This review contains spoilers
i want to love this game, i really do.
i think the callbacks to xenogears are WONDERFULLY done. i was losing my mind over n paralleling grahf and m paralleling miang and elly at the same time. fei and noah's parallels also go hard.
i love the characters, their relations, and the way they feel so alive on the field and in cutscenes. post-game battle dialogue seems to be lacking but i can forgive it considering how animated they are elsewhere.
gameplay is the best in the series too, more so than x, which surprised me! the ost is arguably one of the best too.
i think what this game does well, it carries out excellently, especially chapters 5-6. but after that? it kind of falls flat on its face.
chapter 7 really felt broken to me. z is a wonderful concept, but he isn't executed well.
what bothers me the most about this game, is the fact that future connected was stated to be directly connected to the future of the xenoblade series, and the things that were brought up in it are hardly tied in. which makes some sense, given the fact that the ending of this game is a timeloop/time resuming... regardless i hope it will be touched up in the dlc.
also nothing about the conduit at all? seriously? you can't just drop a plot point like that. we have waited essentially 5 years for a tie in to 1&2 and it hardly feels like it. that's what ruins the game for me.
if it were standalone, or if there were not returning characters/elements from the numbered blade games i would be far happier with this game. but i'm not, so there.
but really, i do think this game executes a lot of things incredibly well. i basically played for 4 days straight without sleeping because i was so hooked.
i also think the first cutscene of the game tying into the final one was beautiful. i never would've guessed that was what was happening, so i'm glad there was a timeloop twist.
don't let my disdain deter you from loving the game. make your own choice, take your own path, that's the message this game brought up!
i think the callbacks to xenogears are WONDERFULLY done. i was losing my mind over n paralleling grahf and m paralleling miang and elly at the same time. fei and noah's parallels also go hard.
i love the characters, their relations, and the way they feel so alive on the field and in cutscenes. post-game battle dialogue seems to be lacking but i can forgive it considering how animated they are elsewhere.
gameplay is the best in the series too, more so than x, which surprised me! the ost is arguably one of the best too.
i think what this game does well, it carries out excellently, especially chapters 5-6. but after that? it kind of falls flat on its face.
chapter 7 really felt broken to me. z is a wonderful concept, but he isn't executed well.
what bothers me the most about this game, is the fact that future connected was stated to be directly connected to the future of the xenoblade series, and the things that were brought up in it are hardly tied in. which makes some sense, given the fact that the ending of this game is a timeloop/time resuming... regardless i hope it will be touched up in the dlc.
also nothing about the conduit at all? seriously? you can't just drop a plot point like that. we have waited essentially 5 years for a tie in to 1&2 and it hardly feels like it. that's what ruins the game for me.
if it were standalone, or if there were not returning characters/elements from the numbered blade games i would be far happier with this game. but i'm not, so there.
but really, i do think this game executes a lot of things incredibly well. i basically played for 4 days straight without sleeping because i was so hooked.
i also think the first cutscene of the game tying into the final one was beautiful. i never would've guessed that was what was happening, so i'm glad there was a timeloop twist.
don't let my disdain deter you from loving the game. make your own choice, take your own path, that's the message this game brought up!
8 Comments
I think the game was trying to balance things out for a new audience. Which is why there’s no conduit, trinity processor, mention of things like machina, high entia, flesh eaters and so on. It would be kinda weird trying to fit it into the story without shoehorning in a drawn-out exposition scene telling new and old players how it works.
i respectfully disagree @bigbigchungers (no idea if it'll actually @ you).
definitive edition came out for the exact reason of getting new people into the series. i can't see why anyone would start with a game numbered third in the series, that's a bit silly. just my opinion though. i understand people will do this regardless, but it's not the ideal decision to make when you're starting a series...
i think it is at least a tad disappointing to have nothing touched upon after waiting for pretty much 5 years (if you count xbc2, and 2 years if you count fc)... i truly feel that takahashi is capable of balancing old with new, this game felt nearly completely new, and that is very saddening to fans who have waited eagerly for callbacks to the other numbered xenoblade games. it really wouldn't be hard to explain what high entia/machina/flesh eaters/etc are. the game has all these races but doesn't bother to explain them, and that is far worse to me than over explaining it to old players. i suppose it does draw in new players to want to learn about them in previous games, but that could also be achieved by saying what they are IMO.
as i said in my review, if the game were standalone, or numbered differently, then i think not mentioning anything would be fine. shrugs! i still liked my time with the game, and even now i continue to play it, working on sidequests and what not. the story experience was just not for me, and if it was for you then that's excellent. 👍
definitive edition came out for the exact reason of getting new people into the series. i can't see why anyone would start with a game numbered third in the series, that's a bit silly. just my opinion though. i understand people will do this regardless, but it's not the ideal decision to make when you're starting a series...
i think it is at least a tad disappointing to have nothing touched upon after waiting for pretty much 5 years (if you count xbc2, and 2 years if you count fc)... i truly feel that takahashi is capable of balancing old with new, this game felt nearly completely new, and that is very saddening to fans who have waited eagerly for callbacks to the other numbered xenoblade games. it really wouldn't be hard to explain what high entia/machina/flesh eaters/etc are. the game has all these races but doesn't bother to explain them, and that is far worse to me than over explaining it to old players. i suppose it does draw in new players to want to learn about them in previous games, but that could also be achieved by saying what they are IMO.
as i said in my review, if the game were standalone, or numbered differently, then i think not mentioning anything would be fine. shrugs! i still liked my time with the game, and even now i continue to play it, working on sidequests and what not. the story experience was just not for me, and if it was for you then that's excellent. 👍
Do you think your opinion could change after the dlc?
@Naichism absolutely!! especially considering as far as i know the dlc is going to be longer than torna (heard this via word of mouth though). i'm still playing the game and enjoying my experience (soulhacker stuff is extremely fun), and i think as time passes and i'm able to separate this game from what i was expecting i will think better of it. :) the dlc will most likely help me with that, but i'm hoping they don't do a prequel involving the founders, since it'd feel like an uninspired rehash of torna (torna is amazing though, but i feel like expanding upon the ending where noah simply disappears after hearing mio's flute would be more intriguing, or perhaps something to do with melia and nia developing origin).
It wouldn't say word of mouth. They basically said it in an interview that its going to be Torna tier size. Honestly, I love this game but I agree to an extent and I dont know if they will be able to fit it all in the DLC
@Livingstone ohh, well i haven't read any interviews yet, i just saw people talking about it. >_< but ty for that info! i'll definitely check it out when i get a chance.
Agreed with everything stated here. Video games that are good but not good sequels 👍
Shu_Watch
1 year ago