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Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Started by Shay Chaise, December 01, 2017, 05:29:09 PM

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Consignia

I am on new game plus, largely for the extra blades you get on this pass through, although they are almost as elusive as the last few normal ones. In fact I'm pretty much in end game on it.

It's a good point, it's probably worth sacking off for a bit, and returning to it fresh for a final run at the last few blades.

Kelvin

I'm on chapter 9, of, apparently, 10. Really enjoying the game now, although the stories dropped off for the last few acts, and has become a lot less interesting.

Thought it was funny (and a bit annoying) that at the point in the ongoing finale where all the shit was really going down, I came across a door that I couldn't open without upgrading a couple of field skills, which meant I literally had to warp to a cafe on a different nation and buy one character some iced buns and one characters some herbal tea.

Kelvin

Finished this today. Story definitely goes off the boil a bit in the last third; sidelines all the politics and becomes a more generic "destroy the world" plot, with lots of confusing and conflicting motives, and some pretty daft leaps of logic. I much preferred the earlier "Magneto-esque" motivations, where it seemed clear what was driving characters, and the fun was in learning the details and politics of each faction.

Great ending, though. Actually teared up a bit during the final cutscene, and I just loved Rex as a character so much; full of kindness, enthusiasm, naivety and optimism. It hard to make a conventional "honest and true" hero memorable, but they absolutely nailed it with Rex. I really hope he appears as a playable character in Smash Bros, too; changing how specials work by changing blades would be great.

Gonna try and do a bunch of sidequests now. I've barely touched them outside Gormott. Xenoblade X actively encouraged you to do quests, big and small, between the core story missions, but I  never really reached a logical point to explore and muck around when pursuing the main quest in this game.

Kelvin

Consignia, you've started New Game+, haven't you?

In which case, do you know if you can restart New Game+ again (ie. a second or third time), with your accumulated stuff, either at any point, or by completing the main story again?

I'm trying to decide if I want to do it now, or in a year or so.

Consignia

You simply start a new game from the main menu and it'll give you the option of New Game+ based on your single save with everything you've earned on it, bar quick travel points, merc missions and side quests. As long as you've completed it once, and got the medal thing against your timer, that means you can do a New Game+ against it. I think that's right, since I've already completed on NG+ and I've got the medal, so I can't confirm unfortunately.

As soon I nearly completely put the game down, I cracked open a couple of cores, and got 3 rare blades in about 6 rare cores, the best hit rate I've ever had. Which has encouraged to just finish it off their side quests. Only two rare blades left, although I'm lead to believe they are two rarest from each pot (main ones and new game+ ones).

Kelvin

But if you start new game plus, and you complete it, can you then play through the game a third time, carrying over all the stuff again? Is that option still available on the main menu?

Basically, if you can only play through new game+ once, then I might wait until next year to do it. If you can play it multiple times, I might burn through NG+ now, knowing I can also replay it (with all my stuff) in a year or two. 

Consignia

Sorry, I misunderstood, yes I can confirm, as I just did, you can do it multiple times. So

First Game -> New Game+ -> New Game+ -> .... so on.

Accumulating all the progress on each new start.

Kelvin

Quote from: Consignia on March 24, 2018, 08:09:20 PM
Sorry, I misunderstood, yes I can confirm, as I just did, you can do it multiple times. So

First Game -> New Game+ -> New Game+ -> .... so on.

Accumulating all the progress on each new start.

Ah, brilliant, that's great news. Thanks so much for bearing with me. I really enjoyed the game, but I'm only going to be playing it through multiple times if I can just burn through the story totally OP. It's too much of a time sink otherwise. I just want to be able to pick it up over the coming years, and smash through everything while I re-experience the world.

Consignia

I understand, I certainly wouldn't want to do all the grind again, either. There is a certain fuIt;sn to just powering through the game, although I spent most of chapter 8 grinding for cores, so the last two chapters were cake for me anyway so I got experience that in the first play through.

It has been interesting reading your evolving experiences from your playthrough. I certainly shared a lot of them. I'm not sure I could easily recommend this game to the average person, but I can't say I didn't enjoy it, especially once I mastered the combat system.

brat-sampson

This just cost me around 40 mins of a side-quest thanks to a big (traveled, went to menu, menu wouldn't load... Had to quit out.) I can probably do it faster a second time around, but I can't get back the delay on finishing a required-by-a-quest Merc Mission.

Having said that, the actual quest was interesting and well written, but Jesus is this game still a little rough around the edges. Streamlining the core-opening is an improvement but you still have to constantly waste time confirming boosters or clearing out your roster of identikit 'who gives a fuck' blades.

Kelvin

Quote from: brat-sampson on April 01, 2018, 05:48:04 PM
This just cost me around 40 mins of a side-quest thanks to a big (traveled, went to menu, menu wouldn't load... Had to quit out.) I can probably do it faster a second time around, but I can't get back the delay on finishing a required-by-a-quest Merc Mission.

Having said that, the actual quest was interesting and well written, but Jesus is this game still a little rough around the edges. Streamlining the core-opening is an improvement but you still have to constantly waste time confirming boosters or clearing out your roster of identikit 'who gives a fuck' blades.

