Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U)

[Guest]

then believe in a God, or magic, or whateverdon't believe in a person trying to sell you a product

What it's more or less saying is just believe. If you believe in not believing, that's fine, but no need to water down another person's mood.

[Reyn 1,755]

What it's more or less saying is just believe. If you believe in not believing, that's fine, but no need to water down another person's mood.

Agreed. Besides, i think it's fine to have faith in the production crew regardless. Even if Monolith might not have done well with some previous titles (i heard Xenosaga II and III weren't that good), if they can pump out one of the best damn RPG's of the last gen. while working with Nintendo and MIND YOU, not a company who caused them to cut their previous Xeno project in half which f***ed up the story *cough*squarefreakingenix*cough*, then i think Xenoblade Chronicles X definitely has a good chance of turning out well.

 

Plus, it's too soon to tell anyway when we have the basics of the story. The Xeno games usually seem to have super complex plots from what ive seen, so i'm pretty sure this is gonna be the case here aswell. Besides, one of the main things that sets Xenoblade apart from other Nintendo games is that it has a dark, more complex story than you'd find in most Nintendo games. Heck, the only other First Party Nintendo game that has also been represented in Smash that's probably as close as it gets to being as dark as Xenoblade is Mother 3. :

Edited January 16, 2015 by Reyn

[Shulk 8,623]

Agreed. Besides, i think it's fine to have faith in the production crew regardless. Even if Monolith might not have done well with some previous titles (i heard Xenosaga II and III weren't that good), if they can pump out  the best damn RPG ever. while working with Nintendo and MIND YOU, not a company who caused them to cut their previous Xeno project in half which f***ed up the story *cough*squarefreakingenix*cough*, then i think Xenoblade Chronicles X definitely has a good chance of turning out well. Plus, it's too soon to tell anyway when we have the basics of the story. The Xeno games usually seem to have super complex plots from what ive seen, so i'm pretty sure this is gonna be the case here aswell. 

Fixed that one for you.

 

Also, don't group Enix into that crap that cut Xenogears. That was before the merge ever happened.

[Reyn 1,755]

Fixed that one for you.

 

Also, don't group Enix into that crap that cut Xenogears. That was before the merge ever happened.

 

My bad, i don't know everything about what went down with Xenogears development. :  

[Shulk 8,623]

My bad, i don't know everything about what went down with Xenogears development. :  

It's fine, didn't mean to sound hostile.

[Shulk 8,623]

I'm a little late on this, but we've got some news!

 

First off, we got a Twitter message from Monolith Soft regarding the game! This was mostly thanks to the fans, but it also confirmed that alongside the Japanese release date of April 29th, localization has been going really well! Hopefully, this means we'll be getting it sooner than later. Here's the full Tweet:

 

 

[Kawabata] This is a sudden introduction, but nice to meet you. My name is Kawabata and I work as Xenoblade X's producer. From now on, Monolith staff other than Takahashi will be using this account to send out Tweets to you all, with me taking the lead.

Counting, it's been about 5 years since Xenoblade's release meaning you've all been waiting for a long time, but, speaking honestly, it feels like a long time even for those of us working here. On top of that, we're also well underway with localization work, too.

However, I believe we have created something that you will feel was well worth the wait, so I hope you can remain patient for the game's release a little while longer.

 

 

Along with this, the official website added some small story details! It's mostly backstory regarding the alien attacks on Earth and the attack that resulted in the crash landing on Planet Mira, but it's still good to know a little bit more about the plot. Here's the information that was given:

 

 

July, 2054C.E.Earth became entangled in a war between alien civilizations.A war fought with weapons that far surpassed our own technology.

Without knowing why, we suddenly found the Earth overrun and the land scorched. The joint government, having previously predicted the disastrous effect of a war in space close to our planet, set into motion their 'Earth Species Emigration Plan' and citizens from major cities across the globe were evacuated on interstellar evacuation ships.

Forced to evacuate our sacred home of 4.5 billion years.

Tragically, many of the ships where shot down while escaping Earth's gravity and few ships managed to make it away from the planet safely.

'The White Whale' was one of the ships that managed to escape.

Leaving the Earth behind, the White Whale roamed the galaxy for 2 years.

Then, despite managing to escape the Earth thanks to good fortune, the aggressor alien forces from Earth finally catch up with the ship.

In the desperate battle that follows, the action of one heroic solider successfully defeated the pursuing forces, but the White Whale sustained heavy damage to its engine.

No longer capable of flight, the ship is captured in a hitherto unknown planet's gravity, and breaks apart as it plummets towards the planet's surface.

Then, two months later...

 

Source: http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/01/xenoblade_chronicles_x_localisation_work_is_well_underway

[Deadpool 1,200]

This game looks incredibly fun. I love how open the world looks and the gameplay seems hella fine.

