Nintendo Xenoblade 3 [July 29 2022] - reviews from OpenCritic posted

[Biggie]

21 hours ago, crispy4000 said:

I buy one of each accessory at shops because I’m a hoarder.

I do the same thing lol

[Ghost_MH]

Chapter 5 hits so hard. Really one of best realized worlds in any JRPG I've played in recent memory.

[crispy4000]

Still in chapter 3, level 40.  There’s one more place I technically could explore where the monsters are at the same level, but I think I’m going to move the plot forward a little first.  There’s a skipped over hero slot I read gets filled in at the end of the chapter.

[Biggie]

I’m in chapter 3. Level 25

[Biggie]

Does chapter 3 ever end? lol

[crispy4000]

18 minutes ago, Biggie said:

Does chapter 3 ever end? lol

Think at I’m at the end of chapter boss now.  Did most of the side stuff I could … I’m 37 hours in.

 

Its as long as you want it to be.  Just make sure you climb up the vines you saw near the first Feronis once you can.  You get something awesome.

[Biggie]

6 hours ago, crispy4000 said:

Think at I’m at the end of chapter boss now.  Did most of the side stuff I could … I’m 37 hours in.

 

Its as long as you want it to be.  Just make sure you climb up the vines you saw near the first Feronis once you can.  You get something awesome.

Refresh my memory on where that was? I don’t wanna miss what you are talking about. 

[best3444]

5 minutes ago, Biggie said:

Refresh my memory on where that was? I don’t wanna miss what you are talking about. 

 

How do you think how I'd react to this game? I'm not too into JRPGs but I do enjoy them. The environment and characters look good. You think I should bite?

[Biggie]

9 minutes ago, best3444 said:

 

How do you think how I'd react to this game? I'm not too into JRPGs but I do enjoy them. The environment and characters look good. You think I should bite?

You would not like the graphics. They look good for a Xenoblade game on Switch but no where near to your standards. Also the games battle system is an acquired taste. It auto battles but you choose which Arts to use while your character is auto battling. It’s hard to describe if you have never played a Xenoblade game. If your not too into JRPG’s then let me warn you, this is a JRPG lol. The story is great but I’ve played 1,2, and 3. Maybe check out some streams?

[best3444]

4 minutes ago, Biggie said:

You would not like the graphics. They look good for a Xenoblade game on Switch but no where near to your standards. Also the games battle system is an acquired taste. It auto battles but you choose which Arts to use while your character is auto battling. It’s hard to describe if you have never played a Xenoblade game. If your not too into JRPG’s then let me warn you, this is a JRPG lol. The story is great but I’ve played 1,2, and 3. Maybe check out some streams?

 

Imma watch streams. From that description it's a pass for me. I'm glad everyone is having a good time, though.

[best3444]

Shit. After watching this review I'm interested. Do I need to know the stories from part 1 and 2 to enjoy3?

 

 

[crispy4000]

2 hours ago, Biggie said:

Refresh my memory on where that was? I don’t wanna miss what you are talking about. 

Remember where that giant level 80 monkey in the river is?  Around there.

[crispy4000]

1 hour ago, best3444 said:

Shit. After watching this review I'm interested. Do I need to know the stories from part 1 and 2 to enjoy3?

It’s self contained, but there’s winks and nods in the world, character and combat design.  There could be an 11th hour twist that references the prior games if it follows what 2 did, but it wouldn’t require you play them to get the gist of it.  Might spoil parts of them if you decide to go back.

 

I’d still recommend someone new start with the Switch remake of 1.  The combat isn’t as developed and the side quests suck, but it’s still an incredible game that goes wild places.  It might still have the most interesting world design/setup too.

 

There’s one more reason I’d start with 1: XB2 and 3 get bogged down in their own lingo a bit.  For example, 3 has a habit of putting in some of its verbiage in place of curse words, and it’s always cringe.  (I was legitimately shocked when I heard one of the characters say “shit.”) With the first, game specific lingo is still a thing, but it’s the easiest understood out of the gate and introduces less as in references you don’t know.  
 

You can ease yourself in with XB1, with this stuff and the combat.

[Ghost_MH]

1 hour ago, best3444 said:

Shit. After watching this review I'm interested. Do I need to know the stories from part 1 and 2 to enjoy3?

 

 

 

Enjoy? No. The stories in the Xenoblade games are always fairly self-contained with an odd twist at the end ties it into the larger Xenoblade lore. If you don't know the lore, I'm not sure how much you'd miss. This is not an actual example since I'm nowhere near the end of the game, but it's sort of like if at the end of the game you find out that the planet you're exploring was created by the guys from the first game. Yeah, you'd be able to connect how that worked out of you played the first games, but you aren't really missing anything as far as how it affects the characters you get to know over the course of the game.

 

Hope that makes sense.

