My main rig may be down, but I was mentally prepared to put this out for the weekend. So I bit the bullet and used my hard drive back up with my laptop - it made me realise how much I depend on my main set up. Either way, here's my Xenoblade video, hope you like it!
Xenoblade Chronicles X is not a spin-off, Takahashi does not treat it as such and in an interview after the release of 1DE, he pointed how all Xenoblade games are tied in the bigger lore and it just happens that they are flexible with the order they tell the story.
22:06 according to Pyra's english VA the reason why the line delivery is very hit and miss it's because she claims they didn't have access to actual cutscenes from the game, they were just given the script with some notes like "pyra is very sad in this scene" or "rex is angry and shouting in this scene" which cause confusion on the VAs on how to deliver the lines.
I feel like if Monolith Soft came to be in the modern era, where weird indie RPGs are much more common, Xenosaga could have found the success it set out to. I absolutely adore the Xenoblade games and I'm glad they came to be, but it's weird to think that Monolith being a studio broken off from a larger studio to find more creative freedom was ahead of their time in some respect. Also, I've always found it funny that the other Operation Rainfall games were just completely left in the dust despite the effort put in to get them over to the US.
Well sakaguchi intended for the last story to be just that, he was dead set on this being his last traditional game before going mobile only. And Pandora's tower was tagged as being bad/not worth the hype, thus ending it's journey. While Xenoblade Chronicles was made by a Nintendo studio thus making it very different for them. Nintendo can keep marketing it, re-releasing it on all their consoles, turn it into a major franchise, ect. And with so many jrpg fans ending their "PlayStation only" attitude it exposes them to the game that is available on their newly adopted 3ds and switch
@@paperluigi6132 yeah. I mean there is some clunky bits, but once you get used to/understand what you are doing, it's smooth sailing. That's really the only downside. It's definitely a must play for the system, and deserves to be remembered more
I get why fans of the first game might have been a bit disappointed with X because of its weaker main story, but I feel like it has the best exploration and world design in the Xenoblade Chronicles series to date. XC3 may change that, but we won't know till it releases. I also prefer the combat system in XCX to the other mainline games. There really is plenty to love about X, I just wish that more fans appreciated it when it came out.
Mechs and traversal in general, huge seamless open world, combat arts animations, best sidequests in the series, etc. The story may have been polarizing but the game had some aspects that truly shined and made up for the overall shortcomings imo. Just like Xenoblade 1 I feel that it deserves a second chance so we can hopefully get a sequel in the future.
Breath of the Wild, Elden Ring, The Witcher 3. While I do respect your opinion, I do believe it’s a little wild to say it’s the best explorations deal world design to date. Ghost of Tsushima, Red Dead Redemption 2? Idk, I will say personally I do believe Xenoblade Chronicles deserves to be in the conversation but I just wouldn’t be so definitive on saying it’s the best to date.
@@hartfantom My apologies if I was being vague, but I was primarially refering to the world design within the Xenoblade Chronicles series specifically. I do agree that there are worlds out there that have just as much care and depth to them as Xenoblade X. I still stand by the opinion that it has the best world design /in the Xenoblade Series/ to date, and should be regarded highly alongside the other games which you have mentioned. Again, I apologize for not being clear at the beginning and I will edit the original comment so the context is more readily apparent.
Might just be my most favorite non-trails related video youve done! This is my all time favorite franchise (on par with Kiseki) and this is the jrpg that Ive been hoping you would cover ever since I started following you! Great stuff! And I hope everything gets sorted out for your rig!
I too really like the Xenoblade series as well as Xenogears (my first xeno game) and the 3 Xenosaga games. To me, this franchise is second to Kiseki (Trails). And as a bonus, the official localization of Trails from Zero comes out a couple months after Xenoblade Chronicles 3😊.
Xenoblade Chronicles has been my favorite modern JRPG series. Great games, and tons of value in the box. Not going to be able to play this one until December at the earliest but that's fine. I wonder if the December Expansion pass Story content will be this games Torna? A stand alone game, or within the main games save. The expansion pass for Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was the best value in gaming. A full open world game with cutscenes/Voice for $20, not to mention all the content for the main game. Will be getting it again this time
@@megaultrasonic to be fair to monolith, that Date is definitely a placeholder as it is the final day of 2023. same with wave 2 of the dlc being the final day of 2022. Id wager that the dlc waves will release every 3 months, meaning theres potential that the xc3 one year anniversary will be the XC3 story dlc
I wouldn't say Xenoblade is Takahashi's vision realized. I love Xenoblade but the vision for that game is not on the same level of ambition Takahashi had with Gears or Saga. I think by episode II, a lot of his ambition died. Xenoblade is more like a realistic model of his ambition. I believe it was an Episode II interview where he said he would need 30 more years; from that point, to fully tell the story he wanted for Xenosaga. Xenoblade is probably the best we will ever get out of Takahashi.
Excellent upload on why the series is so beloved by many including myself. I feel sorry for those just see the surface and don't give the series a chance as the characters and world building in the games are insanely good with depth. My pre-order for Xeno 3 is already down and I cannot wait for another what I'm sure is gonna be another emotional masterpiece. I would also absolutely love either a remaster or remake of The Last Story :-)
I know, right? I genuinely like it more than BOTW and the other Xenoblade games so far. I'm still really hoping we'll see a port or sequel someday, I guess after the XC3 DLC...
I don't see the art design of the variety characters of 2 as a negative, if anything, it makes every character distinct and unique from eachother, allowing us the players to easily identify and grasp their personality and understand and relate and yadda yadda.
Put the character of sailor moon, dragon ball, American dad and Southwark together into one movie. It looks silly. It's gladly not that extreme but still your certainly see some designs not fitting together by its arts artstyle and for me that throws me out of the ingame world when I realise it....
Xenoblade quickly became my all time favorite franchise after the first game. Back then, it was only one game, but when Xenoblade X came out, I was amazed by how breathtaking the world was and how it felt exploring it. The Xenoblade series is one of the only things that makes me feel that childish sense of awe and wonder, like visiting Disneyland for the first time. It also helps that the music, story, characters, and gameplay are all top notch.
You really got a talent mate, seriously I hope you never stop making videos. If I haven't already started my journey with the Xenoblade Series then I would have after your video. I can't really explain it but listening to you talk about the things we both love got something really comforting. I hope you can sort out things with your main rig. make sure to stay healthy 😁
@@TheKisekiNut got it back since Friday but I made the mistake and started Elden Ring with my best friend and then as if it wasn't enough started Memories of Celceta 😂 So I got my doubts I make it till the release of 3
@@skyblade7438 unfortunately I don't have a Wii U. In fact the switch is my first Nintendo Console I was never to big on Nintendo. More a Sega and PlayStation Guy. However I finished 1 and 2 only got the expansions left.
I’d love to see you play Xenogears and Xenosaga!! I’m playing through Xenoblade 2 for the first time (I probably won’t finish it and Torna in time before the third game releases, but I’m having fun.) and it actually has a LOT of Xenogears parallels, along with quite a few Xenosaga parallels as well. They’re fascinating to find, and if you ask me, Gears and Saga actually rival Trails in terms of world building. They’re very ambitious, and not hard to emulate from the looks of it. Anyway, this is fantastic! I knew a lot about Gears through Blade 1’s development, but not XC2. This is motivating me to push through the earlier slow parts of XC2.
Great video! Just in time for Xenoblade 3! Small addition: Manami Kiyota also participated in Xeno 2's soundtrack. Her tracks are usually ethereal and peaceful. Also, what a great move it was for Nintendo to aquire Monolith Soft! It not only made some of the best Nintendo JRPGs (Xeno of course, but also Baiten Kaitos), the studio also helped with some of the biggest Nintendo franchises (Zelda, Animal Crossing, Splatoon...). Now they are working also on Zelda BotW 2! I am so excited for that game as well!
you know i'm 100% convinced NoA actively tried to sabotage the sales of Xenoblade Chronicles 1 on wii back when they finally released it in the US. Which is why i'm so damn happy it did well and we have one my favorite JRPG series.
