There was a payoff for the 'baby talk' though. When the party walks out they see some kids around, and Noah and Mio look at each other and then look away embarrassed. It's probably not the comedic payoff that people expected, but I think it's the first time that the two characters start to try and process their feelings for one another and start imaging a life together after their deal with Moebius.
People expecting comedic payoff for that confuse me. That, imo, was a very powerful scene and skipping over "the talk" worked best as it preserved the gravitas of what the characters were learning. It's funny to US because we have...you know, civilization, society, culture. We know what a full life is. The characters don't. So the sort of childlike wonder and awe conveyed by the scene and the music is spot on.
@@adriahrin3284 Regardless, they were taught about the typical result of two people being in love, i.e. having a baby. Until that point the only concept they could associate with any particular emotions they were having was comradery as they've been raised as child soldiers until that point and had no concept of love. The doctor gave the talk about what happens when two people love each other very much, they went out side and saw children (the results of love) and people kissing, then each realized that maybe what they're feeling is more then they realized.
I would say Eunie’s payoff was at the castle fight. The side story is just extra payoff and explaining why the events occurred in the first place. The castle fight is to overcome the stuff she learns while her side story is just reinforcing it.
On the topic of favorite characters, I also really resonated with Taion’s and Mio’s stories. I had a friend who died of ALS back in 2019. When he was first diagnosed, he was given 2 months to live. He outlived that prognosis, but every day after that, I lived Taion’s monologue with Eunie where I was scared that one day I might wake up and he won’t be around anymore. Eventually, I ran into people who was dismissive of him, asking “why do you continue to research? Your time is almost up? Why do you keep fighting?” He strongly believed he could make a difference with his research - and he did make something out of it. Mio’s chat with the initially dismissive Gondor reminds me of those times. Her chat with Eunie in Maktha also reminded me of him. He was a very jovial guy and tried too hard to laugh off his situation. One time he made a “If I’m still alive by then” joke and my reaction was pretty much the same as Eunie’s when she told Mio that being so dismissive of it wasn’t healthy
My condolences. I think it's a mark of a great story that they can touch upon real world events and emotions and capture that feeling in the context of its own story. It does a great job showing us different perspectives and helping us empathize with one another.
I can relate to Lanz very well. My sister took her own life, and we were not on good terms before it happened. Not Xenoblade 3 terms. I didn't get the chance to appologize to her and never will, and I regret not doing so, just like with Lanz. I can relate to Taion some as well with his very logical personality and reactions to silly pointless things that some of the party members do.
I know it's most likely we'll get an interview with Noah's VA (Harry McEntire) than anyone else (I'm not at all opposed to this btw), I still also would REALLY love if it were possible we could get an interview with Eunie's VA (Kitty Archer) just because Eunie's genuinely become my favourite Xenoblade character of all time and I didn't expect to like her beyond just her character design. Kitty Archer did a FANTASTIC job with her!
I loved Xenoblade Chronicles 3. I laughed, I cried, I bopped to the OST, and had such a good time with it. It made me want to go through all three games again.
I finished in mid August and now it's been over two months since I beat the final boss. How is the time... But man, I remember being hyped for this game ever since it was first announced, playing it and loving it the whole way through, and now I've already reached the point of reminiscence.
Technically it wasn't three months when you said this, but it certainly has now. But yes, I can't believe it has been this long and I didn't finish the story until close to three months!
While I do agree with the criticism of Moebius being cartoony and very hollow villains... I kind of think that's kind of perfect for them. Especially considering what their existence is critiquing. They are a dime a dozen, everyone hates them, they throw their power around for kicks, lack humanity and substance... Kind of reminds you of your average billionaire...
Completely agree. The callous disregard for the value of life is a very common thing among the very powerful. Right wing politicians, billionaires, etc. I feel making the villains too sympathetic would undercut the game's message of criticizing power and conservatism.
I personally love them as a collective faction. Individually, only a handful stand out, but the role that they play in the story and how it resonates with the setting and narrative is completely perfect, imo.
Takahashi said he was tired of making villains with complex motives in the pre relase interview and wanted to make ones with more "base desires" so it checks out for me honestly. They are all vehicles for hero development,prompting them with a negative outlook, which makes the heros actually good chracters , so it's a reasonable tradeoff.
Man, I love this game. I still prefer Xenoblade Chronicles 2, but there is so much that XC3 does extremely well. Sidequests are the best in the series, imo
Same. XC2 is my absolute favorite, the story and bond you build the the characters is still the best to me. 3 is next and 1 is the last for me. I just cannot get into 1s story. I'm trying to force myself through it right now but I'm almost to the spot I have quit twice before, right after Prison Island, and I'm feeling the same disinterest I felt last time. I'm going to finish it for sure this time but I truly don't enjoy this game like I did 2 or even 3.
@@eeeeggnog._. Personally I think 3 never could've came at a more important point in my life. It's rough rn, but this game's message is one of the most important ones I've needed.
So glad I'm not the only one who's expecting more of Riku. I haven't gotten to XC1 or 2 yet, 3 is my first one, so I can't make any connections to past characters; but it is just really crazy how intelligent and crafty he is along with holding the Lucky Seven before giving it to Noah. Plus the scene where he talks with Noah and Noah asks "just who are you?" makes me feel like he'll be soneone special
The Zeon AI is the best! My goodness the number of times that he just out of nowhere goes running off somewhere saying something! That one time when Lanz was having a serious confession to Zeon saying he was doing a good job, Zeon just goes and runs off after Lanz finishes and says, "This smell!" I haven't bursted out laughing as hard as I did in quite some time! Xenoblade AI is the best! So many hillarious things that happen! They're hilariously glitchy! I have hundreds of clips that I have to go through and probably will create a video with a bunch of the best ones.
I jumped into Xenoblade series since the very first Xenoblade 3 trailer was released and the first Xenoblade game I played is XCDE with future connected and I love it. Then, I played Xenoblade 2 (Not included Torna) and beat it right before the third game was out. And once I beat XC3, I went back to Torna and clear it too. Man, what a great series. I'm gonna experience XCX and Xenosaga once I have my chance and time :3
You are actually lucky to play the games in that order, most new fans start playing blade series from 2, and they don't get what is so special about 1 🙂... u know this series wasn't really popular back then in wii era, none of my friend played it a lot of them even don't know... i'm just glad big N executive seems to have been playing the game & realize it was a hidden masterpiece
@@donschaero7042 Maybe it's just that people wanna hop on a new game when it's released without playing the first one. For some, I believe they would still wanna play the first one if they acknowledge the first Xenoblade. But of course, before the XCDE re-release, it's on the Wii and 3DS only and it also makes sense that people would still want to play XC2 first on Switch without owning the Wii or 3DS before :3
Man, I went back to Torna just for little references and hearing Jin at the end saying basically the same words that Noah said at the end... it just hits even harder now.
@@TronicSpeed Except, Jin at this point wanna end this world life cycle by killing Klaus and destroying the world while Noah and his teammates simply restored both universes to proper order.
Was waiting for this. 3 surpassed my attachment to the story of 1 and the character moments of 2 for me. I had my expectations high and the went further than that.
Sorry to also be late to your late video guys, just finished the game yesterday myself and stopped by to hear your discussion. Couple things to add, but you do know what Noah calls Lucky Seven, it's Infinity Blade, i.e. his unique Talent Art that can be used after that question. It's edgy and cool and shows exactly why he's embarrassed to answer Mio. As for their kid, my understanding was that he carried on their legacy. Noah constantly asks N why he killed his kin, and we know they were all born from Keves and Agnus parents because they still have the Iris. It's even possible that he gets killed by N depending on how that lines up (which depending on DLC could be pretty heavy), and N talks about their lives were his to end if he wanted possibly implying his son might have been part of the first generation of offspring that could actually keep the City alive. You might say their fight is even because Noah's kid may have thought "no one should live in a world where your parents aren't there," or something more profound sounding since I'm on the clock and don't have time to really hash this out. Anyways, food for thought. Oh yeah, as for Mio's song at the end, it embodies hope that they will get to meet again which is another theme constantly revisited. It's like how we don't entirely know how Mythra and Pyra became separated or if they remembered everything (at the time, and the one you choose the name for I think mouths either a greeting or confession of love to Rex too). But it gives you hope for their future and you think up the rest in your head. We'll just have our headcanons until XB4 or maybe forever, we'll have to see. P.S. I'd currently rank the games as 1>Torna>3>2. If 2's systems were less clunky and properly explained it'd be probably past 1 for me because the story and combat are great when you start digging into it, but on the surface there are absolutely problems that I think are mostly-but not entirely-addressed in Torna. Here's hoping my niggles for 3 are fixed in its DLC too. And I didn't rate X cause I didn't finish it, but I'd love to give it a second chance...even if I'm so burnt out on open world games right now (hopefully I can turn it around for Tears and XVI next year). Please Monolith, give me a smaller game next time. I love everything about your games except how long it takes to get anywhere. I know the side quests are a big part of that in Blade but still... And because characters came up: Mio > Eunie > Noah/Lanz/Taion > Sena. Sena gets so shafted in this game it hurts because I like her. Even in her freaking ascension quest she gets shoved to the side for Ghondor AGAIN. Should've given Ghondor less screen time with Shania all around so Sena could he her driving opposition instead. Then in Ghondor's Ascension quest they could elaborate a bit on Shania's relationship with her. As it stands Sena literally gets to sit in the background except a couple times but she never gets to shine. I need to stop rambling but I'm still trying to piece out my thoughts on this game as a whole because I do like it, but after the Agnus Castle the game does kinda lose some steam and it's making it difficult to rate fully.
while i agree that Z is perhaps one of the weakest antagonists in the series. i really did liked when the party asked him why he did what he did and Z just admitted it was all for the sake of entertainment. like, yeah, of course he did, and so did I. the fact that most people want dlc and, more specifically, want to see the cast reunited in an ideal happy ending echoes what Z represented: the fear of moving on. the fact that the big bad was just that, fear given form (and growing bored), idk, it just really clicked with me.
