I don't know if this will be seen, but I wanted to give my opinion on the sexualization of female characters in XC2 as a sex-positive woman. I am of the opinion that revealing clothing on a woman isn't inherently bad, just as revealing clothing on men isn't bad. My issues come down to have the women wearing these clothes are presented, and their reason for wearing said clothing. 1) As people have already said, the characters within the story don't really acknowledge what the women are wearing (to an extent). Normally, I would take this as a positive, as women should be allowed to wear what they want without fear of backlash. Showing that women are not "sluts" for this to a (mostly) male audience is such an important thing, and I'm glad this game did that. My issue is how the game itself looks at the characters. In almost every scene in XC2, we get boob and butt shots from the camera. It happened so often that I honestly couldn't pay attention to what was happening in the game because it made me so angry how the camera felt the constant need to show me that the women had boobs. I often found myself asking "what was the point in cutting to a shot of X character's sideboob or Y character's ass when talking about battle tactics or what to do next?" While, yes, I don't think the characters sexualize the female in this game, the game itself most certainly does. 2) Honestly even with the above point, I could 100% forgive the game for pulling those stunts if that said anything about the characters. Take Bayonetta, for example. She is extremely sexual and the camera makes sure to show off as much of her body as possible, and that's something I love about that game. Now, you may be asking, why? What makes her so different from the characters in XC2? Well, it's the will of the characters themselves. Bayonetta wants people to look at her body--she knows she's sexy and loves showing it off. It's perfectly im character for her to want the audience to look at her body, so the camera cutting to her boobs and butt make complete sense. The same cannot be said for the XC2 characters. Ask yourself, " Why are they dressed like that?" Is it because they want to? Or is it because they needed sex appeal? What does any of their character designs tell us about who they are as a person? Does it really feel like their character design was made to suit their personalities, of that they were given personalities after a design was approved? If you were to give them less revealing clothing and stop cutting to shots of their boobs and butts, would they still be the same characters, or would something be lost?" In my opinion, the vast majority of the girls could be covered up and have no difference to their story or personalities. In fact, I'd argue that quite a few of them would probably love to wear less revealing clothing based on their personalities. Of course, that doesn't mean you have to have a certain personality type to wear revealing clothing, but to have almost all of the women have some sort of revealing or sexualized clothing article? Does that make any sense? If the game had an even distribution of women wearing less revealing clothing, revealing clothing, and something in the middles, then only have the boob and butt shots focus on the characters that actually wanted people to look at them in that way, then I would be 100% on board. However, as it stands now, XC2 is a clear example of female sexualization, and not female empowerment.
I greatly appreciate you sharing, and I apologize for (clearly) not being equipped enough to provide a strong case to either side of the discussion on this front. It means a lot that you’d put this much thought into your comment and I hope other folks will give it a read. I would feel bad if I pushed too strongly one way or the other in the video itself as I would feel as though I’d be drowning out the voices of women, but I think your comment sufficiently covered what my video didn’t. As time has gone on I find myself agreeing with your perspective more. I am not the type to be bothered by fan-service, but if one demographic is going to be dressed and designed in such a way then it should be applied evenly and Xenoblade 2 DEFINITELY doesn’t apply it evenly. Seriously, thank you for this comment, it’s the most insightful kind of comment to receive.
@@Tronk_ And thank you for reading and replying. Your video was great and it is clear you thought a lot about these topics, but since you yourself admitted that you didn't know enough to talk about this issue, I wanted to share. Keep up the good work and thank you for being so respectful!
I agree, the sexualisation is only there because they are attractive characters, and not because it is an aspect of their character. Like Homura/Pyra, she isn't written as a flirty or sexual character and its like no one even notices how she is dressed. Kinda makes me like the architect a lot less as it makes it seem like he made her as a barbie doll even though he is a super serious character.
One of the reasons that fans have found out according to interviews is that Pyra and Mythra's designs are meant to invoke them being incomplete. Which is why their outfits expose a lot of skin. It may sound like a stretch until you take into consideration Pneuma's design and Pyra and Mythra's character arc. Pneuma is the form where Pyra and Mythra fully accept themselves and unlock their true power. In that form, they are completely covered with next to no skin being revealed at all. Visually showing that as Pneuma they are complete.
I cried every time you explained how tragic Mythra and Pyra's characters are. I'd like to think I don't cry in stories very often, and the ending of this game definitely left me a sobbing mess. Even after seeing the ending over 20 times, I still cry. It's just so beautifully done. And don't even get me started on Torna's ending.
Oh , Now go watch Xenoblade 3’s ending , I kept crying for a month just because of that ending , and I watched it once , It’s so emotional and I usually don’t cry either in stories
@@padma0007 I found Xenoblade 2's ending more emotional for me, but I also got emotional for Xenoblade 3's ending. I think chapter 5 ending was the peak of that game.
Well done, I got into the series when Definitive Edition came out and didn't stop after that, put hundreds of hours into both and I think I might be more excited for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 than any game in my life and I'm old
Finally finished this and OH BOY it was worth the watch The amount of effort in this is amazing and the discussion on the later cutscenes and characters was able to make me cry(then again this game is just good at doing that lol) Also it's just nice seeing people show there love for this game/series
Your bleeding sarcasm during the “totally not character development” scene was hilarious. It often feels like an uphill battle to have Rex be my favourite character in this game, and even above other characters I love. It’s mostly cause there’s always those inane comments that are repeated over and over about him that it’s hard to argue my own perspective. He’s a character that I loved due to how different he is as a protagonist, and how fun and interesting he can be as his own character. I agreed with almost everything you said here, barring a few stuff I didn’t really mind as much as most do. And, even if I have my disagreements, just the fact that you treated Rex with respect makes me not care at all. Based video, subscribed!
sure, a protagonist that get given everything, doesnt learn his lesson, always get bailed out by other characters is so well written, I too love completely garbage characters and even worse games like Xenoblade 2
@@fieldkaiju uh huh i could totally tell the same argument with shulk what are the odds that he could weild the manado easily despite having little to no combat experience and becomes god at the end can play this game all day bud lol
@@fieldkaiju if you actually played the game rex does learn his lessons after getting rekt by jin losing pyra and mythra but im guessing your one of those people that havent even gone pass chapter 3 yet like those twitch streamers that hate play the game going "game bad lol".
You have my total gratitude for the support you gave to this game sir. It's my personal favorite Switch game, and I find totally unfair how much hate it gets for the wrong reasons...
This was a genuinely well thought-out and put-together analysis of sorts that really encapsulates everything I love about Xenoblade Chronicles 2 as well. Despite clear flaws, so much is so good about this game, to the point that it is my personal favorite game of all time. I wish more people would give the game a genuine chance, to experience a cast of characters with an astoundingly engaging story to accompany them. I could never put into words how much this series as a whole has really helped me find genuine passion and love for the storytelling games can provide. I really liked how you emphasized the blend of gameplay and story working amazingly together, as well as mentioning the whole "win in gameplay, lose in cutscene" aspect. I can understand how some people would dislike that, but I'm in the same boat as you on my stance. I don't think as many of the scenes would've really hit as hard if Rex and the others had simply won. Rex was clearly less skilled and less powerful earlier on in the game, when facing opponents clearly stronger than him. I'd rather see him grow from moments like this, than simply win and only gain pride. A particular point that also hits with me is the handling of Tora's character. Since Poppi is my favorite character in the game, it can certainly be jarring trying to interpret their relationship. When I ignore most of the trope-based jokes and look at him generally, he really is a nice character. His relationship with Poppi (outside of the tropes, once again) is actually rather strong, and I appreciate that she isn't just completely subservient. Instead, she happens to make little jabs at him in some heart-to-hearts, but it's clearly not out of dislike for him. I just like little character touches like that, with, as you said, the way these characters truly bounce off of one another strongly in almost every interaction. Aside from the Tora situation, I really do think every character is handled so well. It's a genuine shame so many people seem to shame Rex in particular, and I'm really glad you touched on his development throughout the game. It makes me wonder how much some of these people even paid attention to the game, though, to not even notice any of this... Sorry for rambling for so long. Not to mention having a whole section of it be primarily about Tora and Poppi, but I suppose that's just due to how much I like Poppi and wish the character connected to her most was handled a little better. Just know that this video was an absolute treat to watch, and thank you. I hope more people start to watch this.
I definitely agree, more people definitely should give these games a chance. It's truly an experience and yet people can be very hesitant even calling 2 too anime like and stuff and therefore never give it or even definitive edition a chance
In defense of Tora: While his age is never outright stated, through context clues in the game I've seen online that it is generally agreed upon that he is between the ages of 10 and 15, making his obsession with Poppi's cuteness much more agreeable. No, what we should take issue with is his father and grandfather, the ones who first came up with Poppi's design in the first place.
@@xacmashe3852 So he's essentially a child going through puberty and it's problems. At least he tries his best to keep his fantasies hidden (even if it fails).
I just realized that Jin lived for 500 years missing and mourning Lora. How awul is that and how would anyone could not become a villain after this time. You see every scene with Jin in the maingame in another light with this in mind. Thank you for this in depth love letter to my favorite game of all time. Means a lot 🍀💚
55:45 As someone, who played XC2, when it first came out, there are some things, that were fixed in patches and update, for example, pressing x used to bring you to the map selection, instead of the map of the current location. On another note RIP Ardainian Soldier Voice Lines, you gave me headdaches at first, but I still miss you.
Xc3 spoiler.. 1:56:35 heh.. that aged well. Absolutely amazing video though holy, you have very fair criticism cause this game definitely has its flaws, but it's highs are so tremendously high that it still becomes an absolutely phenomenal experience. And yeah I felt like I connected a lot with a ton of the cast on a personal level, and I'd be lying if I didn't say that most of my current day optimism on life stemmed from Rex and the gang during my playthrough. I wholeheartedly believe that everyone should play this game at one point or another and stick through the obvious glaring issues cause it is more than worth it, you may not even realize how great the game is until a second playthrough though cause of how deep the writing is for the main cast, I know I didn't even realize the whole story until my 3rd playthrough, all the very subtle foreshadowing, playing the DLC to realize Jin's perspective better, and even subtle details like how Pyra is hinted at being asymmetrical with her blade and design and Mythra being completely symmetrical being the true form of the aegis, then Pneuma being even more complete as she realizes she doesn't have to fear anymore of her true strength, "I am lost no longer" "we love this world because of you Rex" how even if you're a literal god of the universe you're still gonna need someone to be there for you at times.. I obviously am a Xc2 lover and think it's the best of the games, but regardless the entire trilogy are all phenomenal in their own way and that's okay if you prefer one over the other, they all teach a life lesson that I feel most people should definitely experience..
The funny thing about games' look and performance is that it can so easily be so much better. With just a little bit of overclock in dock (it's actually not even an overclock, because chip itself supposed to run on higher clocks, like in Nvidia shield tv for example) an you can get pretty much stable resolution and framerate. But if you have modded switch you can take it further and install graphics mod for the game, which is just a config file with settings. And trust me - without any taa, just with fxaa game looks so so so much better. And you can actually allow switch to run game in portable mode with 720 as max res, turn of this hideous looking sharpening filter and with a bit of overclock (not overclock, but putting GPU clocks between docked and default portable, around 600mhz, which is 2 times the portable clock, but still less then in docked mode) you can experience this game like never before. So switch can run this game really well with good picture quality, but it's just kinda questionable technical decisions by monolith themselves and a bit of Nintendo. P. s. I don't condone piracy, but I think you should be able to mod your stuff however you like
Great video! Honestly did this game more justice than some people I've seen. You gave a very fair and entertaining discussion about the game. Xenoblade 2 is such an amazing game and it's nice to see some more positivity about it.
This is one of the best essays on Xenoblade 2 out there. I personally do feel that the character designs are not a problem. I feel this way because there is evidence to suggest that stuff like that doesn't cause people to be dicks to women nor does it inherently cause women to feel uncomfortable. With that in consideration, I think it's simply a matter of taste if you like them or not and there's no need to get on someone's case for it. That's why I really like this vid; it's respectful and encourages discussion rather than being judgmental. I've been playing Xenoblade 3 and I'm about 30 hours in as of now; it's fantastic. So far, it's really taking some of the best elements of 1 and 2 and merging them very well.
