Happy 20th Anniversary to Xenosaga Episode 1!
Happy 20th Anniversary to Xenosaga Episode 1!
I don't think Saito is an option, they would have asked him if they wanted him instead of putting out a hiring ad (or they could have asked but Saito declined).Yea, I was curious about the character artist from the hiring call. I don't think the development start time was the issue, you could get fairly far into development before needing the final character designs, the first few months could have just been grayboxing with placeholder models.
I imagine getting an in-house character artist is a pain. Maybe I'm wrong about this but my understanding was freelance is the dream, so the majority applying for the position would be fresh graduates who don't have the clout or experience to go freelance. They've had art on the website like the 20th anniversary piece that was done by some younger fresh artists, so they likely did hire a handful that applied for the position but maybe none of them were up to the standards they needed to helm a full game. Hard to say.
I don't know how I feel about Saito potentially sticking around as the face of the series. The xb3 designs are a massive improvement over 2 but he still has that same face problem. He tweets a lot about Xenoblade and retweets stuff from Monolith so I guess they just settled for a freelancer who enjoys working with them than someone a little young and inexperienced.
They can always hire more than one artistI don't think Saito is an option, they would have asked him if they wanted him instead of putting out a hiring ad (or they could have asked but Saito declined).
Review scores have gotten objectively harsher in the last decade. You don't see anywhere near the same amount of free 9s as you saw back then. Even DE has a lower score than the original Xenoblade even though it's just the same game but better (other than a few minor elements).What do you think the reason is for why the Xenoblade games have got a lower and lower Metacritic score with each new game?
From 91, to 86, to 83, to 81...
It's quite the drop off.
"Can't spell 'ignorant' without IGN." (Refers to their infamous "Rein and Duncan" review.)What do you think the reason is for why the Xenoblade games have got a lower and lower Metacritic score with each new game?
From 91, to 86, to 83, to 81...
It's quite the drop off.
Scores have gotten harsher + some weird negatives (like comparing graphics to other consoles).What do you think the reason is for why the Xenoblade games have got a lower and lower Metacritic score with each new game?
From 91, to 86, to 83, to 81...
It's quite the drop off.
Scores have gotten harsher + some weird negatives (like comparing graphics to other consoles).
I truly hope that Xenoblade 3 can break 90 mc
I'm pretty sure you can't, I've seen a few people try. There are field skills that are impossible to pass without summoning, but you can do a minimal amount. Unless I missed a successful workaround?2 having hilariously weak overworld interactions in a immediately post BOTW world, plus several key systems including those interactions being tied to gacha elements (no, in the context of reviews, nobody cares if you can with planning technically skip the gacha entirely, that's clearly not the intent of the designers), would always have dragged it down.
In a generation of stagnation, with Square having the biggest difficulties with transitioning to HD and Namco pumping out one midtier Tales after another, Xenoblade was refreshing in how it played, looked and felt. Since then things have changed quite a bit (for better and worse) and both X and 2 had some genuine terrible idea sprinkled throughout otherwise absolutely amazing titles. We'll see how they'll handle 3, if they manage to side step some of the issues they've made with the last few entries, I can see this easily rival the original.
Well if you consider summoning at all part of the gacha, yes, it's impossible. But there are quite a few blades like Wulfric and Herald that are guaranteed summons that will clear story field skills (Wulfric might as well be a story blade)I'm pretty sure it's you can't, I've seen a few people try. There are field skills that are impossible to pass without summoning, but you can do a minimal amount. Unless I missed a successful workaround?
Guaranteed pulls are a part of most gacha systems, so I do consider it part of that. But point taken that if you plan well enough you don't have to deal with any RNG nonsense.Well if you consider summoning at all part of the gacha, yes, it's impossible. But there are quite a few blades like Wulfric and Herald that are guaranteed summons that will clear story field skills (Wulfric might as well be a story blade)
I'm pretty sure you can't, I've seen a few people try. There are field skills that are impossible to pass without summoning, but you can do a minimal amount. Unless I missed a successful workaround?
Makes sense. If I had to do another new game from scratch I'd probably pass as well, having to deal with field skills alone from the start would annoy me. And trying to build up all those affinity charts. But maybe I'll finally do NG+ after I finish the main game again in DE.I think there's enough blades that you get from side quests and the like that are there that you can get through the main quest without additional random blades, but I don't ever care enough to try and see if it's accurate.
Although to be honest, much as I like everything else, I think the gachapon system existing at all puts me off the idea every time I consider replaying Xeno2. It's just such a downer.
We're getting a Xenosaga anthology book from Choco!