@@skyblade7438 Every time I see someone say that XC3 villains are the worst in the series, I think back to X and how there was only one actually good villain in that game.
I agree, and although Z is the least memorable of 1, 2, and 3, that final boss was amazing and was handled so well! He still felt like a villain and had a different feel than the others.
The quality of life from 2 to 3 night and day for me. Best thing about 3 No gacha, no constant blade swapping to get to areas, better map system, better looking menu, swapping mid battle, etc.
I’d say 3 is my overall favorite, it really felt a lot tighter than the two first ones. It has some issues, but pretty much all games do. But my biggest take away is how important Monolith Soft is to Nintendo now. They bring something no other part of Nintendo does and they both make their own games and bolster other teams at Nintendo. I am very curious of what we get next. A completely different game? X2? 4? Remaster of Gear or Saga or X? I’m very curious.
@@kaiserphoenix2038 Only way it happens is if I start playing X for real on my Wii U, but it is announced in a way so I don’t want to finish it on the Wii U. Fun fact, that’s how XBC:DE happened. I’m still kinda hoping for X2 for a NG hardware, and X:DE as a follow up (maybe using the same engine).
Absolutely agree, although I'm not sure if I would call 3 my favorite. I really hope we finally get a X2 as much as I wasn't a fan of X because I really want answers to that ending! It has been driving me nutts! I'm very surprised that there hasn't even been a port of X, let alone an X2!
i honestly don't know where the story could possibly take us next - maybe there will be something left open at the end of the XC3 story DLC coming next year. then again, there is a lot left open from the end of the base game itself
I do luke the cartoon villain vibe from Mobius, it does fit. I do think that they are more cartoonish evil out of boredom tho. Living frozen in time feels safe, but can get boring Z does give very strong the bored vibe, and just does not really care enough to get involved before you reach him
Xenoblade 3 is such a fantastic entry in the series. Still like 2 more but 3 is so incredibly polished. I played Xenogears before 3 launched and loved it. I plan on playing the Xenosaga trilogy in a few months. I love Monolithsoft.
I find that 2 has higher highs to me, and because of that I find it more enjoyable. 3 is definitely a more consistently good journey, but I also felt like it never reached the peaks of something like XC2 Chapter 9 or Chapter 10.
@@NoonDragoon Agreed completely. There was only one time in the game that I felt like it was even close to 2 with the story highs and lows and that was the capture and Mio section.
@@NoonDragoon couldn't have put it better, it's just the usual amazing, crazy, "meta sci-fi plot twist arc" that is strangely missing (since it's present in all xeno games)...reeaaally hope they decided to put it in the dlc this time around. dude you're gonna looove xenosaga if you liked gears, peak takahashi!
I played the first Xenoblade in 2012 when it came to North America, and I was so impressed by the music, cutscenes and environments that it quickly shot to the top of my all time favourite games list. Fast forward to Xenoblade 2 on the switch. The character animations were heavily criticized, but the story itself was emotionally riveting. Poppi had me balling my eyes on multiple occasions, and for all the complaints about the blade system, there is no better feeling than acquiring a legendary blade for the first time. Xenoblade 3 takes everything I loved about the previous games and refines it. The AI felt significantly enhanced at landing positional attacks and they would often follow up a break combo to it’s natural conclusion. The combat might look overwhelming to the uninitiated, but character swapping mid battle feels so natural now that’s I’m kinda disappointed it wasn’t an option in previous games.
After 3 full months of playing this game and no other game!!! This is my GAME OF THE YEAR. 100% hard mode, I could not be happier with the experience. This game dealt with so much and the themes of change truly lept from the pages. Loosing my father inlaw, my wife starting her new job, buying a house, starting a family with finishing this week know I'm having a son. I know people with anxiety who could see all of this in the same timedrame and have a mental breakdown. But the games themes really pulled me forward allowed to have fun with the experience. The ending was such a mix of emotions.
I loved this game, and this was the first in the series I played. I bought it on release day because the systems looked fun and engaging, and while they did hook me first, the story and the characters were what were really driving me to keep playing by the end.
Adding onto what is said around 39:00. I was a bit disappointed at first about them not going into detail in the actual game. Though making it into a dlc would actually be perfect. As the tie in, name drops, etc wouldn't be very engaging for newcomers to the series. But a dlc would make it so there's no need to worry as much for really connecting things in the story itself. The setting could be the creation of a 'certain' device, then how the first few years after that go and how it leads up to the statues we see in the game.
Z is my favorite Xenoblade villain He's really interesting when you stop to analyze him and Moebius getting even kinda deep and meta And his visual is way better than Malos that looks like a random grunt and is great as Zanza's, also a lot of references of Gears in him XC3 is an amazing masterpiece
Honestly, my favourite part of RPGs is starting as a fresh baby and pumping up those numbers. For that reason, I like 2 the least. The gacha, the blade affinity, the field skills, all a massive pain in the ass
After beating the game earlier today, I can’t say now, but I think this may dethrone 1 as my favorite. N is my favorite Xeno villain because of Chapter 5 alone because of how he handles “Mio’s” execution, where he wants Noah to send off Mio is possibly the most dark and twisted moment in Xenoblade, because you feel the same way Noah does at that moment. So yea, fantastic game.
I haven’t gotten to play it much in the past month but I was REALLY close to having finished 100%ing the game, I just have a few more side quests and then the final area. This being uploaded just kicked me into gear to finally finish it
Your thoughts at 25:00 reminded me of the plot of Logan's Run (1976): the general belief is that when each person turns 30, they are reincarnated for another blissful life cycle. Those who know the much darker truth become "runners" and flee to a hidden sanctuary. It is the runners that want to change the world.
54:37 aw I thought you guys were gonna talk about the part where M stops moving in the middle of the fight and if you don't finish the fight in time, the team gets a sudden hit of damage on them. I think that was M using her ability and causing them to fight each other, even before the cutscene shows it!
Words cannot express how incredibly happy I was unlocking Soul Hacker and realizing that yes, it was in fact a FF11 style Blue Mage. The fact that it was both a fist class AND my favorite character was the one who got it first was just icing on the cake!
1:01:00 There is some dialogue in XC2 sometime after the "I love you and all you guys" moment where Rex brings up what Nia had said to him and she giggles and.... here... just listen to it yourselves. th-cam.com/video/TIS_pdplrnw/w-d-xo.html
I think that this game's story is one that gets better each time. Initially I thought the story was great, but not quite as good as in xenoblade 1, the more I've thought about it and re-experienced the story through other people playing it the more I've appreciated a lot of aspects in it. For example with Z at first I thought he was kind of a nothing villain, but now I find some of the ideas surrounding him very interesting (particularly how it ties into the real world), though as a character he's still pretty weak for a main villain. After thinking about it for a while, I would say that this might just be my favorite story in the series. I also think it uses its themes and philosophical ideas in the most interesting way out of any of the games. For the past couple months I've consistently come back to think about a lot of the aspects in the story, and I think that's something special that not a lot of stories do to me personally. I Still have some complaints about it like some villains having wasted potential and some segments in the story feeling a bit weaker by comparison.
Are you sure you aren't overthinking it a bit? I agree that Z is interesting as a concept, especially if you take into consideration that it could be a parable for hiveminds like social media etc, but while playing the game, I was expecting something more mind blowing from the resolution. The explanation of it all did leave me with some disappointment, which did not happen in 1 and 2 which had immediate draw and impact. Not that I hated it, it's just after a certain point it was kinda too abstract while in the previous games it was actually very literal and not metaphysical. It's very different narrative wise than the previous two games in general.
@@LocrianDorian It's different, but I don't feel it was worse. I kind of like that it was a bit more abstract and I don't think that makes it inherently worse. Also I think this game has a tendency to hide a lot of the explanations a bit more, but in hindsight there were only a couple things that I think could've been explained a bit more (off seeing and black fog), though even those have answers for them, they're just a lot easier to miss. Where I got some of the "mind blown" moments on my second or third time seeing the story rather than the first time. Though there were some other mind blowing stuff in the first playthrough (particularly chapter 5). I actually really like the fact that the game doesn't just explain everything with a bunch of exposition and a lot of the answers you have to think about on your own. While I get that this type of storytelling isn't for everyone I think that it's an equally valid way to make stories. Also I don't think there's such a thing as overthinking it when it comes to stories, since there isn't actually a correct answer to what is good and what isn't when it comes to storytelling.
Well I can agree that the idea of Z being interesting, for me he just doesn’t fit the game. For me it felt like they ripped a page outta persona’s play book because Z is very reminiscent of the holy grail(I’m not even gonna try and spell it’s real name. The difference is that in persona 5 we see a lot more examples of people being chained down and allowing themselves to be controlled well most of the characters we meet in xb3 looking for a way to move forward contradicting what Z stands for. Like most of the villains well the situation around him was cool he was a huge let down for me but at least the fight scenes surrounding him was cool so it’s not a deal breaker.
The relevance of Z all hinges on the outside perspective of the world,before and after, which we never get to see, that's why hes not as impactful to some people. Kind of why I want the DLC to be an epilogue where we get to see the status of all the hero chracters and relevant xeno chracters: *because then we would get to see what Z is holding back* making him a better villan retroactively disproving his stance.
