Xenoblade Chronicles available now in Europe

[Cao Cao]

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=425989

This news was confirmed when Nintendo of UK put up a web page for Xenoblade Chronicles (http://www.nintendo.co.uk/NOE/en_GB/games/wii/xenoblade_chronicles_32583.html). According to the PR in the NeoGAF post, English and Japanese voice tracks are included. IIRC, the importers' reactions to the Japanese version were generally quite positive. We'll probably need to wait until E3 to see whether NoA will follow in NoE's footsteps.

Here's an old Japanese trailer that gives a 6-minute overview of the game's systems:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQppye_A7yg

[Dead of Knight]

Absolutely unbelievable. I had lost all hope. If NOA doesn't bring this over (a very possible scenario considering Disaster, by the same developer, did not come out here), I am definitely importing.

[pete5883]

Holy fucking shit. Also will be importing day 1, since I have no faith in Reggie "Disaster: Day of Crisis sucks" Fils-Aime.

[Cao Cao]

Well, here's one good sign for the US' chances. The whois for the URL http://www.xenobladechronicles.com shows that Nintendo of America is the owner, and it redirects to Nintendo's homepage.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=26831293&postcount=495

[M-PG71C]

NOA, do not fail me on this one, bring this Stateside damnit! I will be so fucking pissed off if Europe gets this one and we don't.

Anyway, even if NOA decides to fuck up as usual, at least I can import it now and have it in English. Whew! And I was thinking there was a good chance this was not coming.

[Dead of Knight]

Well, here's one good sign for the US' chances. The whois for the URL http://www.xenobladechronicles.com shows that Nintendo of America is the owner, and it redirects to Nintendo's homepage.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=26831293&postcount=495

OH. MY. GOD.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtduieC4P-s

You know if they announce this tomorrow it will be epic confusion.

[M-PG71C]

The more I'm reading on NeoGAF, the more I'm becoming inpatient with NOA's fucking incompetence. Mark my words, if this does not come Stateside, I may actually smash my Wii into a million pieces. And video tape it for the lulz (which sounds entertaining actually). It's just pure bullshit that the only Wii title announced for U.S. release this year is Zelda: Skyward Sword which is coming out...someday.

And even then, I could give a flying fuck about it. NOA has sucked balls these last few years, at least I can have confidence that NOE is much better in catering to their core audiences. This would mark the third Wii game I would have to import with the assumption Xenoblade wouldn't come Stateside (The first two being Zangeki no Reginleiv and Another Code R. I can understand the former, but the latter?)

Now I really hate the fact 3DS is region-locked and can be remote-bricked via firmware update if you try to play imports on it. :(

Anyway, <end rant>

[pete5883]

Well, here's one good sign for the US' chances. The whois for the URL http://www.xenobladechronicles.com shows that Nintendo of America is the owner, and it redirects to Nintendo's homepage.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=26831293&postcount=495
lol, that's my post. Someone later in the thread pointed out that nintendo.co.uk is also owned by Nintendo of America, so it's no longer exciting.

[Josh5890]

One small victory for us USA Nintendo gamers! Now send it across the pond.

[62t]

Still Nintendo is the last company I expected to include dual audio.

Funny Nintendo always had Mundo (the original name) on their release list. It seems to be it is just the fanboy overreacting to the lack of news. I guess we will have the same thing with Last Story's US release.

Edit: Now the fanboy are saying no Layton 4 without any real evidences.

[dothog]

The more I'm reading on NeoGAF, the more I'm becoming inpatient with NOA's fucking incompetence. Mark my words, if this does not come Stateside, I may actually smash my Wii into a million pieces. And video tape it for the lulz (which sounds entertaining actually). It's just pure bullshit that the only Wii title announced for U.S. release this year is Zelda: Skyward Sword which is coming out...someday.

And even then, I could give a flying fuck about it. NOA has sucked balls these last few years, at least I can have confidence that NOE is much better in catering to their core audiences. This would mark the third Wii game I would have to import with the assumption Xenoblade wouldn't come Stateside (The first two being Zangeki no Reginleiv and Another Code R. I can understand the former, but the latter?)

Now I really hate the fact 3DS is region-locked and can be remote-bricked via firmware update if you try to play imports on it. :(

Anyway, <end rant>

The content is A+++ (lulz and NOA ball sucking), and the direction is generally positive. I'm excited to learn more about the author's adventures.

[pete5883]

Funny Nintendo always had Mundo (the original name) on their release list. It seems to be it is just the fanboy overreacting to the lack of news. I guess we will have the same thing with Last Story's US release.
It's "Monado," and that release list is pretty unreliable since Line Attack Heroes is still on it. Line Attack Heroes was changed to a WiiWare title long ago.

[Dead of Knight]

Now I really hate the fact 3DS is region-locked and can be remote-bricked via firmware update if you try to play imports on it. :(


I don't understand why Nintendo is going backwards with this region-locking shit. Both the PS3 and PSP are both region free for games and it works just fine. All the Game Boys and original DSes were region-free. Why the fuck do they have to do this region-locking bullshit? It doesn't prevent piracy, it doesn't do shit except make hardcore gamers, the only people who actually import games, angry. It's also bullshit because my husband knows Japanese and so if he wants to import a game before it comes out here (like he did with DQ9) we'd have to buy a second 3DS. Fuck that shit.

[62t]

so Nintendo announced 2 games today. Wii Play: Motion is just the game we are looking for.

[M-PG71C]

@ dothog

Yay :D

@ 62t

That's how I feel honestly. Every system goes through droughts, especially this generation. but I think this may very well take the cake. Not surprisingly though. Oh well, I got plenty of catching up on my DS/PSP/3DS/PS3 so whatever.

I have only bought one Wii game this year (Mario Sports Mix) and while I did legitimately enjoy it quite a bit...it reminds me of the GameCube era suddenly.

[Dead of Knight]

so Nintendo announced 2 games today. Wii Play: Motion is just the game we are looking for.

Oh god I was going to post this. This is really all I can say about this:
:wall:

[M-PG71C]

Oh god I was going to post this. This is really all I can say about this:
:wall:

At least it's not a sequel to Wii Music....although I'm sure it'll come before the year is out. :applause:

[TheLongshot]

The thing is, a sequel to Wii Play probably will sell more than Xenoblade.

That being said, I still think that something like Xenoblade would be better served with a big announcement at E3. If it doesn't get announced at E3, it probably won't at all.

[Dead of Knight]

The thing is, a sequel to Wii Play probably will sell more than Xenoblade.

Probably? More like definitely.

[SuperPhillip]

The thing is, a sequel to Wii Play probably will sell more than Xenoblade.

That being said, I still think that something like Xenoblade would be better served with a big announcement at E3. If it doesn't get announced at E3, it probably won't at all.

It was never going to be announced anywhere but E3. I don't know why some of you people love setting yourselves up for disappointment. Must be a fetish or something.

[pete5883]

It was never going to be announced anywhere but E3. I don't know why some of you people love setting yourselves up for disappointment. Must be a fetish or something.
NoE certainly didn't have to wait for a big event to make the announcement.

[Sarang01]

I don't understand why Nintendo is going backwards with this region-locking shit. Both the PS3 and PSP are both region free for games and it works just fine. All the Game Boys and original DSes were region-free. Why the fuck do they have to do this region-locking bullshit? It doesn't prevent piracy, it doesn't do shit except make hardcore gamers, the only people who actually import games, angry. It's also bullshit because my husband knows Japanese and so if he wants to import a game before it comes out here (like he did with DQ9) we'd have to buy a second 3DS. Fuck that shit.

Why would you want an American 3DS anyway? Consider all the awesome Doujin Shmup's that everyone is talking about that are available on the Japanese marketplace. By contrast look at the comparative shit the American one offers.
The Japanese just get better offerings overall, that includes the hit titles here.

As for the PS3, thank you region free and I have "Wangan Midnight". Suck it whatever hodgepodge of American owners have the rights here for it! Buying region rights doesn't mean you bought my sale by any means. Bring your a-game and drop your stupidity at the door and we can talk.

[SuperPhillip]

NoE certainly didn't have to wait for a big event to make the announcement.

E3 is in America. Not Europe. NoE has no event coming up to announce the game unlike NoA and E3.

[pete5883]

Keep hope alive, my brothers and sisters: Voice actor confirms North American release for Xenoblade (http://www.destructoid.com/voice-actor-confirms-north-american-release-for-xenoblade-200120.phtml)

[Dead of Knight]

Keep hope alive, my brothers and sisters: Voice actor confirms North American release for Xenoblade (http://www.destructoid.com/voice-actor-confirms-north-american-release-for-xenoblade-200120.phtml)

That's pretty old... I just hope he's right.

[62t]

Nintendo Europe is allowing fans to choice a reversable cover. Would be a good time for you to do something Nintendo of america

http://microsite.nintendo-europe.com/xenoblade_cover/index.php?locale=enGB

[fwbweux]

Thought I'd bump this to mention the Operation Rainfall event that's been going on since yesterday. Basically, Xenoblade/TLS/Pandora's Tower supporters from a wide array of gaming sites have organized into a coalition to get higher visibility for their cause. While I doubt their efforts will amount to anything, I'm just desperate enough for these games to be released in NA to give it a try and encourage others to do so.

So far there have been two main prongs of attack: a.) like/follow Nintendo on Facebook/Twitter and respond to every new post/update/whatever with a message in support of releasing these games. A post they made about the next Mario & Sonic game racked up over 1300 replies asking for Xenoblade/TLS in the span of a day and it's still going up. I suppose that's impressive by Facebook standards, I have no idea.

b.) Preorder Monado: Beginning of the World (http://www.amazon.com/Monado-Beginning-World-Nintendo-Wii/dp/B002IM1MYG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309023103&sr=8-1) on Amazon in an effort to get it as high in the sales rankings as possible. As of this post it's the #1 Wii game and #9 overall. Just don't preorder if you really don't intend to buy and don't preorder 99 copies to artificially jack up the numbers.

There's an official Operation Rainfall site with some form letters and such, but it's all kind of amateur and doesn't serve any meaningful purpose yet, so if you're desperate enough to do the Facebook/Amazon thing I'd recommend just sticking to that for now. I guess that these kind of tactics helped Tales of Graces F be localized, though Nintendo is a much larger, faceless, more stubborn beast so who knows.

[Gden]

Sounds like a good idea, but what's Monado, why's it $60. Ah, its Xenoblade, but why is it $60

[fwbweux]

Monado is the original English name for Xenoblade, and it's $60 because that's the placeholder listing Amazon's had for two or three years.

[Gden]

I don't say this often, but Nintendo is stupid for not localizing this game. It looks amazing, I bet if they brought it over here and did commercials like they did for DQIX it would sell like hotcakes.

[pete5883]

With all the preorders, Monado/Xenoblade is the #1-selling game on Amazon now 8-)

[moothemagiccow]

I dont see a list anywhere

[Dead of Knight]

http://i.imgur.com/1pGXb.jpg
https://www.facebook.com/Nintendo/posts/126089684142160
My personal boycott of NOA begins now. If I absolutely have to buy a NOA game or console, it will be used, and only if it's a game I absolutely must have. They will not get a penny of my money unless they stop this bullshit.

