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Originally announced during during E3 2009 as Monado: Beginning of the World for the Nintendo Wii, it's true name has been revealed to be Xenoblade and it appears to be a continuation of the great Xenosaga series (being developed by Monolith Soft, created by Tetsuya Takahashi, the 'Xeno' in the title, and the 'x4' in the website all suggest as much).

Not too much information has been revealed so far but if it follows the stylistic approach of Xenogears and the Xenosaga Trilogy then it's set to be a truly great game.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenoblade
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/sx4j/index.html

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Doesn't look very Xenosaga to me and I can't say it's like Xenogears because I haven't played that game.

I'm guessing that black haired guy is an Uzuki since he resembles Jin.

Is it just me or does it look very World of Warcraft-y?

Pleasently surprised at how epic this is turning out to be, since it wasn't really all that eye catching when first announced. Now I'm thinking it will probably be the Wii's Baten Kaitos.

Any name with the phrase "Xeno" in it is made of the most epic win any sentient being or otherwise could imagine in this plane as well as in any other.

...but seriously "...blade"? That's like the lamest way to end something...

Soul "Blade"

Ninja "Blade"

etc. etc.....

laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame

Originally posted by ArtificialGlory
Is it just me or does it look very World of Warcraft-y?

It's just you.

Originally posted by Jonathan Ingram
It's just you.

It was mainly the graphics style, the environments, the weapon the 14 year old boy wielded, and even the party interface. It's fine though, there's no shame in borrowing some things from WoW. Maybe the devs will learn a thing or two along the way as well!

Originally posted by Jonathan Ingram
Nephthys say something controversial in my thread so that other people post in it pls.

There is no doubt in my mind that this game will suck harder than the 10 year old chained under my bed.

Is that good enough?


Edit: Seriously, for all you harp on about this series being the best thing since 10 year old sex, you've never really given a compelling argument beyond 'unprecidented level of storylinez'. Name one character that made you fall in love. Cite one plot point that blew you away.

I mean, if I made a thread about Planescape: Torment 2 coming out I bet it would get more interest than this Wii abomination.

Oh the controversy! It's blowing mah mind!

EDIT: Actually, I could say a controversial thing or two about the game if you asked me real nice.

in_love Please, oh Mighty One who I have no doubt is hung like a horse and who I totally would if you're into that kind of thing and don't mind my snaggletooth, bless us with your divine wisdom and insight.


Pretty please.

Originally posted by Nephthys
in_love Please, oh Mighty One who I have no doubt is hung like a horse and who I totally would if you're into that kind of thing and don't mind my snaggletooth, bless us with your divine wisdom and insight.


Pretty please.

I feel flattered.

Though I must admit, I don't really have anything controversial to say about it. It so far looks like every JRPG ever made. I suppose this time the protagonist will be a 14 year-old angsty androgynous boy with funny hair instead of a 17 year-old angsty androgynous teen with funny hair. I guess that could be pretty controversial.

Originally posted by ArtificialGlory
Is it just me or does it look very World of Warcraft-y?

Yup, just you. I don't see any more resemblance to WoW than to dozens (hundreds?) of other titles.

Originally posted by Digi
Yup, just you. I don't see any more resemblance to WoW than to dozens (hundreds?) of other titles.

I don't know, I'm still seeing quite a few similarities to WoW in particular. Maybe the leveling to 80 marathon took its toll on me.

I really don't like the implication behind the extension of the accusation often made with regards to JRPGs of being stylistically stagnant and cliched towards any title created by Tetsuya Takahashi and with the word "Xeno" in its name when they're the most stylistically original and differentiated pieces of work in all of videogaming, and really every medium of storytelling. There is no other work that differs further from the norm than the Xeno games.

If JRPGs got any more stylistically(or otherwise) stagnant, they'd be in a coma... or worse.

Reported for your off topic postings. This is about Xenoblade.

Originally posted by Monado
Reported for your off topic postings. This is about Xenoblade.

You've got the nerve after how many of your sock accounts have been banned now? A dozen? I think I'm starting to like you.

So yeah, about Xenoblade. Don't you think it's a bit weird it's coming exclusively to the Wii?

It's closer to a hundred. I am not joking. See this? This is my serious face.

But I am serious.

