I don't think I have ever had my opinion of a game change so drastically while playing it. After finishing the first Xenoblade with middling opinions, the technical and gameplay improvements in the second were refreshing and fun. For the first 25-30 hours of this, I did genuinely love it.

Once I reached a certain point (probably around chapter 6 or 7), everything really started to fall apart for me. The repercussions of so many glaring design flaws really started to shine through (field skills nearly saw me quitting the game at least 4 times) and I realized the story wasn't going in any direction that I really cared for. The tone and pacing of the first Xenoblade was dark, serious, and thoughtful. The second devolved into a sort of low-quality immature anime that used its half-baked plot purely to prop up flashy action sequences and tit shots.

Speaking of tits... the level of fan service in this game is borderline pathetic. Male characters and blades are given cool, sometimes monstrous designs, and yet nearly every single female character is reduced to cleavage and scraps of fabric concealing maybe a half-inch of their skin, as if all of their designs were thought of by a 13 year old hentai addict. Coupled with the fact that some of these characters look like genuine children, it's unsettling to say the least. My favorite character "truly finds herself" or whatever later in the game and that entails... a magical girl transformation which pumps her boobs like 2 sizes and leaves her in fancy panties.

Such a massive disappointment, going from a game that I genuinely loved in the beginning to a game I absolutely hate. I initially planned to play the entire trilogy, but as of now this entry has really soured my attitude on the entire franchise.