[Shulk 8,623]

This might not be very big news, but I've been looking around the Japanese site (Gotta love Chrome's automatic translations, even though it typically ends up being broken English), and I noticed they've been posting small bios for the characters who join Cross on the journey through Planet Mira! I'll put them in spoiler tags since there are six or so, and the information is really just what I could gather from the bad translation, but here's what we know about them!

 

First up is Tatsu:

 

 

Tatsu's bio confirms that the Nopon were native residents of Planet Mira before the White Whale crashed on the planet. I couldn't piece together much more of his bio, but that part alone is really interesting.

 

 

 

Next is Rin My favorite member of the crew:

 

 

 

Rin is... Well... The team engineer. Not what I expected at all, but hey, it's an interesting change. She apparently helped engineer the Dolls.

 

 

 

Elma:

 

 

 

Elma's a team leader in Blade. She was also a high-ranking soldier back on Earth, and was a part of a military group known as the Doll Corps.

 

 

Vandam:

 

 

 

Vandam is Blade's commander who was once an engineer. The second half of his bio came out as complete gibberish, so do what you will with that.

 

 

And, finally, Irina:

 

 

 

Irina was another member of the Doll Corps who fought under Elma. She apparently looks up to Elma because of this. Not much else of note aside from that.

 

 

So... Yeah. Not a ton of (decipherable) information, but it's still good to know a little bit about these characters, and the names of Vandam and Irina! I bet we'll get at least a couple more bios soon, as well. They've been putting this out since a few weeks ago, so I'll keep checking in to see if we end up getting any more bios! Like I said before, this is what I pieced together from the bad translations of their bios, so I didn't copy this off the site or anything. There's possibly more information I missed because I simply can't read Japanese, so there could be more to this group than we know.

 

If you'd like to see the bios for yourself (With additional pictures and bad translations if you use Google Chrome), they're all on the official site right here: http://xenobladex.jp/

 

 

This game looks incredibly fun. I love how open the world looks and the gameplay seems hella fine.

Have you played the original Xenoblade yet? If you're interested in this one, I recommend trying out the first if you can manage to get a copy.The world in the Wii game isn't as large as Planet Mira is in this one, and it doesn't have the mechs, but it's still a great RPG with a huge world to explore, and fun combat. There have also been more and more connections being made between the Wii game and this one, so this could actually have something to do with the original in terms of plot. It's kind of tough to find a copy, but if you think this one looks interesting, I highly recommend giving that one a shot.

[Deadpool 1,200]

Have you played the original Xenoblade yet? If you're interested in this one, I recommend trying out the first if you can manage to get a copy.The world in the Wii game isn't as large as Planet Mira is in this one, and it doesn't have the mechs, but it's still a great RPG with a huge world to explore, and fun combat. There have also been more and more connections being made between the Wii game and this one, so this could actually have something to do with the original in terms of plot. It's kind of tough to find a copy, but if you think this one looks interesting, I highly recommend giving that one a shot.

 

Yeah, I own it, but I never got very far. I'll give it another go sometime as my backlog breaks down!

[Shulk 8,623]

Yeah, I own it, but I never got very far. I'll give it another go sometime as my backlog breaks down!

Oh, alright. Enjoy the game!

[Guest]

This might not be very big news, but I've been looking around the Japanese site (Gotta love Chrome's automatic translations, even though it typically ends up being broken English), and I noticed they've been posting small bios for the characters who join Cross on the journey through Planet Mira! I'll put them in spoiler tags since there are six or so, and the information is really just what I could gather from the bad translation, but here's what we know about them!

 

First up is Tatsu:

 

 

Tatsu's bio confirms that the Nopon were native residents of Planet Mira before the White Whale crashed on the planet. I couldn't piece together much more of his bio, but that part alone is really interesting.

 

 

 

Next is Rin My favorite member of the crew:

 

 

 

Rin is... Well... The team engineer. Not what I expected at all, but hey, it's an interesting change. She apparently helped engineer the Dolls.

 

 

 

Elma:

 

 

 

Elma's a team leader in Blade. She was also a high-ranking soldier back on Earth, and was a part of a military group known as the Doll Corps.

 

 

Vandam:

 

 

 

Vandam is Blade's commander who was once an engineer. The second half of his bio came out as complete gibberish, so do what you will with that.

 

 

And, finally, Irina:

 

 

 

Irina was another member of the Doll Corps who fought under Elma. She apparently looks up to Elma because of this. Not much else of note aside from that.

 

 

So... Yeah. Not a ton of (decipherable) information, but it's still good to know a little bit about these characters, and the names of Vandam and Irina! I bet we'll get at least a couple more bios soon, as well. They've been putting this out since a few weeks ago, so I'll keep checking in to see if we end up getting any more bios! Like I said before, this is what I pieced together from the bad translations of their bios, so I didn't copy this off the site or anything. There's possibly more information I missed because I simply can't read Japanese, so there could be more to this group than we know.