Some information on the setting:

Xenoblade is set on the corpses of two Gods who were locked in battle. Each corpse is inhabited, one by humans, the other by mechanical creatures. The plot will revolve around the humans preparing for an imminent threat from the mechanical race..

This is really starting to sound like a Xeno game... I'm thinking everything I hoped for Sands of Destruction (an epic of scope comparable to Xenogears or Xenosaga) will be realised by Xenoblade.

I heard that Sands of Destruction was woefully mediocre. I wonder if Xenoblade is going to be the same.

Within the realm of JRPGs, you could call it mediocre; I'd probably refer to it as slightly above average, but it at the very least was nowhere near as good as I expected or as good as what such a great development team should have realistically been able to produce. And even the plot, while great, really wasn't anything special. However, Tetsuya Takahashi is not Masato Kato (Masato Kato worked on Sands of Destruction, Tetsuya Takahashi is working on Xenoblade). Masato Kato has contributed to the creation of some of the most incredible stories I've ever come across (Xenogears, Chrono Trigger, Radical Dreamers, Chrono Cross, Final Fantasy VII, Baten Kaitos) but has also produced a lot of stories that while great, are severely lacking in comparison (Final Fantasy XI, Deep Labyrinth, Dawn of Mana, Children of Mana, Heroes of Mana, Sands of Destruction). Tetsuya Takahashi on the other hand has been far more consistent in producing truly phenomenal stories, his works as a storyteller being limited to Xenogears and the Xenosaga series. He's succeeded in creating truly incredible stories of unparalleled complexity, depth, and scope with his every attempt, and I have no doubt in my mind that he'll be able to continue doing so with Xenoblade. Hideo Kojima is really the only other storyteller that consistently delivers a storytelling experience of such a high calibre.

I

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http://www.nintendoeverything.com/33368/

http://www.nintendoeverything.com/33340/

So it seems that Xenoblade won't be a continuation of Xenosaga after all, the Xeno simply being the common denominator with which to identify all of Takahashi's works.

Now I can

Good Lord, don't spam threads like that, Welt- for any reason.

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those graphics make me cry

Because they remind you of the laughter of children and the singing of birds and all that is innocent and pure in the world... right?

Also is it just me or is there not finer box art out there?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:XenobladeBox.png

All those videos are simply awesome.n the arm of a dead giant rests this peaceful valley in Xenoblade on Nintendo Wii. A lone warrior chopping through an army of robotic warriors with an outsized Cloud Strife-like energy sword. Colossal war machines advancing though a misty canyon, shooting anything that moves.

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Some info:

Story:

1. The entire setting of the game consists of the corpses of two dead Gods who died in battle against one another. It seems Xenoblade will be incorporating the "God is Dead" theme into the very setting, much like Xenogears and Xenosaga.

2. It appears Xenoblade will also be incorporating the Gnostic themes of Xenogears and Xenosaga as the name "Monado" which appears to be a pivotal element within Xenoblade apparently has some gnostic roots.

3. According to Yasunori Mitsuda the script is huge and very much a Takahashi production. At the same time Takahashi has stated that players will not be bombarded by endlessly long cutscenes and that the story segments would be spread out in shorted segments throughout the gameplay. So I think we can expect a story of Xenogears' or Xenosaga's scope, spread out in much shorter segments over a very long gameplay experience.

4. Takahashi has stated that it will be a stand alone game unlike Xenogears or Xenosaga where each game was always intended to be a small part of a much larger saga. So the story will have a clear begginning, middle, and end, all within the one game.

5. So far, Tetsuya Takahashi (Xenogears, Xenosaga) and Soraya Saga (Xenogears, Xenosaga, Soma Bringer, Final Fantasy VI) have been confirmed to have been working on the story.

Music:

1. The soundtrack is going to consist of over 90 tracks composed by an entire team of composers, Yasunori Mitsuda (Xenogears, Chrono Tigger, Chrono Cross, Radical Dreamers, Xenosaga, Shadow Hearts) and Yoko Shimomura (Final Fight, Street Fighter II, Legend of Mana, Kingdom Hearts) among their number.

2. This will include a vocal track by Yasunori Mitsuda at the game's ending as well as a track over 9 minutes long by Yoko Shimomura.