@@LazySamurai1354 that makes so much sense as to why gamestop was flipping the game after the holiday season. I bought all threw oprain games for about $20usd each with the special packaging for Last Story (artbook). after the holidays gamestop was giving back Xenoblade for $80 trade in value.
I'm glad you had a good time with Xenoblade. My first real experience was an old Lets Play. I don't remember the first one I watched, but then I watched my friend play the game. Who also played Chrono Cross and made a lot of Pierre jokes. He finished his Xenobalde X LP sometime last year. I don't have a Wii U so I can't play X, but it was a great project none the less. I also only got Xenoblade 2 and Torna last year. But I only really played it this year. Great games. If I had to criticise one thing it would be the walking simulation in 1 and the complete lack of orientation in 2. And yes, I did yell at Melia to swim faster when I explored Eryth sea. And I can not listen to Engage the Enemy without the need to cry. I sadly didn't manage to may out all the Blades I wanted in 2, but at one point I just wanted to reach the end. But the fact that I played over 140 hours and still had stuff to find just shows that the game really has a lot to offer. I need to play New game+ at one point and just try and get all rare blades and max them out. I will do this at some point. I just don't know when. I love Rex and the Party in 2. Rex is a good boy and deserves happiness. But the star of the show is still Nia. I don't know what it is baout her accent, but the delievery of every single one of her lines with that welsh accent made the game 10x better than most other games. And also Morgas accent. I love british accents. I once tried to imitate the welsh, but I am German and can't do a welsh accent. Even if I think it's the coolest thing ever. But yeah, I hope your PC gets fixed soon and that you can make more great Trails content when Reverie is out in the west. Have a nice sunday.
English Xenoblade dubs, while being weird sometimes, it makes the games unique to me, like, I can't listen to japanese Zeke or Nia, I don't get the same feeling, it's as if they are someone else
Helping them out with Breath of the Wild and it exploding like it did must have been GIANT for them. Xenoblade or no, I think Nintendo realizes how valuable they are.
The side quests and class system are considered major flaws in XC1 , but they made it so much better in XC2 to the point that blades and side quests are where XC2 shines .I hope in XC3 they bring some good to its battle system, they must......
Well, I never played the original Xenoblade Chronicles, but I did play the Definitive Edition of the Xenoblade Chronicles, and after reading about what the differences were between the two games, I can honestly that they must've improved the side quests drastically, as one of MonolithSoft's handful of improvements for it, because I had very little to no issues with the 400+ sidequests I did.
Xenoblade X doesn’t really deserve to get glossed over - that’s disappointing. It’s SUCH a deep game that you can’t really sum up in “it was polarizing” and there’s so much to talk about with it both inside and outside the game. Though it may not follow the linear story focus of Xenoblade 1, it expanded on so much of the gameplay mechanic elements. At the time of its release it was only the second game so, sure, now with 3 other games following the story focus of 1, it looks out of place but at the time that could have been the natural next step of the series that had yet to make its identity.
It's not part of the mainline series, Takahashi said as much when the game first came out. Plus he probably hasn't played it considering it's a Wii U exclusive, so it's whatever.
I just played Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition at the end of last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. I am struck by how awful the graphics look on the original Wii release. It's a very cool game where a lot of it's appeal lies in it's huge field areas and intriguing landscapes. I think a lot of that doesn't come through very well in the Wii version so I'm glad Nintendo and Monolith gave the greenlight for the Definitive Edition remaster.
Best part of the DE remaster is the QoL updates on the quests. I remember being extremely overwhelmed and completionist mindset on the Wii and was forger stuck on the Bionis Leg, worrying over timed-out quests. 🤣 Finally past it, im in frontier village and have the heropon on the team.
Loved the video admittedly I've heard the origin story of Monolith soft before but I still enjoyed what you said and the infor given Operation Rainfall singlehandedly gives me faith in the power of people brought together for a common cause in the modern era I see a lot of people including myself no longer truly believing in the power of the individual in the face of larger organizations and rules. In a way I feel Xenoblade and jrpgs in general are a message to the potential of the individual in face of seemingly impossible odds which sure many games are like but jrpgs are very big on the people who surround and support you toward those shared goals not just one guy being a badass.
I can't cite the numbers for Xenogears and the Xenosaga games off hand, but I feel it's a testament to the success Takahashi finally achieved with XC1: DE and XC2 each selling over a million copies and the anticipation for XC3 crashing the My Nintendo site. It's a success well-deserved as I see the Xenoblade series as one of the most soulful and unique the genre has to offer.
Wow. Just wow. This video fully encapsulates what I love about the two Xenoblade games. These are my favorite video games and Ive put 500+ hours in both so it means alot to see them get the praise they deserve. Thank you.
As a huge fan of Xenoblade (and Xenogears), I still think that XC1 = XCX > XC2 Where XC1 trumps in story aspect, XCX is a masterclass on open world exploration and character building for me. The story may not as appealing as the main series but that final chapter! THAT ending! Can't wait for XC3 and hopefuly we can get XCX2 later on to answer the loose ends in XCX ending.
Beautiful video. Thank you for this. I watched countless videos on Xenoblade/Monolith Soft/Tetsuya Takahashi but I still learned new things. Can't wait to see the conclusion of this long scenario Takahashi tried to convey since Xenogears with Xenoblade Chronicles 3.
Xenoblade 1 and 2 are both beautiful games but not without their individual flaws, moreso with 2. Either way loved both and have high hopes that XB3 will be excellent!
What fascinates me about xenoblade is that it's a story that has had its time to be refined, from xenogears to xenosaga, since the late 90s this game had a vision which couldn't be realized, xenosaga, same thing I think when xenoblade was being made the plan wasn't to use the themes of the great works of the xeno series, but once xenoblade 2 came out I think Takahashi knew that he could realize his vision, that's why the conduit and heavy religion themes were a predominant part of xenoblade 2 Xenoblade 3 looks like it's bringing the mech mechanic that xenogears and saga had, with a twist of course, this time instead of mechs it's two characters fusing, which has so much story potential like trusting somebody that was your enemy not too long ago to use your body as strength Anyways, I can't wait what else we see from the xeno series, it's a really special series that clearly has a lot of love put into it and is meticulously thought out
I'm actually currently playing Xenosaga on emulator and I absolutely love it so far. The story is mature, with mature and well-developed characters, who have understandable motives and, ultimately, hypocritical thinking much like real people. I'm so impressed and also sad that it didn't get realised.
I don't think Operation Rainfall had as much of an impact on Xenoblade's success as people think it did. It kind of stood on its own. Compare that to how little discussion The Last Story and Pandora's Tower get online - even in hardcore JRPG circles.
Just found your channel but amazing video. Really puts a nice bow on the absolutely happy accident that the Xenoblade series is. Being that I started with XC2 and currently have it as my all-time favorite JRPG, it's a shame that the really deep combat mechanics are pretty slept on due to how the game presented them. Hopefully Xenoblade 3 brings some of those people back to the series so they can give it another go. I hear so many people in my circles talk about how "mid" the Xenoblade series is, how XC3 is gonna flop or how it got rushed out of the door for it's new, late-July release. Not me though. Takahashi and the talented people at Monolithsoft have proven otherwise time and time again, and this video just solidified that belief for me 😌
Xenoblade Chronicles X was the game that brought me back into gaming after I took several years of only occasionally playing Call of Duty and Mario Kart with friends. I really love this series and I am really excited for 3
I wish they went back to using Tanaka as a character designer for X3 since they finally perfected transforming his style into 3D with the Shulk/Fiora renders in X2 DLC.