I started playing this game in May 2020 and it was my real first exposure to Xenoblade, I played Xenoblade 1 on Wii for a short while. Your vídeo is basically everything I ever wanted to say about this game and much more! Thank you for capturing and putting into words what the wonderful experience that is playing and loving this series!
Great video! Overall XC2 is one of those games that makes me feel so emotional. I've never cried so much when it comes to video games. I could see that this story was trying to be a true message of hope that I think a lot of people need right now. For me the one character I'm so attached to is Mythra. Considering everything she went through in Torna it's understandable why she keeps her distance from others. She is scared to get hurt again and scared to lose those she cares about. To see Rex be so accepting of her and genuinely nice to her it's sweet and wholesome. She has never had anyone be like this towards her and it shows. For me, I just love that when he looks at her he doesn't see an Aegis, a weapon, or something to be feared. He just sees a girl he wants to help and connect with. Three of my favorite moments for Mythra are "I have tons of them" The entire moment between her and Rex in the land of Morytha. She just seems so relaxed and happy but at the same time, she feels a bit awkward. Her reaction to Rex's confession just seeing her on the verge of tears she just can't believe she means this much to Rex. Then when she declares she's Rex's blade she found her place in the world where she can be happy. The relationship Rex, Pyra, and Mythra have is something that just brings a smile to my face all the time. Seeing them find happiness and love with one another is sweet and felt like something they needed. Rex loves Pyra and Mythra no matter what faults and all and that's something anyone would want. He made them feel loved when the world never did. One Last You that song is just beautiful. The meaning and the love that is just pouring in from Pyra and Mythra's heart. There's just that sense that they can finally be happy with Rex and they deserve that. That's the way it should be. I have one other favorite Mythra moment. During a side-quest after helping a guy propose to his girlfriend Mythra actually tries to see when Rex is going to propose to her and give her a ring. I'm just like she wants to marry Rex.
Xenoblade 2 is easily my favourite game of all time, and you perfectly encapsulated all the reasons why in this video. Masterful work, and looking forward to more from you, Troy.
So on the topic of the sexier female designs of the game, since you mentioned wanting some more female voices on the topic, I actually like them. Mostly because no character brings up how the characters are dressed (Other than the obvious fanservice scenes that you already pointed out). Mythra and Pyra dress sexy and no one bats an eye. I like that. They're not considered to be dressing for anyone's approval, but only because that's how they feel comfortable portraying themselves. And maybe their original Driver had a hand in it, but it's not really stated either way save for the brief mention Nia makes in the beginning of the game how Blades are a reflection of their Drivers that isn't really shown in terms of gameplay. Because the game doesn't really focus on how they're dressed, as the game goes on it can become easier for the player to kinda forget that they're dressed as such. Sure, it may be a bit in your face at first, but after hours a person can become blind to it. Which normalizes the idea of dressing how you want, in my opinion. Do you want to dress in short-shorts or a miniskirt and still be taken seriously? Xenoblade Chronicles 2 says this is a real possibility! And I like that. And if you look at the female designs of Fiora and Sharla in Xenoblade Chronicles 1, the only thing keeping their original designs from being "fanservice" is Fiora's tights that cover her legs/upper thighs and Sharla's thigh high boots. But because Mythra and Pyra don't cover their thighs, they must be fanservice bait? Everyone's opinion on it is valid, but I feel as if our culture didn't place so much emphasis on how women dress and what's "appropriate" then it wouldn't be a point of contention in the first place.
Also consider as they are people designed for swift combat. Like a blade needs to be. So having alot of clothing in the way is a general no no. You can learn this in combat training. That is why some characters in some shows doing alot of combat wilk have tight fit clothes and or would have clothing designed to not block their legs or they tear it off
I also noted you are willing to understand that some stuff is for the fun of itself not some contrived evil thought of.muahaha peope look at woman it bad lol so thanks for that too
Xenoblade 2 is one of my favorite games of all time and there are so many mechanics that I didn’t understand until after I beat the game. I didn’t understand how pouch items really worked until after the final boss and I was grinding to finish filling out my blade album
The fact I had tears in my eyes for every scene just shows how great this game was. It really is sad how hard it is to get immersed into the game, especially considering that from chapter 5 onward you really can’t put the game down anymore. I believe this game does everything it wants to do right, but that it lacks in everything it didn’t fully focus on. And it’s sad because it has so much potential and the game has a lot of flaws that could easily be fixed. If the development team hadn’t been drastically shortened I believe it could‘ve been the most popular and most beloved game in the series, if not even on the Switch
I'm just 8 min into the video and just have to get this of my chest. I just think it's unbelievably awesome, how out of nowhere some people decide to pump out such a behemoth of a video project. As I said I'm just at the beginning, but I'm already sure this is going to be a good one and I want to thank you that you took all this time and effort to complete this project. Edit after seeing it all in one go: Dude, I can't even imagine how much work went into this video. For the feedback part: You mention at the end that you had to compromise perfection to finally getting done with it. Let me tell you, this really didn't came through. The punchlines were on point together with what was shown in the video. You had proper build up, the flow was immaculate paced and structured. The points you shared were well thought out and explained, even if some of them might not resonate with everyone we can still see where you are coming from. The way you articulate and accentuate is a nice mix of chill, sarcastic, fun and engaged. This really makes it pleasant to listen to and is only mildly restricted by your solid but improvable audio quality. So technically this is already above most content on TH-cam. But what really sells this is the passion you have about the game and the project, this is what is lacking in most content these days here on TH-cam. What you actually want to improve should depend on your goals. If you want to optimize for TH-cam you probably want to shorten the video a lot, or put it in separate parts. So you don't get punished by the algorithm that bad. You probably also would want to time your uploads with a schedule or some announcement that is specific to your content. If you don't want to play this game and just want to publish some awesome content you should just open a patreon. For a perceived one man production this rivals some big established creators. I would put you next to an earlier SummoningSalt, TierZoo or recent Overanalyzing Avatar. So if you really like to make this videos I'm certain there will be a way you get at least a worthwhile compensation out of it. Conclusion: This has to be one of the best love letters towards a video game here on TH-cam and I'm happy to have stumbled across it. It's wholesome to see that Xenoblade Chronicles 2 did for you what it's predecessor did for me back in the day and I'm looking forward to your next release. I wish you all the best and thank you for the entertainment. And yes, I teared up during the end.
Thanks for making this! It really helps hearing someone express some of my own opinions about this fantastic game. It's really a wonderful game that people should appreciate more. I'll definitely be tuning into your channel again and I hope to see you get better at making these.
Is this a steak? Cause this was really well done. I am glad you enjoyed Xenoblade 2. It is absolutely one of my favorite games despite the flaws it has.
I'm not very good at conveying all of my thoughts concisely in text, so I just wanna say that this video made me feel SO freaking good. I've spent the last four years trying desperately to sing this game's praises to anyone who'd listen, only to get bombarded by the XC2 hate train each and every time. For a while, I even began to doubt the things that I knew I loved about this, starting to only see the negatives. I eventually shook myself out of it, but it was still hard to find explicitly (mostly) positive reviews about this until Chuggaaconroy's recent(ish) Let's Play. After him, I found Enel's guides, flyann's stream vods, KayJulers, Luxin, and now you with this video. Just watching this front to back made me tear up like four times, just by making me remember exactly how much I truly loved Xenoblade 2. So truly, thank you so much for making this. It meant a lot more to me than I ever could have expected.
This was the video I wanted to watch back in 2017-2018 when I finished playing the game. I loved this game and you’re hitting the nail on the head when sharing your thoughts on this video.
You and me. Your story is also mine. Since Pyra/Mythra’s Smash release, I decided to give the game a try, only knowing about Shulk and the sword girls. And man… 2021 is an unforgettable year for the better.
I just now realized how Poppi was already looking so heartbroken when they reached the end of the bridge cause she already knew what was going to happen next.
Ok, I'm going to say it. This is the best analysis of XC2 I have ever seen. It highlights both the strengths and weaknesses of the game, giving your own opinion about them while respecting other people's views, and all with such a level of detail and sheer passion. You managed to perfectly convey all my thoughts and the reasons I love this game so much, despite its flaws. Massive props man
Kinda shocked such a high effort high quality video on a popular game is tied to such a low sub count channel. The algorithm ain't treating you right, man. Take a sub.
On par with other video essays I've watched, this came out insanely well and it's deserved with how much hard work you put into it. Truly the best youtube content are the videos where people just discuss their passion for a long time. Can't wait to see where you go from here!
Xenoblade 2 and basically the trilogy will always hold a special place in my heart. Late 2022, I was getting a little bored with my gaming. I don’t play much shooter games, I don’t play online multiplayers, nor do I have a PC to gets games off Steam, and neither do I have any PlayStation or Xbox consoles on me. Mainly just my DS with (totally legally obtained) old games on them that i’ll come back to like Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story, Partners in Time, Mario Party DS and The Simpsons Game (DS version (obviously)) and my Nintendo Switch, which I recently completed Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes and ultimately, been pretty disappointed by it, but still enjoyed playing. I came across Blunz’s Xenoblade 2 “This is” series and something that i’ll never know, roped me into thinking. “Huh. Guess i’ll give this game a try”. Hell, I didn’t even know Alpharad loved this game and I watched quite a lot of his content in Smash Ultimate’s early days. So, just before Christmas time in 2022, I pick up a copy of Xenoblade 2 and go in practically blind. Except knowing of a certain…photograph because I initially didn’t think i’d pick up the series when seeing that spoiler. And my god i’m so glad I played all 3 games of the trilogy blind and not see playthrus of them on TH-cam, because that was one of the best decisions of my life. I basically had no open world RPGs, and i’m not willing to accept my playthrus of Pokémon Sun, Ultra Moon, Let’s Go Pikachu and Sword as open world. And neither did I grow up with the Zelda franchise, therefore not really caring about BotW. So my lord was I in for a geographical journey when going through every Titan Alrest had to give me. Seeing Uraya’s nature (that’s technically in a whale mind you), the tundras of Tantal, the relaxing Gormott and the quiet life Leftheria was just so amazing to me. And the lore to accompany these beautiful landscapes? One of the best things Xeno 2 every did to me, was challenge my belief that Fire Emblem: Three Houses, was the most expanded and incredibly convoluted lore imaginable. Because this game’s story and lore sure as hell blew me away of how the history of the past and present was just amazing to discover one thing after the next. The music, oh the music. Fire Emblem as a whole will always be famous for having amazing soundtrack in their games, and i’m glad to see Xenoblade (as a whole) is truly a worthy contender. Both open world, cutscenes and battling when it comes to soundtrack. I have to admit, most of the cast are amazing and i’d gladly die on that hill of no regrets. I do see Rex as a great protagonist, as not many people realise, he’s the bright optimism that this dark and depressing world finally needs. And he’s a fucking child, let the guy breath please! I find Pyra and Mythra compelling characters that are more than just sex appeal that some people really need to let that go. One thing this video has taught me is… I really need to reconsider when defending Jin, Akhos and Patroka. Mikhail still is most tragic character for me. Mainly as a kid, he had no family, was moved around in some form of a slave trade, gained a close family and friendship, through Lora as a mother/big sister, Jin as an intimidating but eventually loveable big bro, Haze as a sister and Milton as a best friend that he could finally open up. And he lost them. Most likely watching Haze return to her crystal state when Lora dies, being forced into becoming a Blade Eater, reuniting with Jin after so long, only to find him working with the guy who was a part of Milton’s death, reunite with Brighid and for her to not properly remember him (could be a retcon with Golden Country), same with Mythra, and reuniting with Haze, only to find her working for the man who took everything from him and forced him to make what he could of pretty harsh circumstances. It’s easy for many people to dislike Amalthus what with him being a villain and all, but I do like how his perception is way too relatable. He’s had it rough from a young age and constantly saw the worst of humanity, that he questions his divine creator that he idolised. I should know, i’ve worked at a checkout in a grocery store in my mid teens. But when it comes to defending Jin, one thing a lot people need to remember is that just because his life was tragic and compelling, should never justify the fact he’s killed tens to hundreds of people. And that Akhos spits on Vandham’s honourable sacrifice, like yeah you’re write it was cliche, but give the guy some respect and shut your fucking mouth. Akhos and Patroka’s backstory gets so shoe horned in, that it’s better it was way earlier in the story. Because the soundtrack should’ve been edited just like how Counterattack does in some scenes, because their backstories take way too long, especially considering the scene. And i’ve got to admit, there are still some bad things that could’ve easily been avoided, like the english voice acting. In regards to that bit with Malos pre final boss fight. I’m willing to bet the voice actor had to work with whatever poor direction he was given. You can see his delivery itself isn’t bad, hell pretty much most of his performance is awesome, one of the bests of the english cast imo, i’m just willing to bet the voice directors didn’t properly tell him what the animations were. But, the biggest offender for me, wasn’t the at times bad English voice acting, the sexually designed female characters that get overlooked by their design when they’re actually developed characters that don’t relate to their design, not the horrible tutorials that forced me to TH-cam and Reddit them, not the soundtrack that sometimes is horribly audio mixed with the dialogue, i’m looking at you A Faint Hope… it’s that godforsaken lighting during cutscenes. You know what i’m talking about, how a lot of shots, especially that are under some form of shelter, have the lighting take 1 second to adjust appropriately. Imagine your favourite film having that happen when every time the camera cuts to the next shot, you have the lighting adjusting and not just being properly set up… god… damn… awful. Architect have mercy that didn’t carry over to Xeno 3. But, Xenoblade 2, will always have a special place in my heart, as the compelling narrative of a fun and dynamic battle system of a game, that I never gave up on
hmmm i wonder if this person likes sam raimi's spider-man trilogy (your video rocks my socks off, i truly appreciate you for being one of the few people to properly explain why people love this game)
I can't agree more with you! It is great to see someone gush as much about the game years after it came out :D I love Xenoblade 2, it will be one of my favourite of all time and still I agree with you critic and problems you pointed out. My favourite song is "counterattack". I get goose bumps everytime.
