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LTTP: anyone else underwhelmed by Xenoblade Chronicles 2?

shaneo632

shaneo632

Weekend Planner
Member
Oct 29, 2017
28,983
Wrexham, Wales
I borrowed it off a mate to play during downtime on my vacation. I'm about 7 hours in, just finished chapter 2, and I think I'm gonna drop it soon.

Pretty surprised how well it reviewed considering how low-effort and soulless so much of it feels to me.

I'm on mobile so I'll just list the issues.

- The appalling V.A. Everything sounds like it was the first take they recorded.
- Overly expository writing and wonky dialogue.
- Characters are annoying af, especially the giant hamster who screeches meeehhh.
- Repetitive sound effects. Especially in battle. Jesus Christ.
- Inability to skip dialogue once you've read it during cutscenes.
- Overlong combat and general feeling of busy work.
- So. Many. Systems. It feels like every 10 mins I'm introduced to a new mechanic and I just feel kinda exhausted by it.
- Visuals are pretty meh in handheld mode.

I do like some of the time saving elements - fast travel and not losing progress when you die, but so much of the core game feels insanely bloated so far.

Apparently this game is 50ish hours long on the lower end? I can't. I just can't.
 
Vesper

Vesper

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,672
It's a heavily polarizing game. Some love it, some hate it. I love it, but it's not for everyone.
 

Deleted member 249

User requested account closure
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Oct 25, 2017
28,828
Can't say I was, no. I really loved it, in spite of its flaws and all. There's a fair few issues (I agree with most of what you outline, except for the complaints about combat, this is the single best combat system I have ever played), but the game, when it works, really works.
 
mindsale

mindsale

Member
Oct 29, 2017
5,911
The writing, characters, and gacha absolutely destroyed this game for me, even if the music, visuals, and gameplay were great.
 
FiXalaS

FiXalaS

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,569
Kuwait.
Basically same thread

but

- There is always the JP Dub
- I think it is charming
- you can skip cutscenes, text dialogue moves very fast anyways.
- gameplay's amazing, if you think its busy work then the game isn't for you.
- Handheld mode visuals are indeed disappointing.

It is perfectly ok if you just can't, move on.
 
Ehoavash

Ehoavash

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 28, 2017
7,232
I love the voice acting. It's what makes the characters so lovable imo

But game did have a lot of issues when I played it like the map system and other UI issues. Combat I didn't have a problem with, it seems complicated at first but trust me it gets easy. And yeah graphics are pretty bad both docked and handheld. I hope the next game by monolothsoft has all their people working on it, instead of a smaller team like with X2 since some of their devs were working on botw
 
Bartend3r

Bartend3r

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
1,506
I just loved unlocking rare blades and mixing with them. I also felt the story was very compelling and character design top notch. Game grabbed me from beginning to end.

I'd say you should go a little bit further, and if it still don't click, drop it.
 
zeox

zeox

Member
Oct 27, 2017
421
Norway
shaneo632 said:
I borrowed it off a mate to play during downtime on my vacation. I'm about 7 hours in, just finished chapter 2, and I think I'm gonna drop it soon.

Pretty surprised how well it reviewed considering how low-effort and soulless so much of it feels to me.

I'm on mobile so I'll just list the issues.

- The appalling V.A. Everything sounds like it was the first take they recorded.
- Overly expository writing and wonky dialogue.
- Characters are annoying af, especially the giant hamster who screeches meeehhh.
- Repetitive sound effects. Especially in battle. Jesus Christ.
- Inability to skip dialogue once you've read it during cutscenes.
- Overlong combat and general feeling of busy work.
- So. Many. Systems. It feels like every 10 mins I'm introduced to a new mechanic and I just feel kinda exhausted by it.
- Visuals are pretty meh in handheld mode.

I do like some of the time saving elements - fast travel and not losing progress when you die, but so much of the core game feels insanely bloated so far.

Apparently this game is 50ish hours long on the lower end? I can't. I just can't.
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This is pretty much exactly how I feel about the game, and I just can't bring myself to play it any longer. I LOVED XC1, but XCX and now 2 has been massively disappointing to me :/
 
JoDa

JoDa

Member
Jan 12, 2018
558
You can change the va to Japanese if you don't like the dub

Dialogue gets better as the game progresses

I'm pretty sure the game let's you skip cutscenes

Combat does feel slow at the start but by around chapter 4 (where the game truly begins for most people) it becomes more clear, it's not about dps, its about prepping an incredibly powerful hit before starting the prep again, I however understand this is not for everyone

Handheld is terrible, nothing to do there but it looks quite nice in the TV imo
 
Derrick01

Derrick01

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
7,289
Yes I really hated the somewhat MMO-ish combat system. So unbelievably slow.

Story, writing and voice acting were as bad as most jrpgs so it didn't bother me any more than other jrpgs have really. It has probably the worst side quests ever though, next to BotW maybe.
 