3. Yoko Shimomura's going to be the main composer with Yasunori Mitsuda having a more minimal role. Apparently this was because Takahashi wanted the sound of Xenoblade to be vastly different from his other works, and felt that Shimomura brought a completely different feel to the soundtrack.

Visuals:

1. Yasuyuki Honne (Chrono Trigger, Xenogears, Chrono Cross, Xenosaga, Baten Katios) has been confirmed to be working on the art.

2. The environments are huge and you as the player will be able to see far off in the distance.

3. The characters' gear is fully customisable and this will be reflected in the cutscenes.

4. The locations are looking very diverse.

Gameplay:

1. They're implementing some kind of ability into the gameplay that enables the player to see a few seconds into the future of the enemy's actions.

2. There are going to be city building elements.

3. There is going to be a relationship system that enables you to build bonds with your party members and some npcs. A lot of this will revolve around optional side quests that you can undertake for the given characters.

4. There will be some platforming elements, and apparently they effectively incoporate the unique features of the Wii platform.

5. The game will feature massive environments akin to that of an MMO with seamless loading times, and has been stated to be approximately the size of Japan.

6. There will be an in game clock that you can change at your leisure that will change the landscape of the towns and environment that will feature in both the main story quest as well as optional areas, and will be used to add to a sort of puzzle dimension to the gameplay.

7. A levelling system that resembles the sphere grid in Final Fantasy X will be in place.

8. There will be an in-game encyclopedia.

9. There are going to be in game achievements.

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Even though we only get to hear like 15 seconds of the vocal track it's sounding AMAZING.

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"Famitsu Review

Here's what they said in the review:


Target: RPG fans, gamers who take their time with games
Play Time: depends on one's play style

9
Exploring vast world and doing lots of side quest is so charming that the player may forget about the main quest.
The battle system where the player has to constantly keep the character's position and stance in mind makes it deep, while the ability to see future makes the combat extremely strategic and fun.
When there are numerous enemies on screen, it may confuse some players, but it gives a sense of chaotic battle, amplifying the intensity of the battle.

9
Big worlds with tons of things to do.
The MMO-style battle system where each character has distinct fighting style is strategic and fast-paced.
Although it takes a while to successfully manage the chaotic situations in battles, it is very rewarding to do so.

9
Unique world and quality story drives the game forward.
The fast-paced battle gets deeper and deeper as you play it, while the unique abilities for each characters makes the choices in battles significantly wider.
It has complex game system, so I would recommend to more experienced RPG players.
It is a little unfortunate that there are way too many items and abilities to use all of them effectively throughout the game.

9
It concentrates all the good qualities of recent RPGs into one game. The battle system has just the right amount of action and also has deep strategy behind it.
The transition between relaxed exploration and fast-paced battle is also superb.
There are tons of interesting gameplay elements to the point that it may overwhelm the newcomers.


I tried my best."

For a game that is both heavily story driven and gameplay driven it's a pretty promising score, given such games are generally rated on both fronts, so I think we (well I say we but it seems I'm the only person who's even going to be playing this game...) can expect a pretty complete experience. The Xeno name isn't exactly a huge name either (Famitsu has a habit of overating big name games but are much more realistic with the smaller ones) so I think it's safe to say it's a pretty reliable score, if not an undervalued one. It's also worth noting that it scored more highly than any of the other Xeno games (Xenogears getting a 31, Xenosaga Episode I a 32, Xenosaga Episode II a 33, Xenosaga III a 32, Xenosaga 1 & 2 a 31).

commander shepherd

Originally posted by Ms.Marvel
commander shepherd

What? Where?

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Best. Vocal. Track. Ever.

Rumour has it that ArtificialGlory likes it.

I smell a sock.

The more I hear about this game the more hyped I am to play it. I don't even care if it hasn't been released over here yet, I know enough to know that it's going to quite easily be the very greatest game ever made.

1. According to some people who speak Japanese and have played the game the story is not only better than Xenosaga's but as good as Xenogears's. Yasunori Mitsuda referred to the script as "huge and very much a Takahashi production". The setting is conceptually speaking the most original one we've ever come across, and unlike Xenogears and Xenosaga the entire story is going to be told in the one game. Tetsuya Takahashi + Soraya Saga = epic win.

