without the downloads, though I think I'll go for some of them anyway. I'm patient when it comes to that sort of thing, but hey, who am I to turn down something convenient?

 

No fall damage is a pleasant surprise, though I think we've known about it for a while, can't remember what from though. No penalties for dying, however, is...odd. Not really a bad thing, just odd. I can't recall if the previous game penalized you for dying or not, though--I think the party gauge went down and...that's it? Not sure.

 

Talk to NPCs with a ? above their heads to accept Normal Quests.

 

I can't believe Xenoblade X is Sonic '06!!

 

Jumping while using the Dash feature greatly increases your distance and height. You can use this to jump on top of and walk on rocks, and avoid enemies. But you can’t stop Dashing immediately. You slip a bit when you stop, so you might fall off a cliff, or get spotted by an enemy.

 

Speaking of which: go fast responsibly, kids.

 

And finally:

Quests are divided into four kinds, Story Quests, Kizuna Quests, Normal Quests, and Simple Quests. [...] Kizuna quests affect the kizuna(affinity), and there are many involving your fellow main characters. Story and Kizuna quests cannot be accepted at the same time, and cannot be cancelled.

 

There are Kizuna talks that happen when you raise your affinity/bond/kizuna with specific characters.[i think these were called heart-to-hearts]

 

 

I can't recall if we had seen or heard any indication of heart-to-hearts being in the game yet, so that's nice to hear. The Kizuna quests sound interesting too, I assume they involve some entertaining interaction between the main characters and/or NPCs.

 

Please tell me we don't have to wait long for this game. NINTENDO OF AMERICA, PLEASE. I'M BEGGING YOU.

[gato]

Okay... Deal with me for a while here because maybe I'm being stupid but...
 

We left NLA and walked from one end of the continent to the other, and there really were no load times. I was surprised that the game didn’t run choppily due to the disc seeks.

However, there are three points where there are some small loading: when you go in and out of the BLADE Home, use skip travel, or view cutscenes.
And since this preview version is disc-only, the textures and character assets would sometimes take several seconds to load in when we’d drive around with the Doll at high speeds, or immediately after those load points. I’m interested in seeing to what extent the ‘load time reduction data packs’/digital version can reduce this delay.

Am I reading this right?

 

You mean this huge ass world will only have loading times under 3 very specific circumstances!?

 

That's even less than the previous game!... That's freaking nuts!

 

 

 

And again, sorry if I'm being blown away for what might be an industry standard by now (I believe GTA is also a good example of this?).

 

 

 

EDIT: Admittedly I'll kinda miss falling damage, it amused me.

 

Yeah I know, I'm a monster . -.

 

 

 

EDIT 2:

 

 

HOLY SHIT A TELETHIA!!! O _O

 

[Celestia]

Am I reading this right?

 

You mean this huge ass world will only have loading times under 3 very specific circumstances!?

I think it's more like, among the probably(????) various loading time between areas, those are the only noticeable ones? Like, the difference between a very brief loading screen and a few seconds. Something like that seems like a reasonable assumption, but I can't say for sure.

[PSI Wind]

Complaining about story length in an open world JRPG just sounds counterproductive. And remember, this is the same magazine that gave FF13 a perfect 40. I'll trust Dengeki over Famitsu any day.

[Zaysho]

Yeah, come to think of it, it was noted there was no fall damage in last year's Treehouse demos, but it's nice to see it confirmed again for the final build. That'll make exploring even more fun, to be honest, and while it was rarely a problem with the original, there were some sections that made it annoying (Valak Mountain and some sections on the Fallen Arm), so it not being there at all this time around is good news.
 
I didn't quite understand what "no penalties for dying" meant, either. Xenoblade was pretty forgiving in just pushing you back to the last checkpoint/landmark, and I don't think experience or anything was lost. The party gauge did go down though, but even then it was pretty easy to build back up. The last game, for its difficulty, was actually quite generous and forgiving, and was never a chore because of that.
 
 

You mean this huge ass world will only have loading times under 3 very specific circumstances!?
 
That's even less than the previous game!... That's freaking nuts!
 
 
 
And again, sorry if I'm being blown away for what might be an industry standard by now (I believe GTA is also a good example of this?).

