Xenoblade Chronicles: A much needed energy boost for the Nintendo's dying system

            The one thing I liked about the Wii is that it never made any promises about its graphical capabilities. It knew that all it had was a last gen system using an innovative system of controllers. And it went with that. They tried so desperately to re-invent gaming they soon lost sight of some of the hardcore crowd who wanted Mario and Zelda and Metroid (in high definition, obviously). Of course Nintendo delivered but only had a superb outing with the Mario series (Galaxy 1 and 2, and the New Super Mario Brothers). Zelda suffered some criticism with Twilight Princess and many thought Skyward Swords came into the ball game way too late however good it may have been. Metroid Prime 3 was amazing and probably one of the better titles on the Wii but most fans still have a bitter taste left in their mouths from seeing the horrors of Metroid: Other M.

Other first party games did come into the mix like Kirby and Donkey Kong. But third party was usually left out in the dark.  Many developers thought of it as more work and less pay off to create on the Wii after Microsoft and Sony created their own motion control schemes. Other developers just didn’t try hard enough.There was a dead period when it came to my Wii. I remember it collecting dust, only brandishing the controller so I could play Super Smash Brothers Melee with my friends every few months. I bought a couple games for it but none of them were really enough to keep me occupied or they were just really forgettable. That’s when Operation Rainfall happened and I thought the Wii would have one last final chance at becoming a system worth using again.

                Xenoblade Chronicles was a breath of fresh air for me: A JRPG that follows many Japanese tropes but with its own Western (semi-Mass Effect-y) way. The story is nothing to write home about however epic it may be. I mean, it’s just the same old “unsuspecting” boy with a mysterious past able to wield a sword that no one else could wield. He doesn’t like killing and always shares the same ideals as Mother Teresa. Everything is about friendship and non-violence. Sure, they are on a giant slumbering behemoth and sure, the boy can see into the future, but the world you’re in doesn’t necessarily shape the story. But the best part of video games is that an amazing story is not necessarily needed to make a compelling game.

Here was an open world RPG that shared a world as big as some MMORPGs. The world was vast. Each area felt unique and was pretty fun to explore. The best part is that exploring led to rewards and tough battles (which in themselves led to rewards as well). So getting lost in the world wouldn’t mean doing nothing; you’d always felt like you were getting stronger. The world slightly changed and some places were destroyed which made things annoying at times but at the same time it made the world dynamic and believable. Being able to look out and see the other robot towering over you added to the games sense of scale. The two giants fighting were huge and were always a consistent reminder of the scale of the game. I always felt a sense of surprise and wonder when getting into the next part of the giant with its aptly and cleverly named body part dungeons. Yet the characters detail suffers from the lack of the Wii’s processing power. It made the entire game fuzzy and not welcoming to play for long hours at a time (and the game is…really…really…long). And this is where all the good things, no, amazing things about the game actually becoming obstacles in enjoying the game.

                So let’s go through the list like any good gamer would.  I already touched on the graphics so I’ll just give some more analysis as to why a big, open, and diverse world can become annoying in Xenoblade.  I’ll delve into quests a bit later, but in order to get some cool rewards in Xenoblade, you must collect “collectables” and fill out your “collectopedia.” Collectables are just weirdly named items that appear as blue orbs randomly around the map. Getting them requires either luck or knowing the right NPC to trade to. Now this is where the graphics come in effect. It’s sometimes very difficult to see many blue orbs, especially in later levels where other “orby” colors exist as part of the décor. It gets annoying for those 100%-ers when you spend literally hours trying to find the orbs.

It looks beautiful, but ultimately falls short when in motion

                Some the Wii’s graphical limitations also inhibit the completion of side quests in the game. Many of the side quests are signified by a white/red exclamation mark on your mini-map. The only problem is the radius in which you must be to see these exclamation marks is extremely small making the markers somewhat useless. This is because the Wii can only render so much space at a giving time. Sometimes you won’t see some enemies until you get close to them (which can be a problem when exploring). Some NPCs don’t appear for a while after quick traveling. And though I’m not one to be a stickler when it comes to graphics, I couldn’t help but feel like I was playing a last gen RPG every time I booted up. Games like Mario and Zelda don’t have stellar graphics, but it’s good enough to not care about. Hence you don’t “feel” like the graphics are subpar when you’re playing.  Xenoblades graphical short-comings are so apparent, that I believe it becomes an issue when playing.

                There really isn’t anything else to complain about in Xenoblade except for maybe the story. But the story is easy to ignore since most of the time you’ll be pre-occupied with all the other goodies loaded into this game. Side quests are an enormous part of the game and when I say that, I really mean that they are an ENORMOUS part of the game. You’ll be spending the better part of your stay on Bionis fetching items, talking to village people, and fighting enemies that are off the beaten path. It took me over 130 hours to beat Xenoblade Chronicles, but I didn’t even finish the game completely (had to stop somewhere). The plot sometimes get a bit far removed when you’re off finishing sidequests, and so I found myself caring more about the townsfolk rather than the main antagonists and protagonists.  By the end of the game I didn’t have a clue as to what was really going on which was okay, since well…the ending didn’t need that requirement. Think of it as an Assassin’s Creed type of ending (yeah, a head scratcher). 

              

Combat is fast, furious, and keeps you on your toes. 

               Lastly, gameplay is where Xenoblade excels. It’s fun, fast-paced, and strategic. Taking down later bosses and enemies require almost a mastery of the combat system.  Much of the combat revolves around setting your party’s “arts” and interspersing them while your party auto-attacks. Much of your survival is in the timing of using the arts against enemies’ arts.  Successfully landing attacks builds your “chain gauge” which when filled can be used to initiate a “chain attack.” During your chain attack, the battle freezes and your party takes turns using arts against one foe. Nothing feels better than taking down a huge boss with one of these things. One other gameplay mechanic worth mentioning in Xenoblade Chronicles is the way the Monado is able to see the future in battles. This can be a boon when battling tough foes because it can help the player in strategizing defense moves. Monolith did a great job designing each characters’ moves because they all feel unique and fun to play. The only complaint I would have in this department is the way levels work. In almost every scenario, if you're over five levels below an enemy (especially if it's a boss), you will miss most of your attacks. I guess the reason is that your accuracy is too low. On the other hand, once you're over five levels of an enemy, they don't even try to attack you. It gets annoying when you come up against a boss and have to spend dozens of minutes fighting because of plethora of misses you will produce.  

                I always feel like Xenoblade would have been one of the best games of the year if it had been on a more powerful system. It’s not because I hate the Wii, I just think all the problems of this game would become strengths if it was put on a more powerful system.  I really encourage people to pick up this game and give it a good spin. The sprawling adventure and the deep combat system will leave you feeling impressed though maybe a little underwhelmed. All in all, this game does show that the Wii still has some fight left in it. Here’s to hoping Last Story and Pandora’s Tower are of better or equal caliber.

Credit goes to Konachan