Update: I'm about an hour in and this might be the best review of 2 I've ever seen. I'm getting so many old feelings coming back seeing all the footage of the game and it seems like you love all the same things I love about this game. I understand why some people have their complaints about it, but as the first game I played in what is now my favorite series of all time, I adore everything about it. Seriously such an awesome video, I can't wait to finish it!
Completely agree about the soundtrack, even the harshest critics I know of this game admit that it's great. It's easily my favourite soundtrack out there with songs that can get your blood pumping like Still Moving Forward to songs that are what I can best describe as simply magical such as Uraya and Letherian Archipelago themes. Shadows of the Lowlands, The Tomorrow With You, The Power of Jin, I can gush about the whole ost.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is one of my all-time favorites video games, but whenever I say that, people look at me like I'm crazy. I've honestly wanted to learn how to make videos just to give this game a good, chunky analysis to explain why I think it's so special. But with this video, you've perfectly done exactly what I wanted to do, explaining why Xenoblade 2 is so memorable despite it's many, many warts. As I've been watching this video in parts over the last couple weeks, I've been SHOCKED at how high-quality everything is, from the script to the editing to the audio quality, for such a small channel. You really hit it out of the park
Incredible video, Xenoblade 2 is absolutely my favorite in the series and one of my favorite games of all time. Let's hope that Monolithsoft improves upon both 2 & 1 for Xenoblade 3!
I've honestly waited for a video like this for ages since I don't make any myself so thanks man. Thanks for just putting into words what many can't articulate. The Vanman's death was the first time I shed tears for a video game in a long time if not ever. Second was Cliffs just as you said. Surprisingly the only time I disagreed with one of your takes was the final boss since I'm still salty Zanza got what Egil should have as a final encounter. One of the best videos on XC2 so far. Looking forward to furure content.
Right at the start you say something that gave me a spark joy passion when I needed I connected with you as in Nov 2020 I too felt similar way Xc2 was a like revolution in gaming for me, it was my first jrpg and opened the door to me liking them lol
This is easily the best review I've seen for XC2, I pretty much agree with everything you said. While the game isn't perfect and takes a while to get going, once it clicks and you get invested it's one of the best games you'll ever play. I think you were incredibly fair with how you presented your thoughts, and I like how you weren't afraid to criticize the game and adress criticism you think isn't fair. While the story and characters have their weak moments and the game drip feeds mechanics, those weaker moments aren't representative of the whole game and what it's about, even if they are issues. Massive agree on how you argue in favor of the story and it's characters, especially in the case of characters like Rex, Jin, and Amalthus. Rex especially gets the worst of it and is often dumbed down or misrepresented in online discourse, so seeing someone who argues in favor of the character and tries to disprove the bs is so refreshing to see. Your analysis on Amalthus and Jin are also really good. For a two and a half hour video this went by very quick for me and didn't feel dragged out at all.
Fantastic video my guy! I honestly can't find the right words to express how good this 2 hour long video made me feel. That ending was beautiful and seeing that cutscene always makes me teary-eyed.
ACE+ when composing the OST for XC1: "do you want me to compose the best OST for an JRPG, not composed by Uematsu?" "Do you want me to do it again for XC2" "Well 3 times the charm for XC3" The OST for all 3 games is insane and has some of the most memorable tracks in videogame history for me!
Through all these years we've seen countless people and videos capture what makes the Original Xenoblade such a masterpiece of an rpg. And I'm happy we're finally getting to a point where Xenoblade 2 is finally being appreciated in the fanbase and getting these kinds of videos now. Xenoblade is truly an embodiment of years of effort and failures, as well as embodying the spirit of jrpgs.
Fantastic video! Similarly, I played Xenoblade 2 before 1 through Definitive Edition. I became a Xenoblade fan in March 2021 after the Pyra/Mythra Smash reveal and I must say Xenoblade is the best thing that has happened in my life over the last year. Those 2 games absolutely stunned me with their worlds, music, story which is simply like no other. I have even told a few friends to play Definitive Edition and got one of them the game for his birthday. I love this world because Xenoblade is in it!
On my most recent playthrough, I was spamming all my core crystals to try and get the commons needed for the poppibuster quest and i ended up getting KOS MOS
I loved going through the world tree. It was a unique experience working your way through a nuclear reactor and server hubs. It really gave me the feeling of going through a more modern tech area compared to the rest of the game.
I’ve been watching this video in sections over the past view days, and as a person who just found out about xenoblade 2 after the smash reveal, this video really resonated with me. In just a year I’ve played xenoblade 2, Torna, and am currently finishing DE and FC. You did a great job with this video and I hope more people can see that this game is a hidden masterpiece. That’s how I feel about it. Thank you for this video.
Xenoblade 2's cut scenes are like AMV. They really do match the rhythm of the musics. I always hypes when the cut scenes comes. It likes watching an anime opening.
This video definetly needs more views, amazing job at summarizing the positives, negatives, and your personal experience of the game, I enjoyed watching every second of it! It's always a joy to hear another person pour their heart out about something that they love. Xenoblade 2 continues to be one of my personal favorite video games and you've covered all the points of why it's worth checking out. 5 years later I still think about the game's story and characters, and I still listen to its ost whenever I have the chance. Really hope this video reaches to the right audience, more people need to give this game along with the entire Xenoblade series a shot, to me the games are truly masterpieces and is the greatest example of why video games are a great medium of storytelling. Keep up the great work!
Such hard work i know one day your going to be a really popular youtuber in the future I love this game so much i have 580+ hours of gameplay i have beated it 4 times and completed challenge mode i will never stop playing this game
For someone who claims to be 'dogass' at explaining music, you did quite possibly the best job I've ever heard of explaining precisely why the exceptional music of this game and games in general is so damn beautiful, glorious and touching. I literally felt such a fat fucking 'YES' envelop my whole body from 1:30:19 - 1:31:58 it's unreal. And, although I can't relate specifically to your description of Torigoth's night theme in relation to the unending, practically brain-damaging effects of remote schooling, anxiety and solitude, similar feelings of pant-shitting agreement were indeed felt when you talked about certain pieces just being perfect for bringing you back to a blissful time and place and remedying certain other feelings/situations. In fact, fuck it, the whole soundtrack section is just perfect. I swear to shit this video was already great but that section made it worthy of a URL tattoo. The villains segment was also great, especially Jin and ESPECIALLY Amalthus. It was so great to finally hear someone who isn't so vehemently opposed to feeling any kind of empathy for the guy because of their insistence on looking morally correct. Amalthus is probably the character with the most underappreciated writing and untapped potential in my opinion, and it was so great to listen to you recognize his subtleties and even relatabilities without fearing backlash for being somewhat against the status quo of 'blue man the most evilest ever'. Amalthus believed he was right, he believed that he was special, and that's really all it takes for any number of justifications to settle in regarding one's actions. The entire video was consistently pretty fantastic, it's ridiculously good for a first timer, and that shoutout section at the end was just heartwarming. Seeing all those videos pop up like "Oh yeah! That one's great!" was just so nice. The only substantial thing I think you missed was the role of the character designs in turning people away from the game early on/right away. It honestly happens, people take one look at Pyra/Mythra and think "oh it's that kinda shit", which is pretty agonizing. Pretty much only brought that up because you have a great attitude to criticism, I really think this video is incredible. It's always great to see videos like this born out of passion from unknown creators, and even better to see them get some of the attention and praise that they deserve in the TH-cam jungle. I'm planning more of my own videos and it's safe to say this has been a real uplifting and motivating experience. Anyway, that concludes this movie review and I look forward to your future videos!
Loved the video your editing and being clear with your inspiration - from gameplay moments to certain content creators- in particular, also 921 subs isn’t enough let’s make it 922 as a start 👍🏿.
It nice to see someone put to words what I never quite could when it comes to my feelings for this game. Also the fact that our playtimes by the end are quite close. When this game came out I was a sophmore in highschool and I spent almost every waking moment absorbed into this game playing it. I remember waiting with bated breath for it to come out then buying it a few days after its release. It became a genuine issue for my teachers as I would walk into class sit in the back and take out my switch and just play and play interacting with NO ONE. They eventually just gave up trying to stop me until I finished or it died.
This was such an amazing video! The time and effort you poured into this is plainly evident, and I hope this video blows up eventually, because this NEEDS more views! Thank you for doing this game and series justice. I find it funny that most of the gameplay flaws in this game seem like things that can easily be fixed by anybody with a modest degree of programming knowledge. Like, re-word tutorials, pace them out a bit better and allow them to be reviewed in the main menu at any time. Tutorials fixed. Allow for three blades to be equipped from the get go and have chain attacks unlock earlier, that'd help with the pacing issues in the early game combat. Blades with unique field skills that make their quest needlessly tedious like Agate or Electra can be easily remedied too. What if all of Agates mining points only required LVL 1 Prospecting so you were guaranteed success. She still leveled up her field skill as she discovers minerals, but the only thing that needed max level Prospecting would be the ore vein that contains the material agate. And by that point you would already be guaranteed to have it as a result of collecting the requisite number of minerals. You could do something similar with Electra and Floren's skills as well. As for making field skills less intrusive, my best idea is having a node in the menu titled 'Tasks' or something. From the 'Tasks' menu, you can assign 3 blades to each different field skill. There could also be an 'Auto' option that automatically selects the blades with the highest level skills, for lazy people like me. Then, whenever a field skill was required the game would automatically have the blades assigned to those tasks attempt it. Now you will only have to open the menu when you need to update the assigned blades or check the requirements of unlocking higher levels of the field skills. Anyway, the point of my rambling is that if this game ever gets a 'definitive edition' it shouldn't be to difficult to cut down on a lot of the annoyances that stop people from being able to fully enjoy this game.