I just lost a friend to cancer, hell the guy was only a few years older than Mr. Wed only ever met once but the entirety of Mio's story made me think of him. Miss you Locke
As for the DLC, I'm more on the "I'd like to see what happens in the future (after the ending)". The statues in the city are interesting but I get the feeling they're more like fan service as a little nod to the Xeno fans. After all, one of the statues looks more like Fei from Xenogears than N or the other previous blade characters.
@@MinishDude the problem is , is that 90% of the chracters in the game cant have any development/appearance from a founders story because of the rules established in aionios. If you actually take a step back and look at what made torna so good it would be: the chracter development. We never get to see the "start" of jins chracter in 2 only hearsay and flashbacks, torna gives us a definitive story on that and expands on the flashbacks present in 2, as well as giving us insight into malos,mythra ,gramps, brighid,minoth, haze Ect. There is practically no equivalent to that in 3. Actually one could even argue that 3 says the founders dont really matter from a certain perspective with that one sidequest where you collect "supposed relics" from them, then the book writter tells you that it's all actually junk and what actually happens to the founders dosent matter: it's the legacy that does.
@@Paradox1012 I think a founders DLC could be interesting as both a nice bit of fanservice and as a way to flesh out Moebius. I just don't see how a sequel DLC can justify itself. The characters are all very well developed and the conflict is over, so bringing them all back for a DLC campaign where they get back together again sounds like it has even less of a reason to exist than Future Connected.
@@totalradlad things is : Fan service should not exist for the sake of fanservice , I agree on this much. If the DLC is the same size as torna, *It Cannot Work with new characters as a majority*. Why? because There is nothing to tie us to them. They would practically be dud character's because they wouldn't have enough time within the game to be anything important to us. The few new character's that *are* in torna have a presence pre established in the main game. Tell me, What main cast of character's *FROM 3* can show up in the past besides The Queens, N & M? They cant, or at least there is even less reason for them to contrary to after the events of the game because they are practically nobody's to us from that perspective. It has to be a 3 DLC, it cant be "1 & 2 Extended cut" like people who suggest the founders DLC Want. The game does not give us a reason to care about or relate to these past events directly. While it does give us a reason to care about the future directly.
The thing that sets 3 apart from the rest of the series gameplay-wise is absolutely the side content. I love the others, and I'd do a lot of the sidequests while completing the story, but I never had a desire to finish every single quest. 3 stands apart here because of the Hero system. The Hero quests are the first quest you get when you reach a new area, and you're heavily incentivized to complete them because unlocking Heroes enrich the entire experience. Then once you beat the Hero quest, you unlock the regular sidequests for that area, and most of those sidequests play off of plot threads that were introduced in that Hero quest. So even if not every sidequest is super interesting on its own, it still feels like you're progressing through a story arc. And that story arc usually concludes with that Hero's accession quest. The entire sidequest structure fells like a natural progression, and so I went out of my way to complete every single sidequest in this game and enjoyed the heck out of it, something I wouldn't dare to do in 1 or 2.
‘2’ has gotten more hate as of late? Really? I feel like it’s been the opposite! Every since Torna came out, ‘2’ has slowly but surely gotten more appreciation from the fanbase. Maybe it’s just me, because I wasn’t TOO big of a fan of ‘2’ when I first played it. I liked it, but I had some problems with it - Still do, actually. But after playing Torna, and replaying the main campaign again, knowing what to expect and how the gameplay worked (because the tutorials for ‘2’ are GOD AWFUL!) I really enjoyed it the 2nd time around more than the 1st.
I had to fight party members a few times. I played on hard though. Also, the music during the M fight is a mix of Mio flute and moebius themes. And when M taunts you as Mio, you can hear M and Mio both telling to kill M.
Dude when Shulk and Rex jumped down to help Noah defeat Lao and Zanza, I flipped out of my chair! So hype of a moment! Then afterwards Rex impregnated Eunie, Mio, and that other one.
Something that keeps getting me about Xenoblade 3 is how many people levy criticism at the game for things that... were kind of the _point_? A common criticism, and I don't think anyone's _wrong_ for having this criticism, is the shallow villains. But I'd argue... not all villains _need_ to be deep. A deep villain is not inherently better than a shallow one, it's just a different type of villain. What matters is their role in the story. In the case of the Consuls... I feel like the game actively _wanted_ most of the Consuls to be extremely shallow, because that was part of the game's _message_. The game is strongly pushing the idea that "living in the past, wanting things to stay as they are now, that leads to a very shallow and empty life", and in a way this is directly represented by the bulk of the Consuls. They embody the outcome of their own goals - shallow, cruel, Mustache-Twirling "how do I entertain myself today?" types of people. Think back to Chapter 3's climax vs Consul J and what J's abilities were. He made mud puppets from a person's memories. Those mud puppets live only in the past. They are mere facsimiles, shallow imitations of the full, true, human life they were copied from. Of particular note is Mud Puppet Isurd, who is extremely vengeful towards Taion for what happened to Nimue. This version of Isurd lives only in the past, much as the Moebius do, and it makes him cruel. But the real Isurd? Who experiences the full breadth of human life, who looks to the future? He's conflicted, sure, but he's also glad to see Taion safe, he has a far more nuanced perspective. He wants to do his best for the survivors (running himself ragged in the process). Now how are the Consuls created? For the ones that aren't Pure Moebius, they're created specifically from forcing a person to experience all of their past lives' memories. And from there, those memories are what they live for. The unchanging present, motivated only by the past. The Consuls _are_ Mud Puppets. And that's why, for the most part, they are so shallow. The Consuls that are more nuanced, more interesting? Those are your Ms, your Tritons, and eventually your Ns, those are the ones who ultimately break away from Moebius. They are the proof that Moebius's worldview is flawed. The Consuls are shallow. And that's the _point_.
Am I the only one that noticed that Eunie is the only High Entia in XBC3 that has propper big wings that are not in her hair color. There has to be a reason for that...
It's really hard for me to say if Xenoblade 3 tops the first game to me. Because Xenoblade 1 was a huge part of my mid-high school life. It was also the gateway to JRPGs for me, so I'd have to blame nostalgia on that. But 3 is just so excellently crafted in just about everything it does. I poured in a good 160+ hours, and it's definitely better than Xenoblade 2 in just about everyway imho. Don't get me wrong, I still think 2's a really fantastic game. I enjoyed, the music, story, combat, characters, and world. But between the badly explained tutorials, mixed voice acting/direction, questionable character designs, and the poorly designed map and side quests, it wasn't really much of a contest for me. I still love all 3 games, regardless. And I'm really happy to see how far this series has come since Operation Rainfall. Here's to hoping for some more Xenoblade goodness in the future.
I loved XC2! Still one of the best soundtracks ever made. The story for me was excellent. I just hated the map and affinity systems. Everything else I loved once I got past those.
Awesome discussion as someone who struggled with the mechanics and gameplay of XC2 it was nice to hear the spoilery parts I’d of picked up if I’d finished 2
Maybe the Expansion Pass could be both a prequel AND a continuation of the story. The way ‘3’ ended: *SPOILER WARNING* . . . . . With Z’s defeat, Moebius’ destruction, and Origin being reactivated, they could pick up the story from there. Because the very last cutscene of the game picks up directly where the very first cutscene left off. Where Noah, the REAL Noah, basically just zoned out and the real Lanz, Eunie, and Joran snap him out of it. Then as he goes to rejoin them, he hears Mio’s flute, and it’s hinted that he goes to reunite with her or meet her again for the first time (I’m still not entirely sure what happened there!) But the implication of that cutscene is that the entire story campaign of ‘3’ and centuries, a millennia, of world building and events in Aionios took place in the blink of an eye due to Z and Moebius’ defeat. Plus, Melia and Nia dropped some major hints that they’re going back to before Z and Moebius struck and are about to reunite with their friends. (That fucking photo, man! HOLY SHIT!!!) If that’s true, then Shulk and Rex should still be alive in that time along w/ the other party members from Xenoblade 1 and 2! Maybe that’s where the three swords in the image come together. Because the worlds of Bionis and Alrest were on a collision course. That’s why Origin was created in the first place, well if the world is basically reactivated and continued, that would mean they’re about to clash and it’s bye-bye everyone and everything. And that collective fear of the inevitable end is what led to Z’s creation and the rise of Moebius in the first place. They were born as a result of everyone’s fear of the apocalypse and the desire to remain in “the endless now.” That fear should still exist if Bionis and Alrest are still set to collide. And if that’s true, it’s very possible that Z could return. And we’re right back to where we started. So it’s up to Shulk, Rex, a younger Noah, and their friends to find a way to stop it and save everyone WITHOUT resorting to what Moebius did which led to Z’s creation. Basically, a do-over. Because it’s evident based on The City and the statues that Shulk, Rex, and the original Ouroboros failed. So this could be a shot at redemption and we can see some of the events that led to The City’s creation and the founding of the original Ouroboros, but w/ a different result this time where they actually succeed.
The Xenoblade series really does just keep on giving. Every one that I've played I walm away with many things to think about, and I find each game so innovative in their own ways. It's also incredible to me how distinct they are from each other and they all have their own strengths. Xenoblade 1 has the best story and world design. Xenoblade 2 has the best combat and music. Xenoblade 3 has the best characters and visuals.
52:00 there really should be a warning screen at the end of the prison break sequence. "Warning: clear your fucking schedule". I actually had to leave the game paused right before they shot the sword, and spent the next five hours living in this place of wondering what was going to happen.
the main quest is the theater version of the movie. the rest is the director cut, for those that want more. hint, the director cut in this case is genius.