Dyle

Dyle

One Winged Slayer
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
29,904
If you don't like Chapter 3, which is when the story really picks up and the mechanics start to become more familiar/manageable, then the game isn't for you. Personally I wasn't feeling it much until near the end of Chapter 3, which is when the game really hits its stride (before losing a lot of momentum in chapter 4). You can try cutting the difficulty down to easy which will speed up combat and make the systems less overwhelming
 
zoukka

zoukka

Game Developer
Verified
Oct 28, 2017
2,361
I loved the world and exploration, the combat was fun too. The story was so bad it made me stop the game, but for context that happens with every JRPG these days.
 

Deleted member 249

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
28,828
zoukka said:
I loved the world and exploration, the combat was fun too. The story was so bad it made me stop the game, but for context that happens with every JRPG these days.
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Even NieR and Persona?

Dyle said:
If you don't like Chapter 3, which is when the story really picks up and the mechanics start to become more familiar/manageable, then the game isn't for you. Personally I wasn't feeling it much until near the end of Chapter 3, which is when the game really hits its stride (before losing a lot of momentum in chapter 4). You can try cutting the difficulty down to easy which will speed up combat and make the systems less overwhelming
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Yeah, I was actually disliking the game until the end of Chapter 3, which is where I fell in love with it, and then never stopped.
 
Zeel

Zeel

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,163
Nope, my expectations story-wise were low because of all the waifu pandering, but it was more emotional than expected in the end.
As for world design, combat and soundtrack...fucking sublime.

I spent 170 hrs on the game and wasn't bored for a moment.
Monolith soft, keep doing what you do, I implore you.
 
Lyrick

Lyrick

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
2,818
Nope. Thought it was fucking awesome.

Dropped 185ish hours into it. Excited for the Torna expansion.
 
Synohan

Synohan

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,959
I'd say play until you reach Chapter 4. If it doesn't click by then, XC2 is not for you.
 
werezompire

werezompire

Zeboyd Games
Verified
Oct 26, 2017
11,319
No, you're not the only one. Loved Xenoblade 1, though thought X was okay, but XC2 just rubbed me the wrong way. The gatcha progression system, the gameplay which seemed complicated for its own sake while at the same time having more boring combat abilities than the original game, the terrible character visual designs. I intend to go back to at some point to see if it gets any better later on, but it's been a huge disappointment so far.
 
Strings

Strings

Member
Oct 27, 2017
31,381
I'd say dozens of us, but I think there's a fair few more than that.
werezompire said:
No, you're not the only one. Loved Xenoblade 1, though thought X was okay, but XC2 just rubbed me the wrong way. The gatcha progression system, the gameplay which seemed complicated for its own sake while at the same time having more boring combat abilities than the original game, the terrible character visual designs. I intend to go back to at some point to see if it gets any better later on, but it's been a huge disappointment so far.
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Yeah, basically agree with everything you said, though I did finish XB2. I'll add that it has one of the worst casts I've encountered in a JRPG - the only character I liked unfortunately turns into a pod person the moment you recruit them.
 
Ximonz

Ximonz

Member
Oct 30, 2017
1,468
Taiwan
love it way more than Persona 5

different strokes for different folks
it is completely fine for you to not like it, especially for a polarized game.

btw I played with Japanese VA.
 
Goronmon

Goronmon

Member
Nov 9, 2017
639
I think "busywork" is a good way to describe the combat in the game. It's a combination of not having enough control over actions (you only control one character) and how it never feels like you have to react to anything the enemies do, you just keep building your combos the same way, battle after battle.
 
wiill64

wiill64

Member
Oct 30, 2017
1,592
Nope, it's my favourite game on Switch but I can understand why it isn't to everyone's taste.
It requires a lot of patience and willingness to learn it's numerous systems and mechanics.
Regarding the voice acting and battle chatter, that's more down to personal taste. I like it and find it charming but I can see why people find it annoying.
 
DarkChronic

DarkChronic

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,033
I'm having trouble motivating myself to get back into it. I really like the story and characters but the battle system just isn't doing it for me.

Did they ever release that difficulty modifier that they found while data mining the game?
 
JershJopstin

JershJopstin

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,332
It missed some marks I expected it to hit but once I stopped expecting them it turned out alright.

It's a very controversial game, though. Quite a few people weren't hooked at all.
 
ara

ara

Member
Oct 26, 2017
13,000
It's a very flawed game with some real goddamn stupid shit - I'm actually surprised this is probably the first negative LTTP thread I've seen for it (well, first LTTP thread otherwise too).

Personally I ended up voting for it as my GOTY, and I think I still stand by that decision. Despite all I really enjoyed it. Curious to see if it holds up on a replay though.
 
Khrol

Khrol

Member
Oct 28, 2017
4,179
Nah I love it. It's a real slow burn but it pays off if you stick with it. The minor annoyances are just that - minor. XBC2 is the first JRPG I've stuck with since FFX.
 
Abstrusity

Abstrusity

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,656
I'm not underwhelmed by it, not overwhelmed either, though. I don't understand the hype for the Torna DLC thing. The game is GOOD, the systems design is fantastic, but the UI is soooo bad...
 