Absolutely fantastic video. My experience with the series is pretty similar to yours lol, after playing both Definitive Edition when it came out and 2 last year, this is now up there as one of my all time favorite franchises and 2 of my favorite games ever. No game has managed to break me emotionally on the level Xenoblade 2 has, and I'm someone who cries over pretty much every piece of media and 99% of games I play lol. Now we wait for July...
That was a great video ! You worded the positives/negatives of the game better than I ever saw. Also it's great seeing some "appreciation" for Amalthus, I think he's an underrated villain. Sidenote : you made the hypothesis that the sexualization may be the result of the high number of men in the industry. Actually, Monolith soft has about 30% of female employees, which is very high compared to your average game dev. Also Dahlia was designed by a woman
Holy crap. This was an amazing watch. Thank you so much for sharing some love and attention on this wonderful game. Also, thanks for acknowledging one of my favorite moments. (Where Morag throws herself between Malos and Nia) Anyways, I can't wait to see what you have in store next, this was phenomenal.
this video was truly amazing to me. your perspective was fresh for me and i'm so happy to hear that someone that wouldn't have given a shit about a game like this absolutely fell in love with it just the same as i did, me being someone who is far more invested in video game stories and RPGs in general. your analysis was fantastic and surprising to me as we started playing just about the same time. usually the best stuff i hear is from series veterans but clearly you very much know what you're talking about and love the games and it just made me fall in love with your video. the fact that you have less than 400 subscribers at the time of me writing this is criminal; this is one of the greatest analysis videos i've seen in a long long time. keep this up! absolutely am excited to see where you go from here. thanks for the lovely video :)
Very good analysis of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 on all fronts. One thing I really enjoyed is hearing you unravel the layered interpersonal aspects to the characters. I really like how you established how the game dichotomizes how tender the Aegis are when it comes to relationships with their drivers. Malos is consumed by the nihilism and struggles aith an identity because destruction and hatred toward humanity is essentially branded into him. His destruction serves as his identity and he expresses it as such, though feeling he's the biproduct of the world he despises and so he seeks the power to destroy it in Aion. Pnuema fears this power and wishes to be killed by the Architect from her traumatic experiences. Her power and identity after Torna is a painful one that Addam wasn't able to handle and though it's obvious he cares about her to an extent, it isn't as sufficient as it needs to be which makes sense as with both the Aegis they need to be handled with extreme care and that grants the driver control and the blades themselves more power (as shown with Pnuema). Then with characters like Jin who ask the question why blades shed their memories with their drivers death, he is a characterization as to why that question ends up being more morally complex than losing memories being a fearful prospect. His existence is one filled with dread after the events of Torna, his wish for an end to his suffering cannot come due to his promise to Malos but more importantly the words Lora spoke to him. This becomes even more complicated when the death of Amalthus is brought by Jin (a somewhat plus to his morose existence). This was a bit of rambling so I apologize, I've got a fuckton of notes analyzing the philosophy behind characters and your video definitely was enjoyable to watch as you nailed a ton of points of the characters. Amazing video and definitely want to see the one on Torna or even get to talk to you myself because I'm foaming at the mouth waiting for 3 and I'd love to show my analysis of the characters to you 😭😭. Earned a subscriber.
You certainly can! It’ll definitely take a couple months after the game’s out to write the script, gather footage and record. I am bad with deadlines so no promises on the timeframe, but it’ll definitely be a thing that comes out!
Hey, this was awesome. I also got into this series during the pandemic, and I agree - it's one of not many good things to come out of it. I kept thinking about something you said toward the beginning: that XB2 wears its heart on its sleeve. That's exactly how I'd put it. It's for sure messy and not for everyone at all, but it wouldn't hit as hard if it settled for anything less.
Also I'm a woman and I'm also kind of a centrist on the sexy designs lol. I think they're like VERY obviously oversexualized, and Pyra's design in particular really bugs me because it doesn't fit her character, where she's very modest and also doesn't like drawing attention to herself, and not only is her outfit OTT sexualized, it has so many bells and whistles. On the other hand, I do think it's important to note that outside of a couple of rare blades (yeah it's cliche to say this but there really is no excuse for Dahlia either), I think the female characters are well-developed and not just there for T&A, and that's important too.
Amazing documentary I'll definitely be watching more of your content in the future, my only critique would be be the audio mixing through the whole video. I could tell you made this video wearing headphones but as someone who watches vids normally in my room all quite either on a laptop of my phone, the background music was barley audible a majority of the time. Which is a shame since this also happened when you talked about the soundtrack. Other than this, badass video and I'm sure the xenoblade community will appreciate this vid on the same level you intended it be. subbed.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is my favorite game of all time. For a long while I've debated about my favorite game and was kind of like nooo XC2 can't be my favorite because so and so said this about it etc. I realized, why the heck do I even care what other people think? This game gripped me and had me crying multiple times throughout. It's an incredible story with incredible characters imo. I love it!
This was a really cool video, for once in a Positive look, without ignoring its problems ok the way Hope this helps more people to see the game in that light. Uhhh I really dont know what more to say than thanks for making this and making me emotional for the game again, keep up the hard work 👍
(long ass comment ahead) aaaaah this video was so wonderful! you really put into words everything i felt about this game, good and bad. i have an immense amount of respect for people who know when something they love is flawed and yet dont deny their unabashed love for it anyway. for some reason, i've always gotten far more attached to said flawed media than more "objectively" good media. maybe it's because those flaws get me thinking, or maybe because it makes me think about how i would've done it differently, but whatever the reason, something about xbc2 just really worked for me. the blade-driver concept really scratched an itch for me that soul eater had created for me back in middle school. the vast array of titans felt like such a creative worldbuilding idea, and admittedly made it feel like a bigger world then xbc1, where while the bionis was massive, the fact that there was only really two homs colonies, the nopon, and then the isolationist high entia did make the world itself feel a tad empty in terms of people. I love the music, i love that they went out of their way to not just use british voice actors, but VAs from all over the uk and ireland. having a main welsh character like nia was such a treat, and a scottish accent on a character like morag, who's the furthest thing from the usual scottish depiction was really nice. i just feel like most UK + irish accents aside from plain old southern queens english just dont really show up in much media unless they're meant to be a stereotype, so it may be a weird detail but it meant a lot to me. im especially a big mythra fan, i just love it when a closed off character is shown genuine care for the first time in so long and just doesn't know how to respond. it's the good shit, and i can really relate to her struggle of feeling like she's not good enough. i can see why the original tornans would've been frustrated. to them, she's this legendary blade and their only hope against malos and she seems to be acting like a reckless and immature teenager. but sadly, it meant that no one really saw that mythra could also use some empathy for her own situation. this lack of understanding between individuals leading to unintentional feelings of self hatred really struck a chord for me in particular. Of course, no game is without its faults, and i have quite a few. namely, i believe the game introduces two more serious topics but then doesn't really address them in a satisfying or appropriate way: the blade system and mor ardain. with the blades, it's noted many times that they can easily fall into the hands of people who wouldn't treat them so well, that it's kinda fucked up that they lose their memories with no say in the matter every time they return to their core crystal, and that people will even seek out humanoid blades for sex trafficking, and then the game just...doesn't really conclude this. i dont expect the party to come up with a solution for this over the relatively short in game span of the story, necessarily, but i just wished the main party brought it up more or said they'd find a way one day. i also dont much like the idea of "well it's rebirth and we all have to perish someday" as a valid explanation for the blades losing their memories being okay. clearly, many of them dont want that and the idea that they just have to accept they'll forget their loved ones one day is very depressing. But as it stands the only people besides zeke in his flashback with amalthus to acknowledge this is well, the villains, and later on in the game it's moreso the nihilism of jin and torna that's tackled, that humans are inherently not worth saving, again the whole "hey isn't it kind of fucked that the way our species works is incredibly easy for people to abuse" is just kind of not addressed, sadly. the xbc3 trailers have seemed to be implying that blades have found a way to be more separate from humans which is great! but it doesn't change that xbc2 in a vacuum just really ignores this glaring issue it brought up and then handwaved. as for mor ardain, this one is more personal but i very much not fond of how much sympathy the game lends to what is explicitly a colonizing military power. their titan dying is given main story focus, while any issues the gormottis might have with being forcefully annexed is either in side quests or can just be entirely handwaved in said sidequests, like the lovers one where the girl states that the conflict with mor ardain is "long over", and the little aside with roc's core crystal ending in rex going "wow, maybe driving out the foreign military leaders was bad, actually". not to mention how most of mor ardains sketchier actions get attributed to merely insurgent generals because cant acknowledge one of your main party members being complicit in colonialism. like, i didn't need them to make mor ardain a bad guy, but i sure would've liked maybe some introspection from morag as she travels the world separate from her military duties for the first time, maybe coming to realize many of the more inherent flaws with the empire. more stuff like her conversation with nia where she points out there were other ways for mor ardain to proceed than starting a war, but evolve that into a more thorough arc for morag, and with more concrete realizations for her, because in that nia heart to heart she mostly just goes "hm" and "well the world isn't as simple as that". not to mention that by the end, we can just assume gormott is still ruled by mor ardain. again, might be answered by the next game but if this one would stand in a vacuum, it's still a rather disappointing end. Still, despite that i do love this game and it's characters a ton and it's definitely inspired me in a lot of ways with my own creativity.
I'm one of those people who likes to brag that I liked Xenoblade 1 "before it was cool" (i.e. before Chuggaaconroy put up his Let's Play). Random pick up from a game store after I got my Wii became one of my all-time favorite games, and I got to watch everyone else discover it too. It actually made me so, so happy!
Subscribe earned from a fellow Xenoblade 2 enjoyer! I am so displeased with myself that I didn’t cry at the ending of the game, but not because I didn’t love it, just because I don’t cry at anything!
![Everything I wish I knew about Xenoblade Chronicles 2 [NO SPOILERS]](/img/n.gif)
I don't know if this will be seen, but I wanted to give my opinion on the sexualization of female characters in XC2 as a sex-positive woman.
I am of the opinion that revealing clothing on a woman isn't inherently bad, just as revealing clothing on men isn't bad. My issues come down to have the women wearing these clothes are presented, and their reason for wearing said clothing.
1) As people have already said, the characters within the story don't really acknowledge what the women are wearing (to an extent). Normally, I would take this as a positive, as women should be allowed to wear what they want without fear of backlash. Showing that women are not "sluts" for this to a (mostly) male audience is such an important thing, and I'm glad this game did that.
My issue is how the game itself looks at the characters.
In almost every scene in XC2, we get boob and butt shots from the camera. It happened so often that I honestly couldn't pay attention to what was happening in the game because it made me so angry how the camera felt the constant need to show me that the women had boobs. I often found myself asking "what was the point in cutting to a shot of X character's sideboob or Y character's ass when talking about battle tactics or what to do next?" While, yes, I don't think the characters sexualize the female in this game, the game itself most certainly does.
2) Honestly even with the above point, I could 100% forgive the game for pulling those stunts if that said anything about the characters. Take Bayonetta, for example. She is extremely sexual and the camera makes sure to show off as much of her body as possible, and that's something I love about that game. Now, you may be asking, why? What makes her so different from the characters in XC2? Well, it's the will of the characters themselves. Bayonetta wants people to look at her body--she knows she's sexy and loves showing it off. It's perfectly im character for her to want the audience to look at her body, so the camera cutting to her boobs and butt make complete sense.
The same cannot be said for the XC2 characters.
Ask yourself, " Why are they dressed like that?" Is it because they want to? Or is it because they needed sex appeal? What does any of their character designs tell us about who they are as a person? Does it really feel like their character design was made to suit their personalities, of that they were given personalities after a design was approved? If you were to give them less revealing clothing and stop cutting to shots of their boobs and butts, would they still be the same characters, or would something be lost?"
In my opinion, the vast majority of the girls could be covered up and have no difference to their story or personalities. In fact, I'd argue that quite a few of them would probably love to wear less revealing clothing based on their personalities. Of course, that doesn't mean you have to have a certain personality type to wear revealing clothing, but to have almost all of the women have some sort of revealing or sexualized clothing article? Does that make any sense?