If I'm remembering correctly, it was mentioned that the nopon that helped design origin was Kevesi, meaning it could not have been Tora. My best guess for the identity of this nopon was actually Riku, hinted at by the other things you mentioned, him knowing both queens, being a master smith, and additionally having access to origin metal that makes up Lucky 7.
there was an interview with the director Takahashi i believe a few days after the game released where he says ""I think that everyone who played this title and the additional stories in the Expansion Pass can imagine what lies in the future for Xenoblade,"". So I expect that the series can move forward maybe with the same name and explore the reunion of the worlds, the characters from the 3 games meeting, etc
I think the DLC is gonna be what happens after the ending. torna worked because it was this big mysterious event that's talked about all of 2 that shaped the world in 2. if you read the statues for the founders, not all of them were even around at the same time. some of them are there for founding the original city but left before N's attack, then others are in there for rebuilding the city after his attack. So I think you can't really have a story with all of them together. I personally think we're gonna find out what happened after Noah disappeared in the ending cutscene.
Glad to see ya’ll finally talk about this masterful masterpiece of a game, since Xenoblade 3 did the impossible for me and managed to dethrone Xenoblade 1 as my favorite game in the series. I did largely enjoy Xenoblade 2 despite all its problems, but Xenoblade 3 fixed all of its issues, made it far more accessible and trimmed the fat it had in order to deliver a personal, captivating and emotionally engrossing story. Like all games, it has its issues, as I found its villains a major downgrade compared to Xenoblade 2 and preferred both Xenoblade 1 and 2’s overall world design and soundtracks. But despite, I still entirely adored this game, treasured all 150+ hours I put into it and entirely can’t wait to see what they have in store of it in the future story DLC (which like many others, I’m entirely praying is an epilogue instead of a prequel.)
Great discussion! Love these extended round tables on RPGs. What are the chances of a Persona 5 Royale one closer to Christmas once you’ve all had enough time to complete it?
It so sad that Operation Rainfall just quit and became a substandard game blog after those 3 games. They could have advocated for so many timeless classic Nintendo RPGs after that. Endless Frontier and the Project X Zones, Tokyo Mirage Sessions, Xenoblade X, I guess they quit because Nintendo realized that RPGs were in demand again, after Xenoblade, and just took the wheel and started advertising their RPGs again. These games speak for themselves, but the mudslinging from people who desperately want to hate Nintendo exclusives, muddies public perception so easily, that advocacy by a group like the Rainfall bunch would have helped counter that and keep those others series alive and getting sequels (or getting them localized in the case of Endless Frontier's sequel). Xenoblade X will probably always be the best for me. The more Monolith Soft make games that aren't "the rest of the story of X", the more potential X has when they finally do resolve all those loose plot threads, and I still prefer the Overdrive & Skells battle system, all the alien species you can bring into town, the quick-swapping between melee & ranged weapons, and I want to see how they're going to refine that even further. (Spoilers underneath, but the video talks about spoilers throughout so chances are you're probably fine with that) There was a strong "Robotech: The First Generation: The Macross Saga" kinda feeling when you find out about the City and how it handles the annihilator. Also, you couldn't have shrunk the number of consuls. There had to be exactly 25, because there's a consul for every letter in the alphabet except A. Where's Consul A? Who's consul A? Some people who've played previous games have an idea, that might flip some aspects of the story or ending entirely around, but maybe we'll find out for sure when all the DLC has finally become available.
No cap, I just beat Xenoblade 3 this week; and after seeing that ending, all I'm going to say is that the storyline DLC better give us some form of Proper closure😤
there's actually some post battle dialogue in Xenoblade 2 that references Nia's confession, so that shows even after the fact it was still on Rex's mind 😉
The thing about the Moebius is that, it almost feels like the tried to make everyone who isn't an actually important one into Metal Face again, which is baffling because we ALREADY get Metal Face again with the very first Moebius we see in the game, D. Most of them are just needlessly cruel for no reason, and that's a fine trait for one or two bad guys, but when most of a group of almost two dozen villains can be boiled down to that one shallow (if enjoyable) trope, it makes none of them stand apart from the pack, aside from the occasional aesthetic flair, like B's Akiyama impersonation.
I personally like Xenoblade 1 and 2 more than 3. Not because I think 3 sucks, no no, far from it. That's just pure, personal preference. But even still, I can't deny that Xenoblade 3 is a damn fantastic game. The cast of characters is superb, the world of Ainios is very interesting, and the combat system and gameplay loop are the best of the series. But what I think takes the cake for me in this game, is the class system. I adooooore when RPGs give you a class, or job system in the FF games. The simple act of gaining more class levels, gaining more classes to try out, mix and match the different arts you want to use, and trying out different combinations it's just so damn addicting. And the hero system is quite amazing too. It allows for even more customization and variables. For example, You can have more attackers in your base party, sacrificing either a healer or a tank, but you can make up for it by having a hero that is a tank or healer and you're good to go. And I just loved meeting the different heroes. Knowing about their way of life, their ideals, who they are, it's all so fascinating. Except for Ashera. I hate characters like her. But Valdi, Alexandria, Zeon my boy, Isurd, and more were just captivating characters for me. Ghondor though. I hate Ghondor. And Shania.
I agree that the game did not have as many big twists as 1 and 2. I also agree that the story feels shorter (even just psychologically, since it ends at chapter 7 instead of 10). I was truly blindsided when I got to the final boss because I thought there were still a couple more chapters and a lot more story left, and when the credits rolled I felt slightly disappointed compared to the other two, despite thinking it was a great game overall. Since then, I've gone back and done loads more sidequests and ascension quests, and so many of those have filled in so much more of the world building and the character development that I'm not disappointed anymore, but I do have mixed feelings about, as you kind of said, is this a good way to do it? Like, if so many key character and story points are hidden behind optional sidequests, a lot of people (like me, initially) will totally miss them and think the game is a bit undercooked. Sena's sidequest felt like it should be mandatory, for instance. And I recently did Ashera's and it added more depth to Eunie's character and revealed some surprising things about the history of homecoming rituals - but you may never see that. On the positive side, it makes the sidequests actually rewarding, where in the past I think some Xenoblade games have suffered from a glut of tedious fetch quests that are more frustrating than fun (*cough* Torna *cough*). In the end, love the game, and it's grown on me quite a bit since my first playthough. Can't wait for the DLC.
Malos's best aspect is his over the top screamings and cockyness He is also not evil, the game implies that Malos never did what he did because of himself but because It was the Nature Amalthus gave to him, and things would have happened different If for example Rex was Malos's driver
![[#2024MAMA] BIGBANG (빅뱅) - 뱅뱅뱅 (BANG BANG BANG) + FANTASTIC BABY | Mnet 241123 방송](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EQsYfiPR9uM/mqdefault.jpg)
There was a payoff for the 'baby talk' though. When the party walks out they see some kids around, and Noah and Mio look at each other and then look away embarrassed. It's probably not the comedic payoff that people expected, but I think it's the first time that the two characters start to try and process their feelings for one another and start imaging a life together after their deal with Moebius.
didn't the looking at eachother embarrassed happen after seeing a couple kiss?
People expecting comedic payoff for that confuse me. That, imo, was a very powerful scene and skipping over "the talk" worked best as it preserved the gravitas of what the characters were learning. It's funny to US because we have...you know, civilization, society, culture. We know what a full life is. The characters don't. So the sort of childlike wonder and awe conveyed by the scene and the music is spot on.
@@adriahrin3284 Regardless, they were taught about the typical result of two people being in love, i.e. having a baby. Until that point the only concept they could associate with any particular emotions they were having was comradery as they've been raised as child soldiers until that point and had no concept of love.
The doctor gave the talk about what happens when two people love each other very much, they went out side and saw children (the results of love) and people kissing, then each realized that maybe what they're feeling is more then they realized.
I would say Eunie’s payoff was at the castle fight. The side story is just extra payoff and explaining why the events occurred in the first place. The castle fight is to overcome the stuff she learns while her side story is just reinforcing it.
Yeah that’s what I think too
On the topic of favorite characters, I also really resonated with Taion’s and Mio’s stories. I had a friend who died of ALS back in 2019. When he was first diagnosed, he was given 2 months to live. He outlived that prognosis, but every day after that, I lived Taion’s monologue with Eunie where I was scared that one day I might wake up and he won’t be around anymore. Eventually, I ran into people who was dismissive of him, asking “why do you continue to research? Your time is almost up? Why do you keep fighting?” He strongly believed he could make a difference with his research - and he did make something out of it. Mio’s chat with the initially dismissive Gondor reminds me of those times.
Her chat with Eunie in Maktha also reminded me of him. He was a very jovial guy and tried too hard to laugh off his situation. One time he made a “If I’m still alive by then” joke and my reaction was pretty much the same as Eunie’s when she told Mio that being so dismissive of it wasn’t healthy
My condolences. I think it's a mark of a great story that they can touch upon real world events and emotions and capture that feeling in the context of its own story. It does a great job showing us different perspectives and helping us empathize with one another.
I can relate to Lanz very well. My sister took her own life, and we were not on good terms before it happened. Not Xenoblade 3 terms. I didn't get the chance to appologize to her and never will, and I regret not doing so, just like with Lanz. I can relate to Taion some as well with his very logical personality and reactions to silly pointless things that some of the party members do.
I know it's most likely we'll get an interview with Noah's VA (Harry McEntire) than anyone else (I'm not at all opposed to this btw), I still also would REALLY love if it were possible we could get an interview with Eunie's VA (Kitty Archer) just because Eunie's genuinely become my favourite Xenoblade character of all time and I didn't expect to like her beyond just her character design. Kitty Archer did a FANTASTIC job with her!