It's a tricky situation. Takahashi and Square didn't part on the best of terms. Might be water under the bridge now after all that time, but I'm not too hopeful, I don't recall seeing it in the Nvidia leak either.
Man Takahashi and Monolith's journey from Xenogears to blade is beautiful. Makes me appreciate Xenoblade and them so much. I haven't beaten saga or started gears from all I've heard about them and also from this video,they're lesser games as a who due to Takahashi and Monolith growing by Xenoblade. From what I've played of Xenosaga,I do feel that way and doesn't feel nearly as good to play. Which makes me question going through them. Still I'm interested in the stories they have to tell so I'm going to see that
I also just beat all the xenoblade titles. I'm currently playing torna dlc though and it's fun as hell but unfortunately the padding is a real downer. I don't tend to play side quests especially the fetching kind. I play RPGs for the main characters and the gameplay. The fact that they're forcing you to reach level 4 in the "community" which consists of generic NPCs is upsetting as I just don't care about them. You essentially have to do like 50 side quests. I'd go 2>1>Torna>FC>X
@@slasherz2548 then you haven't seen all the hate for the Xenoblade 3 direct or every time a Jrpg is shown in a direct. But I think or hope it is the vocal minority. Xenoblade/nintendo fans did crash the Nintendo store for pre-ordering the special edition so the support is there.
Amazing video, sharing it everywhere i can I love the Xeno series and it’s alwyas nice to just watch how it all began even tho i know it already Funny how US didn’t want to localize it cus "it wouldn’t sell" lol My favourite one is XC2 but the whole series is just great Can’t wait for Xenoblade Chronicles 3!
Tbh 3 has such high hopes to live up to. 1 qnd 2 have such incredible stories its hard to imagine how they can match them. 2 matched and imo beat 1s story but idk what 3 can do. Let's hope!!
This has quickly become my favorite jrpg series. I feel like my intro to the series was a bit atypical, since my first game was X, which also happened to be my first ever open world game. While the story was weak, the exploration and world were a revelation, and I then picked up the 3DS port of the first game. I'm so glad they persevered to get their game vision to fruition and have finally reached the success they wanted (and deserve).
WOW!! That was an absolutely incredible video!! Bravo sir, well done! So well researched and so in depth on every aspect of the series. I even learned things about the development of this series from this and I'm a nut when it comes to Xenoblade. Subscription commencing now.
Monolithsoft is for me what Squaresoft was in the SNES-PS1 days. It's impressive the imput of them after the Xenosaga games, and being in partnership with Nintendo also helps them to bring their best input, thing that they probably wouldn't be able to archieve if they were still with Square or Namco, because Square would probably limit them into being a support studio for Final Fantasy and Bandai Namco wouldn't understand what they wanted to tell. Focusing on gameplay also made Takahashi game from "mediocre to okayish", to "good to great". Xenoblade X's world exploration is still unbeaten.
No joke, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is looking to be the best JRPG on the Switch. Monolith Soft's ability to learn from criticism is incredible, and I can only wait in anticipation to see how the Magnus Opus of the Xenoblade series will turn out.
I think the avoidance of Riki being the token mascot character was a wise choice, especially since in XCX they did the exact opposite and made Tatsu into an obnoxious, one note punchline of a character. I'm glad they learned from this mistake and made Tora the best Nopon character ever, even when he's being a complete idiot.
That was a great watch! Xenoblade is my favorite RPG series & I can't wait for Xeboblade 3 which seems like a combination of all the Xeno games to this day 🙏🏼
Okay I'll admit it fully that I didn't really give the game a good go because I didn't like the combat but after this video I'm willing to give it another try. I really do love long RPGs that take some time to finish and it sounds like this one is exactly what I like in a game. Plus by the time I finish the first 2 if I decide to go that far the 3rd one will be out and I'll have something else to play
I'm not gonna watch any reviews,but I hope this story isn't bat shit crazy,with time travel and alternate timelines.i know the originals slightly touchbapon this,but please dnt go nuts lol
Xenoblade is the game that singlehandedly took me from hating RPGs to not being able to get enough of the genre, one of my favorite games of all time, I've played it start to Jade Face twice and finally finished it with Definitive Edition. I can't help but want, a few years out from Xenoblade 3, an announcement for a Xenogears full reimagining with nintendo having bought the rights from squeenix who clearly don't give a shit about the game. Everything recreated with new visuals, the second disc's story finally fully realized, not ruining the narrative and falsely advertising a remake that's a meta sequel fuck squeenix god damn I hate FF7 "remake" or at least Gears and Saga being available on modern digital storefronts and maybe even a physical collection release of the Saga trilogy fuck man I really gotta emulate all the cool stuff
I'd have like to have played chronicles x but at the same time. I've never known a game give me a headache with its music. I'm glad they are taking a different step for chronicles 3.
Absolutely fantastic video man! I watched it all the way through! Xenoblade has definitely become my favorite JRPG series in recent memory. Xenoblade 3 is looking super promising and I can't wait to play it!
I must confess, outside of the original Direct trailer when it was announced I haven't seen much else because I want to go as blind as possible, but I'm really looking forward to it now that I'm actually ready to do so.
Absolutely incredible video and one of the best overviews of the series and its history that I've ever seen. It's amazing to look back at this series that I have adored for years and its humble roots and challenges along the way. I will admit though, that as someone who has put far too much time into Xenoblade 2 at this point, I often forget how absurd the combat system sounds when you hear someone trying to describe it!
I love Xenogear. It has a damn best and unique story in the PS1 era. Imagine a medieval setting with hidden sci-fi element and mecha, with a rather religious thematic story. It was so different to any typical JRPG, and it should surpassed FFVII if not for less-than-AAA development and presentation, and the rushed Disc 2 story. It's a damn shame 'cause such story would be line up for success if wasn't for the rushed development.
@@MinhLe19303The Avah areas and Nisan have some elements. But 80% of the game is in Thames, Shevat, Solaris, Nortune, and Zeboim all areas which don’t resemble medieval era at all. It is a unique sci-fi setting.
Loved the video admittedly I've heard the origin story of Monolith soft before but I still enjoyed what you said and the infor given Operation Rainfall singlehandedly gives me faith in the power of people brought together for a common cause in the modern era I see a lot of people including myself no longer truly believing in the power of the individual in the face of larger organizations and rules. In a way I feel Xenoblade and jrpgs in general are a message to the potential of the individual in face of seemingly impossible odds which sure many games are like but jrpgs are very big on the people who surround and support you toward those shared goals not just one guy being a badass.
I bought a Switch because of Xenoblade 2, but I hate the battle system. I bought Xenogears when I was in the US Army in 1999 and occupied my free time when I wasn't on duty. Loved hearing you on the Keseki Cast podcast!
I picked up Xenoblade 2 and couldn't get into it until a month later and then I just clicked with the game. For me, the combat system is the best I've ever played in any JRPG. It's so complex and insanely satifying when you can actually pull stuff off.
@@arcanaz6583 flora heals an aching soul~ Agreed! The battles are a lot of fun once you get to finally learn all mechanics and make tons of blade/hero combos.
Awesome video TKN! Xenoblade has become one of my favorite series over the last few years and you hit so many points here as to why I love it so much. The music, battle system, story, characters are all great overall and I can't wait to play Xenoblade Chronicles 3 very soon! Thanks for getting this out despite the PC issues. Hope you get it sorted out soon!
I didn't think I would finish the games before XC3 came out, but I was so hooked that I spent a fair amount of my free time playing the games! I'm hoping XC3 will do the same.