 

If you'd like to see the bios for yourself (With additional pictures and bad translations if you use Google Chrome), they're all on the official site right here: http://xenobladex.jp/

 

 

 

Have you played the original Xenoblade yet? If you're interested in this one, I recommend trying out the first if you can manage to get a copy.The world in the Wii game isn't as large as Planet Mira is in this one, and it doesn't have the mechs, but it's still a great RPG with a huge world to explore, and fun combat. There have also been more and more connections being made between the Wii game and this one, so this could actually have something to do with the original in terms of plot. It's kind of tough to find a copy, but if you think this one looks interesting, I highly recommend giving that one a shot.

Might I get a crack at the page? I may be able to decipher more. I don't particularly know Japanese, but I have a knack for figuring stuff like this out.

[Shulk 8,623]

We've got another Twitter post from the developers! This one's regarding the Japanese voice acting for the game, and also confirms that there will be weekly updates to the site (Which I'll report on if anything interesting is added)! Here's the post:

 

 

 

I wasn't really informed of this, but it seems we're planning on updating the official site every week. I wonder if we'll be all right? Then again, Nomura and the web design staff are extremely motivated, so I'm sure they'll work hard for your sake. As we present our characters, we're also revealing the people that have lent us their voices. We've managed to acquire an outstanding cast, so you can look forward to hearing their work. As there was such a large amount of text, recording [the voices] took a lot of work, but the entire cast was exceptionally professional. The end result, of course, is perfection.

I'm personally more interested in knowing who the English voice actors will be (And desperately hoping NoE will handle the localization again, since it wouldn't feel like Xenoblade without the British accents), but it's nice to know they're working hard on getting the best voice work they possibly can!

 

The article I got the post from also listed what I'd assume are the English names of a couple characters, so I'll go ahead and list those now:

 

Rin's English name is Lynlee (That's going to take time to get used to, considering her Japanese name has been known for a year or so by now...)

Vandam's English name is Van Damme.

 

Source: http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/01/xenoblade_chronicles_x_will_feature_an_outstanding_voice_cast

 

 

 

Might I get a crack at the page? I may be able to decipher more. I don't particularly know Japanese, but I have a knack for figuring stuff like this out.

I posted a link to the site earlier, but if you're looking for Van Damme's page: http://xenobladex.jp/character/chara04.html

[Hero of Winds 2,576]

I'm personally more interested in knowing who the English voice actors will be (And desperately hoping NoE will handle the localization again, since it wouldn't feel like Xenoblade without the British accents), but it's nice to know they're working hard on getting the best voice work they possibly can!

 

I personally think it would be fine. I'm taking into consideration that not only is this more futuristic than the original, but they have hints that it was an American civilization among the White Whale, especially since United States of America is plastered on the ship somewhere along the lines. British accents don't accurately portray a group of Americans. However, characters like Van Damme should get the accent treatment.

[Shulk 8,623]

I personally think it would be fine. I'm taking into consideration that not only is this more futuristic than the original, but they have hints that it was an American civilization among the White Whale, especially since United States of America is plastered on the ship somewhere along the lines. British accents don't accurately portray a group of Americans. However, characters like Van Damme should get the accent treatment.

That's true. It's just going to be weird for the people who have been playing the original game for years to suddenly have a complete change in the voice acting. I feel like NoE did a good job with the first game, so I'd love to see them work on this one. Of course, as you said, it would be weird having characters who are confirmed to be American have accents from other regions.

[Hero of Winds 2,576]

That's true. It's just going to be weird for the people who have been playing the original game for years to suddenly have a complete change in the voice acting. I feel like NoE did a good job with the first game, so I'd love to see them work on this one. Of course, as you said, it would be weird having characters who are confirmed to be American have accents from other regions.

I believe that whoever handles the localization will be able to acquire the appropriate voice actor for each character. It doesn't seem like it's that hard to drop an accent in order to grab a role. For example, Andrew Lincoln is British I believe, but he can drop his entire accent in order to play the role of Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead and none the wiser would even notice.

[Shulk 8,623]

I believe that whoever handles the localization will be able to acquire the appropriate voice actor for each character. It doesn't seem like it's that hard to drop an accent in order to grab a role. For example, Andrew Lincoln is British I believe, but he can drop his entire accent in order to play the role of Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead and none the wiser would even notice.

I'm sure the voice actors will work well either way, it's just kind of weird imagining an entirely different region doing the localization. I'll admit I've overreacted about that possibility in the past, although the more I think about it, it wouldn't be that big of a deal. Just a weird transition, I guess. It's also true that they could try to drop the accent if NoE handles localization. I guess we'll just have to see who handles it whenever we get a trailer with English voicework (Which will hopefully be soon, considering the recent confirmation that localization's been going smoothly).