I loved Xenoblade Chronicles 3. I laughed, I cried, I bopped to the OST, and had such a good time with it. It made me want to go through all three games again.
That's pretty much me and I think every Xenoblade fan. I don't know how anyone can play this game and not feel all of those emotions at some point.
I can't believe it's already been 3 months since the best game of the year released.
I finished in mid August and now it's been over two months since I beat the final boss. How is the time...
But man, I remember being hyped for this game ever since it was first announced, playing it and loving it the whole way through, and now I've already reached the point of reminiscence.
@@heavydonkeykong5190 I thought you said "I finished mid in august", talking about this game xd
Technically it wasn't three months when you said this, but it certainly has now. But yes, I can't believe it has been this long and I didn't finish the story until close to three months!
@@heavydonkeykong5190 I don't get how people can rush the game to beat it that fast. You miss out on so much.
Can I request for an interview of the Eunie VA or the entire cast ? I'm really craving for more cast interviews
Yeah same
While I do agree with the criticism of Moebius being cartoony and very hollow villains... I kind of think that's kind of perfect for them. Especially considering what their existence is critiquing. They are a dime a dozen, everyone hates them, they throw their power around for kicks, lack humanity and substance... Kind of reminds you of your average billionaire...
"No one would needlessly kill people for their own greed!"
...meanwhile in chinese sweatshops...
Completely agree. The callous disregard for the value of life is a very common thing among the very powerful. Right wing politicians, billionaires, etc. I feel making the villains too sympathetic would undercut the game's message of criticizing power and conservatism.
I personally love them as a collective faction. Individually, only a handful stand out, but the role that they play in the story and how it resonates with the setting and narrative is completely perfect, imo.
Takahashi said he was tired of making villains with complex motives in the pre relase interview and wanted to make ones with more "base desires" so it checks out for me honestly.
They are all vehicles for hero development,prompting them with a negative outlook, which makes the heros actually good chracters , so it's a reasonable tradeoff.
@@daze3x87 Politicians in general really
Man, I love this game. I still prefer Xenoblade Chronicles 2, but there is so much that XC3 does extremely well. Sidequests are the best in the series, imo
Same. XC2 is my absolute favorite, the story and bond you build the the characters is still the best to me. 3 is next and 1 is the last for me. I just cannot get into 1s story. I'm trying to force myself through it right now but I'm almost to the spot I have quit twice before, right after Prison Island, and I'm feeling the same disinterest I felt last time. I'm going to finish it for sure this time but I truly don't enjoy this game like I did 2 or even 3.
It dethroned Xenoblade 1 for me (that I prefer a bit more over Xenoblade 2).
@@kyurei4478 I can see why you would prefer over 1, it has a lot going on for it!
We are lucky to have 3 great games to enjoy
@@Sapient_Pearwood that is so weird to me, even though I love 2 and 3, neither of them have hit the same spots 1 did storywise for me
@@eeeeggnog._. Personally I think 3 never could've came at a more important point in my life. It's rough rn, but this game's message is one of the most important ones I've needed.
So glad I'm not the only one who's expecting more of Riku. I haven't gotten to XC1 or 2 yet, 3 is my first one, so I can't make any connections to past characters; but it is just really crazy how intelligent and crafty he is along with holding the Lucky Seven before giving it to Noah. Plus the scene where he talks with Noah and Noah asks "just who are you?" makes me feel like he'll be soneone special
Every time Jon talks about Zion it makes me so happy. I miss that iconic duo!
Hey, you! Good to see you here!
@@BigBrotherGnE hey! Glad to see we both watch GVG lol
@@Josie_Woah - Solidarity at its finest!
The Zeon AI is the best! My goodness the number of times that he just out of nowhere goes running off somewhere saying something! That one time when Lanz was having a serious confession to Zeon saying he was doing a good job, Zeon just goes and runs off after Lanz finishes and says, "This smell!" I haven't bursted out laughing as hard as I did in quite some time! Xenoblade AI is the best! So many hillarious things that happen! They're hilariously glitchy! I have hundreds of clips that I have to go through and probably will create a video with a bunch of the best ones.
I jumped into Xenoblade series since the very first Xenoblade 3 trailer was released and the first Xenoblade game I played is XCDE with future connected and I love it. Then, I played Xenoblade 2 (Not included Torna) and beat it right before the third game was out. And once I beat XC3, I went back to Torna and clear it too.
Man, what a great series. I'm gonna experience XCX and Xenosaga once I have my chance and time :3
You are actually lucky to play the games in that order, most new fans start playing blade series from 2, and they don't get what is so special about 1 🙂... u know this series wasn't really popular back then in wii era, none of my friend played it a lot of them even don't know... i'm just glad big N executive seems to have been playing the game & realize it was a hidden masterpiece
@@donschaero7042 Maybe it's just that people wanna hop on a new game when it's released without playing the first one. For some, I believe they would still wanna play the first one if they acknowledge the first Xenoblade. But of course, before the XCDE re-release, it's on the Wii and 3DS only and it also makes sense that people would still want to play XC2 first on Switch without owning the Wii or 3DS before :3
dont forget xenogears
Man, I went back to Torna just for little references and hearing Jin at the end saying basically the same words that Noah said at the end... it just hits even harder now.
@@TronicSpeed Except, Jin at this point wanna end this world life cycle by killing Klaus and destroying the world while Noah and his teammates simply restored both universes to proper order.
Was waiting for this. 3 surpassed my attachment to the story of 1 and the character moments of 2 for me.
I had my expectations high and the went further than that.
Sorry to also be late to your late video guys, just finished the game yesterday myself and stopped by to hear your discussion. Couple things to add, but you do know what Noah calls Lucky Seven, it's Infinity Blade, i.e. his unique Talent Art that can be used after that question. It's edgy and cool and shows exactly why he's embarrassed to answer Mio.
As for their kid, my understanding was that he carried on their legacy. Noah constantly asks N why he killed his kin, and we know they were all born from Keves and Agnus parents because they still have the Iris. It's even possible that he gets killed by N depending on how that lines up (which depending on DLC could be pretty heavy), and N talks about their lives were his to end if he wanted possibly implying his son might have been part of the first generation of offspring that could actually keep the City alive. You might say their fight is even because Noah's kid may have thought "no one should live in a world where your parents aren't there," or something more profound sounding since I'm on the clock and don't have time to really hash this out. Anyways, food for thought.
Oh yeah, as for Mio's song at the end, it embodies hope that they will get to meet again which is another theme constantly revisited. It's like how we don't entirely know how Mythra and Pyra became separated or if they remembered everything (at the time, and the one you choose the name for I think mouths either a greeting or confession of love to Rex too). But it gives you hope for their future and you think up the rest in your head.
We'll just have our headcanons until XB4 or maybe forever, we'll have to see.
P.S. I'd currently rank the games as 1>Torna>3>2. If 2's systems were less clunky and properly explained it'd be probably past 1 for me because the story and combat are great when you start digging into it, but on the surface there are absolutely problems that I think are mostly-but not entirely-addressed in Torna. Here's hoping my niggles for 3 are fixed in its DLC too.
And I didn't rate X cause I didn't finish it, but I'd love to give it a second chance...even if I'm so burnt out on open world games right now (hopefully I can turn it around for Tears and XVI next year). Please Monolith, give me a smaller game next time. I love everything about your games except how long it takes to get anywhere. I know the side quests are a big part of that in Blade but still...
And because characters came up:
Mio > Eunie > Noah/Lanz/Taion > Sena. Sena gets so shafted in this game it hurts because I like her. Even in her freaking ascension quest she gets shoved to the side for Ghondor AGAIN. Should've given Ghondor less screen time with Shania all around so Sena could he her driving opposition instead. Then in Ghondor's Ascension quest they could elaborate a bit on Shania's relationship with her. As it stands Sena literally gets to sit in the background except a couple times but she never gets to shine.
I need to stop rambling but I'm still trying to piece out my thoughts on this game as a whole because I do like it, but after the Agnus Castle the game does kinda lose some steam and it's making it difficult to rate fully.
while i agree that Z is perhaps one of the weakest antagonists in the series. i really did liked when the party asked him why he did what he did and Z just admitted it was all for the sake of entertainment.
like, yeah, of course he did, and so did I.
the fact that most people want dlc and, more specifically, want to see the cast reunited in an ideal happy ending echoes what Z represented: the fear of moving on.
the fact that the big bad was just that, fear given form (and growing bored), idk, it just really clicked with me.
There is no way Z is a worse villain than Luxaar. I don't think that'd be possible.
@@skyblade7438 i uh.... forgot about him lol.
yeah he is probably the weakest one in the series.
More than 1000 years of two nations fighting? Peak
@@skyblade7438 Every time I see someone say that XC3 villains are the worst in the series, I think back to X and how there was only one actually good villain in that game.
I agree, and although Z is the least memorable of 1, 2, and 3, that final boss was amazing and was handled so well! He still felt like a villain and had a different feel than the others.
The quality of life from 2 to 3 night and day for me. Best thing about 3
No gacha, no constant blade swapping to get to areas, better map system, better looking menu, swapping mid battle, etc.
PERFECT timing as I actually just beat it yesterday morning lol looking forward to hearing your thoughts!!
I’d say 3 is my overall favorite, it really felt a lot tighter than the two first ones. It has some issues, but pretty much all games do.
But my biggest take away is how important Monolith Soft is to Nintendo now. They bring something no other part of Nintendo does and they both make their own games and bolster other teams at Nintendo.
I am very curious of what we get next. A completely different game? X2? 4? Remaster of Gear or Saga or X? I’m very curious.
Really hope that XCX Definitive Edition is on the table at this point.