When I became a true gamer around 2012, Xenoblade Chronicles and Earthbound became and remained top of my most wanted games for nearly a decade. No other game in their franchises mattered to me. I was indifferent to Xenoblade Chronicles X, and I couldn't care less about the "Come on Reggie! Give us Mother 3!" memes. I did hold Xenogears as an all time classic and part of the upper echelons of video game storytelling, and loved hearing about how Mother and Earthbound influenced the Pokemon series. But that was it, and wasn't interested in playing them. My older brother bought me Xenoblade Chronicles 2 without telling me. I was unimpressed by the cartoony art style, questionable voice direction and was still conditioned to only know how to play turn-based RPG's. Within a couple of hours, I was too frustrated and hang up on the first game to play anymore, and eventually sold the game. Then the first game and Earthbound was ported to the 3DS, which I had and loved playing on it. But it turned out you needed a NEW 3DS to play them. Not a regular 3DS.* F***ING WHAT?!* Much later the Definitive Edition came, followed by Earthbound on Switch Online this year, and I finally got to play the games that alluded me for so long. Are they great as I hoped? Yes! But I wouldn't put them in my top 10. I dream of being a writer, and at the time I was going through a lot of mental issues at the time and one factor was putting sooooooo much past media in high regards that I will never reach; I wished I could have lived through those eras, because I couldn't stand this modern age with polarised views on everything and reliance on social media. I realised that I needed to appreciate things around me - realise great things occur and are created all the time, and the time to look back on them as a 'golden age' comes much later. I realised all the games I played more recently such as Persona 5 and the Trails series were the best ever, and one day people will call them 'classics'. While I haven't finished Definitive Edition or Eaethbound, and both are staying in my backlog indefinitely, I'm happy to have finally scratched them off my most wanted games list and I had a lot of fun doing them. Now I'm interested in exploring the rest of their resepective franchises, so now I regret selling XBC2!
Very informative, thanks! I had no idea the series went through so much, with the exception of Operation Rainfall. When you mentioned the combat system being too complicated and poorly introduced in XC2 I knew you were going to transition to Torna. This game is the best in my opinion in term of combat, and the mechanics are taught over several quests which ensure the player has at least some basic understanding of them in order to progress while still unlocking everything pretty early. Given how much progress the team has made since XC's first release, we can have high hopes for XC3. On a somewhat unrelated note, can someone explain how XC:FC is related to XC2? I heard so multiple times but I can't find any connection despite having played both.
This is very timely. I bought a Switch in May and after binging Zelda, this seemed like the enxt logical step. I'm playing the first game right now, and although it took a while to get used to the battle system, I'm completely hooked. I've always loved games that feature exploration. If you ask me, Skies of Arcadia is still the best JRPG ever made and the scale of the world is a big part of that opinion. Xenoblade Chronicles is giving me those vibes. I still haven't figured out the affinity system, an d I'm still not in love with the combat, but I absolutely love the game so far.
This is fantastic work! I did not like XC1. I finished it, hoping the story would eventually get better, but I thought it was far inferior to XC2. I think XC2 is an absolute masterpiece. I am a little nervous about XC3, but that hasn't stopped me from pre-ordering it and I will definitely play it.
I've never played a Xeno series game even once in my life but I still sat through the entirety of this video. This is just a random stranger's opinion (aka me) but I really appreciate the effort and quality you put into this video and I'm definitely putting Xenoblade Chronicles on top of my game wishlist now.
Great video, bro! I learned some interesting stuffs about MonolithSoft. The Xenoblade saga is a lovely masterpiece, I would totally recommend it. :-) I just hope that Xenoblade 3 won't have any pseudo gacha mechanics or weird field actions restrictions like Xeno 2. However, I look forward to its release in July \o/ !
This video makes me fond of being one of the people who signed the petition, and then purchasing every game since the first to support the series. I have the phisical collection starting with the Wii version of Xenoblade Chronicles and would have bought the special edition for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 if not for that questionable choice on Nintendo's part to make the product only available in their store. But all in all, this is one of the best series I've played and it makes me happy everytime I see someone else who enjoys it as much as me. Cheers.
Wow, I just started playing Xenoblade chronicles 1 for the xenoblade chronicles 3 hype and I like it. Now that I see this I have a lot of respect for this game XD
It's amazing that Takahashi's vision for the Perfect Works series may be finally coming to fruition in some way with the release of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 at the end of this month. It may not be in the way he wanted it but I applaud him for not giving up on his ambition.
ngl, surprised i sat through the whole video when i didn't even play the first game, but it was a pretty interesting ride, and with the xenoblade chronicles definitive edition sitting on my shelf unplayed since a long while already, i might just found enough interest in the series to start the game upon my vacation.
Its great to hear non-cheesy US accents for a change. I usually put on the Japanese originals as I can't stand hearing valley girls and male heroes with Laryngitis
My main rig may be down, but I was mentally prepared to put this out for the weekend. So I bit the bullet and used my hard drive back up with my laptop - it made me realise how much I depend on my main set up. Either way, here's my Xenoblade video, hope you like it!
This was great - thank you for making this even when you are going through hardship. One of my favourite series, I can’t wait for the third game!
Thanks for video,, i love xenoblade game
Good job
Hell yeah!
Xenoblade Chronicles X is not a spin-off, Takahashi does not treat it as such and in an interview after the release of 1DE, he pointed how all Xenoblade games are tied in the bigger lore and it just happens that they are flexible with the order they tell the story.
22:06 according to Pyra's english VA the reason why the line delivery is very hit and miss it's because she claims they didn't have access to actual cutscenes from the game, they were just given the script with some notes like "pyra is very sad in this scene" or "rex is angry and shouting in this scene" which cause confusion on the VAs on how to deliver the lines.
Thankfully that didn't happen in Torna, I think, and I expect 3 to be the same
@@Fermin-hw5pd and that happen bc Monolithsoft got more budget due the good sales of XC2 and the support who they provide to other games
Plus I think only had like a week to do the voice lines
I blame Nintendo of Japan for rushing the localization, the translated scripts themselves seem rushed too.
I feel like if Monolith Soft came to be in the modern era, where weird indie RPGs are much more common, Xenosaga could have found the success it set out to. I absolutely adore the Xenoblade games and I'm glad they came to be, but it's weird to think that Monolith being a studio broken off from a larger studio to find more creative freedom was ahead of their time in some respect.
Also, I've always found it funny that the other Operation Rainfall games were just completely left in the dust despite the effort put in to get them over to the US.
Indeed! I forgot Pandora's tower even existed until I did research for this.
Well sakaguchi intended for the last story to be just that, he was dead set on this being his last traditional game before going mobile only. And Pandora's tower was tagged as being bad/not worth the hype, thus ending it's journey. While Xenoblade Chronicles was made by a Nintendo studio thus making it very different for them. Nintendo can keep marketing it, re-releasing it on all their consoles, turn it into a major franchise, ect. And with so many jrpg fans ending their "PlayStation only" attitude it exposes them to the game that is available on their newly adopted 3ds and switch
@@ericp631 is Last Story any good?
@@paperluigi6132 yeah. I mean there is some clunky bits, but once you get used to/understand what you are doing, it's smooth sailing. That's really the only downside. It's definitely a must play for the system, and deserves to be remembered more
@@paperluigi6132 it is, every boss have their own way to kill it
I get why fans of the first game might have been a bit disappointed with X because of its weaker main story, but I feel like it has the best exploration and world design in the Xenoblade Chronicles series to date. XC3 may change that, but we won't know till it releases. I also prefer the combat system in XCX to the other mainline games. There really is plenty to love about X, I just wish that more fans appreciated it when it came out.
Same here. It was those skells that made me love the game, especially those 2 Ares skell models!
Mechs and traversal in general, huge seamless open world, combat arts animations, best sidequests in the series, etc. The story may have been polarizing but the game had some aspects that truly shined and made up for the overall shortcomings imo. Just like Xenoblade 1 I feel that it deserves a second chance so we can hopefully get a sequel in the future.
@@sentoworf Definitely, X could really benefit from a bit of a glow up but what we really need is something to resolve that darn cliffhanger.