Still not sure if I want to boycott new third-party games. I wanted to get Solatorobo to support Xseed, but I know a portion of the sale price will go to these dickheads. So it's something I'm debating. Xseed could really use the support though. :(

[Chewbacca's Abortion]

Nintendo just keeps taking the biggest dumps possible on it's fans. I already vowed not to buy their consoles/games new because of Mother 3, I hope this convinces more gamers to turn away from a company that obviously doesn't care about us.

[moothemagiccow]

How very strange.

[Vinny]

Nintendo just keeps taking the biggest dumps possible on it's fans. I already vowed not to buy their consoles/games new because of Mother 3, I hope this convinces more gamers to turn away from a company that obviously doesn't care about us.

Nintendo stopped caring about it's fans a long time ago. They're too busy having their dicks sucked by old people and out of shape soccer moms.

But if it's coming out in Europe, at least we can import it and understand WTF they're saying.

[Strell]

Some of you guys are smarter than this.

But only some.

[Dead of Knight]

Some of you guys are smarter than this.

But only some.

Smarter than what, Monsieur Mario?

[Strell]

You can be disappointed in me, my little manicotti, but you know what I'm getting at, where I'd go with it, etc etc.

[Dead of Knight]

You can be disappointed in me, my little manicotti, but you know what I'm getting at, where I'd go with it, etc etc.

I know you're a big Nintendo fan but man... I am sick of them and yes, I am boycotting NOA. Won't be a huge loss since I don't give a hoot about Zelda, Mario, etc, and they aren't localizing any of the games I want anyway. How the mighty have fallen from when I was a 7 year old girl and first got into videogames.

Will definitely be importing this and Last Story from Europe, and will import Pandora's Tower as well if it gets a Europe release.

[Strell]

I guess I just want to ask *who is* localizing games these days outside of Atlus, and maybe the weird curveball here and there from not-Atlus companies.

Ignition and XSeed I guess? And aren't they going down in flames right now respectively?

For what it's worth, this has nothing to do with Nintendo, and more to do with the fact that it's a business decision, but I'm pretty sure if I carry on this line of reasoning much further, the "fanboy" comments will start, so I don't feel much need to really keep this up.

An all-digital-download stance would probably go a loooooooooooooong way to solving this problem, but everyone here complains about that, some arguments being logical and valid, but at this point I fail to see how anyone can really start on some tangent that's wrought with subjective frameworks when they know it all comes back to, *ding,* money.

But whatever. I won't criticize the actions because I've got no right or ground to that, but I'll gladly comment when I see some foolhardiness up ins.

[62t]

I know you're a big Nintendo fan but man... I am sick of them and yes, I am boycotting NOA. Won't be a huge loss since I don't give a hoot about Zelda, Mario, etc, and they aren't localizing any of the games I want anyway. How the mighty have fallen from when I was a 7 year old girl and first got into videogames.

Will definitely be importing this and Last Story from Europe, and will import Pandora's Tower as well if it gets a Europe release.

Are you passing on Dragon Quest Monster Joker 2 since it is not the professional version?

[Dead of Knight]

Are you passing on Dragon Quest Monster Joker 2 since it is not the professional version?

No, I'm passing on DQMJ2 because I don't really want it (and now, because it's being published by NOA). The first one was okay, but I'm not really interested in this one even though it's supposed to be an improvement. The non-Professional edition is just icing on the shit cake.

I guess I just want to ask *who is* localizing games these days outside of Atlus, and maybe the weird curveball here and there from not-Atlus companies.

Ignition and XSeed I guess? And aren't they going down in flames right now respectively?

For what it's worth, this has nothing to do with Nintendo, and more to do with the fact that it's a business decision, but I'm pretty sure if I carry on this line of reasoning much further, the "fanboy" comments will start, so I don't feel much need to really keep this up.

An all-digital-download stance would probably go a loooooooooooooong way to solving this problem, but everyone here complains about that, some arguments being logical and valid, but at this point I fail to see how anyone can really start on some tangent that's wrought with subjective frameworks when they know it all comes back to, *ding,* money.

But whatever. I won't criticize the actions because I've got no right or ground to that, but I'll gladly comment when I see some foolhardiness up ins.

Don't even talk about Ignition, they suck ass. NISA (who I also have a boycott on, which I broke only for the release of Sakura Taisen 5), Aksys, and Xseed are the main players who localize niche games in addition to Atlus. Someone on NeoGAF in the Rainfall thread posted that Atlus approached Nintendo about localizing Mother 3, but they turned them away. I am sure that Atlus, Aksys, or Xseed would be more than willing to step in to localize these games, but Nintendo simply won't let anyone localize the games they refuse to localize. That's what makes it even worse. MS and Sony (and even Scamco!) will allow others to localize games they pass on; Nintendo simply won't in this generation. They allowed Cubivore to be localized by a third-party, but they haven't allowed third-parties to localize anything from this era. Allowing someone else to localize wouldn't cost them a dime; hell, the localization company would be PAYING Nintendo for rights. So why not allow this? Because they're dicks.

Xenoblade in particular isn't even really a niche title; the Xenosaga series sold a lot more in NA compared to Japan. And slap "FROM THE CREATOR OF FINAL FANTASY!" on Last Story and you'd get some sales from that alone. NOA is more than able to appropriately market these games so they'd turn a profit (see DQ9); they're just not willing, even though they are already being localized for Europe. The only costs NOA would have would be marketing and production. I find it very hard to believe they couldn't turn a profit on these games. They just don't want to make the effort. Why? Because they're dicks.

[Strell]

I'm going to ask for a source on the Atlus/Mother 3 story. I've never heard that before.

The rest of your post I can take or leave, because there's good bits sprinkled in with the usual backlash I'm seeing right now versus some ill made comparisons, but on the whole it's not exactly incorrect.

[cochesecochese]

I seem to remember a lot of chatter on starmen.net about Atlus approaching Nintendo to license M3. There were even official e-mail responses from Atlus IIRC. Nintendo just doesn't like licensing it's games.

Xenoblade in particular isn't even really a niche title; the Xenosaga series sold a lot more in NA compared to Japan. And slap "FROM THE CREATOR OF FINAL FANTASY!" on Last Story and you'd get some sales from that alone. NOA is more than able to appropriately market these games so they'd turn a profit (see DQ9); they're just not willing, even though they are already being localized for Europe. The only costs NOA would have would be marketing and production. I find it very hard to believe they couldn't turn a profit on these games. They just don't want to make the effort. Why? Because they're dicks.

Reggie doesn't seem like the type of guy who wants base hits. It's either strike out or slam it out of the park for him, it seems. Shame.

[pete5883]

I'm going to ask for a source on the Atlus/Mother 3 story. I've never heard that before.

http://forum.starmen.net/forum/Games/Mother3/29305

This would be a non-issue if Nintendo would just change their ridiculous policy and allow 3rd parties to publish the games they pass on. Atlus found great success with Demon's Souls, where SCEA would have failed hard. The little Natsumes and NISAs and XSEEDs of the world somehow survive by creating equally expensive localizations for games with far less appeal than Xenoblade & TLS.

It's not like XB isn't great: 36/40 from Famitsu, #1 RPG of this gen on mk2.net, etc. It's not like Xeno-games don't sell in the US: the Xenosaga series sold millions. If NoA were to bundle either of these games with a demo for Zelda SS and advertise this fact, they'd make their money back in, what, a week?

I hope this will at least stop defensive Nintendo fans from complaining that people hate the company for no reason. They've blocked my favorite developer's games from being released in America by buying them out. It doesn't really get worse than that.

Edit: According to some GAFfer in the know, NOA had Treehouse completely localize Soma Bringer and then didn't release it. wtf?

[Sailorneorune]

Ah, corporate stupidity, how intimately we have come to know each other over the last few months.

How much do you want to bet that the new Zelda will come with a mandatory system update that will brick the Wiis that have been unlocked to play the games that NoA won't allow us to?

[bvharris]

I really don't understand what NoA stands to lose from not releasing these games at this point. Even if they barely turn a profit, the goodwill which would be generated at this point by giving their core fans - who they've long neglected - what they want would surely be worth it.

At this point I take them at their word that these games are not coming over, so I'll be importing them. I do wish NoA would at least put out a more substantive statement explaining their reasons, though I am not holding my breath for that.

[Sailorneorune]

Not holding your breath would be a good plan. It'll probably be some predictive sales figures bullshit anyway (see Capcom & AAI2).

[Chewbacca's Abortion]

Nintendo... blocked a company feom localizing Mother 3?! FTAHFDKMXRIKAIIWKWOKZ! I'm going to say it here, Nintendo is the worst game company in the business. Yes, worse than both EA and Activision. Nintendo, you are dead to me.

[bvharris]

If I had to guess, Nintendo is hoping that the firestorm will last a few days and then blow over. After all, the internet has an extremely short attention span. I'm hoping people don't let up on them.

[Sir_Fragalot]

If I had to guess, Nintendo is hoping that the firestorm will last a few days and then blow over. After all, the internet has an extremely short attention span. I'm hoping people don't let up on them.
Here is the thing, there has been a shitstorm brewing with NO good Wii games in what over half a year now (and the essentially 10,000,000 shovelware titles instead of something decent). This wont blow over and Nintendo might just have made a game changing bad move here. People wont remember a lot of things on the internet, but gamers do.

You know I hate to say this, but Nintendo is becoming as bad as Activision, EA and Capcom now.

Anyway when is this game supposed to be coming out, looks like I am going to have to mod my Wii and fucking import it.

[Dead of Knight]

Edit: According to some GAFfer in the know, NOA had Treehouse completely localize Soma Bringer and then didn't release it. wtf?

WAT
http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/2732/speechless.gif

Anyway when is this game supposed to be coming out, looks like I am going to have to mod my Wii and fucking import it.

September 2nd. Get ready. I'll be joining you.

[Sir_Fragalot]

WAT

September 2nd. Get ready. I'll be joining you.

Ok now second question. Where is a good place to import this? I don't mind paying upwards of $70 because it's one of the best rpg's this gen.

[Just-Joe]

My personal boycott of NOA begins now. If I absolutely have to buy a NOA game or console, it will be used, and only if it's a game I absolutely must have. They will not get a penny of my money unless they stop this bullshit.

Still not sure if I want to boycott new third-party games. I wanted to get Solatorobo to support Xseed, but I know a portion of the sale price will go to these dickheads. So it's something I'm debating. Xseed could really use the support though. :(

Out of curiosity, what will boycotting accomplish? Not trying to be a dick, I'm just wondering is all.

[Dead of Knight]

Ok now second question. Where is a good place to import this? I don't mind paying upwards of $70 because it's one of the best rpg's this gen.

I haven't imported any games from Europe before (except Shenmue 2, but they had it on NCSX, which isn't importing Xenoblade PAL version). I've heard good things about Zavvi, Game.co.uk, etc, but if someone else can chime in, that would be cool.

Out of curiosity, what will boycotting accomplish? Not trying to be a dick, I'm just wondering is all.