@@kaiserphoenix2038 Only way it happens is if I start playing X for real on my Wii U, but it is announced in a way so I don’t want to finish it on the Wii U.
Fun fact, that’s how XBC:DE happened.
I’m still kinda hoping for X2 for a NG hardware, and X:DE as a follow up (maybe using the same engine).
I'm really hoping X2 is next when it comes to Xenoblade, but my impossible hope is a Xenogears remake in either HD 2D or the XC3 engine
Absolutely agree, although I'm not sure if I would call 3 my favorite. I really hope we finally get a X2 as much as I wasn't a fan of X because I really want answers to that ending! It has been driving me nutts! I'm very surprised that there hasn't even been a port of X, let alone an X2!
i honestly don't know where the story could possibly take us next - maybe there will be something left open at the end of the XC3 story DLC coming next year.
then again, there is a lot left open from the end of the base game itself
I do luke the cartoon villain vibe from Mobius, it does fit. I do think that they are more cartoonish evil out of boredom tho. Living frozen in time feels safe, but can get boring
Z does give very strong the bored vibe, and just does not really care enough to get involved before you reach him
Xenoblade 3 is such a fantastic entry in the series. Still like 2 more but 3 is so incredibly polished. I played Xenogears before 3 launched and loved it. I plan on playing the Xenosaga trilogy in a few months. I love Monolithsoft.
I find that 2 has higher highs to me, and because of that I find it more enjoyable. 3 is definitely a more consistently good journey, but I also felt like it never reached the peaks of something like XC2 Chapter 9 or Chapter 10.
@@NoonDragoon Agreed completely. There was only one time in the game that I felt like it was even close to 2 with the story highs and lows and that was the capture and Mio section.
@@NoonDragoon couldn't have put it better, it's just the usual amazing, crazy, "meta sci-fi plot twist arc" that is strangely missing (since it's present in all xeno games)...reeaaally hope they decided to put it in the dlc this time around.
dude you're gonna looove xenosaga if you liked gears, peak takahashi!
I played the first Xenoblade in 2012 when it came to North America, and I was so impressed by the music, cutscenes and environments that it quickly shot to the top of my all time favourite games list. Fast forward to Xenoblade 2 on the switch. The character animations were heavily criticized, but the story itself was emotionally riveting. Poppi had me balling my eyes on multiple occasions, and for all the complaints about the blade system, there is no better feeling than acquiring a legendary blade for the first time. Xenoblade 3 takes everything I loved about the previous games and refines it. The AI felt significantly enhanced at landing positional attacks and they would often follow up a break combo to it’s natural conclusion. The combat might look overwhelming to the uninitiated, but character swapping mid battle feels so natural now that’s I’m kinda disappointed it wasn’t an option in previous games.
After 3 full months of playing this game and no other game!!! This is my GAME OF THE YEAR. 100% hard mode, I could not be happier with the experience. This game dealt with so much and the themes of change truly lept from the pages. Loosing my father inlaw, my wife starting her new job, buying a house, starting a family with finishing this week know I'm having a son. I know people with anxiety who could see all of this in the same timedrame and have a mental breakdown. But the games themes really pulled me forward allowed to have fun with the experience. The ending was such a mix of emotions.
I loved this game, and this was the first in the series I played. I bought it on release day because the systems looked fun and engaging, and while they did hook me first, the story and the characters were what were really driving me to keep playing by the end.
Love this game. Maybe love it more than Xenoblade 1, which is my favorite game of all time.
Adding onto what is said around 39:00. I was a bit disappointed at first about them not going into detail in the actual game. Though making it into a dlc would actually be perfect. As the tie in, name drops, etc wouldn't be very engaging for newcomers to the series. But a dlc would make it so there's no need to worry as much for really connecting things in the story itself.
The setting could be the creation of a 'certain' device, then how the first few years after that go and how it leads up to the statues we see in the game.
Z is my favorite Xenoblade villain
He's really interesting when you stop to analyze him and Moebius getting even kinda deep and meta
And his visual is way better than Malos that looks like a random grunt and is great as Zanza's, also a lot of references of Gears in him
XC3 is an amazing masterpiece
Honestly, my favourite part of RPGs is starting as a fresh baby and pumping up those numbers. For that reason, I like 2 the least. The gacha, the blade affinity, the field skills, all a massive pain in the ass
After beating the game earlier today, I can’t say now, but I think this may dethrone 1 as my favorite. N is my favorite Xeno villain because of Chapter 5 alone because of how he handles “Mio’s” execution, where he wants Noah to send off Mio is possibly the most dark and twisted moment in Xenoblade, because you feel the same way Noah does at that moment. So yea, fantastic game.
Just want to mention that i got into XenoBlade because pf this channel. Thank you so much
So glad to have beat the game before you guys put out your video haha, excited to hear your thoughts!
I haven’t gotten to play it much in the past month but I was REALLY close to having finished 100%ing the game, I just have a few more side quests and then the final area. This being uploaded just kicked me into gear to finally finish it
Your thoughts at 25:00 reminded me of the plot of Logan's Run (1976): the general belief is that when each person turns 30, they are reincarnated for another blissful life cycle. Those who know the much darker truth become "runners" and flee to a hidden sanctuary. It is the runners that want to change the world.
54:37 aw I thought you guys were gonna talk about the part where M stops moving in the middle of the fight and if you don't finish the fight in time, the team gets a sudden hit of damage on them. I think that was M using her ability and causing them to fight each other, even before the cutscene shows it!
Words cannot express how incredibly happy I was unlocking Soul Hacker and realizing that yes, it was in fact a FF11 style Blue Mage.
The fact that it was both a fist class AND my favorite character was the one who got it first was just icing on the cake!
Been waiting for this discussion from yall! It’s a shame Derrick couldn’t be in it, but I’m glad this is here 😄
1:01:00 There is some dialogue in XC2 sometime after the "I love you and all you guys" moment where Rex brings up what Nia had said to him and she giggles and.... here... just listen to it yourselves. th-cam.com/video/TIS_pdplrnw/w-d-xo.html
Wasn't the first poly family. Sorean Antiqua and presumably all of his ancestors and two wives; one homs and one high entia
15:20 hear that Noah? Lanz wants something a bit sidequestier.
I think that this game's story is one that gets better each time. Initially I thought the story was great, but not quite as good as in xenoblade 1, the more I've thought about it and re-experienced the story through other people playing it the more I've appreciated a lot of aspects in it. For example with Z at first I thought he was kind of a nothing villain, but now I find some of the ideas surrounding him very interesting (particularly how it ties into the real world), though as a character he's still pretty weak for a main villain. After thinking about it for a while, I would say that this might just be my favorite story in the series. I also think it uses its themes and philosophical ideas in the most interesting way out of any of the games. For the past couple months I've consistently come back to think about a lot of the aspects in the story, and I think that's something special that not a lot of stories do to me personally. I Still have some complaints about it like some villains having wasted potential and some segments in the story feeling a bit weaker by comparison.
Are you sure you aren't overthinking it a bit? I agree that Z is interesting as a concept, especially if you take into consideration that it could be a parable for hiveminds like social media etc, but while playing the game, I was expecting something more mind blowing from the resolution. The explanation of it all did leave me with some disappointment, which did not happen in 1 and 2 which had immediate draw and impact. Not that I hated it, it's just after a certain point it was kinda too abstract while in the previous games it was actually very literal and not metaphysical. It's very different narrative wise than the previous two games in general.
@@LocrianDorian It's different, but I don't feel it was worse. I kind of like that it was a bit more abstract and I don't think that makes it inherently worse. Also I think this game has a tendency to hide a lot of the explanations a bit more, but in hindsight there were only a couple things that I think could've been explained a bit more (off seeing and black fog), though even those have answers for them, they're just a lot easier to miss. Where I got some of the "mind blown" moments on my second or third time seeing the story rather than the first time. Though there were some other mind blowing stuff in the first playthrough (particularly chapter 5).
I actually really like the fact that the game doesn't just explain everything with a bunch of exposition and a lot of the answers you have to think about on your own. While I get that this type of storytelling isn't for everyone I think that it's an equally valid way to make stories. Also I don't think there's such a thing as overthinking it when it comes to stories, since there isn't actually a correct answer to what is good and what isn't when it comes to storytelling.
Well I can agree that the idea of Z being interesting, for me he just doesn’t fit the game. For me it felt like they ripped a page outta persona’s play book because Z is very reminiscent of the holy grail(I’m not even gonna try and spell it’s real name. The difference is that in persona 5 we see a lot more examples of people being chained down and allowing themselves to be controlled well most of the characters we meet in xb3 looking for a way to move forward contradicting what Z stands for. Like most of the villains well the situation around him was cool he was a huge let down for me but at least the fight scenes surrounding him was cool so it’s not a deal breaker.
The relevance of Z all hinges on the outside perspective of the world,before and after, which we never get to see, that's why hes not as impactful to some people. Kind of why I want the DLC to be an epilogue where we get to see the status of all the hero chracters and relevant xeno chracters: *because then we would get to see what Z is holding back* making him a better villan retroactively disproving his stance.
I'd SO be down for another spoiler discussion with Steve, Derrick, and Ash
I just lost a friend to cancer, hell the guy was only a few years older than Mr. Wed only ever met once but the entirety of Mio's story made me think of him. Miss you Locke
Can we talk about how Noah eats Eunie's gunrod like a lollipop in the thumbnail (I'll see myself out
What a masterpiece!
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 months, already off to a good start! XD
As for the DLC, I'm more on the "I'd like to see what happens in the future (after the ending)". The statues in the city are interesting but I get the feeling they're more like fan service as a little nod to the Xeno fans. After all, one of the statues looks more like Fei from Xenogears than N or the other previous blade characters.