[Hero of Winds 2,576]

I'm sure the voice actors will work well either way, it's just kind of weird imagining an entirely different region doing the localization. I'll admit I've overreacted about that possibility in the past, although the more I think about it, it wouldn't be that big of a deal. Just a weird transition, I guess. It's also true that they could try to drop the accent if NoE handles localization. I guess we'll just have to see who handles it whenever we get a trailer with English voicework (Which will hopefully be soon, considering the recent confirmation that localization's been going smoothly).

Either sometime in April due to the Japanese release or we're waiting till E3.

[Shulk 8,623]

Either sometime in April due to the Japanese release or we're waiting till E3.

I'm hoping April, or maybe sooner if we end up getting another trailer in a Direct before them (Which seems unlikely, but of course, we've been getting a lot more news on the game now that development is almost done).

[Reyn 1,755]

So, new info about the game came out: http://www.siliconera.com/2015/01/28/xenoblade-chronicles-x-info-battles-exploration/

http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/01/more_details_emerge_on_xenoblade_chronicles_x_and_its_non-linear_world

 

There's been plenty of hype and excitement surrounding Xenoblade Chronicles X. Its successor, Xenoblade Chronicles, was critically acclaimed as an excellent RPG on Wii, also bringing new ideas to the JRPG genre. The sequel has a lot to live up to, but as more information emerges it becomes clear that it may just live up to the Xenoblade name.

Popular Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu's next issue includes a ten page spread about the Xenoblade series - including an interview with Tetsuya Takahashi, the series' director - and is due out tomorrow; it brings to light some details previously unknown about Xenoblade Chronicles X (known simply as Xenoblade X in Japan). For starters, the map will be five times the size of the original Xenoblade Chronicles equivalent; keep in mind that the original map was roughly the same size (in relative gaming terms) as the entirety of the Japanese archipelago. The story will be about surviving on the wild planet, Mira - unlike Xenoblade Chronicles' largely linear storytelling, the story will unfold in numerous directions, opening up the possibility of multiple endings. Not far into the story players will choose to become part of one of eight unions, though union affiliation can be switched later. The unions are as follows (via Gematsu):

• Pathfinder: Oversee data probe installation
• Interceptor: Oversee exterminating protists
• Avalanche: Oversee hunting down dangerous creatures
• Testament: Oversee recovery of wreckage from the ship as well as dropped items in the battlefield
• Corepedian: Oversee investigating new areas and collecting materials
• Land Bank: Oversee securing resources and collecting minerals
• Arms: Assist the Arms Company in building and arming Dolls (Dolls are what the mechs are called)
• Companion: Jack of all trades, from breaking up fights to finding stray cats

Additionally, the online aspect is aiming to have players loosely connected, giving a sense of 'solidarity' without a constant awareness of other players. The map will be on the GamePad, unsurprisingly, and will be interactive, with players able to set waypoints and fast travel to locations. Battle speed is also set to be increased, allowing players to switch between long and short range attacks freely; in addition there'll be no healers. These will be replaced by a new system called “Soul Voice", which will be activated - with properly timed button presses - between party members (of which there are four) who string attacks together, providing the opportunity to heal while still attacking.

Meanwhile, Dolls (mechs) will be powerful but unwieldy, and some fights will necessitate the player disembarking a Doll in order to attack a specific part of a monster. Playtime could exceed three hundred hours, with some parts effectively continuing endlessly, and the 90 song+ soundtrack will be worked on by Hiroyuki Sawano

Xenoblade Chronicles X is shaping up to be a sizeable adventure, and could certainly deliver on the expectations surrounding it. Does any of this new information have you hyped? What are you most looking forward to in this game?

 

 

Also, more info:

 

Ahead of the game’s release this April in Japan, Xenoblade Chronicles X executive director Tetsuya Takahashi shared a few scant details on the game in an interview with Famitsu magazine. Retail blog Sinobi has summarized some of the more important information, and you can find our translation below.

 

Player Avatars:

 

While creating your avatar, you’ll be able to customize the following: gender, face-type, skin color, hairstyle, eyes, makeup, and voice. The base designs for the avatars are done by Kunihiko Tanaka, who designed characters for the game. (Tanaka also worked on Xenogears, and Xenosaga Episode I.)

 

Additionally, the voice options for the avatar will be provided by famous voice actors, which will be revealed on the official website in the near future.

 

Comparisons to Xenoblade Chronicles:

 

In Xenoblade Chronicles X, you’ll use the GamePad as an information terminal. While exploring Planet Mira, data accumulates on the GamePad, and you’ll freely get to access it afterwards. Some of the information that will be available the GamePad screen are details on the player’s position and quest destination.

 

There will also be a warp function installed on the GamePad, that allows you to warp to areas you’ve previously been to. This is important because Mira is about five times larger than the world in Xenoblade Chronicles. You’ll get to travel across the immense land in a seamless fashion as well. The faraway areas can be reached via the Dolls (mechs) which are capable of flight, or with support from the Wii U GamePad.