If the game had an even distribution of women wearing less revealing clothing, revealing clothing, and something in the middles, then only have the boob and butt shots focus on the characters that actually wanted people to look at them in that way, then I would be 100% on board. However, as it stands now, XC2 is a clear example of female sexualization, and not female empowerment.
I greatly appreciate you sharing, and I apologize for (clearly) not being equipped enough to provide a strong case to either side of the discussion on this front. It means a lot that you’d put this much thought into your comment and I hope other folks will give it a read.
I would feel bad if I pushed too strongly one way or the other in the video itself as I would feel as though I’d be drowning out the voices of women, but I think your comment sufficiently covered what my video didn’t. As time has gone on I find myself agreeing with your perspective more.
I am not the type to be bothered by fan-service, but if one demographic is going to be dressed and designed in such a way then it should be applied evenly and Xenoblade 2 DEFINITELY doesn’t apply it evenly. Seriously, thank you for this comment, it’s the most insightful kind of comment to receive.
@@Tronk_ And thank you for reading and replying. Your video was great and it is clear you thought a lot about these topics, but since you yourself admitted that you didn't know enough to talk about this issue, I wanted to share. Keep up the good work and thank you for being so respectful!
I agree, the sexualisation is only there because they are attractive characters, and not because it is an aspect of their character.
Like Homura/Pyra, she isn't written as a flirty or sexual character and its like no one even notices how she is dressed. Kinda makes me like the architect a lot less as it makes it seem like he made her as a barbie doll even though he is a super serious character.
Inuyasha show is cool
One of the reasons that fans have found out according to interviews is that Pyra and Mythra's designs are meant to invoke them being incomplete. Which is why their outfits expose a lot of skin. It may sound like a stretch until you take into consideration Pneuma's design and Pyra and Mythra's character arc. Pneuma is the form where Pyra and Mythra fully accept themselves and unlock their true power. In that form, they are completely covered with next to no skin being revealed at all. Visually showing that as Pneuma they are complete.
This is criminally good. Really enjoyed this :) keep up the awesome work
What are the odds
@@T3_42 I will watch any and all xenoblade videos I find
@@AeonAir literally same
I cried every time you explained how tragic Mythra and Pyra's characters are. I'd like to think I don't cry in stories very often, and the ending of this game definitely left me a sobbing mess. Even after seeing the ending over 20 times, I still cry. It's just so beautifully done. And don't even get me started on Torna's ending.
Ur allowed to punch mythra in the face
Bro I see you everywhere
Oh , Now go watch Xenoblade 3’s ending , I kept crying for a month just because of that ending , and I watched it once , It’s so emotional and I usually don’t cry either in stories
@@padma0007 I found Xenoblade 2's ending more emotional for me, but I also got emotional for Xenoblade 3's ending. I think chapter 5 ending was the peak of that game.
Well done, I got into the series when Definitive Edition came out and didn't stop after that, put hundreds of hours into both and I think I might be more excited for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 than any game in my life and I'm old
How are you liking it?
Finally finished this and OH BOY it was worth the watch
The amount of effort in this is amazing and the discussion on the later cutscenes and characters was able to make me cry(then again this game is just good at doing that lol)
Also it's just nice seeing people show there love for this game/series
XC2 is the most consistent game in making me cry like a baby, even after almost 5 years. That Ending hits me so hard every time. Also amazing Video!
Should also have the prize for "most quotable antagonist" in JRPG history at this point. Malos is pure delight !
I use that Malos pic as my avatar on discord lol
@@mariotennisman INDEED!
Your bleeding sarcasm during the “totally not character development” scene was hilarious.
It often feels like an uphill battle to have Rex be my favourite character in this game, and even above other characters I love. It’s mostly cause there’s always those inane comments that are repeated over and over about him that it’s hard to argue my own perspective. He’s a character that I loved due to how different he is as a protagonist, and how fun and interesting he can be as his own character.
I agreed with almost everything you said here, barring a few stuff I didn’t really mind as much as most do. And, even if I have my disagreements, just the fact that you treated Rex with respect makes me not care at all. Based video, subscribed!
sure, a protagonist that get given everything, doesnt learn his lesson, always get bailed out by other characters is so well written, I too love completely garbage characters and even worse games like Xenoblade 2
@@fieldkaiju uh huh i could totally tell the same argument with shulk what are the odds that he could weild the manado easily despite having little to no combat experience and becomes god at the end can play this game all day bud lol
@@fieldkaiju if you actually played the game rex does learn his lessons after getting rekt by jin losing pyra and mythra but im guessing your one of those people that havent even gone pass chapter 3 yet like those twitch streamers that hate play the game going "game bad lol".
Rex gets humbled a few times. Losing Vandham. Losing Pyra Mythra. Losing Pneuma.
You’re not very good at understanding stories I’m guessing.
You have my total gratitude for the support you gave to this game sir. It's my personal favorite Switch game, and I find totally unfair how much hate it gets for the wrong reasons...
This was a genuinely well thought-out and put-together analysis of sorts that really encapsulates everything I love about Xenoblade Chronicles 2 as well.
Despite clear flaws, so much is so good about this game, to the point that it is my personal favorite game of all time. I wish more people would give the game a genuine chance, to experience a cast of characters with an astoundingly engaging story to accompany them. I could never put into words how much this series as a whole has really helped me find genuine passion and love for the storytelling games can provide.
I really liked how you emphasized the blend of gameplay and story working amazingly together, as well as mentioning the whole "win in gameplay, lose in cutscene" aspect. I can understand how some people would dislike that, but I'm in the same boat as you on my stance. I don't think as many of the scenes would've really hit as hard if Rex and the others had simply won. Rex was clearly less skilled and less powerful earlier on in the game, when facing opponents clearly stronger than him. I'd rather see him grow from moments like this, than simply win and only gain pride.
A particular point that also hits with me is the handling of Tora's character. Since Poppi is my favorite character in the game, it can certainly be jarring trying to interpret their relationship. When I ignore most of the trope-based jokes and look at him generally, he really is a nice character. His relationship with Poppi (outside of the tropes, once again) is actually rather strong, and I appreciate that she isn't just completely subservient. Instead, she happens to make little jabs at him in some heart-to-hearts, but it's clearly not out of dislike for him. I just like little character touches like that, with, as you said, the way these characters truly bounce off of one another strongly in almost every interaction. Aside from the Tora situation, I really do think every character is handled so well. It's a genuine shame so many people seem to shame Rex in particular, and I'm really glad you touched on his development throughout the game. It makes me wonder how much some of these people even paid attention to the game, though, to not even notice any of this...
Sorry for rambling for so long. Not to mention having a whole section of it be primarily about Tora and Poppi, but I suppose that's just due to how much I like Poppi and wish the character connected to her most was handled a little better.
Just know that this video was an absolute treat to watch, and thank you. I hope more people start to watch this.
I definitely agree, more people definitely should give these games a chance. It's truly an experience and yet people can be very hesitant even calling 2 too anime like and stuff and therefore never give it or even definitive edition a chance
I love how Rex’s character involves him loving the world despite its flaws, and here we are loving XC2 despite it having some flaws
nothing is good about the game, this video is an hoax
In defense of Tora: While his age is never outright stated, through context clues in the game I've seen online that it is generally agreed upon that he is between the ages of 10 and 15, making his obsession with Poppi's cuteness much more agreeable. No, what we should take issue with is his father and grandfather, the ones who first came up with Poppi's design in the first place.
Even his dad and grandpa aren’t egregious imo. They’re comedic degenerates. This isn’t a new trope.
He says hes younger than Rex and he's 15.
@@xacmashe3852 So he's essentially a child going through puberty and it's problems.
At least he tries his best to keep his fantasies hidden (even if it fails).
I just realized that Jin lived for 500 years missing and mourning Lora. How awul is that and how would anyone could not become a villain after this time. You see every scene with Jin in the maingame in another light with this in mind.
Thank you for this in depth love letter to my favorite game of all time. Means a lot 🍀💚
It's sad that jin just kept going on on the idea that maybe someday he'd see Lora again
55:45 As someone, who played XC2, when it first came out, there are some things, that were fixed in patches and update, for example, pressing x used to bring you to the map selection, instead of the map of the current location.
On another note RIP Ardainian Soldier Voice Lines, you gave me headdaches at first, but I still miss you.
Xc3 spoiler..
1:56:35 heh.. that aged well. Absolutely amazing video though holy, you have very fair criticism cause this game definitely has its flaws, but it's highs are so tremendously high that it still becomes an absolutely phenomenal experience. And yeah I felt like I connected a lot with a ton of the cast on a personal level, and I'd be lying if I didn't say that most of my current day optimism on life stemmed from Rex and the gang during my playthrough. I wholeheartedly believe that everyone should play this game at one point or another and stick through the obvious glaring issues cause it is more than worth it, you may not even realize how great the game is until a second playthrough though cause of how deep the writing is for the main cast, I know I didn't even realize the whole story until my 3rd playthrough, all the very subtle foreshadowing, playing the DLC to realize Jin's perspective better, and even subtle details like how Pyra is hinted at being asymmetrical with her blade and design and Mythra being completely symmetrical being the true form of the aegis, then Pneuma being even more complete as she realizes she doesn't have to fear anymore of her true strength, "I am lost no longer" "we love this world because of you Rex" how even if you're a literal god of the universe you're still gonna need someone to be there for you at times.. I obviously am a Xc2 lover and think it's the best of the games, but regardless the entire trilogy are all phenomenal in their own way and that's okay if you prefer one over the other, they all teach a life lesson that I feel most people should definitely experience..
The funny thing about games' look and performance is that it can so easily be so much better. With just a little bit of overclock in dock (it's actually not even an overclock, because chip itself supposed to run on higher clocks, like in Nvidia shield tv for example) an you can get pretty much stable resolution and framerate. But if you have modded switch you can take it further and install graphics mod for the game, which is just a config file with settings. And trust me - without any taa, just with fxaa game looks so so so much better. And you can actually allow switch to run game in portable mode with 720 as max res, turn of this hideous looking sharpening filter and with a bit of overclock (not overclock, but putting GPU clocks between docked and default portable, around 600mhz, which is 2 times the portable clock, but still less then in docked mode) you can experience this game like never before. So switch can run this game really well with good picture quality, but it's just kinda questionable technical decisions by monolith themselves and a bit of Nintendo.
P. s. I don't condone piracy, but I think you should be able to mod your stuff however you like
I'm gonna pretend I know what those words mean
Monolith does not have a voice in that. It's just nintendo
Want to know who does condone piracy?
Great video! Honestly did this game more justice than some people I've seen. You gave a very fair and entertaining discussion about the game. Xenoblade 2 is such an amazing game and it's nice to see some more positivity about it.
This is one of the best essays on Xenoblade 2 out there. I personally do feel that the character designs are not a problem. I feel this way because there is evidence to suggest that stuff like that doesn't cause people to be dicks to women nor does it inherently cause women to feel uncomfortable. With that in consideration, I think it's simply a matter of taste if you like them or not and there's no need to get on someone's case for it. That's why I really like this vid; it's respectful and encourages discussion rather than being judgmental.
I've been playing Xenoblade 3 and I'm about 30 hours in as of now; it's fantastic. So far, it's really taking some of the best elements of 1 and 2 and merging them very well.
I started playing this game in May 2020 and it was my real first exposure to Xenoblade, I played Xenoblade 1 on Wii for a short while. Your vídeo is basically everything I ever wanted to say about this game and much more!
Thank you for capturing and putting into words what the wonderful experience that is playing and loving this series!
2:03:46 That jump is illegal, you managed to not die because you went into the climbing animation, AMAZING.
Great video! Overall XC2 is one of those games that makes me feel so emotional. I've never cried so much when it comes to video games. I could see that this story was trying to be a true message of hope that I think a lot of people need right now.