A DLC about the founders might be interesting too
@@MinishDude the problem is , is that 90% of the chracters in the game cant have any development/appearance from a founders story because of the rules established in aionios.
If you actually take a step back and look at what made torna so good it would be: the chracter development. We never get to see the "start" of jins chracter in 2 only hearsay and flashbacks, torna gives us a definitive story on that and expands on the flashbacks present in 2, as well as giving us insight into malos,mythra ,gramps, brighid,minoth, haze Ect. There is practically no equivalent to that in 3.
Actually one could even argue that 3 says the founders dont really matter from a certain perspective with that one sidequest where you collect "supposed relics" from them, then the book writter tells you that it's all actually junk and what actually happens to the founders dosent matter: it's the legacy that does.
@@Paradox1012 I think a founders DLC could be interesting as both a nice bit of fanservice and as a way to flesh out Moebius. I just don't see how a sequel DLC can justify itself. The characters are all very well developed and the conflict is over, so bringing them all back for a DLC campaign where they get back together again sounds like it has even less of a reason to exist than Future Connected.
@@totalradlad things is : Fan service should not exist for the sake of fanservice , I agree on this much.
If the DLC is the same size as torna, *It Cannot Work with new characters as a majority*. Why? because There is nothing to tie us to them. They would practically be dud character's because they wouldn't have enough time within the game to be anything important to us.
The few new character's that *are* in torna have a presence pre established in the main game.
Tell me, What main cast of character's *FROM 3* can show up in the past besides The Queens, N & M?
They cant, or at least there is even less reason for them to contrary to after the events of the game because they are practically nobody's to us from that perspective.
It has to be a 3 DLC, it cant be "1 & 2 Extended cut" like people who suggest the founders DLC Want.
The game does not give us a reason to care about or relate to these past events directly. While it does give us a reason to care about the future directly.
@@Paradox1012 I can understand that even if I disagree. In the end, we'll see how it plays out.
I just finished the game so I finally came back to watch this. Bros, the photo at the end had me almost spit out my drink.
Dethrones 1 as the best game ever, highest praise I can give.
The thing that sets 3 apart from the rest of the series gameplay-wise is absolutely the side content. I love the others, and I'd do a lot of the sidequests while completing the story, but I never had a desire to finish every single quest. 3 stands apart here because of the Hero system. The Hero quests are the first quest you get when you reach a new area, and you're heavily incentivized to complete them because unlocking Heroes enrich the entire experience. Then once you beat the Hero quest, you unlock the regular sidequests for that area, and most of those sidequests play off of plot threads that were introduced in that Hero quest. So even if not every sidequest is super interesting on its own, it still feels like you're progressing through a story arc. And that story arc usually concludes with that Hero's accession quest. The entire sidequest structure fells like a natural progression, and so I went out of my way to complete every single sidequest in this game and enjoyed the heck out of it, something I wouldn't dare to do in 1 or 2.
‘2’ has gotten more hate as of late? Really?
I feel like it’s been the opposite!
Every since Torna came out, ‘2’ has slowly but surely gotten more appreciation from the fanbase.
Maybe it’s just me, because I wasn’t TOO big of a fan of ‘2’ when I first played it. I liked it, but I had some problems with it - Still do, actually. But after playing Torna, and replaying the main campaign again, knowing what to expect and how the gameplay worked (because the tutorials for ‘2’ are GOD AWFUL!) I really enjoyed it the 2nd time around more than the 1st.
I really appreciate how imperfect XC2 is. It's so interesting.
2 is commonly seen as the worst one
2 has had more scrutiny from its fans, not more “hate”
XC1 will always be my favourite but to me XC3 is the best
Monolith produced yet another banger
I had to fight party members a few times. I played on hard though.
Also, the music during the M fight is a mix of Mio flute and moebius themes. And when M taunts you as Mio, you can hear M and Mio both telling to kill M.
i've been patiently waiting for this.... I'm very excited to hear your guy's thoughts!!
Leave Zeon and his potatoes alone
You think you’re late? I’ve only just got to listen to this!
Xenoblade :)
I want the DLC to have a big expanded mural like the one of the mechonis and bionis of all events.
"Guys look, we chronicled our xenoblades"
Dude when Shulk and Rex jumped down to help Noah defeat Lao and Zanza, I flipped out of my chair! So hype of a moment! Then afterwards Rex impregnated Eunie, Mio, and that other one.
That other one? You mean girl with the GALL!!!
why is this actually plausible
Salvager’s code number 5 “if you don’t use a condom, you’ll be in a right mess
Best In the Series Best Switch Exclusive Best JRPG of 2022 Best Story and Music of 2022 and GOTY for 2022
Tora isn't only mentioned he is seen in one of the arts at the beginning of chapter 7
When I saw the photo with Rex, I was fumbling my controller to get a screenshot, yelling, "I THOUGHT THAT WAS A MEME!?!"
Heh, Derrick definitely had a hand in making this discussion late.
Too many games (and work and kids and etc)
I loved all the Xenosaga and Xenogears references
I've been eagerly awaiting this video, and also, YES IT IS!
Now to actually watch, lol.
Something that keeps getting me about Xenoblade 3 is how many people levy criticism at the game for things that... were kind of the _point_?
A common criticism, and I don't think anyone's _wrong_ for having this criticism, is the shallow villains. But I'd argue... not all villains _need_ to be deep. A deep villain is not inherently better than a shallow one, it's just a different type of villain. What matters is their role in the story.
In the case of the Consuls... I feel like the game actively _wanted_ most of the Consuls to be extremely shallow, because that was part of the game's _message_. The game is strongly pushing the idea that "living in the past, wanting things to stay as they are now, that leads to a very shallow and empty life", and in a way this is directly represented by the bulk of the Consuls. They embody the outcome of their own goals - shallow, cruel, Mustache-Twirling "how do I entertain myself today?" types of people.
Think back to Chapter 3's climax vs Consul J and what J's abilities were. He made mud puppets from a person's memories. Those mud puppets live only in the past. They are mere facsimiles, shallow imitations of the full, true, human life they were copied from. Of particular note is Mud Puppet Isurd, who is extremely vengeful towards Taion for what happened to Nimue. This version of Isurd lives only in the past, much as the Moebius do, and it makes him cruel.
But the real Isurd? Who experiences the full breadth of human life, who looks to the future? He's conflicted, sure, but he's also glad to see Taion safe, he has a far more nuanced perspective. He wants to do his best for the survivors (running himself ragged in the process).
Now how are the Consuls created? For the ones that aren't Pure Moebius, they're created specifically from forcing a person to experience all of their past lives' memories. And from there, those memories are what they live for. The unchanging present, motivated only by the past.
The Consuls _are_ Mud Puppets. And that's why, for the most part, they are so shallow. The Consuls that are more nuanced, more interesting? Those are your Ms, your Tritons, and eventually your Ns, those are the ones who ultimately break away from Moebius. They are the proof that Moebius's worldview is flawed.
The Consuls are shallow. And that's the _point_.
This. The ending and moebius are also a cool, meta way to hold a mirror up to the player. But many people did not pick up on that...
The game doing bad writing on purpose doesn't make it good writing.
@@irohdw6055 "shallow character" is NOT synonymous with "poorly written character" and it's rather embarrassing that people don't understand this
Am I the only one that noticed that Eunie is the only High Entia in XBC3 that has propper big wings that are not in her hair color. There has to be a reason for that...
It's really hard for me to say if Xenoblade 3 tops the first game to me. Because Xenoblade 1 was a huge part of my mid-high school life. It was also the gateway to JRPGs for me, so I'd have to blame nostalgia on that. But 3 is just so excellently crafted in just about everything it does. I poured in a good 160+ hours, and it's definitely better than Xenoblade 2 in just about everyway imho.
Don't get me wrong, I still think 2's a really fantastic game. I enjoyed, the music, story, combat, characters, and world. But between the badly explained tutorials, mixed voice acting/direction, questionable character designs, and the poorly designed map and side quests, it wasn't really much of a contest for me.
I still love all 3 games, regardless. And I'm really happy to see how far this series has come since Operation Rainfall. Here's to hoping for some more Xenoblade goodness in the future.
I loved XC2! Still one of the best soundtracks ever made. The story for me was excellent. I just hated the map and affinity systems. Everything else I loved once I got past those.
Awesome discussion as someone who struggled with the mechanics and gameplay of XC2 it was nice to hear the spoilery parts I’d of picked up if I’d finished 2
We do know what Noah calls Lucky Seven. it's in the "Heroes roster" menu of the game (Truthsinger).
Just finished the game yesterday, perfect timeing!
Me too!
1:03:22 he did that with Nia?? Are you misremembering?? Did Riku fight alongside Shulk and Nia in the Founders era????
Three months later I'm still halfway through chapter 4, yeesh
Maybe the Expansion Pass could be both a prequel AND a continuation of the story. The way ‘3’ ended: *SPOILER WARNING*
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With Z’s defeat, Moebius’ destruction, and Origin being reactivated, they could pick up the story from there. Because the very last cutscene of the game picks up directly where the very first cutscene left off. Where Noah, the REAL Noah, basically just zoned out and the real Lanz, Eunie, and Joran snap him out of it. Then as he goes to rejoin them, he hears Mio’s flute, and it’s hinted that he goes to reunite with her or meet her again for the first time (I’m still not entirely sure what happened there!)
But the implication of that cutscene is that the entire story campaign of ‘3’ and centuries, a millennia, of world building and events in Aionios took place in the blink of an eye due to Z and Moebius’ defeat. Plus, Melia and Nia dropped some major hints that they’re going back to before Z and Moebius struck and are about to reunite with their friends. (That fucking photo, man! HOLY SHIT!!!)