I gave up on trying to get all the rare blades. I have about 25-30, but there's still about 10 to get. Fuck em. There is literally nothing fun about that stupid mechanic. I have no idea why anyone would spend money on lootboxes.

Consignia

I suspect the Rare Blade aspect was originally going to be one of those money farm things; you get one core a day, or you can pay for loads of chances. Just like those popular mobile games in Japan such as Fate Grand/Order which have similar mechanics where you get drop fed small chances for rarer servants or you can pay for loads of chances of pick up a rare. I'd guess they trashed it reasonably early but left the whole core thing in, because they couldn't rework the cores collection into anything other than drops.

A note, there was an update last week which appears to have improved the performance in handheld mode. It might just be my mind playing tricks on me, though.

I'm tempted to get the DLC, since I've already sunk so much into the game, but my word the price of it.

brat-sampson

Oh, yeah, I've no designs on getting all the rares or grinding for cores. I don't think I've even found a legendary core yet and I'm getting near the end of the game. I spent some time progressing side missions and wound up just discovering a bunch of new ones. The game's so stuffed with content it really needed this NG+ option to let people discover more of it so I'm glad it's there.

Kelvin

I barely did any side quest before finishing the game. I just found they gave you far too little XP to make them worthwhile for that purpose, and the main quest was almost always achievable with the right buffs, whereas loads of sidequests needed lots of skills upgradings, or tougher monsters to kill.

Xenoblade X on wii U* is one of the few games I've played that made side quests really feel important/relevant to the main story, actually. In that, the story chapters take place weeks and even months apart, and to start them, you need to level yourself up and complete additional character affinity quests, which makes sense in the story, as you're effectively planetary police trying to help people survive in a harsh environment. In that context, it makes sense for your characters to be doing even menial tasks, because you're helping the city grow in between major attacks/incidents. I really found that encouraged me to do sub quests, even when I didn't need to - because it actually made sense that your characters would be doing them between chapters.     

* I bet it gets ported to Switch with a NG+, too.

Consignia

It is a shame the rare blades are so, well, rare. Some of the best side quests are iniated by them. Filling their charts can be a grind in some cases, Yaegiri/Zenobia's chart is probably one of the most fun I've had in the game.

Shay Chaise

I had a break from this around twenty hours in when I arrived at yet another new large area full of people mithering me to do stuff and I can't get back into it. I was really enjoying it and getting the hang of things but it sounds like I've got a shitload of menu sorting and blade art fiddling and reading up on elemental orbs if I bother playing on. I'm still only on Chapter 3 and have lost all motivation for this. Would either of you guys please let me know if I'm wrong? I've just watched some play, if that helps you to identify where I am.

brat-sampson

There probably is too much menuing, but frankly it's almost optional. I go through levelling everyone's weapons skills, what, every 5 hours? Basically whenever I remember it exists. It only takes a minute or two and is largely a matter of just levelling whatever weapons you happen to be using at the time. You do need a pretty decent grasp on the combat mechanics if you don't want some fights to be, if not impossible, at best an enormous slog, but actually pulling them off, thinking about what sequence you need, building up meter, trying to make sure you choose the right path so you don't end up on a Final you've already used the element of etc, it's good stuff, and pretty deep, especially if you want to manage your crew to make sure you can optimise the break/topple/launch/smash stuff, but again, you don't *need* that to play the game. The QoL improvements to the map and the blade cracking etc are all very much appreciated (though I'd love an option to see the animation if and only if it's a rare blade).

And yet, (and with this game it always seems to be and yet) I'm was happy to redo the bit I lost to the bug. I'm happy to go through GameFAQs and a Wiki to find out how to find some specific items for a quest or to optimise merc missions etc. I just still really like the game, dammit, whether it's the characters, the music, the world design, the sheer charm of the whole thing, I'm enjoying going through these side-quests with the Rare blades, checking off things to improve stats, putting off the main story to see what happens next with this guy or making some money through salvage etc.

Kelvin

Quote from: Shay Chaise on April 03, 2018, 12:50:56 PM
I had a break from this around twenty hours in when I arrived at yet another new large area full of people mithering me to do stuff and I can't get back into it. I was really enjoying it and getting the hang of things but it sounds like I've got a shitload of menu sorting and blade art fiddling and reading up on elemental orbs if I bother playing on. I'm still only on Chapter 3 and have lost all motivation for this. Would either of you guys please let me know if I'm wrong? I've just watched some play, if that helps you to identify where I am.

Menu's and stuff never really become a big problem in the game. Not unless you're particularly bothered about micromanaging your build. The combat is the bigger issue, as it isn't well explained, although I'd be willing to break it down if you really need help. You're basically at the point I described in my earlier posts, where the game first started to ramp up in difficulty. Basically I only beat the boss of this chapter by looking up online what buffs to get, making sure everyone had their attacks leveled up, and buying some health boosting armor. If that's too much faff, give up. For me, it was fine to do that stuff - and I just objected to how unclear it was about which buffs I needed. It was around that point that I started to really get into the game, though.   