Me not giving them any of my money.

[pete5883]

How much do you want to bet that the new Zelda will come with a mandatory system update that will brick the Wiis that have been unlocked to play the games that NoA won't allow us to?
I'm not worried. Haven't modded yet, but apparently every system update is followed pretty quickly by a fix to the Homebrew Channel / GeckoOS / whatever.
Ok now second question. Where is a good place to import this? I don't mind paying upwards of $70 because it's one of the best rpg's this gen.
I ordered mine from game.co.uk, but I've seen zavvi.com mentioned a lot too. Zavvi's shipping can apparently be pretty slow, though. It's worth mentioning that only the special edition which comes with a red classic controller pro is for sale right now, it's assumed the regular edition will be posted up soon, for a lower price.

[Dead of Knight]

Yeah I'll probably get the cheaper version. It's like $80 without shipping for the CC Pro version, fuck that.

[bvharris]

[QUOTE=Dead of Knight;8618783]I haven't imported any games from Europe before (except Shenmue 2, but they had it on NCSX, which isn't importing Xenoblade PAL version). I've heard good things about Zavvi, Game.co.uk, etc, but if someone else can chime in, that would be cool.
/QUOTE]

I've ordered a lot of UK special editions from Zavvi (3rd Birthday, P3P, FFIV Complete, Tactics Ogre) and was very satisfied with their service overall. Shipping is pretty slow, but not unreasonably so for trans-Atlantic shipping.

[uncle5555]

Reggie doesn't seem like the type of guy who wants base hits. It's either strike out or slam it out of the park for him, it seems. Shame.

That's the answer/question Strell and everybody else knows is the pink elephant in the room.

If it won't sell 500k, Nintendo (of America that is, I had to make that point crystal clear, since NOJ & NOE aren't as obtuse and do give fans nice things, see their Club Nintendo stores for simple proof) could give two less shits, period. They don't do niche games that sell less than 100k.

And I'll leave it at that so the nerd rage doesn't over take me.

http://planetmedia.gamespy.com/images/00/25/2589_120px-Nerd_Rage.png :lol:


Ok now second question. Where is a good place to import this? I don't mind paying upwards of $70 because it's one of the best rpg's this gen.

It'll be up on Ebay.uk (usually sold for not inflated prices) within the first weeks of being out. Otherwise, I think Play, maybe HMV (not Amazon.uk sadly) and some others who can export games will sell it to you (that's the big kicker, so it's best to find a UK games dealer off of Ebay that'll sell it to you, I did this with Disaster, and they even kindly emailed me to ask me if I could play it first before taking my money, if I can find who it was again I'll post here and let everyone know who it was)

[pete5883]

If it won't sell 500k, Nintendo (of America that is, I had to make that point crystal clear, since NOJ & NOE aren't as obtuse and do give fans nice things, see their Club Nintendo stores for simple proof) could give two less shits, period. They don't do niche games that sell less than 100k.

Then why are they doing Rhythm Heaven Wii?

[SuperPhillip]

Nintendo... blocked a company feom localizing Mother 3?! FTAHFDKMXRIKAIIWKWOKZ! I'm going to say it here, Nintendo is the worst game company in the business. Yes, worse than both EA and Activision. Nintendo, you are dead to me.

XD Keep comments like this coming, guys. They're hilariously awesome!

I feel the nerd rage overflowing.

[uncle5555]

Then why are they doing Rhythm Heaven Wii?

Best guess (nothing more than that...) is that they're trying to tap the Just Dance crowd, otherwise I have no idea why? One could ask why they are localizing Itagaki/Fortune Street as well, they seem more like pet projects for someone more than logical solid money makers...

Everytime I see Super Phillip pop up in a thread this always pops into my head...

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x3lyMKLP8vg/TdLTYmgibkI/AAAAAAAABZo/PfR1IFtBU9M/s1600/medium_Emperor-Palpatine.jpg

http://cdn.cheapassgamer.com/images/smilies/icon_lol.gif

[Dead of Knight]

Fortune Street is because it has DQ characters and they have direct orders from NCL to localize all DQ games due to a deal they have with SE to build up the franchise in NA.

[cochesecochese]

Should be noted that Itagaki Street makes tons of money. Even though it's a Hori game the budget is absolutely negligible in modern gaming terms.

[Dead of Knight]

Should be noted that Itagaki Street makes tons of money. Even though it's a Hori game the budget is absolutely negligible in modern gaming terms.

Still would cost more money to localize it for NOA than to freely use Xenoblade/Last Story/Pandora's European translations.

[pete5883]

Best guess (nothing more than that...) is that they're trying to tap the Just Dance crowd, otherwise I have no idea why? One could ask why they are localizing Itagaki/Fortune Street as well, they seem more like pet projects for someone more than logical solid money makers...[/IMG]
I think the real answer is just that you're wrong about 500k & 100k.
Still would cost more money to localize it for NOA than to freely use Xenoblade/Last Story/Pandora's European translations.
If NOA wouldn't stupidly require that the voicework be re-recorded by American actors, you'd be right.

[cochesecochese]

Still would cost more money to localize it for NOA than to freely use Xenoblade/Last Story/Pandora's European translations.

No, no, I'm with you not against you on this one. Sorry, I should have been more clear that I was responding to u55555555555. I'm not sure about the cost of localizing, tbh. NOA's policy is to do all localizations from the ground up (retarded, I know) and they'd have to re-do all the voice acting. I don't think I.S. has voice acting in it and there's so little text to translate it should be pretty cheap to do.

Itadaki street costs practically nothing to make and very little to localize anyways. Even if it bombas Nintendo won't lose too much.

[uncle5555]

I think the real answer is just that you're wrong about 500k & 100k.

If NOA wouldn't stupidly require that the voicework be re-recorded by American actors, you'd be right.

Ummm, and you don't think I didn't look at the sales figures of any of Nintendo's releases in the past few years and saw what they labeled as failures and successes....

Gimme a break Pete, I'm not pulling numbers out of my ass here, give me the benefit of the doubt will ya. ;) (I do watch sales figures and what most companies determine as success and failure come down to those two sales figures)

You're just arguing it because you think I pulled these out of thin air, which I am not, but whatever helps you sleep at night buddy. :-#:wall:

Should be noted that Itagaki Street makes tons of money. Even though it's a Hori game the budget is absolutely negligible in modern gaming terms.

Ok since you and Pete feel like putting me in the firing line, fine, let's do it.

Yeah it might sell droves IN JAPAN (edit: two versions of it maybe), but it's never been tested outside of that country.

Here's the sales numbers for Itadaki Street since it's original releases via a link provided on GAF.

http://garaph.info/gamesearch.php?titleenglish=Itadaki&stte=1&titlejapanese=&platform=&stpl=0&publisher=&stpu=0&date1=&date2=&std=&price1=&price2=&sltd1=&sltd2=&gameid=&orderby=&res1=&res2=&opt=1

And here's what VGChartz has to say about it (taken with a grain of salt of course)

http://gamrreview.vgchartz.com/browse.php?name=Itadaki+Street

With the exception of those two games the only other versions on the PS2 released in 2004 and the DS none can be considered extremely successful. The PS2 (2002 version) and the PSP version were the only other titles in the line to break 100k, but were successful enough to warrant sequels.

And as we all SHOULD know handhelds are HUGE in JPN PSP continues to dominate week in and week out with the 3DS in second place for software and hardware sales, so again how this directly relates to the localization of Itadaki Street in the US and how that directly affects Xenoblade perplexes me, other than you two just looking for excuses as to why you think Itadaki Street will be successful in the US, (which I believe it probably won't be) compared to the sales standards that I've already mentioned that Nintendo of America holds it's titles up to. (and to contradict my argument on how many sales Nintendo expects games to make to consider them successful)

I mean if what I've shown so far isn't enough proof, we can keep going round and round with last falls big Wii releases, hell I can even be happy enough to go back as far as GC releases, but I've much better things to do instead of arguing sales numbers with two disciples of S.P./Nintendo about semantics.

Believe what you both want, in the end, I have the numbers to back me up and they all show that in 2004 (the last console version of Itadaki Street sold very well for 2004 era game, but Nintendo and other companies hold the standards to 2011 sales these days) but will it do the same on the Wii?

Will the casuals buy it up, or will the RPG starved FF Otaku's buy it in droves, if the speculation on GAF is correct, FF doesn't have the name recognition it once had, and I don't see the sales coming from name alone Fortune Street (I'd say Rhythm Heaven doesn't either, unless Nintendo markets the hell out of both games, even then, limited appeal) doesn't have quite the buzz you might believe it does, plus it is already limited by the fact it's a board game, FF/DQ or no...

Anyway, I believe I made my point, if you two want to derail the thread do it on your own time, I'm done discussing this with you both.

[62t]

Again Reggie is the one who pushed for Elite Beat Agent and spent over 200 hours on Dragon Quest IX. I still think if he has any kind of power he would be pushing for this game.

You know who else I blame? The press for calling JRPG dead and saying how it is inferior to Western RPG like Oblivion and Mass Effect. I mean if it did get a release people will be like "lol what is this JRPG crap, wait for Skyrim instead."

[Dead of Knight]

Again Reggie is the one who had some hapless intern spend over 200 hours on Dragon Quest IX.

Fixed.

Or:

Again Reggie is the one who left his DS on for over 200 hours on Dragon Quest IX.

[cochesecochese]

And as we all SHOULD know handhelds are HUGE in JPN PSP continues to dominate week in and week out with the 3DS in second place for software and hardware sales, so again how this directly relates to the localization of Itadaki Street in the US and how that directly affects Xenoblade perplexes me, other than you two just looking for excuses as to why you think Itadaki Street will be successful in the US, (which I believe it probably won't be) compared to the sales standards that I've already mentioned that Nintendo of America holds it's titles up to. (and to contradict my argument on how many sales Nintendo expects games to make to consider them successful)

It's going to bomba compared to Japan for sure. Itadaki street's getting localized because it's already recouped, it's quick/cheap/easy to localize and it's a chance to put a Wii game on the shelves with a nice big Mario face on the cover. There is also ZERO chance of I.S. cannibalizing Zelda's sales. NOA just needs to pad out the release schedule until WiiU hits and this will fit nicely for all of those reasons.

[Cao Cao]

New European trailer (GAF says there might be some spoilers):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2Lc1o_7MYY&hd=1

[Cao Cao]

Just bumping this since it should be out in Europe either today or tomorrow (or even yesterday).

[pete5883]

My copy is on its way!

Reviews, stolen from GAF:

Edge - 9/10 (http://www.next-gen.biz/reviews/xenoblade-chronicles-review)
GamesTM: 9/10 (http://www.gamestm.co.uk/reviews/xenoblade-chronicles-review/)
IGN: 9/10 (http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/118/1187845p1.html)
Metro GameCentral: 9/10 (http://www.metro.co.uk/tech/games/872234-xenoblade-chronicles-review-european-rolel)
Cubed3: 10/10 (http://www.cubed3.com/review/1024)
Eurogamer: 9/10 (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-08-15-xenoblade-chronicles-review)

:drool: :drool: :drool:

[cgarb84]

I saw today it debuted at #7 on the European weekly sales charts. Not too bad.... maybe enough to make Nintendo pay attention and bring it stateside......???