Breath of the Wild, Elden Ring, The Witcher 3. While I do respect your opinion, I do believe it’s a little wild to say it’s the best explorations deal world design to date. Ghost of Tsushima, Red Dead Redemption 2? Idk, I will say personally I do believe Xenoblade Chronicles deserves to be in the conversation but I just wouldn’t be so definitive on saying it’s the best to date.
@@hartfantom My apologies if I was being vague, but I was primarially refering to the world design within the Xenoblade Chronicles series specifically. I do agree that there are worlds out there that have just as much care and depth to them as Xenoblade X. I still stand by the opinion that it has the best world design /in the Xenoblade Series/ to date, and should be regarded highly alongside the other games which you have mentioned.
Again, I apologize for not being clear at the beginning and I will edit the original comment so the context is more readily apparent.
Xenoblade is the greatest thing to happen to JRPGs since 90s Square. They are all brilliant.
Might just be my most favorite non-trails related video youve done! This is my all time favorite franchise (on par with Kiseki) and this is the jrpg that Ive been hoping you would cover ever since I started following you!
Great stuff! And I hope everything gets sorted out for your rig!
Cheers buddy! Glad you liked it. Hopefully I'll hear back about the rig this week, but it's probably a sign that an upgrade is due.
I too really like the Xenoblade series as well as Xenogears (my first xeno game) and the 3 Xenosaga games. To me, this franchise is second to Kiseki (Trails). And as a bonus, the official localization of Trails from Zero comes out a couple months after Xenoblade Chronicles 3😊.
Xenoblade Chronicles has been my favorite modern JRPG series. Great games, and tons of value in the box. Not going to be able to play this one until December at the earliest but that's fine.
I wonder if the December Expansion pass Story content will be this games Torna? A stand alone game, or within the main games save.
The expansion pass for Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was the best value in gaming. A full open world game with cutscenes/Voice for $20, not to mention all the content for the main game. Will be getting it again this time
High hopes for the DLC, you can see Shulk and Rex's weapons on the DLC pass icon
Considering the story expansion doesn't release until late next year, I would hope it's bigger and better than even Torna, which is saying a lot.
@@megaultrasonic to be fair to monolith, that Date is definitely a placeholder as it is the final day of 2023. same with wave 2 of the dlc being the final day of 2022. Id wager that the dlc waves will release every 3 months, meaning theres potential that the xc3 one year anniversary will be the XC3 story dlc
@@silentlore2458 That's a fair assumption. Torna released in September despite also having a Dec. 31 placeholder if I remember right.
I wouldn't say Xenoblade is Takahashi's vision realized. I love Xenoblade but the vision for that game is not on the same level of ambition Takahashi had with Gears or Saga. I think by episode II, a lot of his ambition died. Xenoblade is more like a realistic model of his ambition. I believe it was an Episode II interview where he said he would need 30 more years; from that point, to fully tell the story he wanted for Xenosaga. Xenoblade is probably the best we will ever get out of Takahashi.
Excellent upload on why the series is so beloved by many including myself. I feel sorry for those just see the surface and don't give the series a chance as the characters and world building in the games are insanely good with depth. My pre-order for Xeno 3 is already down and I cannot wait for another what I'm sure is gonna be another emotional masterpiece. I would also absolutely love either a remaster or remake of The Last Story :-)
Pre-ordered XC3 as soon as the window went up! I can see it shooting up in price too just because it's Xenoblade, so best to lock it in early.
I bought a WiiU solely to play X. Still play it every month or so. Such a world.
I know, right? I genuinely like it more than BOTW and the other Xenoblade games so far. I'm still really hoping we'll see a port or sequel someday, I guess after the XC3 DLC...
My favorite part is creating a character looking just like Elly. 👏
X is truly an amazing experience.
I don't see the art design of the variety characters of 2 as a negative, if anything, it makes every character distinct and unique from eachother, allowing us the players to easily identify and grasp their personality and understand and relate and yadda yadda.
Put the character of sailor moon, dragon ball, American dad and Southwark together into one movie.
It looks silly. It's gladly not that extreme but still your certainly see some designs not fitting together by its arts artstyle and for me that throws me out of the ingame world when I realise it....
@@blackyraypatrick9041 aside from not fitting there are at least 2 designs i don't like at all: Finch and Dahlia.
Xenoblade quickly became my all time favorite franchise after the first game. Back then, it was only one game, but when Xenoblade X came out, I was amazed by how breathtaking the world was and how it felt exploring it. The Xenoblade series is one of the only things that makes me feel that childish sense of awe and wonder, like visiting Disneyland for the first time. It also helps that the music, story, characters, and gameplay are all top notch.
You really got a talent mate, seriously I hope you never stop making videos.
If I haven't already started my journey with the Xenoblade Series then I would have after your video.
I can't really explain it but listening to you talk about the things we both love got something really comforting.
I hope you can sort out things with your main rig.
make sure to stay healthy 😁
All the Xenoblade games are fantastic, I highly recommend them. Even X, if you have a Wii U lying about.
Much appreciated as always mate! I hope your Switch sorts out soon, technology can be our greatest friend and greatest enemy at times.
@@TheKisekiNut got it back since Friday but I made the mistake and started Elden Ring with my best friend and then as if it wasn't enough started Memories of Celceta 😂
So I got my doubts I make it till the release of 3
@@skyblade7438 unfortunately I don't have a Wii U. In fact the switch is my first Nintendo Console I was never to big on Nintendo. More a Sega and PlayStation Guy.
However I finished 1 and 2 only got the expansions left.
@@Comrade_C Yeah, as much as I like it I cannot recommend getting the Wii U purely for X.
I’d love to see you play Xenogears and Xenosaga!! I’m playing through Xenoblade 2 for the first time (I probably won’t finish it and Torna in time before the third game releases, but I’m having fun.) and it actually has a LOT of Xenogears parallels, along with quite a few Xenosaga parallels as well. They’re fascinating to find, and if you ask me, Gears and Saga actually rival Trails in terms of world building. They’re very ambitious, and not hard to emulate from the looks of it.
Anyway, this is fantastic! I knew a lot about Gears through Blade 1’s development, but not XC2. This is motivating me to push through the earlier slow parts of XC2.
Great video! Just in time for Xenoblade 3! Small addition: Manami Kiyota also participated in Xeno 2's soundtrack. Her tracks are usually ethereal and peaceful.
Also, what a great move it was for Nintendo to aquire Monolith Soft! It not only made some of the best Nintendo JRPGs (Xeno of course, but also Baiten Kaitos), the studio also helped with some of the biggest Nintendo franchises (Zelda, Animal Crossing, Splatoon...). Now they are working also on Zelda BotW 2! I am so excited for that game as well!
Just shows that a good working relationship between publisher and developer can birth some of the most memorable experiences!
They made the map design in skyward sword and in botw
you know i'm 100% convinced NoA actively tried to sabotage the sales of Xenoblade Chronicles 1 on wii back when they finally released it in the US. Which is why i'm so damn happy it did well and we have one my favorite JRPG series.
What makes you say that regarding sabotage?
@@jakewerderly5959 it was sold only at gamestop and they gave them low amount of copies too.
@@LazySamurai1354 that makes so much sense as to why gamestop was flipping the game after the holiday season.
I bought all threw oprain games for about $20usd each with the special packaging for Last Story (artbook). after the holidays gamestop was giving back Xenoblade for $80 trade in value.
