Plot - 2/5
Xenoblade 2 has the most frustrating story and cast I've ever had to deal with. The general plot isn't entirely bad, and there are a lot of interesting ideas and concepts presented, but it's impossible to take half of it seriously due to its presentation. Half of the playable cast, including the main character, feel so out of place in what seems to be a serious story, and it really ruins the experience. More than that, the game is so packed full of fanservice and pandering in a way that feels incredibly demeaning to its female cast members. There are definitely great plot moments and some great characters, but it feels like for every scene I appreciate and enjoy, the next three scenes are packed full of tone deaf dialogue that makes me want to cringe. Even past these frustrations, though, the plot progression is pretty fine. The concept of blades and drivers is something really cool, and they play with it a lot more in the DLC story. In true Xenoblade fashion, the end is convoluted and confusing, but the resolution of the story feels pretty natural and satisfying, though to be fair by the end of the plot I just wanted to be done with Rex.
Gameplay - 4.5/5
Where the game falls short in story, it makes up for it in terms of gameplay. I think that the gameplay system of Xenoblade 2 is genius, and it's absolutely the highlight of the game. Fusion combos are such a great way of making both team building and actually strategizing during battle fun, and it's absurdly satisfying to fire off a huge chain attack after stacking up a few combos for massive numbers of damage. Arts cancelling makes the battle feel almost rhythmic, rewarding players for acting quickly and adapting during battle without punishing players too much if they aren't keeping up with it. In terms of quests and collection of items, it's much more toned down compared to Xenoblade 1, which is probably a good thing for most people. The biggest weakness in Xenoblade 2 is the balancing of blades, especially those who you receive in DLC. Blades like Crossette, who you receive earlier with the DLC bought, absolutely dominate the early game and can keep up even in post game content. This can even be an issue with blades that are not from the DLC, since acquiring rare blades is done through a gacha system. If you receive a blade like T-elos or KOS-MOS really early, you're going to sweep through the early game way faster than someone who only received blades like Floren and Kora. Even still, most of the rare blades are at least usable, and most of the story blades are pretty good, meaning you won't get stuck with blades like Mythra and Brighid always available to you.
Presentation - 4/5
The game looks pretty good! The environments are good and the UI feels pretty natural to navigate. More than that, the soundtrack of the game is phenomenal, and I'd argue it's the best in the series. Many of the rare blades are illustrated by different artists, which is a cool way to portray different art styles in the game. My biggest issue with the presentation of the game tends to be the character designs for some of the characters, particularly the women. A lot of the designs for female characters in this game are grossly sexualized, clearly designed for the male gaze. It's frankly disappointing to see in a series that has some great examples of strong female characters, such as Melia in Xenoblade 1, Mio in Xenoblade 3, and even Morag in this very game. Getting past that, there are still some great designs in the game, such as the aforementioned Morag, Adenine, Azami, and Kasandra.
Extra Bonus - 0/1
It pains me to say it, but I struggle to suggest this game to people. It's incredibly fun, but there are a lot of problems with the game that make me hesitant to. I don't think I can give this game a bonus point and feel entirely happy with it.
Overall - 3/5
The game is incredibly fun and has one of my favorite combat systems in any JRPG I've played. Despite that... The story and characters leave a lot to be desired, and fall short in comparison to many other JRPGs, including the other games in the Xenoblade series.
Xenoblade 2 has the most frustrating story and cast I've ever had to deal with. The general plot isn't entirely bad, and there are a lot of interesting ideas and concepts presented, but it's impossible to take half of it seriously due to its presentation. Half of the playable cast, including the main character, feel so out of place in what seems to be a serious story, and it really ruins the experience. More than that, the game is so packed full of fanservice and pandering in a way that feels incredibly demeaning to its female cast members. There are definitely great plot moments and some great characters, but it feels like for every scene I appreciate and enjoy, the next three scenes are packed full of tone deaf dialogue that makes me want to cringe. Even past these frustrations, though, the plot progression is pretty fine. The concept of blades and drivers is something really cool, and they play with it a lot more in the DLC story. In true Xenoblade fashion, the end is convoluted and confusing, but the resolution of the story feels pretty natural and satisfying, though to be fair by the end of the plot I just wanted to be done with Rex.
Gameplay - 4.5/5
Where the game falls short in story, it makes up for it in terms of gameplay. I think that the gameplay system of Xenoblade 2 is genius, and it's absolutely the highlight of the game. Fusion combos are such a great way of making both team building and actually strategizing during battle fun, and it's absurdly satisfying to fire off a huge chain attack after stacking up a few combos for massive numbers of damage. Arts cancelling makes the battle feel almost rhythmic, rewarding players for acting quickly and adapting during battle without punishing players too much if they aren't keeping up with it. In terms of quests and collection of items, it's much more toned down compared to Xenoblade 1, which is probably a good thing for most people. The biggest weakness in Xenoblade 2 is the balancing of blades, especially those who you receive in DLC. Blades like Crossette, who you receive earlier with the DLC bought, absolutely dominate the early game and can keep up even in post game content. This can even be an issue with blades that are not from the DLC, since acquiring rare blades is done through a gacha system. If you receive a blade like T-elos or KOS-MOS really early, you're going to sweep through the early game way faster than someone who only received blades like Floren and Kora. Even still, most of the rare blades are at least usable, and most of the story blades are pretty good, meaning you won't get stuck with blades like Mythra and Brighid always available to you.
Presentation - 4/5
The game looks pretty good! The environments are good and the UI feels pretty natural to navigate. More than that, the soundtrack of the game is phenomenal, and I'd argue it's the best in the series. Many of the rare blades are illustrated by different artists, which is a cool way to portray different art styles in the game. My biggest issue with the presentation of the game tends to be the character designs for some of the characters, particularly the women. A lot of the designs for female characters in this game are grossly sexualized, clearly designed for the male gaze. It's frankly disappointing to see in a series that has some great examples of strong female characters, such as Melia in Xenoblade 1, Mio in Xenoblade 3, and even Morag in this very game. Getting past that, there are still some great designs in the game, such as the aforementioned Morag, Adenine, Azami, and Kasandra.
Extra Bonus - 0/1
It pains me to say it, but I struggle to suggest this game to people. It's incredibly fun, but there are a lot of problems with the game that make me hesitant to. I don't think I can give this game a bonus point and feel entirely happy with it.
Overall - 3/5
The game is incredibly fun and has one of my favorite combat systems in any JRPG I've played. Despite that... The story and characters leave a lot to be desired, and fall short in comparison to many other JRPGs, including the other games in the Xenoblade series.