[moothemagiccow]

Again Reggie is the one who pushed for Elite Beat Agent and spent over 200 hours on Dragon Quest IX. I still think if he has any kind of power he would be pushing for this game.

You know who else I blame? The press for calling JRPG dead and saying how it is inferior to Western RPG like Oblivion and Mass Effect. I mean if it did get a release people will be like "lol what is this JRPG crap, wait for Skyrim instead."

It's like saying football is better than baseball.

[Dead of Knight]

Patiently waiting for this to come in my mailbox.....

[pete5883]

I saw today it debuted at #7 on the European weekly sales charts. Not too bad.... maybe enough to make Nintendo pay attention and bring it stateside......???
Somebody posted numbers from a past week and apparently #7 was like 8000 copies. Not excited yet. Also waiting for my copy. Apparently some NA people have gotten copies already.

[johnmirra]

My copy shipped on the 16th, im hoping to see it very soon

[Dead of Knight]

Mine shipped the 15th and I'm right on the coast. fml. Not like my Wii is anywhere close to being ready for it, but....

[Vinny]

This game fucking rocks. That's all I have to say after half an hour of playing... I wish this came out a week ago when I didn't have classes.


EDIT* Oh, and just for the record, I haven't received my official copy yet (shipped on Friday the 19th) but lets just say that the unofficial copy was much faster to obtain.

[Hovercraft]

Are there any wii freeloaders that work these days? Or would I have to mod my wii to play UK version?

[MorPhiend]

Are there any wii freeloaders that work these days? Or would I have to mod my wii to play UK version?

Why spend money to play a game you bought? Just mod it. It takes a few minutes...

[ChibiJosh]

So with modding, are you able to back up saves and transfer them to a new wii? My wii's drive sounds like a lawnmower and when playing dual layer discs, the load times are ridiculous (going from the stage select to the actual match in SSBB can literally take a minute or two).

I don't really want to send it in for repair because I'm afraid that I'll lose my saves, but if there were a way to transfer my saves, I wouldn't really mind just buying a new Wii.

[Vinny]

To those of you with a semi-decent PC, I would suggest you guys give the Dolphin Emulator a try.

This is a shot from my PC... I built it 6 years ago and only upgraded the CPU recently and the GPU 3 years ago. It runs perfectly at full 720p resolution, 4x SSAA and 4x AF. The only issues I have are with audio echoing/choppy-ness but the visuals more than make up for it.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a187/fyreboltx/xenoblade720p.jpg

[defiance_17]

Has anyone order who ordered from GAME received their copy? Mine shipped on the 18th--I hope it shows up before the weekend.

[pete5883]

Mine shipped the 16th, nothing yet.

[Hovercraft]

To those of you with a semi-decent PC, I would suggest you guys give the Dolphin Emulator a try.

This is a shot from my PC... I built it 6 years ago and only upgraded the CPU recently and the GPU 3 years ago. It runs perfectly at full 720p resolution, 4x SSAA and 4x AF. The only issues I have are with audio echoing/choppy-ness but the visuals more than make up for it.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a187/fyreboltx/xenoblade720p.jpg

I can run Oblivion on pretty good settings. Do you think Dolphin would work? Also, do you need Motion controls? I don't have bluetooth on my laptop unfortunately


or

How do I mod my wii? will I lose my save files?

[Vinny]

I can run Oblivion on pretty good settings. Do you think Dolphin would work? Also, do you need Motion controls? I don't have bluetooth on my laptop unfortunately


or

How do I mod my wii? will I lose my save files?

As long as you meet the minimum specs on their site, you'll be able to run it fine and probably be able to enable some visual enchantments. It's not perfect though, most common being the audio (though it's not a huge deal since the better graphics make up for it). You can set it the Dolphin Emulator to control just like a normal Wii but with this game, all you have to do is connect the Remote and then use the Classic Controller. You will need a bluetooth adapter though. I got a USB one for $10 from Newegg.

[Dead of Knight]

Been two weeks since this shipped and nothing yet. fml

[ZombieToast]

How do I mod my wii? will I lose my save files?

I'm probably not allowed to post a link on here, but you should be able to find the info on Google within seconds. The process is super super easy and takes about 20 minutes. And no, as long as you follow the instructions properly, your save files won't be at risk.

[uncle5555]

Been two weeks since this shipped and nothing yet. fml

You're not the only one, still waiting on mine too...hopefully soon.

[johnmirra]

Who did you guys order from I ordered from gameplay.co.uk and had it in 9 days

[Sir_Fragalot]

Got my copy today. Shipped the 22nd from 360games.co.uk

Game is interesting to say the least. It's heavily quest based which isn't a bad thing. But at the same time, they do a lot of things right.

It simplifies the battle system too in a good way. The battle system is like FF XII in a way but after every battle it only takes a few seconds and by few I mean like 5-10 seconds to fully heal up. You can complete quests anywhere whenever the quest objectives is met.

It feels like the developers took a look at what's fun and what's annoying in RPG's and attempted to get rid of a lot of the annoying parts and they did a great job.

[Dead of Knight]

Got my copy today as well. Shipped the fucking 15th from Zavvi. :lol: Still gotta set up my Wii for it, but then I should be good to go. Can't wait. :D

[Draekon]

I went the buy + emu route and am liking it. 720 internal native resolution with max settings (full AA/AS) is very nice. Have the rare sound issue (Twice so far with approximately 40 hours clocked) and crashed once. Plays beautifully on my TV while using my Wiimote since I have built-in bluetooth on my motherboard.


You can complete quests anywhere whenever the quest objectives is met.

This is not entirely true. With quests from NPCs with real names, you have to return to them. With generic named NPCs, they complete when you fulfill the objective(s).

[Sir_Fragalot]

This is not entirely true. With quests from NPCs with real names, you have to return to them. With generic named NPCs, they complete when you fulfill the objective(s).

Ah ok, still it's a hell of a lot better than most games where you have to return every quest to the quest givers. I also like how guys give you multiple quests at once, instead of having to return a quest and get a new one.

[uncle5555]

Got my copy today as well. Shipped the fucking 15th from Zavvi. :lol: Still gotta set up my Wii for it, but then I should be good to go. Can't wait. :D

Mine too ;), although the case on mine was crushed (yet not cracked) and partially open at the bottom. But why the heck was it shipped from Belgium??? I thought Zavvi was located in the UK?

Anyway I'm happy, but for The Last Story and whatever else they release I'm thinking of using a different retailer next time.

[Dead of Knight]

Mine too ;), although the case on mine was crushed (yet not cracked) and partially open at the bottom. But why the heck was it shipped from Belgium??? I thought Zavvi was located in the UK?

Anyway I'm happy, but for The Last Story and whatever else they release I'm thinking of using a different retailer next time.

Yeah mine was from Belgium as well, but it looks to be in pristine condition.

I would consider using them again if they offer a good price like they did for Xenoblade.

[Sir_Fragalot]

Anyone know if there is a guide for this game coming out. All these quests and quest times tend to get confusing for me, even though the game is awesome.

I would find it a lot easier if there was a guide.

[pete5883]

Goddamn. I paid for shipping from Game.co.uk, and still have nothing. I ordered Inazuma Eleven a week later from ASDA and that's already arrived. Fucking customs.

[uncle5555]

Anyone know if there is a guide for this game coming out. All these quests and quest times tend to get confusing for me, even though the game is awesome.

I would find it a lot easier if there was a guide.

Thought I had seen something in the deals forum mentioning it (an import guide) but it was for DX:HR and Dark Souls...sorry. You might want to check Gamefaqs from time to time for help.

Anyway...(I posted this on the deals thread too)

A special note: For anyone with the game, if you register with Club Nintendo Europe and enter the code for the game, you can get a 12 track sampler under the Treasures section (don't ask me about it, because I'm just passing along the info and know nothing else) of your account. It's a 118MB file (you might have to use a file manager to d/l it since it's notorious for not completing) in MP3 format. ;)

[Vinny]

Anyone know if there is a guide for this game coming out. All these quests and quest times tend to get confusing for me, even though the game is awesome.

I would find it a lot easier if there was a guide.

There's no guide for this game, nor is there any FAQ (last I checked). I'm almost 40 hours in and haven't really had the need for one though.

One basic tip I'll give everyone in regards to quests is: accept every quest and then just keep paying the game. Nearly all NPC quests involving finding X number of items (whether on the field or enemy drops) or killing X number of enemies, which you'll usually end up doing anyway as you play the area. So as soon as you see the quest update after getting an item or killing an enemy, you'll know what to do. Rarely did I go out of my way to finish a quest.

Also, don't forget to make use of the quick travel through full area maps in the menu (by pressing "X"). You can travel to any land mark instantly, any time you want- except during some key story moments and if you're in the middle of a battle. You can also access quick area maps by pressing the "-" (minus) button.

[Sir_Fragalot]

There's no guide for this game, nor is there any FAQ (last I checked). I'm almost 40 hours in and haven't really had the need for one though.

One basic tip I'll give everyone in regards to quests is: accept every quest and then just keep paying the game. Nearly all NPC quests involving finding X number of items (whether on the field or enemy drops) or killing X number of enemies, which you'll usually end up doing anyway as you play the area. So as soon as you see the quest update after getting an item or killing an enemy, you'll know what to do. Rarely did I go out of my way to finish a quest.

Yeah it was just the quest givers at certain times had me confused because I keep having to figure out what time to find the person. I am the type of guy who gets a giant list of quest and then one by one completes them to have a massive quest trade in so I sometimes forget what time x person was here. Still an awesome game though.

[Vinny]

Yeah it was just the quest givers at certain times had me confused because I keep having to figure out what time to find the person. I am the type of guy who gets a giant list of quest and then one by one completes them to have a massive quest trade in so I sometimes forget what time x person was here. Still an awesome game though.

I agree, that's definitely the most annoying part about quests. Even with the affinity chart listing what times they show up in the towns, it's still a pain to run around and find them.

[Dead of Knight]

This game is over 9000 levels of awesome. Everyone who was on the fence needs to pick this up, it's exceeded my (relatively high for me) expectations so far.

Whoever made the decision to not bring this game out here needs to be committed to mental institution. I'm pretty sure word of mouth of just how great the game is would charge sales (like Demon's Souls).

[Vinny]

I'm 45 hours in and at the second to last dungeon. I'm not sure this game will last the supposed 70 hours for the main quest...

This game is over 9000 levels of awesome. Everyone who was on the fence needs to pick this up, it's exceeded my (relatively high for me) expectations so far.

Whoever made the decision to not bring this game out here needs to be committed to mental institution. I'm pretty sure word of mouth of just how great the game is would charge sales (like Demon's Souls).

I've said this in the Xenoblade import thread but it seems like this is sold out at nearly every retailer that sends overseas. I doubt NoA will release this here... with the holiday season almost here, it would be pretty difficult to market this game but you'd think they would be eager to bring it over considering the pathetic holiday line-up (actually, pretty much all of 2011 is pathetic for the Wii). Oh well, seeing as how easy it is to play imports now, I have no problem with giving NoE my money instead.