For me the one character I'm so attached to is Mythra. Considering everything she went through in Torna it's understandable why she keeps her distance from others. She is scared to get hurt again and scared to lose those she cares about.
To see Rex be so accepting of her and genuinely nice to her it's sweet and wholesome. She has never had anyone be like this towards her and it shows. For me, I just love that when he looks at her he doesn't see an Aegis, a weapon, or something to be feared. He just sees a girl he wants to help and connect with.
Three of my favorite moments for Mythra are "I have tons of them" The entire moment between her and Rex in the land of Morytha. She just seems so relaxed and happy but at the same time, she feels a bit awkward. Her reaction to Rex's confession just seeing her on the verge of tears she just can't believe she means this much to Rex. Then when she declares she's Rex's blade she found her place in the world where she can be happy.
The relationship Rex, Pyra, and Mythra have is something that just brings a smile to my face all the time. Seeing them find happiness and love with one another is sweet and felt like something they needed. Rex loves Pyra and Mythra no matter what faults and all and that's something anyone would want. He made them feel loved when the world never did.
One Last You that song is just beautiful. The meaning and the love that is just pouring in from Pyra and Mythra's heart. There's just that sense that they can finally be happy with Rex and they deserve that. That's the way it should be.
I have one other favorite Mythra moment. During a side-quest after helping a guy propose to his girlfriend Mythra actually tries to see when Rex is going to propose to her and give her a ring. I'm just like she wants to marry Rex.
Xenoblade 2 is easily my favourite game of all time, and you perfectly encapsulated all the reasons why in this video. Masterful work, and looking forward to more from you, Troy.
So on the topic of the sexier female designs of the game, since you mentioned wanting some more female voices on the topic, I actually like them. Mostly because no character brings up how the characters are dressed (Other than the obvious fanservice scenes that you already pointed out). Mythra and Pyra dress sexy and no one bats an eye. I like that. They're not considered to be dressing for anyone's approval, but only because that's how they feel comfortable portraying themselves. And maybe their original Driver had a hand in it, but it's not really stated either way save for the brief mention Nia makes in the beginning of the game how Blades are a reflection of their Drivers that isn't really shown in terms of gameplay.
Because the game doesn't really focus on how they're dressed, as the game goes on it can become easier for the player to kinda forget that they're dressed as such. Sure, it may be a bit in your face at first, but after hours a person can become blind to it. Which normalizes the idea of dressing how you want, in my opinion. Do you want to dress in short-shorts or a miniskirt and still be taken seriously? Xenoblade Chronicles 2 says this is a real possibility! And I like that. And if you look at the female designs of Fiora and Sharla in Xenoblade Chronicles 1, the only thing keeping their original designs from being "fanservice" is Fiora's tights that cover her legs/upper thighs and Sharla's thigh high boots. But because Mythra and Pyra don't cover their thighs, they must be fanservice bait?
Everyone's opinion on it is valid, but I feel as if our culture didn't place so much emphasis on how women dress and what's "appropriate" then it wouldn't be a point of contention in the first place.
THANK YOU.
Also consider as they are people designed for swift combat. Like a blade needs to be. So having alot of clothing in the way is a general no no. You can learn this in combat training. That is why some characters in some shows doing alot of combat wilk have tight fit clothes and or would have clothing designed to not block their legs or they tear it off
I also noted you are willing to understand that some stuff is for the fun of itself not some contrived evil thought of.muahaha peope look at woman it bad lol so thanks for that too
Xenoblade 2 is one of my favorite games of all time and there are so many mechanics that I didn’t understand until after I beat the game. I didn’t understand how pouch items really worked until after the final boss and I was grinding to finish filling out my blade album
The fact I had tears in my eyes for every scene just shows how great this game was. It really is sad how hard it is to get immersed into the game, especially considering that from chapter 5 onward you really can’t put the game down anymore. I believe this game does everything it wants to do right, but that it lacks in everything it didn’t fully focus on. And it’s sad because it has so much potential and the game has a lot of flaws that could easily be fixed. If the development team hadn’t been drastically shortened I believe it could‘ve been the most popular and most beloved game in the series, if not even on the Switch
I'm just 8 min into the video and just have to get this of my chest.
I just think it's unbelievably awesome, how out of nowhere some people decide to pump out such a behemoth of a video project.
As I said I'm just at the beginning, but I'm already sure this is going to be a good one and I want to thank you that you took all this time and effort to complete this project.
Edit after seeing it all in one go: Dude, I can't even imagine how much work went into this video.
For the feedback part:
You mention at the end that you had to compromise perfection to finally getting done with it. Let me tell you, this really didn't came through.
The punchlines were on point together with what was shown in the video.
You had proper build up, the flow was immaculate paced and structured.
The points you shared were well thought out and explained, even if some of them might not resonate with everyone we can still see where you are coming from.
The way you articulate and accentuate is a nice mix of chill, sarcastic, fun and engaged. This really makes it pleasant to listen to and is only mildly restricted by your solid but improvable audio quality.
So technically this is already above most content on TH-cam.
But what really sells this is the passion you have about the game and the project, this is what is lacking in most content these days here on TH-cam.
What you actually want to improve should depend on your goals.
If you want to optimize for TH-cam you probably want to shorten the video a lot, or put it in separate parts. So you don't get punished by the algorithm that bad.
You probably also would want to time your uploads with a schedule or some announcement that is specific to your content.
If you don't want to play this game and just want to publish some awesome content you should just open a patreon.
For a perceived one man production this rivals some big established creators.
I would put you next to an earlier SummoningSalt, TierZoo or recent Overanalyzing Avatar.
So if you really like to make this videos I'm certain there will be a way you get at least a worthwhile compensation out of it.
Conclusion: This has to be one of the best love letters towards a video game here on TH-cam and I'm happy to have stumbled across it. It's wholesome to see that Xenoblade Chronicles 2 did for you what it's predecessor did for me back in the day and I'm looking forward to your next release.
I wish you all the best and thank you for the entertainment.
And yes, I teared up during the end.
if XB2's ending didn't move you, you're probably emotionally stunted, lol.
Great video. Love seeing the respect on Rex's name, my man doesn't get enough credit for how much of a chad he is
Especially post 3
Thanks for making this! It really helps hearing someone express some of my own opinions about this fantastic game. It's really a wonderful game that people should appreciate more. I'll definitely be tuning into your channel again and I hope to see you get better at making these.
Is this a steak? Cause this was really well done. I am glad you enjoyed Xenoblade 2. It is absolutely one of my favorite games despite the flaws it has.
I'm not very good at conveying all of my thoughts concisely in text, so I just wanna say that this video made me feel SO freaking good. I've spent the last four years trying desperately to sing this game's praises to anyone who'd listen, only to get bombarded by the XC2 hate train each and every time. For a while, I even began to doubt the things that I knew I loved about this, starting to only see the negatives. I eventually shook myself out of it, but it was still hard to find explicitly (mostly) positive reviews about this until Chuggaaconroy's recent(ish) Let's Play. After him, I found Enel's guides, flyann's stream vods, KayJulers, Luxin, and now you with this video. Just watching this front to back made me tear up like four times, just by making me remember exactly how much I truly loved Xenoblade 2. So truly, thank you so much for making this. It meant a lot more to me than I ever could have expected.
This was the video I wanted to watch back in 2017-2018 when I finished playing the game. I loved this game and you’re hitting the nail on the head when sharing your thoughts on this video.
You and me. Your story is also mine. Since Pyra/Mythra’s Smash release, I decided to give the game a try, only knowing about Shulk and the sword girls. And man… 2021 is an unforgettable year for the better.
I just now realized how Poppi was already looking so heartbroken when they reached the end of the bridge cause she already knew what was going to happen next.
Ok, I'm going to say it.
This is the best analysis of XC2 I have ever seen. It highlights both the strengths and weaknesses of the game, giving your own opinion about them while respecting other people's views, and all with such a level of detail and sheer passion. You managed to perfectly convey all my thoughts and the reasons I love this game so much, despite its flaws.
Massive props man
Kinda shocked such a high effort high quality video on a popular game is tied to such a low sub count channel. The algorithm ain't treating you right, man. Take a sub.
I rarely comment, but this video is absolutely amazing. Thank you for your great work and making me refeel some of the feelings i had for XC2 again.
On par with other video essays I've watched, this came out insanely well and it's deserved with how much hard work you put into it. Truly the best youtube content are the videos where people just discuss their passion for a long time. Can't wait to see where you go from here!
Xenoblade 1 and 2 are both 10/10 masterpieces. I agree with literally every point you bring up, and love these games so much
Xenoblade 2 and basically the trilogy will always hold a special place in my heart.
Late 2022, I was getting a little bored with my gaming. I don’t play much shooter games, I don’t play online multiplayers, nor do I have a PC to gets games off Steam, and neither do I have any PlayStation or Xbox consoles on me. Mainly just my DS with (totally legally obtained) old games on them that i’ll come back to like Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story, Partners in Time, Mario Party DS and The Simpsons Game (DS version (obviously)) and my Nintendo Switch, which I recently completed Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes and ultimately, been pretty disappointed by it, but still enjoyed playing. I came across Blunz’s Xenoblade 2 “This is” series and something that i’ll never know, roped me into thinking. “Huh. Guess i’ll give this game a try”. Hell, I didn’t even know Alpharad loved this game and I watched quite a lot of his content in Smash Ultimate’s early days.
So, just before Christmas time in 2022, I pick up a copy of Xenoblade 2 and go in practically blind. Except knowing of a certain…photograph because I initially didn’t think i’d pick up the series when seeing that spoiler. And my god i’m so glad I played all 3 games of the trilogy blind and not see playthrus of them on TH-cam, because that was one of the best decisions of my life.
I basically had no open world RPGs, and i’m not willing to accept my playthrus of Pokémon Sun, Ultra Moon, Let’s Go Pikachu and Sword as open world. And neither did I grow up with the Zelda franchise, therefore not really caring about BotW. So my lord was I in for a geographical journey when going through every Titan Alrest had to give me. Seeing Uraya’s nature (that’s technically in a whale mind you), the tundras of Tantal, the relaxing Gormott and the quiet life Leftheria was just so amazing to me.
And the lore to accompany these beautiful landscapes? One of the best things Xeno 2 every did to me, was challenge my belief that Fire Emblem: Three Houses, was the most expanded and incredibly convoluted lore imaginable. Because this game’s story and lore sure as hell blew me away of how the history of the past and present was just amazing to discover one thing after the next.
The music, oh the music. Fire Emblem as a whole will always be famous for having amazing soundtrack in their games, and i’m glad to see Xenoblade (as a whole) is truly a worthy contender. Both open world, cutscenes and battling when it comes to soundtrack.
I have to admit, most of the cast are amazing and i’d gladly die on that hill of no regrets. I do see Rex as a great protagonist, as not many people realise, he’s the bright optimism that this dark and depressing world finally needs. And he’s a fucking child, let the guy breath please! I find Pyra and Mythra compelling characters that are more than just sex appeal that some people really need to let that go. One thing this video has taught me is… I really need to reconsider when defending Jin, Akhos and Patroka. Mikhail still is most tragic character for me. Mainly as a kid, he had no family, was moved around in some form of a slave trade, gained a close family and friendship, through Lora as a mother/big sister, Jin as an intimidating but eventually loveable big bro, Haze as a sister and Milton as a best friend that he could finally open up. And he lost them. Most likely watching Haze return to her crystal state when Lora dies, being forced into becoming a Blade Eater, reuniting with Jin after so long, only to find him working with the guy who was a part of Milton’s death, reunite with Brighid and for her to not properly remember him (could be a retcon with Golden Country), same with Mythra, and reuniting with Haze, only to find her working for the man who took everything from him and forced him to make what he could of pretty harsh circumstances.