I'm glad you had a good time with Xenoblade. My first real experience was an old Lets Play. I don't remember the first one I watched, but then I watched my friend play the game. Who also played Chrono Cross and made a lot of Pierre jokes. He finished his Xenobalde X LP sometime last year. I don't have a Wii U so I can't play X, but it was a great project none the less. I also only got Xenoblade 2 and Torna last year. But I only really played it this year. Great games. If I had to criticise one thing it would be the walking simulation in 1 and the complete lack of orientation in 2. And yes, I did yell at Melia to swim faster when I explored Eryth sea. And I can not listen to Engage the Enemy without the need to cry. I sadly didn't manage to may out all the Blades I wanted in 2, but at one point I just wanted to reach the end. But the fact that I played over 140 hours and still had stuff to find just shows that the game really has a lot to offer. I need to play New game+ at one point and just try and get all rare blades and max them out. I will do this at some point. I just don't know when. I love Rex and the Party in 2. Rex is a good boy and deserves happiness. But the star of the show is still Nia. I don't know what it is baout her accent, but the delievery of every single one of her lines with that welsh accent made the game 10x better than most other games. And also Morgas accent. I love british accents. I once tried to imitate the welsh, but I am German and can't do a welsh accent. Even if I think it's the coolest thing ever. But yeah, I hope your PC gets fixed soon and that you can make more great Trails content when Reverie is out in the west. Have a nice sunday.
English Xenoblade dubs, while being weird sometimes, it makes the games unique to me, like, I can't listen to japanese Zeke or Nia, I don't get the same feeling, it's as if they are someone else
I love these kinds of videos. Monolithsoft has been the MVP for Nintendo.
So their backstory is unqiue to hear about
Nintendo has also been the MVP for them
Helping them out with Breath of the Wild and it exploding like it did must have been GIANT for them. Xenoblade or no, I think Nintendo realizes how valuable they are.
The side quests and class system are considered major flaws in XC1 , but they made it so much better in XC2 to the point that blades and side quests are where XC2 shines .I hope in XC3 they bring some good to its battle system, they must......
Well, I never played the original Xenoblade Chronicles, but I did play the Definitive Edition of the Xenoblade Chronicles, and after reading about what the differences were between the two games, I can honestly that they must've improved the side quests drastically, as one of MonolithSoft's handful of improvements for it, because I had very little to no issues with the 400+ sidequests I did.
Well, if you consider getting up to 20 side quests at once a flaw (which I do)
@@Fermin-hw5pd, 20 side quests? Try 50 or 60. That's how much I would accumulate at a time lol. 😂
Xenoblade X doesn’t really deserve to get glossed over - that’s disappointing. It’s SUCH a deep game that you can’t really sum up in “it was polarizing” and there’s so much to talk about with it both inside and outside the game.
Though it may not follow the linear story focus of Xenoblade 1, it expanded on so much of the gameplay mechanic elements. At the time of its release it was only the second game so, sure, now with 3 other games following the story focus of 1, it looks out of place but at the time that could have been the natural next step of the series that had yet to make its identity.
It's not part of the mainline series, Takahashi said as much when the game first came out. Plus he probably hasn't played it considering it's a Wii U exclusive, so it's whatever.
I played Xenoblade X and like it and would have liked the story continues. Am i the only one to think the end ask for atleast another game ?
@@barongeoffrey75 yes it needs one! We need more mechs!
I just played Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition at the end of last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. I am struck by how awful the graphics look on the original Wii release. It's a very cool game where a lot of it's appeal lies in it's huge field areas and intriguing landscapes. I think a lot of that doesn't come through very well in the Wii version so I'm glad Nintendo and Monolith gave the greenlight for the Definitive Edition remaster.
Best part of the DE remaster is the QoL updates on the quests. I remember being extremely overwhelmed and completionist mindset on the Wii and was forger stuck on the Bionis Leg, worrying over timed-out quests. 🤣
Finally past it, im in frontier village and have the heropon on the team.
Loved the video admittedly I've heard the origin story of Monolith soft before but I still enjoyed what you said and the infor given
Operation Rainfall singlehandedly gives me faith in the power of people brought together for a common cause in the modern era I see a lot of people including myself no longer truly believing in the power of the individual in the face of larger organizations and rules. In a way I feel Xenoblade and jrpgs in general are a message to the potential of the individual in face of seemingly impossible odds which sure many games are like but jrpgs are very big on the people who surround and support you toward those shared goals not just one guy being a badass.
I can't cite the numbers for Xenogears and the Xenosaga games off hand, but I feel it's a testament to the success Takahashi finally achieved with XC1: DE and XC2 each selling over a million copies and the anticipation for XC3 crashing the My Nintendo site. It's a success well-deserved as I see the Xenoblade series as one of the most soulful and unique the genre has to offer.
Wow. Just wow. This video fully encapsulates what I love about the two Xenoblade games. These are my favorite video games and Ive put 500+ hours in both so it means alot to see them get the praise they deserve. Thank you.
As a huge fan of Xenoblade (and Xenogears), I still think that XC1 = XCX > XC2
Where XC1 trumps in story aspect, XCX is a masterclass on open world exploration and character building for me. The story may not as appealing as the main series but that final chapter! THAT ending!
Can't wait for XC3 and hopefuly we can get XCX2 later on to answer the loose ends in XCX ending.
Beautiful video. Thank you for this. I watched countless videos on Xenoblade/Monolith Soft/Tetsuya Takahashi but I still learned new things. Can't wait to see the conclusion of this long scenario Takahashi tried to convey since Xenogears with Xenoblade Chronicles 3.
ASTOUNDING video, great job showing the struggle, passion, history, and appreciation for each game.
This video serves as a reminder as to why I love this series. Thank you for this.
Xenoblade 1 and 2 are both beautiful games but not without their individual flaws, moreso with 2. Either way loved both and have high hopes that XB3 will be excellent!
As it is in most media I would say. As long as the positives outweigh the negatives - and the series does that easily.
What fascinates me about xenoblade is that it's a story that has had its time to be refined, from xenogears to xenosaga, since the late 90s this game had a vision which couldn't be realized, xenosaga, same thing
I think when xenoblade was being made the plan wasn't to use the themes of the great works of the xeno series, but once xenoblade 2 came out I think Takahashi knew that he could realize his vision, that's why the conduit and heavy religion themes were a predominant part of xenoblade 2
Xenoblade 3 looks like it's bringing the mech mechanic that xenogears and saga had, with a twist of course, this time instead of mechs it's two characters fusing, which has so much story potential like trusting somebody that was your enemy not too long ago to use your body as strength
Anyways, I can't wait what else we see from the xeno series, it's a really special series that clearly has a lot of love put into it and is meticulously thought out
Love this type of video where we take a dive into the history of a series and its developers.
I'm actually currently playing Xenosaga on emulator and I absolutely love it so far. The story is mature, with mature and well-developed characters, who have understandable motives and, ultimately, hypocritical thinking much like real people. I'm so impressed and also sad that it didn't get realised.
That game gave me nightmares and tears for the opening hour or so. Its really fun when it takes the gameplay of Gears and changes it up even more.
Ah yes xenoblade... the only reason trails isn’t my favorite rpg series
I don't think Operation Rainfall had as much of an impact on Xenoblade's success as people think it did. It kind of stood on its own. Compare that to how little discussion The Last Story and Pandora's Tower get online - even in hardcore JRPG circles.
Thank you Satoru Iwata for convincing Nintendo higher ups to buy Monolithsoft without a doubt one of the best decision ever made by Nintendo.
Why did I start crying immediately when Beyond the Sky began
please make your thumbnail more click baity it looks so boring
XC2 is a personal favorite of mine. I really should go do a NG+ run of it.
Just found your channel but amazing video. Really puts a nice bow on the absolutely happy accident that the Xenoblade series is. Being that I started with XC2 and currently have it as my all-time favorite JRPG, it's a shame that the really deep combat mechanics are pretty slept on due to how the game presented them. Hopefully Xenoblade 3 brings some of those people back to the series so they can give it another go.
I hear so many people in my circles talk about how "mid" the Xenoblade series is, how XC3 is gonna flop or how it got rushed out of the door for it's new, late-July release. Not me though. Takahashi and the talented people at Monolithsoft have proven otherwise time and time again, and this video just solidified that belief for me 😌
Xenoblade Chronicles X was the game that brought me back into gaming after I took several years of only occasionally playing Call of Duty and Mario Kart with friends.