[Sir_Fragalot]

Question I been trying to figure out. Do some items you collect only appear at certain times of the day, or it is just all random to the area?

I just need two more of an item in the one area and I am just curious how it works.

[Dead of Knight]

Yeah, it seems to be based on time of day. Also it seems like items are more likely to appear in certain places than others.

[Draekon]

Rarer field items are more likely to appear near the higher level monsters in the area. And yes, some only appear at night/during rain/etc.

[Kylearan]

I've said this in the Xenoblade import thread but it seems like this is sold out at nearly every retailer that sends overseas. I doubt NoA will release this here...

Agreed. And seems like a no-brainer to release it here, with localization finished, but Nintendo trademarked The Last Story instead? Strange, strange, strange.

Bunch of CAGs imported this baby, so I'm sure those will end up on the trading channels here soon enough. I know I'll put mine up on CAG before elsewhere - just finishing a couple other games before diving in. (Thankfully, it's really easy to play if you can follow instructions.)

[pete5883]

My CC bundle from GAME arrived sometime over the weekend. Now, to find 150 hours in my schedule...

[johnnypark]

This game is over 9000 levels of awesome. Everyone who was on the fence needs to pick this up, it's exceeded my (relatively high for me) expectations so far.

Whoever made the decision to not bring this game out here needs to be committed to mental institution. I'm pretty sure word of mouth of just how great the game is would charge sales (like Demon's Souls).

Couldn't agree more. The save-anywhere makes me feel like I can sit down and just play for 30 minutes, and 3 hours later I don't know what happened. By the time they realize who fucking stupid it was, most people who want to play it will have imported it or played it by illegitimate means and they'll have lost their sales.

It's as if Nintendo wants people to import/pirate/etc instead of selling millions of copies. An RPG like this would be a system-seller if they did it right.

[Vinny]

So, here I was thinking I'm near the end and then the game takes off again! I'm entering 50 hours now and not sure how much longer I have.

By the time they realize who fucking stupid it was, most people who want to play it will have imported it or played it by illegitimate means and they'll have lost their sales.

Unfortunately, that would basically boost NoA's ego- they'll see slumping sales and probably think "We were right! Wii owners don't want quality games! More re-makes, more lazily made games with Mario music and themes plastered all over them and more shovel-ware!"

[defiance_17]

Finally got my copy today. I could only play for an hour, but hopefully I'll be able to sink some time in this weekend. Liking what I've seen thus far, though.

[Vinny]

So, for the first time in this game, I'm stuck at a boss. I'm not sure what to do since there's no guides on said boss (even though people have already beaten it and have guides for the final boss already).

I guess I better start grinding...

[Vinny]

Just beat the game, took ~65 hours.

Great game, definitely one of the best RPGs this gen. NoA can go fuck themselves.

[Droenixjpn]

Eh, Nintendo of America is just looking at how profitable it could be in NA. Which is understandable, because they know that the majority of video game players probably wouldn't buy a JRPG (console rpg). I do wish that they would release it over here and take chances more often, but it just doesn't work for them I guess.

[Dead of Knight]

Logged in a bit under 50 hours already and according to NeoGAF I'm not even halfway through the story. fml. This game is incredible though.

[blueweltall]

Can the Dolphin emulator read actual Wii retail disc game? I want to import and play Xenoblade in HD.

[Vinny]

Eh, Nintendo of America is just looking at how profitable it could be in NA. Which is understandable, because they know that the majority of video game players probably wouldn't buy a JRPG (console rpg). I do wish that they would release it over here and take chances more often, but it just doesn't work for them I guess.

I understand the risk but let's look at it this way... Nintendo wants to win back the gamer with real games (Xenoblade is not for your mom), they've made tons of money this gen (so they can afford a risk or two) and they have nothing for the Wii outside of Skyward Sword (from a series which pretty much stopped progressing after Wind Waker) this holiday season. This game is already localized, they'd just need to press some copies and release it here.

Logged in a bit under 50 hours already and according to NeoGAF I'm not even halfway through the story. fml. This game is incredible though.

Sweet zombie Jesus!:lol: I was too drawn in by the story that I didn't bother too much with sidequests... that and I wanted to finish before classes picked up.

Can the Dolphin emulator read actual Wii retail disc game? I want to import and play Xenoblade in HD.

Wii discs are not DVDs, so they are not readable by 99% of DVD-ROM/R/RW drives, besides a handful of drives which can (though I'm not sure why). I'm not sure how much detail I can go into without getting in trouble but the Dolphin Emulator can only read "dumped" Wii games (basically meaning Wii discs ripped using one of the few compatible drives). This process takes at least 3 hours... instead of ripping my own disc, I just "obtained" mine via a different method (*nudge*nudge*wink*wink).

And if you have a powerful PC, then it's worth trying but the Dolphin Emulator is not perfect (lots of audio issues, the software does tend to freeze every now and then, etc.). I posted this somewhere else but if I had a newer PC, I could probably do better:
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a187/fyreboltx/xenoblade720p.jpg

Makes you think how much better the Wii could have been in HD.

[blueweltall]

I understand the risk but let's look at it this way... Nintendo wants to win back the gamer with real games (Xenoblade is not for your mom), they've made tons of money this gen (so they can afford a risk or two) and they have nothing for the Wii outside of Skyward Sword (from a series which pretty much stopped progressing after Wind Waker) this holiday season. This game is already localized, they'd just need to press some copies and release it here.



Sweet zombie Jesus!:lol: I was too drawn in by the story that I didn't bother too much with sidequests... that and I wanted to finish before classes picked up.



Wii discs are not DVDs, so they are not readable by 99% of DVD-ROM/R/RW drives, besides a handful of drives which can (though I'm not sure why). I'm not sure how much detail I can go into without getting in trouble but the Dolphin Emulator can only read "dumped" Wii games (basically meaning Wii discs ripped using one of the few compatible drives). This process takes at least 3 hours... instead of ripping my own disc, I just "obtained" mine via a different method (*nudge*nudge*wink*wink).

And if you have a powerful PC, then it's worth trying but the Dolphin Emulator is not perfect (lots of audio issues, the software does tend to freeze every now and then, etc.). I posted this somewhere else but if I had a newer PC, I could probably do better:
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a187/fyreboltx/xenoblade720p.jpg

Makes you think how much better the Wii could have been in HD.

Okay I understand. I'm going to import a copy anyway since I really like all the work the creator has done on the Xeno series.

[Draekon]

And if you have a powerful PC, then it's worth trying but the Dolphin Emulator is not perfect (lots of audio issues, the software does tend to freeze every now and then, etc.). I posted this somewhere else but if I had a newer PC, I could probably do better:
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a187/fyreboltx/xenoblade720p.jpg

You mean like this (http://images.draekon.com/xenoblade.png)?

[pete5883]

Eh, Nintendo of America is just looking at how profitable it could be in NA. Which is understandable, because they know that the majority of video game players probably wouldn't buy a JRPG (console rpg). I do wish that they would release it over here and take chances more often, but it just doesn't work for them I guess.
It's sad that releasing a fantastic game is considered a "taking a chance." Oh, Wii.

[Vinny]

You mean like this (http://images.draekon.com/xenoblade.png)?

What are your PC's specs? I was able to run it fairly consistently at 23-25fps (except a few areas where it dropped to an average of 20). The final boss was really bad though, my fps dropped to 10-14. And worse was the ending that went blank for some scenes though I could still hear it but I just watched it on YouTube so it wasn't too big of a deal.

[Draekon]

What are your PC's specs? I was able to run it fairly consistently at 23-25fps (except a few areas where it dropped to an average of 20). The final boss was really bad though, my fps dropped to 10-14. And worse was the ending that went blank for some scenes though I could still hear it but I just watched it on YouTube so it wasn't too big of a deal.

Intel i7 2600K
ATI HD 6870 (1x out to Monitor / 1x out to TV)
16GB DDR3 1600 MHz RAM (a lot for virtualization needs, but not running virtual shit while gaming)
2x 128GB SSD in RAID 0 using SATA 3 (6.0Gb/s) slots benchmarked at roughly 1GB/s (For Windows/Games)
Built-in bluetooth on motherboard

I haven't played it much lately since work has been hectic, but I only had 1 freeze and 2 small instances of audio screwing up in roughly 40-50 hours.

[Vinny]

Okay I understand. I'm going to import a copy anyway since I really like all the work the creator has done on the Xeno series.

Yeah, I can tell... your ID is a dead giveaway.:D

Intel i7 2600K
ATI HD 6870 (1x out to Monitor / 1x out to TV)
16GB DDR3 1600 MHz RAM (a lot for virtualization needs, but not running virtual shit while gaming)
2x 128GB SSD in RAID 0 using SATA 3 (6.0Gb/s) slots benchmarked at roughly 1GB/s (For Windows/Games)
Built-in bluetooth on motherboard

I haven't played it much lately since work has been hectic, but I only had 1 freeze and 2 small instances of audio screwing up in roughly 40-50 hours.

Yeah, that's definitely a bad ass set up.:drool: My system is basically a cheaply upgraded from when I built it 5 years ago. The newest parts are a Phenom II X3 720 (OC'd to 3.33 from 2.8, but still running on a crappy AM2 mobo) which I added roughly a month ago and a HD 3850, which is nearing 3 years old.:-P I'm still amazed though that this game runs well at all on this emulator, since other Wii games simply don't for me. GC games run great though, even at very high settings.

It seemed to get gradually worse the further I got into the game. The first few areas were fine for me... I was kinda wondering if a better graphics card would help but it seems like the Dolphin Emulator is more processor based going by the increases in temps.

[Dead of Knight]

Sweet zombie Jesus!:lol: I was too drawn in by the story that I didn't bother too much with sidequests... that and I wanted to finish before classes picked up.


Yeah, I've probably done close to 200 of them so far. I just can't help myself. This is probably going to end up being one of my favorite games of all time.

If Sony or MS had a second-party game of this caliber, they would be promoting it till kingdom come and definitely releasing it in all territories. What Nintendo has done to this game is just plain shameful and it makes me feel really bad for Monolith. I hope they can get themselves away from Nintendo ASAP.

[blueweltall]

Yeah, I've probably done close to 200 of them so far. I just can't help myself. This is probably going to end up being one of my favorite games of all time.

If Sony or MS had a second-party game of this caliber, they would be promoting it till kingdom come and definitely releasing it in all territories. What Nintendo has done to this game is just plain shameful and it makes me feel really bad for Monolith. I hope they can get themselves away from Nintendo ASAP.

I like to believe that Nintendo is getting alot of bad karma with the 3DS for not releasing this game to the U.S.

[Dead of Knight]

If they just put a small effort into marketing this game, perhaps like Atlus does with their games, it would sell. The people who like this kind of game just need to be aware of it and the fact that it's fucking awesome, and it would sell easily.

[OtakuFerret]

If they just put a small effort into marketing this game, perhaps like Atlus does with their games, it would sell.