It’s easy for many people to dislike Amalthus what with him being a villain and all, but I do like how his perception is way too relatable. He’s had it rough from a young age and constantly saw the worst of humanity, that he questions his divine creator that he idolised. I should know, i’ve worked at a checkout in a grocery store in my mid teens. But when it comes to defending Jin, one thing a lot people need to remember is that just because his life was tragic and compelling, should never justify the fact he’s killed tens to hundreds of people. And that Akhos spits on Vandham’s honourable sacrifice, like yeah you’re write it was cliche, but give the guy some respect and shut your fucking mouth. Akhos and Patroka’s backstory gets so shoe horned in, that it’s better it was way earlier in the story. Because the soundtrack should’ve been edited just like how Counterattack does in some scenes, because their backstories take way too long, especially considering the scene.
And i’ve got to admit, there are still some bad things that could’ve easily been avoided, like the english voice acting. In regards to that bit with Malos pre final boss fight. I’m willing to bet the voice actor had to work with whatever poor direction he was given. You can see his delivery itself isn’t bad, hell pretty much most of his performance is awesome, one of the bests of the english cast imo, i’m just willing to bet the voice directors didn’t properly tell him what the animations were. But, the biggest offender for me, wasn’t the at times bad English voice acting, the sexually designed female characters that get overlooked by their design when they’re actually developed characters that don’t relate to their design, not the horrible tutorials that forced me to TH-cam and Reddit them, not the soundtrack that sometimes is horribly audio mixed with the dialogue, i’m looking at you A Faint Hope… it’s that godforsaken lighting during cutscenes. You know what i’m talking about, how a lot of shots, especially that are under some form of shelter, have the lighting take 1 second to adjust appropriately. Imagine your favourite film having that happen when every time the camera cuts to the next shot, you have the lighting adjusting and not just being properly set up… god… damn… awful. Architect have mercy that didn’t carry over to Xeno 3.
But, Xenoblade 2, will always have a special place in my heart, as the compelling narrative of a fun and dynamic battle system of a game, that I never gave up on
hmmm i wonder if this person likes sam raimi's spider-man trilogy
(your video rocks my socks off, i truly appreciate you for being one of the few people to properly explain why people love this game)
It’s hard to tell, I am very subtle about it if so, LOL!
Thanks so much, it means more to me than you know!
I can't agree more with you! It is great to see someone gush as much about the game years after it came out :D
I love Xenoblade 2, it will be one of my favourite of all time and still I agree with you critic and problems you pointed out.
My favourite song is "counterattack". I get goose bumps everytime.
Update: I'm about an hour in and this might be the best review of 2 I've ever seen. I'm getting so many old feelings coming back seeing all the footage of the game and it seems like you love all the same things I love about this game. I understand why some people have their complaints about it, but as the first game I played in what is now my favorite series of all time, I adore everything about it. Seriously such an awesome video, I can't wait to finish it!
Completely agree about the soundtrack, even the harshest critics I know of this game admit that it's great. It's easily my favourite soundtrack out there with songs that can get your blood pumping like Still Moving Forward to songs that are what I can best describe as simply magical such as Uraya and Letherian Archipelago themes. Shadows of the Lowlands, The Tomorrow With You, The Power of Jin, I can gush about the whole ost.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is one of my all-time favorites video games, but whenever I say that, people look at me like I'm crazy. I've honestly wanted to learn how to make videos just to give this game a good, chunky analysis to explain why I think it's so special. But with this video, you've perfectly done exactly what I wanted to do, explaining why Xenoblade 2 is so memorable despite it's many, many warts. As I've been watching this video in parts over the last couple weeks, I've been SHOCKED at how high-quality everything is, from the script to the editing to the audio quality, for such a small channel. You really hit it out of the park
such a wonderful and thorough analysis of probably my favorite game ever (and I'm typically aversive to RPGs). I hope this video reaches more people!
I love how he says when xenoblade3 comes out in September and then it came out in July
That part aged significantly, didn’t it? LMAO
@@Tronk_ yes yes I did btw love your videos keep up the amazing xenoblade content
Damn this video conveys all the feelings I have for Xenoblade game series which I couldn't convey myself. Awesome job on that one!
Incredible video, Xenoblade 2 is absolutely my favorite in the series and one of my favorite games of all time. Let's hope that Monolithsoft improves upon both 2 & 1 for Xenoblade 3!
I've honestly waited for a video like this for ages since I don't make any myself so thanks man.
Thanks for just putting into words what many can't articulate.
The Vanman's death was the first time I shed tears for a video game in a long time if not ever.
Second was Cliffs just as you said.
Surprisingly the only time I disagreed with one of your takes was the final boss since I'm still salty Zanza got what Egil should have as a final encounter.
One of the best videos on XC2 so far.
Looking forward to furure content.
Right at the start you say something that gave me a spark joy passion when I needed
I connected with you as in Nov 2020 I too felt similar way
Xc2 was a like revolution in gaming for me, it was my first jrpg and opened the door to me liking them lol
This is easily the best review I've seen for XC2, I pretty much agree with everything you said. While the game isn't perfect and takes a while to get going, once it clicks and you get invested it's one of the best games you'll ever play.
I think you were incredibly fair with how you presented your thoughts, and I like how you weren't afraid to criticize the game and adress criticism you think isn't fair. While the story and characters have their weak moments and the game drip feeds mechanics, those weaker moments aren't representative of the whole game and what it's about, even if they are issues.
Massive agree on how you argue in favor of the story and it's characters, especially in the case of characters like Rex, Jin, and Amalthus. Rex especially gets the worst of it and is often dumbed down or misrepresented in online discourse, so seeing someone who argues in favor of the character and tries to disprove the bs is so refreshing to see. Your analysis on Amalthus and Jin are also really good.
For a two and a half hour video this went by very quick for me and didn't feel dragged out at all.
Good job
2 > 1 in every way, that's what a sequel should and must do. Fight me.
Fantastic video my guy! I honestly can't find the right words to express how good this 2 hour long video made me feel.
That ending was beautiful and seeing that cutscene always makes me teary-eyed.
Well done!!! Hope you enjoying part 3
Great video! This was enjoyable all the way through
ACE+ when composing the OST for XC1: "do you want me to compose the best OST for an JRPG, not composed by Uematsu?"
"Do you want me to do it again for XC2"
"Well 3 times the charm for XC3"
The OST for all 3 games is insane and has some of the most memorable tracks in videogame history for me!
Through all these years we've seen countless people and videos capture what makes the Original Xenoblade such a masterpiece of an rpg.
And I'm happy we're finally getting to a point where Xenoblade 2 is finally being appreciated in the fanbase and getting these kinds of videos now.
Xenoblade is truly an embodiment of years of effort and failures, as well as embodying the spirit of jrpgs.
This was a really good video. Xenoblade 2 is still one of my favorite games and I've only touched a fraction of everything the game has to offer.
Fantastic video! Similarly, I played Xenoblade 2 before 1 through Definitive Edition. I became a Xenoblade fan in March 2021 after the Pyra/Mythra Smash reveal and I must say Xenoblade is the best thing that has happened in my life over the last year. Those 2 games absolutely stunned me with their worlds, music, story which is simply like no other. I have even told a few friends to play Definitive Edition and got one of them the game for his birthday.
I love this world because Xenoblade is in it!
On my most recent playthrough, I was spamming all my core crystals to try and get the commons needed for the poppibuster quest and i ended up getting KOS MOS
I loved going through the world tree. It was a unique experience working your way through a nuclear reactor and server hubs. It really gave me the feeling of going through a more modern tech area compared to the rest of the game.
I’ve been watching this video in sections over the past view days, and as a person who just found out about xenoblade 2 after the smash reveal, this video really resonated with me. In just a year I’ve played xenoblade 2, Torna, and am currently finishing DE and FC. You did a great job with this video and I hope more people can see that this game is a hidden masterpiece. That’s how I feel about it. Thank you for this video.
Xenoblade 2's cut scenes are like AMV. They really do match the rhythm of the musics.
I always hypes when the cut scenes comes. It likes watching an anime opening.
Lovely video. Very hard to write a script that can remain engaging for so long, but you genuinely did really well.
This video definetly needs more views, amazing job at summarizing the positives, negatives, and your personal experience of the game, I enjoyed watching every second of it! It's always a joy to hear another person pour their heart out about something that they love. Xenoblade 2 continues to be one of my personal favorite video games and you've covered all the points of why it's worth checking out. 5 years later I still think about the game's story and characters, and I still listen to its ost whenever I have the chance. Really hope this video reaches to the right audience, more people need to give this game along with the entire Xenoblade series a shot, to me the games are truly masterpieces and is the greatest example of why video games are a great medium of storytelling. Keep up the great work!
Such hard work i know one day your going to be a really popular youtuber in the future
I love this game so much i have 580+ hours of gameplay i have beated it 4 times and completed challenge mode i will never stop playing this game
This is a really awesome analysis, my favorite xenoblade 2 critique I’ve watched on TH-cam, and I’ve watched them all. Thanks for the hard work!
For someone who claims to be 'dogass' at explaining music, you did quite possibly the best job I've ever heard of explaining precisely why the exceptional music of this game and games in general is so damn beautiful, glorious and touching. I literally felt such a fat fucking 'YES' envelop my whole body from 1:30:19 - 1:31:58 it's unreal. And, although I can't relate specifically to your description of Torigoth's night theme in relation to the unending, practically brain-damaging effects of remote schooling, anxiety and solitude, similar feelings of pant-shitting agreement were indeed felt when you talked about certain pieces just being perfect for bringing you back to a blissful time and place and remedying certain other feelings/situations. In fact, fuck it, the whole soundtrack section is just perfect. I swear to shit this video was already great but that section made it worthy of a URL tattoo.
The villains segment was also great, especially Jin and ESPECIALLY Amalthus. It was so great to finally hear someone who isn't so vehemently opposed to feeling any kind of empathy for the guy because of their insistence on looking morally correct. Amalthus is probably the character with the most underappreciated writing and untapped potential in my opinion, and it was so great to listen to you recognize his subtleties and even relatabilities without fearing backlash for being somewhat against the status quo of 'blue man the most evilest ever'. Amalthus believed he was right, he believed that he was special, and that's really all it takes for any number of justifications to settle in regarding one's actions.
The entire video was consistently pretty fantastic, it's ridiculously good for a first timer, and that shoutout section at the end was just heartwarming. Seeing all those videos pop up like "Oh yeah! That one's great!" was just so nice. The only substantial thing I think you missed was the role of the character designs in turning people away from the game early on/right away. It honestly happens, people take one look at Pyra/Mythra and think "oh it's that kinda shit", which is pretty agonizing. Pretty much only brought that up because you have a great attitude to criticism, I really think this video is incredible. It's always great to see videos like this born out of passion from unknown creators, and even better to see them get some of the attention and praise that they deserve in the TH-cam jungle. I'm planning more of my own videos and it's safe to say this has been a real uplifting and motivating experience. Anyway, that concludes this movie review and I look forward to your future videos!
Holy cow, this was amazing. This guy needs more subs.
Loved the video your editing and being clear with your inspiration - from gameplay moments to certain content creators- in particular, also 921 subs isn’t enough let’s make it 922 as a start 👍🏿.
wait wtf only 221 subs and this high quality??!?!
Great analysis. Hoping to see your future videos and seeing this channel grow. Xenoblade 2 and this series as a whole are special.
Dude this is insanely good!! You absolutely need more subscribers and I will totally be here for future content, xenoblade or not
I think that the XC vs XC2 debate is so dumb and I am glad that this video isnt about that, keep up the good work
It nice to see someone put to words what I never quite could when it comes to my feelings for this game. Also the fact that our playtimes by the end are quite close. When this game came out I was a sophmore in highschool and I spent almost every waking moment absorbed into this game playing it. I remember waiting with bated breath for it to come out then buying it a few days after its release. It became a genuine issue for my teachers as I would walk into class sit in the back and take out my switch and just play and play interacting with NO ONE. They eventually just gave up trying to stop me until I finished or it died.
This was such an amazing video! The time and effort you poured into this is plainly evident, and I hope this video blows up eventually, because this NEEDS more views! Thank you for doing this game and series justice.