 

Takahashi says that, while Xenoblade Chronicles was a traditional RPG, Xenoblade Chronicles X is made to be an open-world RPG, where you accept quests in different areas and have many aspects that expand the story.

 

Moving along, here’s some more information Takahashi revealed to Famitsu:

 

• Takahashi reiterated that while Xenoblade Chronicles X is a game from the same lineage as Xenoblade Chronicles, it is not a sequel to that game—hence the “X” after the title, instead of a “2″.

 

• The meaning behind the “X” (cross) also has to do with connecting with players far away (“across”). However, Takahashi describes Xenoblade Chronicles X as more of a “loosely connected” online game, rather than a regular online game. It’s unclear as to just what this means at the moment, but it could mean that the online features will be more asynchronous or passive.

 

• Monolith Soft only prepared one track with vocals for Xenoblade Chronicles, but they’ve prepared a number of these for Xenoblade Chronicles X, enough to be considered quite a lot by RPG standards.

 

• There are around 90 tracks in the game, and composer Hiroyuki Sawano was involved with all of them.

 

• Xenoblade Chronicles X’s battle system has the basic foundations of the one from Xenoblade Chronicles, but with an increased sense of speed. It has evolved into something that has a much more action-y feel to it. Characters can use short or long-ranged attacks, and there are no healer-type roles. The healing is done through a new system called “Soul Voice”. (This was demonstrated at E3)

 

• Parties consist of four members. The player will control his or her character, while the other three are controlled by AI.

 

• The number of unique monsters in the game and the equipment that you can acquire have been greatly increased. When Takahashi playtested the game recently for a final check, he clocked in at over 300 hours.

 

Xenoblade Chronicles X is slated for release in Japan on April 29, 2015 for Wii U, and will launch in North America and Europe later this year. Judging by this interview, Nintendo aren’t ready to reveal everything about the game just yet, so stay tuned for more info in the weeks to come.

[Guest]

So, new info about the game came out: http://www.siliconera.com/2015/01/28/xenoblade-chronicles-x-info-battles-exploration/

http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/01/more_details_emerge_on_xenoblade_chronicles_x_and_its_non-linear_world

 

There's been plenty of hype and excitement surrounding Xenoblade Chronicles X. Its successor, Xenoblade Chronicles, was critically acclaimed as an excellent RPG on Wii, also bringing new ideas to the JRPG genre. The sequel has a lot to live up to, but as more information emerges it becomes clear that it may just live up to the Xenoblade name.

Popular Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu's next issue includes a ten page spread about the Xenoblade series - including an interview with Tetsuya Takahashi, the series' director - and is due out tomorrow; it brings to light some details previously unknown about Xenoblade Chronicles X (known simply as Xenoblade X in Japan). For starters, the map will be five times the size of the original Xenoblade Chronicles equivalent; keep in mind that the original map was roughly the same size (in relative gaming terms) as the entirety of the Japanese archipelago. The story will be about surviving on the wild planet, Mira - unlike Xenoblade Chronicles' largely linear storytelling, the story will unfold in numerous directions, opening up the possibility of multiple endings. Not far into the story players will choose to become part of one of eight unions, though union affiliation can be switched later. The unions are as follows (via Gematsu):

 

[*]Pathfinder: Oversee data probe installation

[*]Interceptor: Oversee exterminating protists

[*]Avalanche: Oversee hunting down dangerous creatures

[*]Testament: Oversee recovery of wreckage from the ship as well as dropped items in the battlefield

[*]Corepedian: Oversee investigating new areas and collecting materials

[*]Land Bank: Oversee securing resources and collecting minerals

[*]Arms: Assist the Arms Company in building and arming Dolls (Dolls are what the mechs are called)

[*]Companion: Jack of all trades, from breaking up fights to finding stray cats

Additionally, the online aspect is aiming to have players loosely connected, giving a sense of 'solidarity' without a constant awareness of other players. The map will be on the GamePad, unsurprisingly, and will be interactive, with players able to set waypoints and fast travel to locations. Battle speed is also set to be increased, allowing players to switch between long and short range attacks freely; in addition there'll be no healers. These will be replaced by a new system called “Soul Voice", which will be activated - with properly timed button presses - between party members (of which there are four) who string attacks together, providing the opportunity to heal while still attacking.

Meanwhile, Dolls (mechs) will be powerful but unwieldy, and some fights will necessitate the player disembarking a Doll in order to attack a specific part of a monster. Playtime could exceed three hundred hours, with some parts effectively continuing endlessly, and the 90 song+ soundtrack will be worked on by Hiroyuki Sawano

Xenoblade Chronicles X is shaping up to be a sizeable adventure, and could certainly deliver on the expectations surrounding it. Does any of this new information have you hyped? What are you most looking forward to in this game?