2. The music is sounding incredible; easily on par with anything that isn't Xenogears, Xenosaga Episode I, Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross and Radical Dreamers, which are all in a league of their own when it comes to music. It has the best vocal track I've ever come across, some of the best emotive pieces, and some of the best battle music. An entire team of composers, including Yasunori Mitsuda and Yoko Shimomura, over 90 tracks, and one that's over 9 minutes long.

3. Artistically the game looks absolutely breathtaking; some of the nicest art I've ever seen in a game (hands down the best box art/opening screen art); on par with the other Xeno games. Extremely diverse locations, with environments spanning vast distances and breathtaking views.

4. The sheer scale and variety of the gameplay is huge; arguably the very greatest I've ever seen in an RPG (RPG elements (including individual, distinct battle systems for each character, a levelling system that's as complex as FFX's sphere grid, and MMO like scale in the environment (that's apparently as large as Japan, in game), what is described as a tonne of side quests) mixed in with puzzle elements mixed in with platforming elements (which apparently utilise the unique components of the Wii control scheme) mixed in with city building elements mixed in with relationship building elements (among both random NPCs and playable characters; there are even reputation systems for each town)); its full of innovative features (the ability to look into the immediate future in battle and find ways to adapt to it in advance, as well as the ability to change the in-game time at your leisure which apparently adds an entirely new puzzle element to the gameplay), and apparently all of the mechanics are very well implemented. Nintendo seem to be having a good influence on Monolith Soft on the gameplay front.

5. Monolith Soft appear to have fixed what was perceived to be wrong with Xenogears and Xenosaga in the past: the story:gameplay ratio. The story is apparently as large as that of any of the other Xeno games, but instead of the endlessly long cutscenes that they were well known for the cutscenes in Xenoblade are apparently a lot shorter for the most part, and spread out over a huge gameplay experience. The gameplay in itself is as I said huge and MMO like in scale and freedom, with apparently the perfect amount of storyline to prevent players from feeling lost in the gameplay and losing focus of the storyline. They seem to have got the balance between story and gameplay spot on.

Suffice it to say, if you're an RPG fan and have a Wii, you need to buy this game when it comes out. And if you're an RPG fan and don't have a Wii, you need to get one for this alone (SMG 1 and 2, Super Paper Mario, Metroid: Other M, Tales of Graces, Arc Rise Fantasia, The Last Story, and the upcoming LOZ game etc.. are added perks).

Originally posted by OTNEMEM
Rumour has it that ArtificialGlory likes it.

You know I don't like Celine Dion.

Celine Dion wishes. Sarah Alainn is way better.

It's been getting good reviews.

http://www.metacritic.com/game/wii/xenoblade-chronicles/critic-reviews

Makes me want a Wii. It's coming out in Europe and Australia soon, but they've yet to officially confirm its US release.

I have a copy ordered of this actually; should arrive soon.

Inb4 Nebspooge.

Right! Just starting now.

I played Xenogears beforehand- the last of the big classic RPs that I had not played- and I found it disappointingly tedious. Still, I shall be open minded; what I hear about this one is good.

Hmm, ok! I am willing to say that this is actually pretty good.

How have you found it so far Ushgarak?

Still undecided on whether I should play it as it seems to be a pretty big departure from Xenogears/Xenosaga, but its reception has been pretty amazing so far (best reviewed JRPG and fourth best reviewed RPG of the current videogame generation).

Every way in which it is a departure from Xenogears has been a positive for me, but do bear in mind I was underwhelmed by that game.

It's not so good that I am playing it obsessively but It is a good game. I'll do a full review at some point.

Originally posted by Ushgarak
but do bear in mind I was underwhelmed by that game.

Even the story/music? Though I will admit that the gameplay and graphics haven't aged too well and that the pacing was at times pretty terrible, particularly the famed disc 2, though it did have some nice art design and a pretty innovative battle system for the time.

How would you say Xenoblade's story is?

Music was good, no arguments there, but I thought the story was not good and made all the worse by the godawful pacing.

According to its GS score at gamestats.com (which I believe is generally considered to be the most credible aggregate of critic and gamer scores) Xenoblade Chronicles is currently the single most well received game of all time, once you factor in that the only games higher on the list have other editions/ports that bring their overall score down:

http://www.gamestats.com/index/gs/index.html

Interesting...

Thoughts?

Discuss!