 

As for the gameplay, this is an active turn-based JRPG disguised to look like an ARPG with a heaping of positional tactics. So, instead of having all the characters stand, facing each other waiting for their turn to attack they perform a mostly useless auto-attack that's really there just to make it look like everyone isn't just standing around waiting for their special attack meters to fill. Positional tactics because different attacks have different effects based on where you're standing in relation to the enemy. Even healing spells are positional. Other members of your party are controlled by AI, but you can jump in at any time to take control of them. There are no battle items in this game, so you aren't going to be stocking up on healing potions and revives. You want a heal? You need to make sure the healer/s in your party are alive.

[best3444]

Thank you @Ghost_MH and @crispy4000. Really well written descriptions of how the game works. I'll hold off for a bit because I have plenty to play. 

[Biggie]

1 hour ago, best3444 said:

Thank you @Ghost_MH and @crispy4000. Really well written descriptions of how the game works. I'll hold off for a bit because I have plenty to play. 

Honestly my only concern with you not liking the game is the combat. The auto-attack isn’t something some people enjoy. The characters and story are great. 

[best3444]

6 minutes ago, Biggie said:

Honestly my only concern with you not liking the game is the combat. The auto-attack isn’t something some people enjoy. The characters and story are great. 

 

Well I was trying to understand it on YouTube. I get that all allies keep auto attacking to keep things "moving" but it really doesn't do anything? Seems like there is other functions during combat that I'm not understanding. 

[crispy4000]

57 minutes ago, best3444 said:

 

Well I was trying to understand it on YouTube. I get that all allies keep auto attacking to keep things "moving" but it really doesn't do anything? Seems like there is other functions during combat that I'm not understanding. 

Some of your special attacks charge over time (like the first game).  Others charge the more you auto attack (like the second game).  First are circle icons, second are diamonds.

 

There’s more to it, like canceling into one another and combining them, but that’s the basics.

 

[best3444]

1 hour ago, crispy4000 said:

Some of your special attacks charge over time (like the first game).  Others charge the more you auto attack (like the second game).  First are circle icons, second are diamonds.

 

There’s more to it, like canceling into one another and combining them, but that’s the basics.

 

 

Where does the challenge come in?

[crispy4000]

1 hour ago, best3444 said:

 

Where does the challenge come in?

 

That's a loaded question, considering XB3 has so many different playstyles depending on the classes/jobs and abilities you assign. 

Essentially, you want to play whatever class you're controlling as efficiently as possible.  Attackers try to dish out pain without calling too much attention to themselves.  Tanks try to get the crowd focused on them.  Healers dole out timely party buffs and healing, and are the only ones that can revive fallen allies.  In XB3, you can switch between characters at any time (all six of them), and the AI takes control of the ones you're not.

 

Nothing too crazy on the surface.  But it layers several other systems on top: positional attack bonuses, timed special attacks, temporary supermodes, combo trees the whole party participates in, attacks that stack simultaneously, class specific quirks, the aforementioned two ways to charge specials running in tandem, etc.

 

If it seems like a lot, again, play the first game.  It's more straightforward, for better or worse.  It also has a mechanic uniquely its own that makes your agency in battles much more obvious.

[Biggie]

@best3444 it is almost impossible to describe the combat to you. Just gotta learn it from step one. I’d love for you to buy the game so I could read your shitty comments on it lolololololol.  Just get it and we can talk about it like 2 school girls. 

[best3444]

1 hour ago, Biggie said:

@best3444 it is almost impossible to describe the combat to you. Just gotta learn it from step one. I’d love for you to buy the game so I could read your shitty comments on it lolololololol.  Just get it and we can talk about it like 2 school girls. 

 

I'm going to buy it but it would be stupid for me to do that now considering how massive the game is and I have so many other games to play. I'll get to it or maybe play the first one like @crispy4000 mentioned. 😆 at the school girl comment. 

[Ghost_MH]

10 hours ago, best3444 said:

Well I was trying to understand it on YouTube. I get that all allies keep auto attacking to keep things "moving" but it really doesn't do anything? Seems like there is other functions during combat that I'm not understanding. 

 

The auto attack does damage, but it's so minimal they don't matter in most fights. Right now, I'm at level 62 and as an attacker with a bunch of attack buffs, my auto attack does less than 1k damage on most enemies anywhere near my level. Special arts are in the 10k range. The fancier arts are in the 50k range. My combo attacks are usually in the 700k range. Right now, my peak combo is 980k. I'm really upset I didn't get to a million.

 

Like @crispy4000 said, there are uses for the auto attack later into the game. That all said...

 

This entry in particular REALLY follows the Nintendo formula on how to introduce complexity. I'll link this video to explain what I mean.

 

 

 

Trying to explain how a lot of this stuff works it's counter-intuitive. The game begins very simply. Side arts do more damage on the side, back arts from behind, and all those arts will charge with time. While recharging, you're character will auto attack. Then you get introduced to, well some arts recharge not on time, but the number of times you auto attack. Then it's well, if you do this, this'll happen. Then if that happened, this can happen. It's just a ridiculous chain that keeps growing in complexity as the game goes along while also never introducing you to more than one concept at a time. You're given plenty of time to get used to how one combat mechanic works before moving onto the next one. The game even includes lore friendly reasons for why the combat mechanics are piecemeal to you, the player.

 

it's honestly fairly brilliant.