If that’s true, then Shulk and Rex should still be alive in that time along w/ the other party members from Xenoblade 1 and 2! Maybe that’s where the three swords in the image come together. Because the worlds of Bionis and Alrest were on a collision course. That’s why Origin was created in the first place, well if the world is basically reactivated and continued, that would mean they’re about to clash and it’s bye-bye everyone and everything. And that collective fear of the inevitable end is what led to Z’s creation and the rise of Moebius in the first place. They were born as a result of everyone’s fear of the apocalypse and the desire to remain in “the endless now.” That fear should still exist if Bionis and Alrest are still set to collide. And if that’s true, it’s very possible that Z could return. And we’re right back to where we started.
So it’s up to Shulk, Rex, a younger Noah, and their friends to find a way to stop it and save everyone WITHOUT resorting to what Moebius did which led to Z’s creation. Basically, a do-over. Because it’s evident based on The City and the statues that Shulk, Rex, and the original Ouroboros failed. So this could be a shot at redemption and we can see some of the events that led to The City’s creation and the founding of the original Ouroboros, but w/ a different result this time where they actually succeed.
The Xenoblade series really does just keep on giving. Every one that I've played I walm away with many things to think about, and I find each game so innovative in their own ways. It's also incredible to me how distinct they are from each other and they all have their own strengths.
Xenoblade 1 has the best story and world design.
Xenoblade 2 has the best combat and music.
Xenoblade 3 has the best characters and visuals.
Took a while but we here!
You're amazing
I had no idea the rain-making nopon could fail! It always worked the first time I paid them. Would definitely have been annoyed if that didn't happen.
What about y'all's favorite hero?? They were a big factor in this game, surprised y'all haven't talked about them as much.
52:00 there really should be a warning screen at the end of the prison break sequence. "Warning: clear your fucking schedule". I actually had to leave the game paused right before they shot the sword, and spent the next five hours living in this place of wondering what was going to happen.
the main quest is the theater version of the movie. the rest is the director cut, for those that want more. hint, the director cut in this case is genius.
If I'm remembering correctly, it was mentioned that the nopon that helped design origin was Kevesi, meaning it could not have been Tora. My best guess for the identity of this nopon was actually Riku, hinted at by the other things you mentioned, him knowing both queens, being a master smith, and additionally having access to origin metal that makes up Lucky 7.
I thought she Nia mentions a “certain nopon engineer” helped with the Agnian side of Origin’s construction
Tora definitely helped build Origin and we even see him in a flashback
there was an interview with the director Takahashi i believe a few days after the game released where he says ""I think that everyone who played this title and the additional stories in the Expansion Pass can imagine what lies in the future for Xenoblade,"". So I expect that the series can move forward maybe with the same name and explore the reunion of the worlds, the characters from the 3 games meeting, etc
I only finished the story just 2 days ago with 173 hrs so it works perfectly that I get the video now haha
I think the DLC is gonna be what happens after the ending.
torna worked because it was this big mysterious event that's talked about all of 2 that shaped the world in 2. if you read the statues for the founders, not all of them were even around at the same time. some of them are there for founding the original city but left before N's attack, then others are in there for rebuilding the city after his attack. So I think you can't really have a story with all of them together. I personally think we're gonna find out what happened after Noah disappeared in the ending cutscene.
M's power isn't looking like others. It's possession
But Zeon’s Ascension quest has super speed Kite in it!! That’s a moment you can’t miss lol.
Glad to see ya’ll finally talk about this masterful masterpiece of a game, since Xenoblade 3 did the impossible for me and managed to dethrone Xenoblade 1 as my favorite game in the series. I did largely enjoy Xenoblade 2 despite all its problems, but Xenoblade 3 fixed all of its issues, made it far more accessible and trimmed the fat it had in order to deliver a personal, captivating and emotionally engrossing story. Like all games, it has its issues, as I found its villains a major downgrade compared to Xenoblade 2 and preferred both Xenoblade 1 and 2’s overall world design and soundtracks. But despite, I still entirely adored this game, treasured all 150+ hours I put into it and entirely can’t wait to see what they have in store of it in the future story DLC (which like many others, I’m entirely praying is an epilogue instead of a prequel.)
I think we need more defender classes. Seems like there are far more of the other classes.
My ranking for the games is probably XCDE > XC3 > XCX > XC2.
Great discussion! Love these extended round tables on RPGs. What are the chances of a Persona 5 Royale one closer to Christmas once you’ve all had enough time to complete it?
Have none of them finished it yet? I figured they would of already on PS4
I like 2’s titans and Alrest as a whole best as a world. Especially Uraya.
It so sad that Operation Rainfall just quit and became a substandard game blog after those 3 games. They could have advocated for so many timeless classic Nintendo RPGs after that. Endless Frontier and the Project X Zones, Tokyo Mirage Sessions, Xenoblade X, I guess they quit because Nintendo realized that RPGs were in demand again, after Xenoblade, and just took the wheel and started advertising their RPGs again. These games speak for themselves, but the mudslinging from people who desperately want to hate Nintendo exclusives, muddies public perception so easily, that advocacy by a group like the Rainfall bunch would have helped counter that and keep those others series alive and getting sequels (or getting them localized in the case of Endless Frontier's sequel).
Xenoblade X will probably always be the best for me. The more Monolith Soft make games that aren't "the rest of the story of X", the more potential X has when they finally do resolve all those loose plot threads, and I still prefer the Overdrive & Skells battle system, all the alien species you can bring into town, the quick-swapping between melee & ranged weapons, and I want to see how they're going to refine that even further.
(Spoilers underneath, but the video talks about spoilers throughout so chances are you're probably fine with that)
There was a strong "Robotech: The First Generation: The Macross Saga" kinda feeling when you find out about the City and how it handles the annihilator.
Also, you couldn't have shrunk the number of consuls. There had to be exactly 25, because there's a consul for every letter in the alphabet except A. Where's Consul A? Who's consul A? Some people who've played previous games have an idea, that might flip some aspects of the story or ending entirely around, but maybe we'll find out for sure when all the DLC has finally become available.
No cap, I just beat Xenoblade 3 this week; and after seeing that ending, all I'm going to say is that the storyline DLC better give us some form of Proper closure😤
Can't wait to watch this. Only 40 hrs in, tho!
there's actually some post battle dialogue in Xenoblade 2 that references Nia's confession, so that shows even after the fact it was still on Rex's mind 😉
The thing about the Moebius is that, it almost feels like the tried to make everyone who isn't an actually important one into Metal Face again, which is baffling because we ALREADY get Metal Face again with the very first Moebius we see in the game, D. Most of them are just needlessly cruel for no reason, and that's a fine trait for one or two bad guys, but when most of a group of almost two dozen villains can be boiled down to that one shallow (if enjoyable) trope, it makes none of them stand apart from the pack, aside from the occasional aesthetic flair, like B's Akiyama impersonation.
All of them are just grunts bosses with the exception of the major ones
Z, N, T and M are great
J and D are ok
I personally like Xenoblade 1 and 2 more than 3. Not because I think 3 sucks, no no, far from it. That's just pure, personal preference. But even still, I can't deny that Xenoblade 3 is a damn fantastic game. The cast of characters is superb, the world of Ainios is very interesting, and the combat system and gameplay loop are the best of the series.
But what I think takes the cake for me in this game, is the class system. I adooooore when RPGs give you a class, or job system in the FF games. The simple act of gaining more class levels, gaining more classes to try out, mix and match the different arts you want to use, and trying out different combinations it's just so damn addicting. And the hero system is quite amazing too.
It allows for even more customization and variables. For example, You can have more attackers in your base party, sacrificing either a healer or a tank, but you can make up for it by having a hero that is a tank or healer and you're good to go.
And I just loved meeting the different heroes. Knowing about their way of life, their ideals, who they are, it's all so fascinating. Except for Ashera. I hate characters like her. But Valdi, Alexandria, Zeon my boy, Isurd, and more were just captivating characters for me.
Ghondor though. I hate Ghondor. And Shania.
I agree that the game did not have as many big twists as 1 and 2. I also agree that the story feels shorter (even just psychologically, since it ends at chapter 7 instead of 10). I was truly blindsided when I got to the final boss because I thought there were still a couple more chapters and a lot more story left, and when the credits rolled I felt slightly disappointed compared to the other two, despite thinking it was a great game overall.
Since then, I've gone back and done loads more sidequests and ascension quests, and so many of those have filled in so much more of the world building and the character development that I'm not disappointed anymore, but I do have mixed feelings about, as you kind of said, is this a good way to do it? Like, if so many key character and story points are hidden behind optional sidequests, a lot of people (like me, initially) will totally miss them and think the game is a bit undercooked. Sena's sidequest felt like it should be mandatory, for instance. And I recently did Ashera's and it added more depth to Eunie's character and revealed some surprising things about the history of homecoming rituals - but you may never see that. On the positive side, it makes the sidequests actually rewarding, where in the past I think some Xenoblade games have suffered from a glut of tedious fetch quests that are more frustrating than fun (*cough* Torna *cough*).
In the end, love the game, and it's grown on me quite a bit since my first playthough. Can't wait for the DLC.
I find Malos to be cartoonish as hell lol
Unfortunately, sadistic nihilists do actually exist in real life.
Malos's best aspect is his over the top screamings and cockyness
He is also not evil, the game implies that Malos never did what he did because of himself but because It was the Nature Amalthus gave to him, and things would have happened different If for example Rex was Malos's driver
Peak Fiction!
Trying to pick a favorite Xenoblade game is like trying to pick a favorite child.