Shay Chaise

Thanks, that's both reassuring and somewhat fulfils my expectations. I think a big part of it is that I've been hammering loads of arcadey type games over the past few weeks and I've been really loving the immediacy and gratification and pure mechanics. XC2 it kinda the exact opposite. At the same time, I was really loving it for a good while. It sounds like a make or break point from your description so I'll push on and see how that pans out. It's either this or Yakuza Zero for my 'background game' at the moment and I'm probably at an equivalent point in both. Thanks for the reply.

Shay Chaise

Well, big battle and giant exposition dump and I appear to be right back into this. I'm not yet sure exactly how much I've got in me but there's a bit of momentum again in any case.

Kelvin

If you killed that boss without any trouble you'll be fine. That was one of the ones I struggled with.

Once you pull off your first five orb combo and take (literally) 6 million hp off a boss, you'll be hooked. 

Shay Chaise

Durrrr. I just remembered that you can adjust the camera. I'd been playing with it zoomed in quite close, which was also a pain in the arse. I played several hours thinking I wish you could change the camera angle or field of view. I'm what the French call 'les incompetents'.

Consignia

YES! Finally got all the freaking rare blades. Level 99 as well. Can I finally put this game down now?

Kelvin

I've recently cracked level 99, but still have 4 unique blades to unlock. Not started New Game + yet, but reckon im gonna play something else before I start that and finish off the last few loose ends.

I've thought since I first started playing this that while I love the atmosphere and can enjoy the goofy anime tone in a way, the writing makes me feel less intelligent. It's unbearably repetitive and on the nose in every cut scene. It has no respect for the audience whatsoever. Every time I see any cut scene, or have to click through any of dialogue, I always think they've used about eighty percent more words than necessary, or a hundred percent more and the exchange should have simply been cut. Every single thing is over explained several times (besides the actual mechanics of how to play the game and explore its systems).

Here's an example:

Rex wakes up and Pyra has turned into Mythra or whatever and she is in his bed. He looks embarrassed. This is drawn out for maybe fifteen seconds as it zooms in on her tits and bare skin and we see his flushed cheeks. She then wakes up and is embarrassed and has red cheeks and throws some stuff at him. There is a brief explanation that she has sleepwalked into his bed somehow. She then says, "you were looking, pervert" and in case we weren't sure, the camera pans and zooms to her big tits and then back up to her red cheeked face. Rex has a red face. Then another character says, "she certainly was showing a lot of bare skin" to reinforce this point. Then another character says, "pot meet kettle" which is really bad writing. Then the other character says, "what do you mean?" and I'm thinking fucking hell. Please don't actually do this. Then the other character says, "look in the mirror some time". And I'm just thinking I can't take this every time. I don't know if it's supposed to be comic relief or if it's lost in translation or just a different sense of humour but almost every cut scene features the same stuff where characters misunderstand each other's phrasing or tone and the other one overexplains and kills the attempt at repartee.

Rex: "Oh, I fucked up, best get my coat!"

The dog thing: "Why? Where are you going? Did you even bring a coat - and what's more, why would you need a coat in this weather?"

Belm: "Yes, a coat in sunshine make Rex Rex hot and sweaty!!! Meh meh meh!"

Poppy: "Poppy not detect Rex Rex coat. Shall I set coordinate to coat?"

Rex: "It's a figure of speech, guys, come on!"

Dog: "A figure, you say? What shape is this figure? Are you making a speech?"

Poppy: "Poppy excited, is speech for wedding? Must prepare party dress."

Belm: "Oh goody, Poppy getting changed into maid outfit! Belm go spunky on da tit? Meh meh meh!"

And I'm carving myself up inside. Carving. It's not the perv stuff, I really don't care about that, it's the labouring of the point, dragging it on once the point has been made...oh, great. See? I told you it makes me more fucking stupid.

Boston make a jokebecase already make point meh meh me and keep making pojtn for joke meh meh. FFFFUUUUUUCCCCCKKKKKK OOOOFFFFFFFF

Kelvin

Yes, but that scene features a tiger in his pyjamas.

Consignia

Quote from: Kelvin on August 04, 2018, 01:43:01 PM
Yes, but that scene features a tiger in his pyjamas.

Indeed, one of my favourite scenes. Can't even tell you what the scene was about, but the absurd image really stuck with me. The rare blade sub quests are full of silliness too.


Kelvin

I agree, though, Boston, the writing is trash - although as someone who doesn't really watch much anime or Japanese films, I'm not sure how much of that can be put down to different cultural norms/expectations. I get the impression anime is more melodramatic than western story-telling, in general, so I always gave the game some wriggle room with that stuff.

I used to skipped all the non-story stuff, though. All the side quests and several of the blade quests, I just skipped the dialogue completely, as it was so inane and repetitive; there's literally a story about a gigantic breasted bunny rabbit* saving a little girl who thought she was sexy. I did enjoy the main story, though, although more the ideas and melodrama, as opposed to the actual stuff they were saying. Rex and the Nia are both great.   

*

Consignia

Even I thought the story was total bum. I never really expect writing to anything other that death in these things.

Regarding the character design, I think a large portion of the guest designers are hentai doujinshi artists. Which explains the overtly sexual nature of some of them.