I find it funny that most of the gameplay flaws in this game seem like things that can easily be fixed by anybody with a modest degree of programming knowledge. Like, re-word tutorials, pace them out a bit better and allow them to be reviewed in the main menu at any time. Tutorials fixed. Allow for three blades to be equipped from the get go and have chain attacks unlock earlier, that'd help with the pacing issues in the early game combat.
Blades with unique field skills that make their quest needlessly tedious like Agate or Electra can be easily remedied too. What if all of Agates mining points only required LVL 1 Prospecting so you were guaranteed success. She still leveled up her field skill as she discovers minerals, but the only thing that needed max level Prospecting would be the ore vein that contains the material agate. And by that point you would already be guaranteed to have it as a result of collecting the requisite number of minerals. You could do something similar with Electra and Floren's skills as well.
As for making field skills less intrusive, my best idea is having a node in the menu titled 'Tasks' or something. From the 'Tasks' menu, you can assign 3 blades to each different field skill. There could also be an 'Auto' option that automatically selects the blades with the highest level skills, for lazy people like me. Then, whenever a field skill was required the game would automatically have the blades assigned to those tasks attempt it. Now you will only have to open the menu when you need to update the assigned blades or check the requirements of unlocking higher levels of the field skills.
Anyway, the point of my rambling is that if this game ever gets a 'definitive edition' it shouldn't be to difficult to cut down on a lot of the annoyances that stop people from being able to fully enjoy this game.
Holy shit, I've been waiting for another super long Xenoblade video to cry and watch while I'm waiting for 3! God bless you, sir
Any Xeno content is a gift
Absolutely fantastic video. My experience with the series is pretty similar to yours lol, after playing both Definitive Edition when it came out and 2 last year, this is now up there as one of my all time favorite franchises and 2 of my favorite games ever. No game has managed to break me emotionally on the level Xenoblade 2 has, and I'm someone who cries over pretty much every piece of media and 99% of games I play lol. Now we wait for July...
That was a great video ! You worded the positives/negatives of the game better than I ever saw. Also it's great seeing some "appreciation" for Amalthus, I think he's an underrated villain.
Sidenote : you made the hypothesis that the sexualization may be the result of the high number of men in the industry. Actually, Monolith soft has about 30% of female employees, which is very high compared to your average game dev. Also Dahlia was designed by a woman
Holy crap. This was an amazing watch. Thank you so much for sharing some love and attention on this wonderful game. Also, thanks for acknowledging one of my favorite moments. (Where Morag throws herself between Malos and Nia)
Anyways, I can't wait to see what you have in store next, this was phenomenal.
this video was truly amazing to me. your perspective was fresh for me and i'm so happy to hear that someone that wouldn't have given a shit about a game like this absolutely fell in love with it just the same as i did, me being someone who is far more invested in video game stories and RPGs in general. your analysis was fantastic and surprising to me as we started playing just about the same time. usually the best stuff i hear is from series veterans but clearly you very much know what you're talking about and love the games and it just made me fall in love with your video. the fact that you have less than 400 subscribers at the time of me writing this is criminal; this is one of the greatest analysis videos i've seen in a long long time. keep this up! absolutely am excited to see where you go from here. thanks for the lovely video :)
The only video game stories that ever made me cry are this game and super paper Mario. Story in video games can be something magical
i will consume every hour or longer video about xenoblade that exists!
This franchise is the perfect example of why I think art style is far more important than graphics.
I love rex as well. His VA is really good other than in his shouting scenes
Very good analysis of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 on all fronts. One thing I really enjoyed is hearing you unravel the layered interpersonal aspects to the characters. I really like how you established how the game dichotomizes how tender the Aegis are when it comes to relationships with their drivers. Malos is consumed by the nihilism and struggles aith an identity because destruction and hatred toward humanity is essentially branded into him. His destruction serves as his identity and he expresses it as such, though feeling he's the biproduct of the world he despises and so he seeks the power to destroy it in Aion. Pnuema fears this power and wishes to be killed by the Architect from her traumatic experiences. Her power and identity after Torna is a painful one that Addam wasn't able to handle and though it's obvious he cares about her to an extent, it isn't as sufficient as it needs to be which makes sense as with both the Aegis they need to be handled with extreme care and that grants the driver control and the blades themselves more power (as shown with Pnuema). Then with characters like Jin who ask the question why blades shed their memories with their drivers death, he is a characterization as to why that question ends up being more morally complex than losing memories being a fearful prospect. His existence is one filled with dread after the events of Torna, his wish for an end to his suffering cannot come due to his promise to Malos but more importantly the words Lora spoke to him. This becomes even more complicated when the death of Amalthus is brought by Jin (a somewhat plus to his morose existence). This was a bit of rambling so I apologize, I've got a fuckton of notes analyzing the philosophy behind characters and your video definitely was enjoyable to watch as you nailed a ton of points of the characters. Amazing video and definitely want to see the one on Torna or even get to talk to you myself because I'm foaming at the mouth waiting for 3 and I'd love to show my analysis of the characters to you 😭😭. Earned a subscriber.
This is a REALLLY good video lol… btw can we expect a video about XBC3
You certainly can! It’ll definitely take a couple months after the game’s out to write the script, gather footage and record. I am bad with deadlines so no promises on the timeframe, but it’ll definitely be a thing that comes out!
Hey, this was awesome. I also got into this series during the pandemic, and I agree - it's one of not many good things to come out of it. I kept thinking about something you said toward the beginning: that XB2 wears its heart on its sleeve. That's exactly how I'd put it. It's for sure messy and not for everyone at all, but it wouldn't hit as hard if it settled for anything less.
Also I'm a woman and I'm also kind of a centrist on the sexy designs lol. I think they're like VERY obviously oversexualized, and Pyra's design in particular really bugs me because it doesn't fit her character, where she's very modest and also doesn't like drawing attention to herself, and not only is her outfit OTT sexualized, it has so many bells and whistles. On the other hand, I do think it's important to note that outside of a couple of rare blades (yeah it's cliche to say this but there really is no excuse for Dahlia either), I think the female characters are well-developed and not just there for T&A, and that's important too.
Gran video de un hermoso juego como Xenoblade 2. ❤️
This was very well done. You have a very sincere artist voice, wonderful pacing and clear definition of thoughts and ideas. Keep it up.
Amazing documentary I'll definitely be watching more of your content in the future, my only critique would be be the audio mixing through the whole video. I could tell you made this video wearing headphones but as someone who watches vids normally in my room all quite either on a laptop of my phone, the background music was barley audible a majority of the time. Which is a shame since this also happened when you talked about the soundtrack.
Other than this, badass video and I'm sure the xenoblade community will appreciate this vid on the same level you intended it be.
subbed.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is my favorite game of all time. For a long while I've debated about my favorite game and was kind of like nooo XC2 can't be my favorite because so and so said this about it etc. I realized, why the heck do I even care what other people think? This game gripped me and had me crying multiple times throughout. It's an incredible story with incredible characters imo. I love it!
This was a really cool video, for once in a Positive look, without ignoring its problems ok the way
Hope this helps more people to see the game in that light.
Uhhh I really dont know what more to say than thanks for making this and making me emotional for the game again, keep up the hard work 👍
(long ass comment ahead)
aaaaah this video was so wonderful! you really put into words everything i felt about this game, good and bad. i have an immense amount of respect for people who know when something they love is flawed and yet dont deny their unabashed love for it anyway. for some reason, i've always gotten far more attached to said flawed media than more "objectively" good media. maybe it's because those flaws get me thinking, or maybe because it makes me think about how i would've done it differently, but whatever the reason, something about xbc2 just really worked for me. the blade-driver concept really scratched an itch for me that soul eater had created for me back in middle school. the vast array of titans felt like such a creative worldbuilding idea, and admittedly made it feel like a bigger world then xbc1, where while the bionis was massive, the fact that there was only really two homs colonies, the nopon, and then the isolationist high entia did make the world itself feel a tad empty in terms of people.
I love the music, i love that they went out of their way to not just use british voice actors, but VAs from all over the uk and ireland. having a main welsh character like nia was such a treat, and a scottish accent on a character like morag, who's the furthest thing from the usual scottish depiction was really nice. i just feel like most UK + irish accents aside from plain old southern queens english just dont really show up in much media unless they're meant to be a stereotype, so it may be a weird detail but it meant a lot to me.
im especially a big mythra fan, i just love it when a closed off character is shown genuine care for the first time in so long and just doesn't know how to respond. it's the good shit, and i can really relate to her struggle of feeling like she's not good enough. i can see why the original tornans would've been frustrated. to them, she's this legendary blade and their only hope against malos and she seems to be acting like a reckless and immature teenager. but sadly, it meant that no one really saw that mythra could also use some empathy for her own situation. this lack of understanding between individuals leading to unintentional feelings of self hatred really struck a chord for me in particular.
Of course, no game is without its faults, and i have quite a few. namely, i believe the game introduces two more serious topics but then doesn't really address them in a satisfying or appropriate way: the blade system and mor ardain. with the blades, it's noted many times that they can easily fall into the hands of people who wouldn't treat them so well, that it's kinda fucked up that they lose their memories with no say in the matter every time they return to their core crystal, and that people will even seek out humanoid blades for sex trafficking, and then the game just...doesn't really conclude this. i dont expect the party to come up with a solution for this over the relatively short in game span of the story, necessarily, but i just wished the main party brought it up more or said they'd find a way one day. i also dont much like the idea of "well it's rebirth and we all have to perish someday" as a valid explanation for the blades losing their memories being okay. clearly, many of them dont want that and the idea that they just have to accept they'll forget their loved ones one day is very depressing.
But as it stands the only people besides zeke in his flashback with amalthus to acknowledge this is well, the villains, and later on in the game it's moreso the nihilism of jin and torna that's tackled, that humans are inherently not worth saving, again the whole "hey isn't it kind of fucked that the way our species works is incredibly easy for people to abuse" is just kind of not addressed, sadly. the xbc3 trailers have seemed to be implying that blades have found a way to be more separate from humans which is great! but it doesn't change that xbc2 in a vacuum just really ignores this glaring issue it brought up and then handwaved.
as for mor ardain, this one is more personal but i very much not fond of how much sympathy the game lends to what is explicitly a colonizing military power. their titan dying is given main story focus, while any issues the gormottis might have with being forcefully annexed is either in side quests or can just be entirely handwaved in said sidequests, like the lovers one where the girl states that the conflict with mor ardain is "long over", and the little aside with roc's core crystal ending in rex going "wow, maybe driving out the foreign military leaders was bad, actually". not to mention how most of mor ardains sketchier actions get attributed to merely insurgent generals because cant acknowledge one of your main party members being complicit in colonialism.
like, i didn't need them to make mor ardain a bad guy, but i sure would've liked maybe some introspection from morag as she travels the world separate from her military duties for the first time, maybe coming to realize many of the more inherent flaws with the empire. more stuff like her conversation with nia where she points out there were other ways for mor ardain to proceed than starting a war, but evolve that into a more thorough arc for morag, and with more concrete realizations for her, because in that nia heart to heart she mostly just goes "hm" and "well the world isn't as simple as that". not to mention that by the end, we can just assume gormott is still ruled by mor ardain. again, might be answered by the next game but if this one would stand in a vacuum, it's still a rather disappointing end.
Still, despite that i do love this game and it's characters a ton and it's definitely inspired me in a lot of ways with my own creativity.
Nia: Come on Rex... don't believe in me! Don't believe in yourself! Rex... Believe in the you that I believe in!!
I'm one of those people who likes to brag that I liked Xenoblade 1 "before it was cool" (i.e. before Chuggaaconroy put up his Let's Play). Random pick up from a game store after I got my Wii became one of my all-time favorite games, and I got to watch everyone else discover it too. It actually made me so, so happy!
Subscribe earned from a fellow Xenoblade 2 enjoyer!
I am so displeased with myself that I didn’t cry at the ending of the game, but not because I didn’t love it, just because I don’t cry at anything!
great video, inspirational shit lowkey
55:59 Pyra Overdrive: *ACTIVATED*