I really love this series and I am really excited for 3
I wish they went back to using Tanaka as a character designer for X3 since they finally perfected transforming his style into 3D with the Shulk/Fiora renders in X2 DLC.
God, I want a Xenogears remake so badly, but we'll probably not even get a port unfortunately.
Well, you can blame Squaresoft for that.
I mean, if we got Chrono Cross, Live A Live and Crisis Core, I'm partially hopeful.
Xenosaga, on the other hand...
I'm pretty sure Xenogears is in a special type of licensing hell, so I have almost no hope lol
@@azon7458 from what is know, square has full control over xenogears
It's a tricky situation. Takahashi and Square didn't part on the best of terms. Might be water under the bridge now after all that time, but I'm not too hopeful, I don't recall seeing it in the Nvidia leak either.
Man Takahashi and Monolith's journey from Xenogears to blade is beautiful. Makes me appreciate Xenoblade and them so much. I haven't beaten saga or started gears from all I've heard about them and also from this video,they're lesser games as a who due to Takahashi and Monolith growing by Xenoblade. From what I've played of Xenosaga,I do feel that way and doesn't feel nearly as good to play. Which makes me question going through them. Still I'm interested in the stories they have to tell so I'm going to see that
Xenogears is the best story in any video game I've ever played
I also just beat all the xenoblade titles. I'm currently playing torna dlc though and it's fun as hell but unfortunately the padding is a real downer. I don't tend to play side quests especially the fetching kind. I play RPGs for the main characters and the gameplay.
The fact that they're forcing you to reach level 4 in the "community" which consists of generic NPCs is upsetting as I just don't care about them. You essentially have to do like 50 side quests.
I'd go 2>1>Torna>FC>X
This is such a good video. More ppl need to play xeno. Unfortunately Nintendo fans seem to hate the series
It's more "Nintendo fans hate JRPG, except Pokémon" lol.
What are you talking about? This statement couldn't be anymore wrong.🤨
@@slasherz2548 then you haven't seen all the hate for the Xenoblade 3 direct or every time a Jrpg is shown in a direct. But I think or hope it is the vocal minority. Xenoblade/nintendo fans did crash the Nintendo store for pre-ordering the special edition so the support is there.
@@zillo1600 I have yet to see someone hating on Xeno 3 aside from the "muh console better, it shoulda been there instead of shitty tablet"
Amazing video, sharing it everywhere i can
I love the Xeno series and it’s alwyas nice to just watch how it all began even tho i know it already
Funny how US didn’t want to localize it cus "it wouldn’t sell" lol
My favourite one is XC2 but the whole series is just great
Can’t wait for Xenoblade Chronicles 3!
Really? Most of the fandom thinks Gears is the best game. Hard agree it’s a niche opinion but XC2 is great!
Tbh 3 has such high hopes to live up to. 1 qnd 2 have such incredible stories its hard to imagine how they can match them. 2 matched and imo beat 1s story but idk what 3 can do. Let's hope!!
This has quickly become my favorite jrpg series. I feel like my intro to the series was a bit atypical, since my first game was X, which also happened to be my first ever open world game. While the story was weak, the exploration and world were a revelation, and I then picked up the 3DS port of the first game. I'm so glad they persevered to get their game vision to fruition and have finally reached the success they wanted (and deserve).
Disappointed how little you talked about X and only used it for a Xenoblade 2 segway talking as if X was some half-game
WOW!! That was an absolutely incredible video!! Bravo sir, well done!
So well researched and so in depth on every aspect of the series. I even learned things about the development of this series from this and I'm a nut when it comes to Xenoblade.
Subscription commencing now.
Monolithsoft is for me what Squaresoft was in the SNES-PS1 days. It's impressive the imput of them after the Xenosaga games, and being in partnership with Nintendo also helps them to bring their best input, thing that they probably wouldn't be able to archieve if they were still with Square or Namco, because Square would probably limit them into being a support studio for Final Fantasy and Bandai Namco wouldn't understand what they wanted to tell. Focusing on gameplay also made Takahashi game from "mediocre to okayish", to "good to great". Xenoblade X's world exploration is still unbeaten.
No joke, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is looking to be the best JRPG on the Switch. Monolith Soft's ability to learn from criticism is incredible, and I can only wait in anticipation to see how the Magnus Opus of the Xenoblade series will turn out.
I think the avoidance of Riki being the token mascot character was a wise choice, especially since in XCX they did the exact opposite and made Tatsu into an obnoxious, one note punchline of a character. I'm glad they learned from this mistake and made Tora the best Nopon character ever, even when he's being a complete idiot.
That was a great watch! Xenoblade is my favorite RPG series & I can't wait for Xeboblade 3 which seems like a combination of all the Xeno games to this day 🙏🏼
Only played Xenogears and Xenosaga, never played Xenoblade series. Is it worth it?
i would say yes ,maybe try xenoblade chronicles DE first
Yes start with Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition
thanks for the replies ❤️
Okay I'll admit it fully that I didn't really give the game a good go because I didn't like the combat but after this video I'm willing to give it another try. I really do love long RPGs that take some time to finish and it sounds like this one is exactly what I like in a game. Plus by the time I finish the first 2 if I decide to go that far the 3rd one will be out and I'll have something else to play
I'm not gonna watch any reviews,but I hope this story isn't bat shit crazy,with time travel and alternate timelines.i know the originals slightly touchbapon this,but please dnt go nuts lol
Xenoblade is the game that singlehandedly took me from hating RPGs to not being able to get enough of the genre, one of my favorite games of all time, I've played it start to Jade Face twice and finally finished it with Definitive Edition. I can't help but want, a few years out from Xenoblade 3, an announcement for a Xenogears full reimagining with nintendo having bought the rights from squeenix who clearly don't give a shit about the game. Everything recreated with new visuals, the second disc's story finally fully realized, not ruining the narrative and falsely advertising a remake that's a meta sequel fuck squeenix god damn I hate FF7 "remake"
or at least Gears and Saga being available on modern digital storefronts and maybe even a physical collection release of the Saga trilogy fuck man I really gotta emulate all the cool stuff
I'd have like to have played chronicles x but at the same time. I've never known a game give me a headache with its music. I'm glad they are taking a different step for chronicles 3.
Awesome video. Just a quick note: Blade Arts are not the same as Specials. Blade Arts act more like buffs during combate.
Absolutely fantastic video man! I watched it all the way through! Xenoblade has definitely become my favorite JRPG series in recent memory. Xenoblade 3 is looking super promising and I can't wait to play it!
I must confess, outside of the original Direct trailer when it was announced I haven't seen much else because I want to go as blind as possible, but I'm really looking forward to it now that I'm actually ready to do so.
I love Xenoblade.
I love full bursts in XC2, but when your setups get better, they just don't exist anymore. I wish they were properly accessible in the endgame
How you can like this game and not tales of vesperia is literally baffling.
Absolutely incredible video and one of the best overviews of the series and its history that I've ever seen. It's amazing to look back at this series that I have adored for years and its humble roots and challenges along the way.
I will admit though, that as someone who has put far too much time into Xenoblade 2 at this point, I often forget how absurd the combat system sounds when you hear someone trying to describe it!
I love Xenogear. It has a damn best and unique story in the PS1 era. Imagine a medieval setting with hidden sci-fi element and mecha, with a rather religious thematic story. It was so different to any typical JRPG, and it should surpassed FFVII if not for less-than-AAA development and presentation, and the rushed Disc 2 story. It's a damn shame 'cause such story would be line up for success if wasn't for the rushed development.
The setting is not medieval at all. It is a clear sci-fi setting the whole way through.
@@jadennava1571 Most places have old villages and people with medieval clothes, except certain countries (I forgot the name) have advanced tech.
@@MinhLe19303The Avah areas and Nisan have some elements. But 80% of the game is in Thames, Shevat, Solaris, Nortune, and Zeboim all areas which don’t resemble medieval era at all. It is a unique sci-fi setting.
