Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition

[Nester the Lark]

I'm sorry, I can't help it. I want to start a thread for this. Kinda hyped for it.

Trailer:



Character artwork:

Xenoblade sure has come a long way. Next June will be the 10th anniversary of the Japanese release for the original game.

Tetsuya Takahashi is incredibly ambitious, but it's kind of ironic how when he has tried to plan a series from the get go, it never panned out. Xenogears was supposed to be "episode 5" of a six part series that would span different types of media, but in the end, it never went past that one game. Xenosaga was, again, supposed to be a six part series, but only ended up with three episodes and a mobile spin-off. Xenoblade, on the other hand, was only intended to be just one big standalone game, and it's the one that has organically turned into a series that has, so far, spanned four games (counting Torna as a standalone).

EDIT: Here's a thorough graphics comparison between the original Wii version and the Switch version.



I've yet to see a graphics comparison that includes the New 3DS version, but I guess that's because it looks similar to (or worse than?) the Wii version.

Although, I would like to see some side-by-side with Xenoblade Chronicles 2.

[Nester the Lark]

Confirmed May 29 release date.

So, I wasn't expecting the main game to be dramatically altered. Sounds like it's using the same voice acting from the original. Otherwise, the graphics look really good, and the new character models are fantastic. The HUD's been cleaned up really well. Also, some re-recorded music.

Also, at 3:00, you can see there are separate sections for equipment and appearance, so you can customize the characters' outfits without altering their stats. I was hoping for this!

The Bionis' Shoulder area is being added as post-game content as part of a new story called Future Connected. (At least it's not DLC.) Looking forward to that! I wonder if they'll be adding connections or references to Xenoblade Chronicles 2.

EDIT:

SPOILER: Click to show

OK, so, I'm seeing people on Twitter point out that Alvis is wearing something that looks like one of the aegis core crystals from XBC2. There we go...

[Leon]

This game really makes Twilight Princess HD look so cheap in comparison.

[Nester the Lark]

It's a long wait for this game to come out.

There have been a number of new details revealed in the past week that I'm happy about.

Both the original and remastered versions of the soundtrack will be included, and not only can you switch between them, but you can separately customize which soundtrack you hear during battles and field exploration. Since I've played the original game, I'll probably be sticking with the remastered soundtrack overall.

The money and materials you need to rebuild Colony 6 will be noted in the menu rather than having to talk to Juju and write everything down. I like town-building mini-games, but I never got very far with Colony 6 because it was always so annoying finding the right materials. (ie. Get a number of some rare material you can only get from a certain monster that only appears in a particular area during a random rainstorm.) I don't know how much this will help, but I'd like to try to put more effort into this side quest this time.

Future Connected really sounds like it'll be a "Torna ~ The Golden Country" type of expansion for the original game. It's immediately selectable from the title screen, so it's likely that nothing will carry over from the main game. Also, it's confirmed to have a different battle system of some sort.  There's been speculation that the story will have some connection to Xenoblade Chronicles 2, but I think it's more likely that it'll be some kind of setup for a future Xenoblade game.  I don't plan on touching it until I finish the main game again, so it could be months before I get into it, and avoiding too many spoilers during that time will be difficult.

Anyway, here's a rundown of features, courtesy of GoNintendo (source and source):

- the Quest screen has been revamped, and information is presented in a clearer way
- if you set a Quest as Active Quest, then you will be guided to your destination
- you can enlarge the map to get a better look at where you need to go
- the Colony 6 reconstruction quest has been made more convenient
- now you can check how much money and what kind of materials you need for reconstruction straight from the Menu screen
- you can see the Affinity Chart from the Menu screen, seeing details about the various people you’ve met during your journey
- those details are recorded in their Profile
- you can see the hours they are active, the places they can be found at, items you can trade with them, and more
- Fashion Gear allows you to choose what your characters look like at all times
- you will keep the stats of the “main” equipment even while wearing different looking gear


- "a story that leads to the future"
- a new scenario featuring Melia
- a new map
- use the Nopon reinforcement army
- new battle system
- new way of tracking sidequests
- the ability to swap between original score and remastered soundtrack reconfirmed
- refined map system

It'd be cool if there were some new costumes for the original game. I was never too crazy about the original designs; many of them looked so ridiculous. But I don't really expect the game to be altered that much.