^This :applause:

[Vinny]

If they just put a small effort into marketing this game, perhaps like Atlus does with their games, it would sell. The people who like this kind of game just need to be aware of it and the fact that it's fucking awesome, and it would sell easily.

If they showed the first 20 seconds of the intro and maybe a montage of some of the huge locales as a commercial, that would be all they need to create hype for this game.

NoE released a statement recently addressing the shortages of this game and that they're trying to get more copies to retailers. What that's telling me is that they released the amount needed to at least turn a small profit on this game. So now with all the shortages, and added hype, they're going to at least make more than they expected to on this game.

[skubish]

It's sad that releasing a fantastic game is considered a "taking a chance." Oh, Wii.

It just shows that Nintendo is pretty much dead in the console market. The WiiU will be a failure and then Nintendo will be a third party developer just cranking out rehashes of Mario, Zelda, etc. just like CAPCOM.

They could save some costs if NOA just released Xenoblade for download on WiiShop but I don't the Wii can handle a 5GB download or so.

[vherub]

Even if somehow sales were a terrible 10,000 in the us, they should have at least released the game and chalked it up to marketing.
It's like, why would I buy the wii u if I know that really great games in underserved genres may not make it to the us, and end of life the console is going to be left to die.

At this point, I'd like to write a check to monolith, and just play the iso on my pc.

edit: you are right about supporting noe, I ordered a copy from zavvi

[Vinny]

At this point, I'd like to write a check to monolith, and just play the iso on my pc.

Give your money to NoE and buy an import copy (when they come back in stock- word is within a week). NoE took the risk and did the work, they deserve the sales. Plus, Nintendo owns a majority share in Monolith Soft so if they see good sales for Monolith Soft games, it'll be good for the team.

[Dead of Knight]

NOE did a fine job with this game. There is so much shit to translate and the job they did was admirable. I agree with Vinny, definitely give them your monies.

[uncle5555]

NOE did a fine job with this game. There is so much shit to translate and the job they did was admirable. I agree with Vinny, definitely give them your monies.

Not only that but they gave away a free soundtrack on the NOE Club Nintendo site for the game (when you registered it), do you think NOA woulda done that...NO. :roll:

Funny thing is I was reading Iwata's comments at the Nintendo TGS event yesterday and after they showed the new Wii releases he said that those should be enough Wii games to satisfy any gamer on the Wii...

I was like WTF, is this guy as stupid as Reggie or what???

Here it is...

"He says that people no longer need to worry about software for the Wii with all these titles coming out."

http://www.gamespot.com/events/tgs-2011/story.html?sid=6333814

Almost unbelievable that the CEO's of Nintendo (except NOE) are so short sighted that they believe this shash they are serving up...

If NOE is bringing it, I will be buying it, screw NOA...

And while their at it, I'd like a few of these please. (I know there is hope for the first two...)

Pandora's Tower, Last Story, Earth Seeker (pretty please with sugar on top, this game was woefully ignored by Operation Rainfall in their campaign) Dragon Quest I, II & III, Dragon Quest Monsters Battle Road

[Killbomb]

Anybody have any tips on getting rid of the sound static and popping when playing on Dolphin? It runs beautifully otherwise. No crashes after 6 hours and a near constant 30 fps after the patch. After finally playing it, I really have no idea what NOA is thinking. I can see this easily being in my top 5 this year.

[Dead of Knight]

Iwata is a fucktard confirmed. I do not give a shit about any of the Wii games they promoted at TGS. Maybe I'm mildly interested in a couple of the 3DS games, but none of them are killer apps in the least.

Edit: Thinking about this, he is talking about Japan, which already got all these fucking games. In that context, maybe he isn't that much of a fucktard. Still, he IS Reggie's boss.

[Vinny]

Anybody have any tips on getting rid of the sound static and popping when playing on Dolphin? It runs beautifully otherwise. No crashes after 6 hours and a near constant 30 fps after the patch. After finally playing it, I really have no idea what NOA is thinking. I can see this easily being in my top 5 this year.

There's unfortunately no real solution to this because Xenoblade is apparently an audio intensive game (which I can easily believe) and the Dolphin Emulator can only do so much to emulate the actual thing. The patch didn't really help me at all. The only things that helped were reducing the graphical enhancements and enabling the audio throttle (though most people say those hurt the audio performance) in the DSP. I'm on an fairly odd/old PC build (I'm running an AM3 processor on an AM2 mobo and a fairly old graphics card).

One thing that I noticed was the audio kept getting gradually worse and an easy fix to this is to just save the game, close out the Dolphin Emulator and then start up again. This only takes like 15 seconds (the Wiimote should stay connected) to do and always seemed to help "reset" the audio back to normal. The only bad thing is that whenever you re-load an area, all the monsters will have re-appeared.

[Killbomb]

Gonna try turning down some of the graphical options when I get home and see it that helps. I'm on an i5-2500k @ 3.3 GHz, 8 GB RAM, and a Radeon 6950 so I think my PC isn't the issue.

What happens for me is the music will start glitching after several minutes of play, it will go back to normal after a little while then return to glitching. Some of the cutscenes also have glitchy dialogue.

[Vinny]

Gonna try turning down some of the graphical options when I get home and see it that helps. I'm on an i5-2500k @ 3.3 GHz, 8 GB RAM, and a Radeon 6950 so I think my PC isn't the issue.

What happens for me is the music will start glitching after several minutes of play, it will go back to normal after a little while then return to glitching. Some of the cutscenes also have glitchy dialogue.

:lol: Your hardware definitely isn't he problem, you have more than ample hardware. I'm running a lowly Phenom II X3 720 (had to OC it form 2.8 to 3.33 to get more stable FPS). From what I can tell, the processor is definitely more import for the emulator.

For the graphics options: don't use AA or AF, instead just upgrade the native resolution to whatever you're comfortable with (it'll look just as good as using AA/AF but performs better I think). You could also give Xaudio a try (some people have reported better luck with it) but I didn't personally notice any differences between DSound/Xaudio.

Audio issues during cut-scenes are fairly normal from what I've gathered but I thought the audio throttle helped some.

[Killbomb]

:lol: Your hardware definitely isn't he problem, you have more than ample hardware. I'm running a lowly Phenom II X3 720 (had to OC it form 2.8 to 3.33 to get more stable FPS). From what I can tell, the processor is definitely more import for the emulator.

For the graphics options: don't use AA or AF, instead just upgrade the native resolution to whatever you're comfortable with (it'll look just as good as using AA/AF but performs better I think). You could also give Xaudio a try (some people have reported better luck with it) but I didn't personally notice any differences between DSound/Xaudio.

Audio issues during cut-scenes are fairly normal from what I've gathered but I thought the audio throttle helped some.

Thanks for the suggestions. Turned all the graphical enhancements to minimum, tried audio throttle both on and off as well as Xaudio with no improvement. I'm think the 30fps patch I applied might be the culprit but 25fps was giving me a headache so I guess I'll just deal with the audio issues. I've heard someone with a similar system say overclocking helps but I'm not sure if I want to mess with that for one game.

[cruzfactor]

Odd, I ordered the game from game.co.uk late last night and they sent me an email cancelling it. No reason why given, just cancelled. I guess I better try elsewhere...

[Vinny]

Odd, I ordered the game from game.co.uk late last night and they sent me an email cancelling it. No reason why given, just cancelled. I guess I better try elsewhere...

Game.co.uk seems like a pretty shady retailer. I order the bundle form them when the game was still in stock, they charged my CC already but have not yet shipped my order. It's been over 2 weeks. They won't answer my emails either... I guess I'm stuck with just the regular version.

[Layd Dly]

Ordered this yesterday from Zavvi with a couple other games to make use of the 5 off 50 coupon and it shipped out yesterday. Should be playing this in 2-3 weeks. Maybe i should get my Dolphin running up to snub to get the most out of this game.

[skubish]

This game is kick-ass! I am so glad I hacked my Wii to play this.

It's sad to see NOA bring out all these crap games for the holiday season when they could be releasing Xenoblade.

The British voices are perfect for this game.

[Kylearan]

This game is kick-ass! I am so glad I hacked my Wii to play this.

Totally. I even re-bought the Wii for this game, as I'd sold mine years ago. So glad there's a workaround.

[Dead of Knight]

For folks who are past Prison Island, doesn't Fiora look a lot like Aigis from Persona 3? I CAN'T be the only person on the internet who thought this.

[Vinny]

For folks who are past Prison Island, doesn't Fiora look a lot like Aigis from Persona 3? I CAN'T be the only person on the internet who thought this.

... Not really. I mean, the body is kinda similar but... still, not really.

On an unrelated note, you're getting to the juicy story stuff now. I can't wait until somebody beats it so that we can discuss the ending.

[Dead of Knight]

... Not really. I mean, the body is kinda similar but... still, not really.

On an unrelated note, you're getting to the juicy story stuff now. I can't wait until somebody beats it so that we can discuss the ending.

What, the short, blonde hair, the head armor, the white machine body armor doesn't look like Aigis? Seriously?

Yeah I'm around level 60 right now and just got to the Mechonis Village. Doing quests right now then moving along with the story.

[Vinny]

What, the short, blonde hair, the head armor, the white machine body armor doesn't look like Aigis? Seriously?

Yeah I'm around level 60 right now and just got to the Mechonis Village. Doing quests right now then moving along with the story.

Well, if you mean by the fact that they both have short blond hair, white (well, mostly white for Fiora) armor and something on their heads then I guess they do.... but specifically, no, I don't see it. I can definitely believe that Fiora was inspired by Aigis though.

[blueweltall]

Just order a copy from Zavvi. Hopefully they package it well since I also order the Limited Edition Deus Ex guide.

[Dead of Knight]

Over 90 hours in and still loving it... God help me.

For Vinny: I'm in Central Factory first visit now, level 65. Now, do Reyn and Sharla ever hook up or is the game just stringing us along like any other game in that regard?

[Vinny]

For Vinny: I'm in Central Factory first visit now, level 65. Now, do Reyn and Sharla ever hook up or is the game just stringing us along like any other game in that regard?

I'd rather not say because there's an interesting twist coming up (you've probably seen it by now).

But if you just want a simple answer (without spoiling anything else): No, they don't hook up like Shulk and ?????? (hah! there's another mystery) but based on their end sequence, it's clearly obvious what will happen in the unseen future.

[Dead of Knight]

I'd rather not say because there's an interesting twist coming up (you've probably seen it by now).

But if you just want a simple answer (without spoiling anything else): No, they don't hook up like Shulk and ?????? (hah! there's another mystery) but based on their end sequence, it's clearly obvious what will happen in the unseen future.

Yeah I know (ending spoilers here) Gadolt is now a face mechon, but fuck man, they better not bring him back to human form like I know they do with Fiora. So far that's the only real part of the ending that was spoiled for me.

[Vinny]

Yeah I know (ending spoilers here) Gadolt is now a face mechon, but fuck man, they better not bring him back to human form like I know they do with Fiora. So far that's the only real part of the ending that was spoiled for me.