This still surprises me. The original wasn't very bad about load times to begin with even considering how massive each section was, so if the "worst" instances are these moments, that's better than I would have expected, considering the scope.
 

Complaining about story length in an open world JRPG just sounds counterproductive. And remember, this is the same magazine that gave FF13 a perfect 40. I'll trust Dengeki over Famitsu any day.

Admittedly, I'm not familiar with Famitsu; years ago I heard their ratings were pretty strict, so I tended to take their scores at face value, but in more recent years I've heard people question or take issue with their reviews. Since they apparently aren't that thorough and rely more on a general score, I will take Dengeki's positive/detailed review more seriously than a blurb and an average score (especially when the blurb complains about the story length).

[Celestia]

English subs for the story trailer:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I16IarGHHg

 

I wonder how much of this is extremely spoilery in-context. I don't think any of it is from later in the game, at least, but yeah.

[KrazyBean]

About time they did a story trailer.

[Gabz Girl]

lol all that worrying about there not being enough story in X... XP

 

Famitsu's review is just weird, I mean too many cutscenes/story heavy is a complaint now? o_o I trust Dengeki a bit more. But what I'm really looking forward to is the reviews from Japanese gamers! I hope we get some impressions soon because the wait for an international release is killing me.

[Dantemustdie00]

Yeah I kept hearing from folks all around that they think the story was gonna be weak, but HELL NO that ain't the case, and this is problemly just early or mid early game stuff as well.

[KrazyBean]

Stream for North America coming TOMORROW at 11am PST! After the stream there will be a Treehouse dedicated to it and the Nintendo Localisation Team will be playing it.

 

You can watch it here...hopefully we'll get a damn release date and some dub action. You better not shaft Europe Nintendo, give us a release date soon too.

http://www.nintendo.com/nintendo-direct/12-18-2013/#/video-ndirect

[Gabz Girl]

ermagerd what time is that GMT? I wanna watch it, especially if we get juicy info on the dub and overseas release date!

[KrazyBean]

ermagerd what time is that GMT? I wanna watch it, especially if we get juicy info on the dub and overseas release date!

 

It will be 6pm GMT.

[Gabz Girl]

Thanks! I might miss some of it though, cos I'm out late in the afternoon. D: It'll probably be at the halfway point when I tune in, oh well.

[Zaysho]

Thanks! I might miss some of it though, cos I'm out late in the afternoon. D: It'll probably be at the halfway point when I tune in, oh well.

 

Good thing you can always replay 'em after they end.

 

But, holy shit, I seriously hope we'll be hearing some dub stuff soon! I wonder if this will be a shortened version of the Japanese presentations?

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

Here's something interesting, both Bayonetta, Hyrule Warriors, and I wanna say Mario Kart 8 as well got a direct a month before release... perhaps it may be closer than we think(in US at least, they may need time for more languages in Europe)

 

Edit: It also has a treehouse segment, this could mean we could be getting a NA release date

[Celestia]

I think it's possible that we'll get this game in June/July, but I'm not going to go into this presentation expecting it since the disappointment would be crushing and, honestly, if it comes down to it I can wait until later in the year.

 

Still, it's true that game-specific Directs tend to be saved for when the release isn't too far off so...who knows?

[Zaysho]

Yeah, I'm still not expecting this game until Autumn, at least, but I will be ecstatic if a Summer release is confirmed. I'll keep my expectations in check. I'm just excited to finally get a look at this game in English.

 

It also makes me really happy seeing the push this game is getting internationally, especially after how NoA treated the original Wii game initially.

 

EDIT: Well well well

 

Target may have accidentally leaked the US release date for Xenoblade X. May 31st. If this is confirmed tomorrow in the Direct... holy shit I will be pre-ordering immediately. Though, just putting this out there, the 31st is a Sunday, and I'm not aware of games launching on Sundays typically. I'm going to be a little skeptical for right now, especially since I saw someone point out that Splatoon drops two days earlier (a Friday makes more sense).

Edited April 24, 2015 by Zaysho

[Nexthehedgehog]

Are you excite?

https://mobile.twitter.com/chuggaaconroy/status/591645497003212800?p=v