 

 

Also, more info:

 

Ahead of the game’s release this April in Japan, Xenoblade Chronicles X executive director Tetsuya Takahashi shared a few scant details on the game in an interview with Famitsu magazine. Retail blog Sinobi has summarized some of the more important information, and you can find our translation below.

 

Player Avatars:

 

While creating your avatar, you’ll be able to customize the following: gender, face-type, skin color, hairstyle, eyes, makeup, and voice. The base designs for the avatars are done by Kunihiko Tanaka, who designed characters for the game. (Tanaka also worked on Xenogears, and Xenosaga Episode I.)

 

Additionally, the voice options for the avatar will be provided by famous voice actors, which will be revealed on the official website in the near future.

 

Comparisons to Xenoblade Chronicles:

 

In Xenoblade Chronicles X, you’ll use the GamePad as an information terminal. While exploring Planet Mira, data accumulates on the GamePad, and you’ll freely get to access it afterwards. Some of the information that will be available the GamePad screen are details on the player’s position and quest destination.

 

There will also be a warp function installed on the GamePad, that allows you to warp to areas you’ve previously been to. This is important because Mira is about five times larger than the world in Xenoblade Chronicles. You’ll get to travel across the immense land in a seamless fashion as well. The faraway areas can be reached via the Dolls (mechs) which are capable of flight, or with support from the Wii U GamePad.

 

Takahashi says that, while Xenoblade Chronicles was a traditional RPG, Xenoblade Chronicles X is made to be an open-world RPG, where you accept quests in different areas and have many aspects that expand the story.

 

Moving along, here’s some more information Takahashi revealed to Famitsu:

 

[*]Takahashi reiterated that while Xenoblade Chronicles X is a game from the same lineage as Xenoblade Chronicles, it is not a sequel to that game—hence the “X” after the title, instead of a “2″.

 

[*]The meaning behind the “X” (cross) also has to do with connecting with players far away (“across”). However, Takahashi describes Xenoblade Chronicles X as more of a “loosely connected” online game, rather than a regular online game. It’s unclear as to just what this means at the moment, but it could mean that the online features will be more asynchronous or passive.

 

[*]Monolith Soft only prepared one track with vocals for Xenoblade Chronicles, but they’ve prepared a number of these for Xenoblade Chronicles X, enough to be considered quite a lot by RPG standards.

 

[*]There are around 90 tracks in the game, and composer Hiroyuki Sawano was involved with all of them.

 

[*]Xenoblade Chronicles X’s battle system has the basic foundations of the one from Xenoblade Chronicles, but with an increased sense of speed. It has evolved into something that has a much more action-y feel to it. Characters can use short or long-ranged attacks, and there are no healer-type roles. The healing is done through a new system called “Soul Voice”. (This was demonstrated at E3)

 

[*]Parties consist of four members. The player will control his or her character, while the other three are controlled by AI.

 

[*]The number of unique monsters in the game and the equipment that you can acquire have been greatly increased. When Takahashi playtested the game recently for a final check, he clocked in at over 300 hours.

 

Xenoblade Chronicles X is slated for release in Japan on April 29, 2015 for Wii U, and will launch in North America and Europe later this year. Judging by this interview, Nintendo aren’t ready to reveal everything about the game just yet, so stay tuned for more info in the weeks to come.

Yep, hype is beyond hype now.

On a side note, Arms and Avalanche teams will be my priority. Delicious!

[Shulk 8,623]

So, new info about the game came out: http://www.siliconera.com/2015/01/28/xenoblade-chronicles-x-info-battles-exploration/

http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/01/more_details_emerge_on_xenoblade_chronicles_x_and_its_non-linear_world

 

There's been plenty of hype and excitement surrounding Xenoblade Chronicles X. Its successor, Xenoblade Chronicles, was critically acclaimed as an excellent RPG on Wii, also bringing new ideas to the JRPG genre. The sequel has a lot to live up to, but as more information emerges it becomes clear that it may just live up to the Xenoblade name.

Popular Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu's next issue includes a ten page spread about the Xenoblade series - including an interview with Tetsuya Takahashi, the series' director - and is due out tomorrow; it brings to light some details previously unknown about Xenoblade Chronicles X (known simply as Xenoblade X in Japan). For starters, the map will be five times the size of the original Xenoblade Chronicles equivalent; keep in mind that the original map was roughly the same size (in relative gaming terms) as the entirety of the Japanese archipelago. The story will be about surviving on the wild planet, Mira - unlike Xenoblade Chronicles' largely linear storytelling, the story will unfold in numerous directions, opening up the possibility of multiple endings. Not far into the story players will choose to become part of one of eight unions, though union affiliation can be switched later. The unions are as follows (via Gematsu):

• Pathfinder: Oversee data probe installation
• Interceptor: Oversee exterminating protists
• Avalanche: Oversee hunting down dangerous creatures
• Testament: Oversee recovery of wreckage from the ship as well as dropped items in the battlefield
• Corepedian: Oversee investigating new areas and collecting materials
• Land Bank: Oversee securing resources and collecting minerals
• Arms: Assist the Arms Company in building and arming Dolls (Dolls are what the mechs are called)
• Companion: Jack of all trades, from breaking up fights to finding stray cats