Yea this game will have u lost for 2hrs tryna find the next mission mark😂😂😂😂i love it tho
combat in 1 was its weakest feature. combat was much better in 2 even if overwhelming at first
Loved the video admittedly I've heard the origin story of Monolith soft before but I still enjoyed what you said and the infor given
Operation Rainfall singlehandedly gives me faith in the power of people brought together for a common cause in the modern era I see a lot of people including myself no longer truly believing in the power of the individual in the face of larger organizations and rules. In a way I feel Xenoblade and jrpgs in general are a message to the potential of the individual in face of seemingly impossible odds which sure many games are like but jrpgs are very big on the people who surround and support you toward those shared goals not just one guy being a badass.
I bought a Switch because of Xenoblade 2, but I hate the battle system. I bought Xenogears when I was in the US Army in 1999 and occupied my free time when I wasn't on duty. Loved hearing you on the Keseki Cast podcast!
I picked up Xenoblade 2 and couldn't get into it until a month later and then I just clicked with the game. For me, the combat system is the best I've ever played in any JRPG. It's so complex and insanely satifying when you can actually pull stuff off.
@@arcanaz6583 flora heals an aching soul~
Agreed! The battles are a lot of fun once you get to finally learn all mechanics and make tons of blade/hero combos.
Looking forward to your coverage of Xenoblade Chronicles 3.
No xenoblade X sadge.
Good video. Watched all of it even though I know quite a bit about monolith
Great Job ! Loved this video !
The pacing and the informations you gathered are remarkably well crafted together !
what! a JRPG that would come out in Europe but not USA? o.o
XCX is the best game in the series
But the real question to ask here is *Ad plays* 3.99 A&W teen burger
I feel like xenoblade x is the modern day xenoblade 1.
I been wondering what happened with these games...
Awesome video TKN! Xenoblade has become one of my favorite series over the last few years and you hit so many points here as to why I love it so much. The music, battle system, story, characters are all great overall and I can't wait to play Xenoblade Chronicles 3 very soon! Thanks for getting this out despite the PC issues. Hope you get it sorted out soon!
I didn't think I would finish the games before XC3 came out, but I was so hooked that I spent a fair amount of my free time playing the games! I'm hoping XC3 will do the same.
My favourite game series of all time ❤️
When I became a true gamer around 2012, Xenoblade Chronicles and Earthbound became and remained top of my most wanted games for nearly a decade.
No other game in their franchises mattered to me. I was indifferent to Xenoblade Chronicles X, and I couldn't care less about the "Come on Reggie! Give us Mother 3!" memes. I did hold Xenogears as an all time classic and part of the upper echelons of video game storytelling, and loved hearing about how Mother and Earthbound influenced the Pokemon series. But that was it, and wasn't interested in playing them. My older brother bought me Xenoblade Chronicles 2 without telling me. I was unimpressed by the cartoony art style, questionable voice direction and was still conditioned to only know how to play turn-based RPG's. Within a couple of hours, I was too frustrated and hang up on the first game to play anymore, and eventually sold the game. Then the first game and Earthbound was ported to the 3DS, which I had and loved playing on it. But it turned out you needed a NEW 3DS to play them. Not a regular 3DS.* F***ING WHAT?!*
Much later the Definitive Edition came, followed by Earthbound on Switch Online this year, and I finally got to play the games that alluded me for so long. Are they great as I hoped? Yes! But I wouldn't put them in my top 10. I dream of being a writer, and at the time I was going through a lot of mental issues at the time and one factor was putting sooooooo much past media in high regards that I will never reach; I wished I could have lived through those eras, because I couldn't stand this modern age with polarised views on everything and reliance on social media. I realised that I needed to appreciate things around me - realise great things occur and are created all the time, and the time to look back on them as a 'golden age' comes much later. I realised all the games I played more recently such as Persona 5 and the Trails series were the best ever, and one day people will call them 'classics'. While I haven't finished Definitive Edition or Eaethbound, and both are staying in my backlog indefinitely, I'm happy to have finally scratched them off my most wanted games list and I had a lot of fun doing them. Now I'm interested in exploring the rest of their resepective franchises, so now I regret selling XBC2!
Very informative, thanks! I had no idea the series went through so much, with the exception of Operation Rainfall.
When you mentioned the combat system being too complicated and poorly introduced in XC2 I knew you were going to transition to Torna. This game is the best in my opinion in term of combat, and the mechanics are taught over several quests which ensure the player has at least some basic understanding of them in order to progress while still unlocking everything pretty early. Given how much progress the team has made since XC's first release, we can have high hopes for XC3.
On a somewhat unrelated note, can someone explain how XC:FC is related to XC2? I heard so multiple times but I can't find any connection despite having played both.
This is very timely. I bought a Switch in May and after binging Zelda, this seemed like the enxt logical step. I'm playing the first game right now, and although it took a while to get used to the battle system, I'm completely hooked. I've always loved games that feature exploration. If you ask me, Skies of Arcadia is still the best JRPG ever made and the scale of the world is a big part of that opinion. Xenoblade Chronicles is giving me those vibes. I still haven't figured out the affinity system, an d I'm still not in love with the combat, but I absolutely love the game so far.
Hope you continue to enjoy it! It's a ride emotionally.
Skies of Arcadia has a place in many gamers hearts.
This is fantastic work! I did not like XC1. I finished it, hoping the story would eventually get better, but I thought it was far inferior to XC2. I think XC2 is an absolute masterpiece. I am a little nervous about XC3, but that hasn't stopped me from pre-ordering it and I will definitely play it.
I've never played a Xeno series game even once in my life but I still sat through the entirety of this video. This is just a random stranger's opinion (aka me) but I really appreciate the effort and quality you put into this video and I'm definitely putting Xenoblade Chronicles on top of my game wishlist now.
Insane how much disrespect Xenoblade X gets even though its the best game in the series
What is the song at the end of the video?
Great video, bro! I learned some interesting stuffs about MonolithSoft.
The Xenoblade saga is a lovely masterpiece, I would totally recommend it. :-)
I just hope that Xenoblade 3 won't have any pseudo gacha mechanics or weird field actions restrictions like Xeno 2. However, I look forward to its release in July \o/ !
Xenoblade X is an amazing game.
This video makes me fond of being one of the people who signed the petition, and then purchasing every game since the first to support the series. I have the phisical collection starting with the Wii version of Xenoblade Chronicles and would have bought the special edition for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 if not for that questionable choice on Nintendo's part to make the product only available in their store. But all in all, this is one of the best series I've played and it makes me happy everytime I see someone else who enjoys it as much as me. Cheers.
Wow, I just started playing Xenoblade chronicles 1 for the xenoblade chronicles 3 hype and I like it. Now that I see this I have a lot of respect for this game XD
It's amazing that Takahashi's vision for the Perfect Works series may be finally coming to fruition in some way with the release of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 at the end of this month.
It may not be in the way he wanted it but I applaud him for not giving up on his ambition.
I own all the oprain games, my surprise was the english voice acting. It gave the games charm as an american playing rpgs a breath of fresh air.
it just keeps getting better every game
ngl, surprised i sat through the whole video when i didn't even play the first game, but it was a pretty interesting ride, and with the xenoblade chronicles definitive edition sitting on my shelf unplayed since a long while already, i might just found enough interest in the series to start the game upon my vacation.
I loved this, this is so cool to learn and I can't believe how much info you pulled. I was a signed on part of project rainfall, such memories.
Its great to hear non-cheesy US accents for a change. I usually put on the Japanese originals as I can't stand hearing valley girls and male heroes with Laryngitis
Commenting for the algorithm, just found your channel and im already a fan, keep up the great work!
I remember getting Xenoblade Chronicles for the Wii at a GameStop in a mall. It was a really great deal.