Strings

Strings

Member
Oct 27, 2017
31,381
Easily the most memorable thing about the game for me will remain

THINK YOU CAN TAKE ME!? DON'T FORGET ME!
 
Ryuelli

Ryuelli

Member
Oct 26, 2017
15,209
I loved it, but I haven't played any of the other Xeno titles. A lot of the game was really cheesy, but that's exactly what I wanted out of a game when I went into it so it worked out.

I do have to say that it took way to long for the combat system to really click for me, but when it finally did I really enjoyed it.
 

Deleted member 249

User requested account closure
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Oct 25, 2017
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ara said:
It's a very flawed game with some real goddamn stupid shit - I'm actually surprised this is probably the first negative LTTP thread I've seen for it (well, first LTTP thread otherwise too).

Personally I ended up voting for it as my GOTY, and I think I still stand by that decision. Despite all I really enjoyed it. Curious to see if it holds up on a replay though.
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There's actually been a fair few negative threads lol

JershJopstin said:
It missed some marks I expected it to hit but once I stopped expecting them it turned out alright.

It's a very controversial game, though. Quite a few people weren't hooked at all.
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In general terms, it's not very controversial at all. It's the most successful Xenoblade game with the most widespread popularity. People on Era may be more negative on it, but if you were to go by that, you'd think Persona 5 was one of the most hated games of the last five years, for instance.
 
Immaculate

Immaculate

Member
Oct 27, 2017
208
I got the game a few days ago and have been enjoying it alot. I was fine with all the english VA except Nia but I've grown to accept it. By the end of chapter 3 I'd gotten a grasp on the battle system and pulling off combos started to be fun. Starting chapter 4 now. Getting a hang of the battle system took me looking around the internet though because even though they properly explain it to you, they only do it once and sometimes I needed recaps. This pic covered it for me for the most part

cu0BtaL.jpg


But yeah this game is one of those "it gets good __ hours in". If youre not enjoying it by the end of chapter 3 I would just drop it
 
Worldshaker

Worldshaker

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,931
Michigan
werezompire said:
No, you're not the only one. Loved Xenoblade 1, though thought X was okay, but XC2 just rubbed me the wrong way. The gatcha progression system, the gameplay which seemed complicated for its own sake while at the same time having more boring combat abilities than the original game, the terrible character visual designs. I intend to go back to at some point to see if it gets any better later on, but it's been a huge disappointment so far.
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This is how I feel.

I loved the original
I thought X was very good
I struggle to play 2. I need to find the courage to finish it at some point. I dropped it around 20 hours in.
 

Phoenix944

Member
Oct 28, 2017
925
Yea I was. I've spent 15hours in it but it felt such a shore to play. I wish it was a turn based gameplay, or more of an action gameplay like the tales of serie, not this weird stuff in between.
Love the story/characters but I just can't bring myself back into it because of the gameplay :(

Maybe one day though...
 
Akita One

Akita One

Member
Oct 30, 2017
4,626
It has alot of negatives but I put it down for a bit and went to play some other JRPGs...and it is still the best modern JRPG IMO...it takes risks and gives you lots to do. Too many other JRPGs are paint-by-the-numbers.
 
alexi52

alexi52

Member
Oct 28, 2017
18,891
No, I love the characters and world of this game, the combat was addicting, the story was great and it has one of my favorite soundtracks of all time. I really don't get why so many people hate on this game
 
Pancho

Pancho

Avenger
Nov 7, 2017
1,975
Couldn't even be bothered to finish it. I bought it out of hype from friends and some people here on the forum and I regret it 100%.
It was the little things that started to chip away at me:
First it was the resolution, I'm not much of a graphics guy, but damn, the blurry ass resolution of Xenoblade really bums me out. What are supposed to be gorgeous locales end up looking like smeared vomit on glass.

Second the fan service of the game. Not really bothered by some fan service, its something you learn to accept, especially on anime looking games. But, when I first saw Pyra I cringed so hard, it only got worse from there on as I unlocked new blades.

Finally, the combat. It is some repetitive shit. I thought it would have some depth but its basically you pushing these same 3 buttons and switch blades sometimes leaving me very dissatisfied.

Those are my major 3 issues of the game. the others are many, but smaller issues.
 
JershJopstin

JershJopstin

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,332
Phantom Thief said:
There's actually been a fair few negative threads lol


In general terms, it's not very controversial at all. It's the most successful Xenoblade game with the most widespread popularity. People on Era may be more negative on it, but if you were to go by that, you'd think Persona 5 was one of the most hated games of the last five years, for instance.
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Fair. Echo chambers confuse me sometimes. I was gonna say even among my friend group it was pretty hit or miss, but then I realized that was only true in comparison to the original. They all still had a decent time with it, for the most part.
 
Zephy

Zephy

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,163
I just started it yesterday, played about half an hour. The main character's voice doesn't fit his design at all, so I downloaded japanese VA and will give it a shot tonight.
 
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