Additionally, the online aspect is aiming to have players loosely connected, giving a sense of 'solidarity' without a constant awareness of other players. The map will be on the GamePad, unsurprisingly, and will be interactive, with players able to set waypoints and fast travel to locations. Battle speed is also set to be increased, allowing players to switch between long and short range attacks freely; in addition there'll be no healers. These will be replaced by a new system called “Soul Voice", which will be activated - with properly timed button presses - between party members (of which there are four) who string attacks together, providing the opportunity to heal while still attacking.

Meanwhile, Dolls (mechs) will be powerful but unwieldy, and some fights will necessitate the player disembarking a Doll in order to attack a specific part of a monster. Playtime could exceed three hundred hours, with some parts effectively continuing endlessly, and the 90 song+ soundtrack will be worked on by Hiroyuki Sawano

Xenoblade Chronicles X is shaping up to be a sizeable adventure, and could certainly deliver on the expectations surrounding it. Does any of this new information have you hyped? What are you most looking forward to in this game?

 

 

Also, more info:

 

Ahead of the game’s release this April in Japan, Xenoblade Chronicles X executive director Tetsuya Takahashi shared a few scant details on the game in an interview with Famitsu magazine. Retail blog Sinobi has summarized some of the more important information, and you can find our translation below.

 

Player Avatars:

 

While creating your avatar, you’ll be able to customize the following: gender, face-type, skin color, hairstyle, eyes, makeup, and voice. The base designs for the avatars are done by Kunihiko Tanaka, who designed characters for the game. (Tanaka also worked on Xenogears, and Xenosaga Episode I.)

 

Additionally, the voice options for the avatar will be provided by famous voice actors, which will be revealed on the official website in the near future.

 

Comparisons to Xenoblade Chronicles:

 

In Xenoblade Chronicles X, you’ll use the GamePad as an information terminal. While exploring Planet Mira, data accumulates on the GamePad, and you’ll freely get to access it afterwards. Some of the information that will be available the GamePad screen are details on the player’s position and quest destination.

 

There will also be a warp function installed on the GamePad, that allows you to warp to areas you’ve previously been to. This is important because Mira is about five times larger than the world in Xenoblade Chronicles. You’ll get to travel across the immense land in a seamless fashion as well. The faraway areas can be reached via the Dolls (mechs) which are capable of flight, or with support from the Wii U GamePad.

 

Takahashi says that, while Xenoblade Chronicles was a traditional RPG, Xenoblade Chronicles X is made to be an open-world RPG, where you accept quests in different areas and have many aspects that expand the story.

 

Moving along, here’s some more information Takahashi revealed to Famitsu:

 

• Takahashi reiterated that while Xenoblade Chronicles X is a game from the same lineage as Xenoblade Chronicles, it is not a sequel to that game—hence the “X” after the title, instead of a “2″.

 

• The meaning behind the “X” (cross) also has to do with connecting with players far away (“across”). However, Takahashi describes Xenoblade Chronicles X as more of a “loosely connected” online game, rather than a regular online game. It’s unclear as to just what this means at the moment, but it could mean that the online features will be more asynchronous or passive.

 

• Monolith Soft only prepared one track with vocals for Xenoblade Chronicles, but they’ve prepared a number of these for Xenoblade Chronicles X, enough to be considered quite a lot by RPG standards.

 

• There are around 90 tracks in the game, and composer Hiroyuki Sawano was involved with all of them.

 

• Xenoblade Chronicles X’s battle system has the basic foundations of the one from Xenoblade Chronicles, but with an increased sense of speed. It has evolved into something that has a much more action-y feel to it. Characters can use short or long-ranged attacks, and there are no healer-type roles. The healing is done through a new system called “Soul Voice”. (This was demonstrated at E3)

 

• Parties consist of four members. The player will control his or her character, while the other three are controlled by AI.

 

• The number of unique monsters in the game and the equipment that you can acquire have been greatly increased. When Takahashi playtested the game recently for a final check, he clocked in at over 300 hours.

 

Xenoblade Chronicles X is slated for release in Japan on April 29, 2015 for Wii U, and will launch in North America and Europe later this year. Judging by this interview, Nintendo aren’t ready to reveal everything about the game just yet, so stay tuned for more info in the weeks to come.

Freaking crap you stole the news I was going to post this when I got home. ;_;

 

Oh well, this news is AMAZING. I've got Avalanche and Corepedian as my main teams. The lack of a healer sounds weird, but nice, considering I never really liked relying on one in the first (I get away without Sharla for the most part, now). Four party members? Heck yes! Only disappointments are that the online is only a passive sort of multiplayer, and that Sawano's involved with every single track (Wanted a variety like in the first game, guess we won't get that). Also... 300 hours? And possibly multiple endings? I think I'll spend more time with this game than anything else I've ever played.