[Ghost_MH]

What!? 60 hours into this game and a NEW gameplay mechanic opened up? Hell, there's even a new menu option that opened up. I haven't been reading much about this game, but how is this possible and when does this end?

[Ghost_MH]

@EternallDarkness You laugh, but seriously. I don't know if folks consider the optional classes in the game as spoilers, so I'll spoiler this one...

 

Spoiler

I just unlocked the Soulhacker class. The class has no arts or skills. To unlock either of them, you need to rebattle all the unique enemies that left gravestones all over the game. Defeat them the second time through and you can absorb some of their abilities and reuse them yourself. There's an entire menu dedicated to listing every possible attack/buff/debuff in the game and which monster you can get it from. I can't even continue with the game because this class is trash without something to assign my guys, so I'm hopping around the map resurrecting foes and taking them out again.

 

And the thing is, I KNOW there's at least one more thing to open up in this game because there are two locked options in the Interlink menu and so far I've only unlocked one of them.

[EternallDarkness]

22 minutes ago, Ghost_MH said:

@EternallDarkness You laugh, but seriously. I don't know if folks consider the optional classes in the game as spoilers, so I'll spoiler this one...

 

  Reveal hidden contents

I just unlocked the Soulhacker class. The class has no arts or skills. To unlock either of them, you need to rebattle all the unique enemies that left gravestones all over the game. Defeat them the second time through and you can absorb some of their abilities and reuse them yourself. There's an entire menu dedicated to listing every possible attack/buff/debuff in the game and which monster you can get it from. I can't even continue with the game because this class is trash without something to assign my guys, so I'm hopping around the map resurrecting foes and taking them out again.

 

And the thing is, I KNOW there's at least one more thing to open up in this game because there are two locked options in the Interlink menu and so far I've only unlocked one of them.

 

Oh I laughing because I know it's true. I'm also laughing because I saw my nephews today and I have had the game longer than either of them and yet both of them have now blown way past me in the game. I have like 40-45 hours and am still in chapter4 while one of them is in chapter 6 and the other chapter 7. I've already been told to expect new stuff. 

 

my newest recruit is 

Spoiler

from the colony ...damn I just shut the stupid thing down and can't remember now. 11 maybe. She's the crazy commander who was fighting her own people...the crazy 'suicide' lady. That entire colony is nuts 

 

[Biggie]

On 8/9/2022 at 11:28 PM, crispy4000 said:

Think at I’m at the end of chapter boss now.  Did most of the side stuff I could … I’m 37 hours in.

 

Its as long as you want it to be.  Just make sure you climb up the vines you saw near the first Feronis once you can.  You get something awesome.

Spoiler

Are you talking about the guy you fight who runs away and then you follow his footsteps?

 

[Ghost_MH]

35 minutes ago, EternallDarkness said:

 

Oh I laughing because I know it's true. I'm also laughing because I saw my nephews today and I have had the game longer than either of them and yet both of them have now blown way past me in the game. I have like 40-45 hours and am still in chapter4 while one of them is in chapter 6 and the other chapter 7. I've already been told to expect new stuff. 

 

my newest recruit is 

  Hide contents

from the colony ...damn I just shut the stupid thing down and can't remember now. 11 maybe. She's the crazy commander who was fighting her own people...the crazy 'suicide' lady. That entire colony is nuts 

 

 

Earlier in this thread I said I love Colony 11...

 

Spoiler

They are all fantastic. Every person in that colony is as stupid as they are insane and I'm 100% here for it. I love the idea of a colony made up of nothing but the folks that were too crazy for other colonies. And then they placed them right there at the foot of the castle to serve as defense. They're so good.

 

[crispy4000]

6 hours ago, Biggie said:

  Hide contents

Are you talking about the guy you fight who runs away and then you follow his footsteps?

 

Yep that’s the one.

[Biggie]

10 minutes ago, crispy4000 said:

Yep that’s the one.

Thanks! Just completed it. 
 

Was curious, do y’all use the auto-build for your characters or take the time to build each one individually by choosing accessories, skills, gems, arts, etc?

[crispy4000]

I do it for the character I control most.  That canceling bonus gem only works for the player character.  And I try to match fusion arts that have short/long cooldowns.

[Ghost_MH]

Three hours later and I only just realized that everyone from Colony 15...

 

Spoiler

...has been following me around everywhere as guests. I went back to check on what the folks at Colony 15 were doing, but the nopon there told me everyone had left. Then I'm looking through my menu and notice I have like 5 guests just chilling with me everywhere I go 

 

[crispy4000]

You're way ahead of us, haha.  I'm in Chapter 4, keep getting distracted with more questing.

[EternallDarkness]

62 hours in hit level 50 and just reached chapter 5 

[Ghost_MH]

38 minutes ago, EternallDarkness said:

62 hours in hit level 50 and just reached chapter 5 

 

How? I've done every side quest I can and I'm in the middle of chapter 5 at level 65.

 

Either way, I finally broke a million damage on a combo, just slightly above 1.23m against a mech. It was down to like 30% health and I did not kill the thing with that combo. What a monster.