That really sucks since that's one of the things the developers hid so well. I honestly had no clue as to who Shulk would end up with or what would actually happen to Fiora. They really did a good job on making the story for this game unpredictable.

But there's still tons of revelations left so don't fret too much. You'll soon know what happens with Reyn, Sharla and Gadolt.

[Dead of Knight]

Just completed Agniratha. Vinny, I am confused on the scene I just saw. Did they just leave Gadolt there for no reason? I mean sure he was in shitty shape, but you figured they would at least get him medical attention then and there. I am thinking I might have missing something. My husband was talking with me during it so it didn't have 100% of my attention.

Edit: Ah, it looks like a lame plot device so he can save the party when they leave? Let me know if I'm wrong...

[Vinny]

Just completed Agniratha. Vinny, I am confused on the scene I just saw. Did they just leave Gadolt there for no reason? I mean sure he was in shitty shape, but you figured they would at least get him medical attention then and there. I am thinking I might have missing something. My husband was talking with me during it so it didn't have 100% of my attention.

Edit: Ah, it looks like a lame plot device so he can save the party when they leave? Let me know if I'm wrong...

Officially, they left him there because they're short on time. Sharla wanted to take him back to Linada for medical care but Gadolt reminded her that they need to stop Egil before he activates the Mechonis. But really, yes, it's a plot device.

I'm kinda wondering as to why you asked about it being a plot device though? Did you already finish that part after you posted or did you look/read ahead out of curiosity?

[Dead of Knight]

Officially, they left him there because they're short on time. Sharla wanted to take him back to Linada for medical care but Gadolt reminded her that they need to stop Egil before he activates the Mechonis. But really, yes, it's a plot device.

I'm kinda wondering as to why you asked about it being a plot device though? Did you already finish that part after you posted or did you look/read ahead out of curiosity?

I edited my post because I had gotten past that point. Another goddamn question because I get distracted by life while playing. Again, this is endgame shit so don't click if you aren't there yet.

While Shulk is "recovering" at Junks in Colony 6, Melia and Fiora chat and Melia promises not to tell Fiora's secret. Of course I got distracted right where she says what the secret is. I'm sure it's how she's pretty much dying because Meyneth is now gone, but just want to make sure.

[Strell]

I originally passed on the game altogether because I held out on some fetid, flaccid hope that NoA would ...I'm too tired to think up an analogy here due to sickness.

When this failed, I looked online, but it was sold out. Then I decided I wanted the CC combo. I've patiently waited and just found it to be in stock at Game.co.uk, so I've placed an order.

I've fallen out of the JRPG circles I used to inhabit, but the clamor has ensnared me. So now I wait for it to arrive. Should it reach American shores in an official capacity later on, and provided the game proves enjoyable, I'll just support it again.

[Vinny]

I edited my post because I had gotten past that point. Another goddamn question because I get distracted by life while playing. Again, this is endgame shit so don't click if you aren't there yet.

While Shulk is "recovering" at Junks in Colony 6, Melia and Fiora chat and Melia promises not to tell Fiora's secret. Of course I got distracted right where she says what the secret is. I'm sure it's how she's pretty much dying because Meyneth is now gone, but just want to make sure.

Yeah, pretty much. It's not so much as Meyneth leaving (and dying) as it is the 2nd Monado (which was hidden in place of Fiora's power core so that's why nobody knew of it, even when they learned of Meyneth's spirit inside of Fiora. She's now running on reserve power and will only live as long as the power lasts.


BTW, you do realize you can pause any cut-scene, right? I think it was the "+" button...

[Dead of Knight]

Yeah, pretty much. It's not so much as Meyneth leaving (and dying) as it is the 2nd Monado (which was hidden in place of Fiora's power core so that's why nobody knew of it, even when they learned of Meyneth's spirit inside of Fiora. She's now running on reserve power and will only live as long as the power lasts.


BTW, you do realize you can pause any cut-scene, right? I think it was the "+" button...

You could also technically pause it with the Home button as well. Thanks for your help though, much appreciated. Got to Lorithia last night and the fucking boss is such a mess. Gonna do some quests/level before I try again. Tried about 10 times last night, came really close once, before the boss toppled and confused me and then threw me into the acid leaving me completely helpless. Son of a bitch.

[Vinny]

You could also technically pause it with the Home button as well. Thanks for your help though, much appreciated. Got to Lorithia last night and the fucking boss is such a mess. Gonna do some quests/level before I try again. Tried about 10 times last night, came really close once, before the boss toppled and confused me and then threw me into the acid leaving me completely helpless. Son of a bitch.

That's the boss I got stuck at and couldn't figure out but it's actually very simple once I read some threads over at Gamespot/GameFAQs: You have to use Melia. When Lorithia summons those ether spirits, her defense skyrockets and the ethers' only weakness is ether attacks. Melia's the only one with ether attacks and their area wide damage wipes them out in 10-15 seconds. Use her and Lorithia's cake.

You'll need a tank (Dunban works best since he's the best balance between defense/attack) and Sharla (when do you not need Sharla?). Take control of Melia, build up your ether stock and then unleash them on the ether spirits- don't worry about what element you use, it doesn't matter. The ethers are weak against all ether attacks. Try to use the area wide ones (I think anything outside of water and thunder).

They tell you about the ethers' weakness earlier in the game but it never really comes up as necessary until that fight...

[Strell]

My order got canceled. I'm trying to figure out why. I got a cancellation e-mail yesterday, and chalked it up to simple "they took more orders than they could fill." Which is annoying, but I can live with that.

But then my bank called and asked me about charges they thought were suspicious, which...ok, fair point to them, but it's not like I haven't ordered stuff from import stores in the past from other countries. So it seems like they denied the charge twice, and Game.co.uk canceled it. I told my bank these charges were valid/approved, so now I can try to reorder it...

...but it's not in stock any longer. I went ahead and created an account so I could get in-stock alerts. One went off last night at about 1 AM, but I was asleep, and it's not in stock again.

So here's hoping it comes back into stock and my bank lets it go through. Bleh.

[uncle5555]

My order got canceled. I'm trying to figure out why. I got a cancellation e-mail yesterday, and chalked it up to simple "they took more orders than they could fill." Which is annoying, but I can live with that.

But then my bank called and asked me about charges they thought were suspicious, which...ok, fair point to them, but it's not like I haven't ordered stuff from import stores in the past from other countries. So it seems like they denied the charge twice, and Game.co.uk canceled it. I told my bank these charges were valid/approved, so now I can try to reorder it...

...but it's not in stock any longer. I went ahead and created an account so I could get in-stock alerts. One went off last night at about 1 AM, but I was asleep, and it's not in stock again.

So here's hoping it comes back into stock and my bank lets it go through. Bleh.

Yeah the LE edition bundle was hard to get even in the pre-order stage since they didn't make enough. I'm not sure what the game only availability is, but there's always Ebay (UK) as an option, might have to pay a small premium, but you'll get your item anyway.

[ZombieToast]

The LE just comes with a controller, right? So I'm not missing out on anything cool by not getting it? I saw a video of someone with their LE and it had a big fat book inside, but it just looked like an oversized manual (maybe with alternate languages?)...what's that about?

[Vinny]

The LE just comes with a controller, right? So I'm not missing out on anything cool by not getting it? I saw a video of someone with their LE and it had a big fat book inside, but it just looked like an oversized manual (maybe with alternate languages?)...what's that about?

Correct, the LE only includes a controller. The manual is indeed fat because the European version has 5 different languages on one disc and likewise, the manual was printed in 5 different languages as well. It's a common practice for smaller print games in Europe.

[Dead of Knight]

That's the boss I got stuck at and couldn't figure out but it's actually very simple once I read some threads over at Gamespot/GameFAQs: You have to use Melia. When Lorithia summons those ether spirits, her defense skyrockets and the ethers' only weakness is ether attacks. Melia's the only one with ether attacks and their area wide damage wipes them out in 10-15 seconds. Use her and Lorithia's cake.

You'll need a tank (Dunban works best since he's the best balance between defense/attack) and Sharla (when do you not need Sharla?). Take control of Melia, build up your ether stock and then unleash them on the ether spirits- don't worry about what element you use, it doesn't matter. The ethers are weak against all ether attacks. Try to use the area wide ones (I think anything outside of water and thunder).

They tell you about the ethers' weakness earlier in the game but it never really comes up as necessary until that fight...

I did use Melia. I still get killed badly. Hell, I actually seem to fare worse controlling her instead of Shulk.

[Vinny]

I did use Melia. I still get killed badly. Hell, I actually seem to fare worse controlling her instead of Shulk.

I don't know what to say then... I spent 10-15 minutes trying not to die with my normal team but with Melia, I kicked her ass in under 4 minutes.

[Strell]

OH SNAP, DOK SUCKS AT RPGs CONFIRMED.

World is shattering around me.

[Dead of Knight]

I never claimed to be good at JRPGs, I just like them. Your fault.

OH SNAP! Just beat the boss finally!

I used a formation I never tried before: Melia (controlling), Sharla, Riki. I'd used Melia and Sharla obviously before on my tries but adding Riki to the mix was something different. It worked out well as he does decent damage, has healing, has an ether defense boost with his skill chart, and lots of HP. Shulk doesn't aggro well, Reyn and Dunban don't have healing or ether defense boosts. It took me 3 tries, but gaining a level and adding Riki in there made all the difference. FUCK YEAH! You know, now that I think of it, Riki's ether skills would have been useful and probably would have made the fight even easier, but I didn't have them equipped. Oh well.

[Vinny]

I used Riki in like two fights before I got rid of him. I had no idea WTF was going on... I didn't even know he had ether attacks.

Oh, and his battle phrases were so annoying and bad. I mean, "it's Reyn Time" is pretty bearable by comparison.

[ZombieToast]

Correct, the LE only includes a controller. The manual is indeed fat because the European version has 5 different languages on one disc and likewise, the manual was printed in 5 different languages as well. It's a common practice for smaller print games in Europe.
That's what I figured with the book. Thanks for verifying all that. It's good to know that I don't have to scramble to try to find an LE for a good price, but it's still driving me crazy that I don't have this game yet. Heh.

[pete5883]

My order got canceled. I'm trying to figure out why. I got a cancellation e-mail yesterday, and chalked it up to simple "they took more orders than they could fill." Which is annoying, but I can live with that.

Game.co.uk seem to have done a lot of unexplained cancellations recently, so you're not alone.

[jer7583]

Thanks to the CAG who made these available. Just ordered one with the remote for around $87. Guess that's a good price based on how limited it was and how high the prices are elsewhere.

[Dead of Knight]

Thanks to the CAG who made these available. Just ordered one with the remote for around $87. Guess that's a good price based on how limited it was and how high the prices are elsewhere.

It's not a remote. It's a CC Pro.

And a lot of people apparently prefer the Wiimote + nunchuck anyway. I didn't get the bundle, was kinda pissed that the game didn't have Gamecube controller support at first, but they actually did a nice job of making the Wiimote + nunchuck work with this game.