 

 

Also, I do have my own news to post! Two new character bios were added to the official site! Again, this is just my own gathering of the translations, so don't take this all as absolute fact. I can read Japanese about as well as everyone else in this thread, after all. I'm also including the sources (AKA bios on the official site) in the spoiler tags this time so you can look at them individually if you'd like to.

 

First off, we have Nagi!

 

 

 

Nagi was the captain of an ark ship named "Moby Dick." He's now the military secretary of the NLA government. His goal is to make sure the people of Mira live safely.

http://xenobladex.jp/character/chara07.html

 

 

And, the other character who's been revealed, Login (I'm guessing his name will be changed to something along the lines of Logan for the English version. That, or this is a mistranslation):

 

 

 

He's another member of the Doll Corps who worked under Elma and Irina. He also apparently has feelings for Irina.

http://xenobladex.jp/character/chara06.html

 

 

Assuming these are all party members (And I'd imagine they are, since they have weapons and bios on the site), this takes us up to 9 characters including Cross. We've already got more party members than in the original game! There are probably still a few more characters to be shown, too. I'm noticing a lot of these characters were shown flying in Dolls in the E3 2014 trailer, and there are still a few more important looking characters from that trailer that we still haven't seen.

[Hero of Winds 2,576]

Disappointing Multiplayer news for me. I was really looking forward to that part the most considering everything else was bound to be great.

[Shulk 8,623]

Disappointing Multiplayer news for me. I was really looking forward to that part the most considering everything else was bound to be great.

Yeah, it's kind of disappointing to hear no online play. Of course, at the same time, I feel like that could work against some mechanics like chain attacks. I'm kind of sad there won't be actual multiplayer, but it's not going to stop this game from being my most anticipated game of the generation (Possibly all time). This news made it pretty much on the same level that Smash Bros was for me when it was still getting updates, if not above Smash.

[Reyn 1,755]

Freaking crap you stole the news I was going to post this when I got home. ;_;

 

Oh well, this news is AMAZING. I've got Avalanche and Corepedian as my main teams. The lack of a healer sounds weird, but nice, considering I never really liked relying on one in the first (I get away without Sharla for the most part, now). Four party members? Heck yes! Only disappointments are that the online is only a passive sort of multiplayer, and that Sawano's involved with every single track (Wanted a variety like in the first game, guess we won't get that). Also... 300 hours? And possibly multiple endings? I think I'll spend more time with this game than anything else I've ever played.

 

 

Also, I do have my own news to post! Two new character bios were added to the official site! Again, this is just my own gathering of the translations, so don't take this all as absolute fact. I can read Japanese about as well as everyone else in this thread, after all. I'm also including the sources (AKA bios on the official site) in the spoiler tags this time so you can look at them individually if you'd like to.

 

First off, we have Nagi!

 

 

 

Nagi was the captain of an ark ship named "Moby Dick." He's now the military secretary of the NLA government. His goal is to make sure the people of Mira live safely.

http://xenobladex.jp/character/chara07.html

 

 

And, the other character who's been revealed, Login (I'm guessing his name will be changed to something along the lines of Logan for the English version. That, or this is a mistranslation):

 

 

 

He's another member of the Doll Corps who worked under Elma and Irina. He also apparently has feelings for Irina.

http://xenobladex.jp/character/chara06.html

 

 

Assuming these are all party members (And I'd imagine they are, since they have weapons and bios on the site), this takes us up to 9 characters including Cross. We've already got more party members than in the original game! There are probably still a few more characters to be shown, too. I'm noticing a lot of these characters were shown flying in Dolls in the E3 2014 trailer, and there are still a few more important looking characters from that trailer that we still haven't seen.

Gotta say, Logan looks familiar...Kind of like Shulk with Fiora's eyes, hint hint. : 3

 

But yeah, dang. I wanna make a prediction and say we'll have 13 party members. I mean, 13's used alot, plus, there were 7 party members last game, and 7+13 makes 20 (even though that doesn't prove my point lol). But IDK, it feels right, so i'll go with that guess.

[Hero of Winds 2,576]

Yeah, it's kind of disappointing to hear no online play. Of course, at the same time, I feel like that could work against some mechanics like chain attacks. I'm kind of sad there won't be actual multiplayer, but it's not going to stop this game from being my most anticipated game of the generation (Possibly all time). This news made it pretty much on the same level that Smash Bros was for me when it was still getting updates, if not above Smash.

Unfortunately my most anticipated game goes to Zelda U. Splatoon is my most anticipated summer title. At least I can say Nintendo has my most anticipated roster filled out with Zelda, Splatoon, Xenoblade, Yoshi, and so on. I'll have to award them with Developer of the Year.