Xenoblade Chronicles 2

[Nester the Lark]

Some bullet points:

- A Japanese language option will be included as free DLC on day one. (For the international release, of course.)

- A DLC expansion pass is available that will include several packs of new game content from launch until next fall.

- Rex's outfit will be available as free DLC in Zelda: Breath of the Wild on November 9. (But will the Champion's Tunic be in XC2?)

I'm actually kinda in the mood for a meaty JRPG (and not Falcom's Trails series, which can feel more like a visual novel disguised as an RPG). I let Xenoblade Chronicles X slip by on the Wii U, but maybe it's time I get back into this series.

[Nester the Lark]

Here's a lengthy gameplay video from GameXplain with Demetrius from the NoA Treehouse.



It addresses a couple of things I was wondering about.

First, the characters' outfits don't change during the game. Strange, since that was in both previous games. It's a little disappointing because I'm a sucker for playing dress-up with my characters, but it's certainly no deal-breaker. If it was anything like the original Xenoblade, the characters would look like a mess no matter what they were wearing.

(I do kinda wish Monolith Soft had some better character designers, tho.)

Second, the length of the game is comparable to the original. So, likely a good bit over 100 hours, depending on how much side content is done.

[Leon]

I can't believe this releases in a few days, this year has gone by so incredibly fast. So ready for Friday.

[Nester the Lark]

Hope I'm able to snag this on Friday, but I may end up having to order it online.

Anyway, here's a beautiful music video for a track from the game called "Shadow of the Lowlands," performed by Irish chorus group Anúna.



And here's a developer blog by composer Yasunori Mitsuda where he talks about getting Anúna on the project.

[Leon]

Did someone say Namco crossover?

[Nester the Lark]

This gives me hope for some Xenoblade 1 cameos. Could it be Reyn Time again?

[Nester the Lark]

Played a chunk of this over the past few days, and I'm quite enjoying it!

My one complaint, however, is probably the same as most other people: the character designs. Some of them are cool, but some are kinda bad in a distracting kind of way.

And it's weird, because I like the actual characters, themselves. They're well written, the dialog is full of flavor, and I even like the English voice acting (even if it doesn't match the mouth movements).

I won't dwell on it, but it's the one thing that kinda sticks out.

Otherwise, I like pretty much everything else. I'm gonna take my time and play through this one slowly.

[Nester the Lark]

Don't know if I should post this here or in the Currently Playing thread, but since I'm also discussing the latest patch, I might as well post here.

I finished the game yesterday after about 176 hours. Really quite enjoyed it despite having flaws or issues that I think I would normally find off-putting. Enough of it clicked with me to keep me hooked, and I plan to keep playing it to do some of the things I haven't been able to do yet, like take on some of the high-level super bosses and collect the final four rare Blades I haven't gotten.

But it looks like I finished the game just in time because version 1.3.0 is due out next week, and it includes a New Game+ with a substantial number of features.

I was under the impression that the Torna Drivers and Blades would only be for people who bought the DLC pass, but it sounds like they'll be available to everyone. (That leaves me wondering who the new Blade(s) will be when the proper Blade pack comes out. There is speculation...)

I have not bought the DLC pass. None of what has been offered so far (mainly just rare items that can also be obtained in-game) seems to be worth the price, especially for US$30. The Blade pack and new Story due out later this year need to be pretty substantial to justify the cost.

[Nester the Lark]

The update has been delayed until March 2 due to a bug.

[Nester the Lark]

Version 1.3.0 finally goes live tonight.

I couldn't help but notice that when it was delayed, pretty much every international Nintendo Twitter account mentioned it except for Nintendo of America. They're really slacking these days.

Anyway, on a funnier note, here's a short article from The Onion (satire news site) about Xenoblade 2.

[nocturnal YL]

"Man Who Has Clocked 137 Hours In RPG"

Amateur.


I didn't really pay attention to this game, but I just noticed that they've got DLC planned all the way to the end of 2018.

[Leon]

Update has gone live!

[Nester the Lark]

Haven't decided if I want to jump into New Game+ yet, but I probably will.

I'd like to talk about this game more, particularly spoilers from later in the game, but I don't think anyone else here besides Leon is playing it. The problem with NinDB is that while we all like Nintendo, our specific interests are a little scattered. That can make it hard to discuss particular games in-depth.

[Nester the Lark]

Version 1.4.0 is due out later this week, and will include two new rare Blades.

Poppi Buster will be available to people who bought the expansion pass, and is obtained via a quest.

The other is T-elos from Xenosaga, and is available to everyone, but only in New Game+. She's obtained randomly from Core Crystals, and apparently has a high probability of being rolled. (Unlike Kos-Mos.)

Monolith Soft is giving away so much good stuff for free, I still wonder what the motivation is for buying the season pass. (No complaints from me, tho!)

[Leon]

The addition of T-elos makes me want characters from MS other games to appear even more. Even put in Ghirahim as tribute to their work on the Zelda series.