Topic: User Impressions/Reviews Thread

@Werehog Thank you!

@Pizzamorg Just got around to reading this, and as Rog said before, what a great review! I'm glad you gave this game a proper shot through to completion knowing you weren't enthused by Xenoblade Chronicles 2 at all. I totally concur with you that the scale they managed to achieve with this game is incredible. Every area was so full of charm and beauty. Truly some of my favourite exploration I've enjoyed in any game. The fact they got this to run on a simple Wii is crazy! I haven't played the Switch 2 Edition of this one, so I can't comment on the weird technical jumbles you mentioned, but I think the Definitive Edition likely already achieved good enough visual fidelity to wow you even without the upgrade. Makes me think that even with its inconsistent textures, it can't have been all too bothersome to the experience. Clearly not, since you are as impressed with it as you are!

I agree with you on the quests entirely as well. For as much as most of them feel like filler fetch quests, they really end up adding a lot to the world-building just by how the Affinity System is involved with every single one. There's some great stuff in there as well as incredible foreshadowing through tiny quests if you're keen enough to pick up on it. As for the companion AI, yeah, the balancing really just results in a lot of RNG. Some enemies that I would get close to killing would have me beat within a fifth of their health bar the next go-around. I didn't experiment much with switching out skills and such to optimise combat like you, but it was frustrating at times. Luckily, I found the game throws you enough XP that you can mostly brute-force it. With its whole leveling balance meaning that any monster three levels or under compared to your own is practically useless, it nicely trivialised encounters that might have otherwise been hampered by bad gameplay on the AI's part.

It's a shame that you struggled with some of the level spikes, but yeah, they definitely exist. And again, with its leveling system, really can be a unbreakable gate in front of you if you're not at the level the game expects you to be. I'm glad that the casual mode let you continue without the frustration of endlessly grinding minimal pools of XP, because it is so worth it! Frankly, the most frustrated I'd get with the game was the collection quests, where you'd be reliant on the exact item spawning in the blue orbs. They gave me some good grief at times, but it says a lot that the game was strong enough overall that I felt willing to push through that horrific design in the end.

Shulk is a bit of a wet blanket when it comes to a protagonist, but I found him likable enough to carry the journey. I totally understand your criticisms of him though, because they are all fair. But like you said, he knows how to bring you a hype moment to get you in the right mindset again! Sharla was probably my least favourite teammate, but I think that mostly has to do with how it felt like she got the least attention or development by the end of it all.

My progress in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is slow goings at the moment, but I do think they manage to carry over the likable characters and hype moments that we came to love of the first very well. It's just everything else around it seems like a down-grade, but I wonder how much of that has to do with a lack of quality-of-life features, whereas the first got a full-blown definitive edition with many changes. Feels like the second would benefit from that as well, but so far, so good still on my end. I wanted to ask you though when it comes to quality-of-life experience, how much use did you make of the Ether Jet? Did you find it a good addition to the game? I've heard mixed responses from those who played it before its inclusion like myself. On one hand, I feel like scale would get lost if I would constantly be using the Ether Jet, but it would make a lot of the traveling around less of a hassle. Just those moments wherever I'd be fast traveling between quest markers and such. I can't imagine using it on my first exploration of each area however, which I fear it might incentivise new players to do!

@Tjuz Thank you for the kind words!

I tended to walk around spaces the first time they are introduced, so I could experience the slow reveal as seemingly intended, especially some of the later spaces which are so vast and clearly not designed for the life forms now existing in it, which is a nice bit of environmental storytelling for what comes later. I just feel I wouldn't have had that same impact of feeling like you're being swallowed by the space you are in if I was blasting through it on the ether jet!

But, whenever I did go back to a space again later to do side content, or even just those main story quests that would have you fast travelling backwards and forwards I was on the jet the whole time, and honestly really missed that option when I started 2.

@Pizzamorg I'm glad that the environments were strong enough for you to resist the temptation of jumping on the Ether Jet first go-around! A testament to how interesting these open areas were that you specifically choose the slower route when presented. I remember playing it for the first time and being delighted at the introduction of Juju having a vehicle, assuming it'd be passed down to me once we repaired it. It was disappointing at the time seeing that not happen, but am ultimately glad for it. Nothing beats making your way through those locales slowly but surely as all their intricacies unfold!

Am I understanding right by your last comment in regards to missing the Ether Jet in the second game that you're giving it another shot with the Switch 2 Edition as well? If so, I hope you're getting along with it better this time too!

@Tjuz I picked up the upgrade for Xenoblade 2, but I fell off it again pretty quickly. Like I thought I had exaggerated in my mind just how bad navigation is in that game, but within the first few hours I already felt like I wanted to scream in frustration at how truly awful this aspect of the game is. And like it is so profoundly awful, I don't understand how it didn't get any QOL touches with the Switch 2 edition, like what about the follow ball or something from X? Like anything?