Mar 26, 2020 19:07:55 GMT -5 Leon said:

This game really makes Twilight Princess HD look so cheap in comparison.

I thought I read somewhere that Tantalus actually wanted to do a more significant upgrade to the original game, but in the interest of getting it out quickly, Nintendo told them to stick closely to the original, so they added a couple of extra spikes to Link's hair and called it a day.

[Leon]

Regardless of the reason, TP is still an embarrassment for Nintendo's flagship prestige franchise.

As for this game, lots of nice quality of life improvements. Also quite looking forward to Future Connected, the attack with the Nopon rangers was cute, and it looks like a lot of fun. It's nice to see Tyrea getting some more screentime too.

[Nester the Lark]

Here's a new trailer from Nintendo UK that, towards the end, reveals Melia's English voice in Future Connected.



This has been a point of discussion for some fans, because in the original game, Melia was voiced by an actor named Jenna Coleman who, after working on Xenoblade, got her big break, and landed a role on the TV series Doctor Who. Since then, she's gone on to become a more well-known actor (at least in the UK). This has led fans to wonder if she would return to voice the character in Future Connected, or if doing voice work for a video game would be beneath her at this point in her career.

And the funny thing is that, even being able to hear the character's voice in the new trailer, fans can't seem to figure out if it's the same actor or not. Some say it must not be Jenna Coleman because it sounds different from the original, while others say it does sound like her, just 10 years older.

I'm not personally invested in this, as I'm not familiar with Jenna Coleman beyond Xenoblade, and I really don't care if the character gets recast, but I am curious about the situation.

I tried comparing Melia's voice in the trailer to an interview Coleman did in 2018, and I personally can't tell if it's the same. They do sound very similar to me, but the accent may be throwing me off.

What do you guys think?

[nocturnal YL]

It sounds different to me, and more than just shifting tones for a character voice. I'm not good at guessing voice actors, though.

[Leon]

I think it's a recast, but it sounds close enough.

[Nester the Lark]

It's just been revealed that there will be a Time Attack mode, similar to the Land of Challenge from the Xenoblade 2 DLC.

Here are details courtesy of GoNintendo:

- more or less the equivalent of Challenge Battle mode from Xenoblade Chronicles 2
- defeat waves of enemies as quickly as possible
- the entrance for this mode is located in Colony 9, located right next to the Furnace
- when you pass through the entrance for this mode, you'll find Nopon Archsage waiting for you
- talk to him to select from a growing list of challenges, with more unlocked as you progress through the main story
- there are two types of challenges: Free and Restricted
- Free lets you choose which characters will be in your party, and there are no particular restrictions
- Restricted gives you challenges with specific restrictions (max. Level, fixed party members, etc.)
- when you've defeated all the enemies, your performance is evaluated based on various criteria (clear time, etc.)
- you will be given a rank, and a certain amount of Nopon Crystals based on that rank
- these crystals can then be traded for various rewards, such as equipment, gems, and more
- one of the rewards you can get are new costumes for the various party members, which you can see in the images below

So, there will be new costumes, but I hope there are more than just swimsuits and casual wear.

Also, if it's like XBC2's challenge mode, could there be guest characters? I'm guessing no, unless they're exclusive to NG+. (Although, the Nopon Archsage does like his fan service.)

[Leon]

I wouldn't expect playable characters, but I could see Elma and Rex being enemies to face against.

[Nester the Lark]

So, it turns out that Jenna Coleman does, in fact, still voice Melia in Future Connected.

A representative from NoA confirms it in this video (at about 1:49):



Also, at 9:43, they confirm there are other new armor sets! Also, outfits can be swapped between the main game and Future Connected.

[Leon]

I'm impressed they put the cash to get her back, but I can't help but think if it was up to NoA, they wouldn't have.

[Nester the Lark]

I can never tell if it's my imagination, or if NoA just isn't that enthused for the Xenoblade series. Nintendo of Europe tweets about it way more frequently, and they've changed to a Xenoblade banner. (As of now, NoA still has Animal Crossing.)

On the other hand, Nintendo's Japanese account tweets about it even less, but maybe they just leave it up to MonolithSoft.

[nocturnal YL]

Nintendo's Twitter account is for announcements and general stuff. For series-specific matters, look for the individual series accounts.

[Nester the Lark]

Ah, yeah, I thought XenobladeJP was run by MonolithSoft.