Doing some final dungeon stuff right now, will probably do some more quests later. I don't know how many of them I'll do before I finish the game though. Honestly, I don't really feel a need to rush through just because I got Persona 2 and Solatorobo on the backburner. It's not like there's anything else coming out this year that I plan on buying, may as well keep playing Xenoblade until I get sick of it. Over 120 hours now. It's almost a bad thing that they fixed the clock (the Japanese version's clock had a limit of 99:59); now I know how exactly much of my life I've wasted on this game. :lol:

[Vinny]

I couldn't play the game using the Remote/Nunchuck set up.. felt awful. The Classic Controller (with the Nyko grips, the Pro version sucks) was perfect though.

[Dead of Knight]

It sucked at first, but I quickly got used to it and it's now second nature. I think they did the best they could with it.

[Dead of Knight]

Pretty fucking awesome: killing a unique 5 levels above me as well as two underlings who were also a few levels above me. Melia makes it a lot easier to do that.

One dumb part of the game: Certain uniques seem to aggro you no matter what level you are. I'm 80 and some dude who's level 30 decides to attack me.

[Vinny]

Pretty fucking awesome: killing a unique 5 levels above me as well as two underlings who were also a few levels above me. Melia makes it a lot easier to do that.

One dumb part of the game: Certain uniques seem to aggro you no matter what level you are. I'm 80 and some dude who's level 30 decides to attack me.

There are many monsters who will aggro you regardless, depending on their hostility.

I didn't kill any of the really powerful uniques. I really wanted to kill that level 85 giant (something Gonzales was his name I think) just outside of the area you use to shortcut through to the Colony 6 mines.

[Dead of Knight]

Man there are so goddamn many endgame quests to do. And a lot of them have enemies in the 90s involved, so I can't even touch them yet. Kind of sucks. :/ I might level up a couple more times, then go and beat the game, and come back and do more questing after that.

[Vinny]

Man there are so goddamn many endgame quests to do. And a lot of them have enemies in the 90s involved, so I can't even touch them yet. Kind of sucks. :/ I might level up a couple more times, then go and beat the game, and come back and do more questing after that.

Well, if you wanna finish the game 100%, you'll have to do it in one play through. Quests aren't carried over in the New Game+ mode. I wonder how much grinding is required to get to level 99 in one play through...

This game really needed a guide but considering how huge it is, they would probably have to make it 1000 pages. I just ordered the artbook for this game, hopefully it comes soon.

[Dead of Knight]

Oh I am well aware of how nothing carries over. And I don't think a lot of grinding is required considering many, many quests involve enemies in the 90s.... But yeah, I think I'm just going to beat the game and then reload my save and do anything else I want then. I'm level 81-82 and I'm wondering if that'll be enough...

[Vinny]

I beat the game at level 65, I don't think you'll have much trouble.;)

[Dead of Knight]

I beat the game at level 65, I don't think you'll have much trouble.;)

That can't be real. The final boss is level 83 dude.

At the final boss right now. My guys gained 1-2 levels getting there, now everyone's 82-84. But seriously, the last part of the final dungeon...

http://newsimg.ngfiles.com/228000/228909_Is_this_real_life.jpg
So fucking amazing.

EDIT: Just beat it. 131 hours on my last save. :lol:

[Vinny]

I don't know what to say. He wasn't that hard if you know when to use Monado Shield vs Monado Armor but I didn't think his level was shown..? I could have sworn his level was just listed as "?". Now, Dickson was a PITA. I came close to dying so many times (but never actually did) because he can easily topple or paralyze you.

In regards to the ending, what did you think of Alvis being a computer and the whole experiment gone wrong twist? I read a lot of "WTF" comments elsewhere but I thought it actually made sense when you consider what Meynard said ('create a world without the need for Gods', ie Alvis) and what Shulk ultimately chose to do.

Now the wait behinds for The Last Story.:-k

[Dead of Knight]

His level is not shown. Somehow people figured it out. And interesting, I found him much harder than Dickson.

I'll post more about the ending later, need to continue getting ready for work.

[Dead of Knight]

About the ending: It was pretty reasonable to me. Star Ocean 3 had a similar plot device, but they completely blew it in that game. This game made it work somehow. I think it's just testament to how good this game really is. And how crappy tri-Ace is at creating decent scenarios.

[Vinny]

About the ending: It was pretty reasonable to me. Star Ocean 3 had a similar plot device, but they completely blew it in that game. This game made it work somehow. I think it's just testament to how good this game really is. And how crappy tri-Ace is at creating decent scenarios.

Yeah, I didn't like it when they first introduced it (it was really out of the blue) but they tied it up nicely and didn't let it obstruct the overall story/ending. They're definitely a talented studio though their efforts seem wasted with Nintendo (can you imagine this game on the PS3/360?). I finished Xenosaga III a few months ago and that was an awesome game (though the first two weren't that great) and now I'm seriously thinking about given Baten Kaitos another try as that game has fairly vocal group of fans.

First Radiant Historia and now this game- can't remember the last time two A+ RPGs were released in one year (not since the PS1 days?).

[pete5883]

My hype died down a bit after release because I didn't have the time to start it. You guys are killing me here.

[uncle5555]

My hype died down a bit after release because I didn't have the time to start it. You guys are killing me here.

Ahh good lead-in to my post then. If you think that's bad then you'll love this...


Nintendo Europe confirms that Last Story and Pandora's Tower are on the way...(got this in my email, btw, when I signed up for NOE Club Nintendo when I registered Xenoblade and got my free soundtrack, they send me updates now on new products and promotions like this, another smack to the face of NOA)

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/2208/screen1qi.png


http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/4025/screen2za.png

[Vinny]

Ahh good lead-in to my post then. If you think that's bad then you'll love this...


Nintendo Europe confirms that Last Story and Pandora's Tower are on the way...(got this in my email, btw, when I signed up for NOE Club Nintendo when I registered Xenoblade and got my free soundtrack, they send me updates now on new products and promotions like this, another smack to the face of NOA)


There's a good chance that NoA (good meaning 10-15%, that's about as good as it gets with these dumbasses) will release The Last Story here... and if they do, I'm honestly not sure what I would do. On one hand, I'd rather support NoE because they actually listen to their fans. On the other hand, if sales for TLS are poor, NoA will probably never bother with a risky title again.

Additionally, I'm not sure if you guys have noticed or not but some retailers are sold out of Xenoblade again.:)

[uncle5555]

There's a good chance that NoA (good meaning 10-15%, that's about as good as it gets with these dumbasses) will release The Last Story here... and if they do, I'm honestly not sure what I would do. On one hand, I'd rather support NoE because they actually listen to their fans. On the other hand, if sales for TLS are poor, NoA will probably never bother with a risky title again.

Additionally, I'm not sure if you guys have noticed or not but some retailers are sold out of Xenoblade again.:)

No haven't been paying much attention to the UK marketplace for the game. I'm glad to see it selling so well for NOE, if we're lucky after we get the other two they might actually take a chance on Earth Seeker too. (as long as they let people actually know they are releasing it and giving it some hype)

If I believed NOA would do right by Last Story, I'd probably get it from them, thing is, I don't think they'll do a decent localization and more to the point even bother to release it even with the sales figures NOE got with Xenoblade.

And that's NOA's fault for playing it "safe" and not giving the fans what they wanted to begin with, that just gives them whatever they want to say bad about Wii sales and the lack of support from the core gamers because they aren't taking what they are giving. Should've been a case of good will, irregardless of sales, but now I bet their eating crow because of this missed opportunity (they know if they did do a US release, most people who imported would NOT buy it out of spite and then we're back to step 1, as you already pointed out)

Not going to continue on this line since everyone here pretty much knows what I think about NOA's leadership in the last decade and how poor its been. (if you need more proof, just look at the mass exodus of executives in the last 5 years to see what I'm talking about and the major snafu of moving the marketing team to NY, NY from Redmond, WA) The hits keep on a comin' from NOA. (and I'm not referencing the hit games either) ;)

[blueweltall]

uncle5555 is that soundtrack offer still good?

[uncle5555]

uncle5555 is that soundtrack offer still good?

I'd say so, go to Club Nintendo Europe (http://www.nintendo.co.uk/NOE/en_GB/club_nintendo/registration_2428.jsp) sign up register the game with the code in the game box and then under your profile (it will be called Treasures) you'll see the D/L for the Xenoblade Chronicles soundtrack sampler. 12 tracks, a PDF cover, and a jpg picture.

And that should do ya. ;)

[Strell]

I set up stock alerts on Game UK's site and just happened to be up at 3 AM once when it renewed. Ordered the CC bundle and got it last week. Looking forward to sitting down with it a bit this weekend.

I'm holding every single one of you responsible if I don't like this game. And when that doesn't work, I'm going to hold DoK responsible ten times over and heartily give everyone else a pass.

[johnnypark]

I set up stock alerts on Game UK's site and just happened to be up at 3 AM once when it renewed. Ordered the CC bundle and got it last week. Looking forward to sitting down with it a bit this weekend.

I'm holding every single one of you responsible if I don't like this game. And when that doesn't work, I'm going to hold DoK responsible ten times over and heartily give everyone else a pass.

I don't think you're going to have a problem with that, Strell, based on what I know about your RPG tastes I think we agree on most, and this game is the best of classic and modern games thrown into a huge, addictive package.

The only reason I had to stop playing was because I literally couldn't play for less than 3 hours or so at a time, it was bad. I've been training for a half marathon which means I can't stay up super late. That's over tomorrow, though, after which I'm going to be gaming nonstop while I rest my aching muscles!

[ChibiJosh]

I ordered a copy about 2 weeks ago, and it hasn't arrived yet.

[Dead of Knight]

Oh Strell...

Playing the end game quests I skipped out on prior to beating the game so I would have a decent challenge with the final boss. Still finding shit that completely blows my mind and I'm in the low 90s.

[johnnypark]

BUMP for the announcement: coming to North America in 2012 as a Gamestop exclusive:

http://www.1up.com/news/xenoblade-chronicles-appears-headed-us

EDIT: Haha. Just saw all the discussion in the other thread. Don't know why it wasn't in this one, though?

[ZombieToast]

You can also order the game directly from Nintendo, so it's not 100% exclusive. But either way...hell fucking yes. I had no issue with importing this, but I would really much rather wait a few months and get it cheaper. And I'm so glad they decided to stick with that title and not Monando.

[ChibiJosh]

I'm about 45 hours into this now, and I have to say for all the things they did right there is one thing they did horribly wrong, in my opinion: the quest system. Why did they make it so you could only see available quests if you got close to the quest giver? They should be on the map regardless of closeness. Drives me crazy.

[KingBroly]

https://twitter.com/#!/RichIGN/status/172077178027126784

I smell an impending announcement tomorrow.

[Dead of Knight]

Heh, it would be nice if they announced Last Story BEFORE the PAL release. Then again, my CC was already charged for it.

Edit: Oh wow, it was already shipped. NICE

[pete5883]

https://twitter.com/#!/RichIGN/status/172077178027126784

I smell an impending announcement tomorrow.
On the one hand, there's this Nintendo Direct thing tomorrow where they could conceivably announce it (which would be fucking stupid if importers' orders are now shipping.) On the other hand, they might just be writing an article marking the release of the European version.