Probably not exactly what you're talking about, but the panel in the world tree that requires electric blades to open a door, can be ignored. It's possible to glitch through the door without ever doing the field skill check, that's what the speedrun does.I'm pretty sure you can't, I've seen a few people try. There are field skills that are impossible to pass without summoning, but you can do a minimal amount. Unless I missed a successful workaround?
Yeah, in my fresh new game (no +) I was more annoyed by my movement speed being reset than any field skills, but I suppose at that point I was very familiarized with the gameProbably not exactly what you're talking about, but the panel in the world tree that requires electric blades to open a door, can be ignored. It's possible to glitch through the door without ever doing the field skill check, that's what the speedrun does.
But really the gacha elements are kind of overblown. Everything you'll need to get through the main story can be gotten from stuff you get in the main story (not even sidequests) and then you just need some elemental stuff from commons which you should have a ton of. Personally, I had a harder time getting those diskbomb weapons with good attributes on them in X than any particular blade in 2.
sure, the main story doesn't require them, but ignoring all the extra content doesn't make it ok. that extra content is meant to be experienced and it's walled behind a poorly mechanic. not everyone bum-rushes the storyProbably not exactly what you're talking about, but the panel in the world tree that requires electric blades to open a door, can be ignored. It's possible to glitch through the door without ever doing the field skill check, that's what the speedrun does.
But really the gacha elements are kind of overblown. Everything you'll need to get through the main story can be gotten from stuff you get in the main story (not even sidequests) and then you just need some elemental stuff from commons which you should have a ton of. Personally, I had a harder time getting those diskbomb weapons with good attributes on them in X than any particular blade in 2.
I know, I did every sidequest and blade quest in the game. That's the thing though. If you just want to rush the story, then you'll have everything you need to just do that. But if you're going through a lot of the content, then you'll naturally pick up more blades and fill out more affinity chart nodes. Seems to even out to me.sure, the main story doesn't require them, but ignoring all the extra content doesn't make it ok. that extra content is meant to be experienced and it's walled behind a poorly mechanic. not everyone bum-rushes the story
Late response but Xenoblade 1 has been a bit more of an exception in terms of review averages when looking at all the Xeno releases:What do you think the reason is for why the Xenoblade games have got a lower and lower Metacritic score with each new game?
From 91, to 86, to 83, to 81...
It's quite the drop off.
it did, just in a subtle way. Xenoblade X walked so Breath of the Wild could run.It makes me so sad that for all of X's ambition it just didn't leave any mark on the industry.
Yesit did, just in a subtle way. Xenoblade X walked so Breath of the Wild could run.
Very much this. Monolith pretty much co-developed Breath of the Wild, and considering how well that did, absolutely it left an impact, just not directly.it did, just in a subtle way. Xenoblade X walked so Breath of the Wild could run.
I'm curious how many of X's environment designers were involved with BotW specifically as environment designers there too. I've looked through moby game's credits page for BotW but there's no level/environment design credits, there's environment art and environment modeling as well as art and modeling for dungeons, so I was confused as to how much of the actual planning out of the topography was done by Monolith staff. I assumed modeling would just be executing the plan, but maybe I'm wrong.
The lead level designer of X was Koh Arai (https://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,40533/) but he's only credited under 'structural art' for BotW and I have no clue what that means. I wonder if he'll back for Xenoblade 3 or if he's a Zelda guy now.
Of the other four people credited under 'Lead Level Design - Field' for X, two didn't work on BotW at all, one is credited under game design, and the last one is credited under associate management which moby games lists as a business job rather than a design job.
The differences you outlined seem to all be game mechanics, which yeah, I would not argue X influenced BotW in that regard. But the design of the world, the landscapes, the plausible but still almost surreal terrain features, the verticality, the way exploration is rewarded with special areas and alcoves for more exploration, I would argue all that could've influenced BotW. Especially since it's known that one of the primary things Monolith helped the Zelda team with was terrain design.I'm a pretty big fan of both games, but I legitimately can't see how Xenoblade Chronicles X influenced Breath of the Wild, the "freedom" of X isn't really all that (I guess besides the ability to jump around like a madman? which more often than not is something that you can abuse if you are stubborn enough, and not really an intended design like a lot of Breath of the Wild's mobility), since there is always gates of progression to most things, story chapters, affinity missions, side quests, they are all locked behind affinity chart, levels, story progression, etc. The amount of freedom to its design lies within the fact that you can still decide to go anywhere, but going anywhere won't really give you a substantial reward in the story or a side quest most of the time, the most you could do is grind out levels and clean up stuff like unique monsters and the like, but that wouldn't be too different from the other games I think, just that you can do it across all continents if you so desire to go through that. And like there is freedom in your character builds, but of course Breath of the Wild isn't heavy on those RPG elements, so is a non factor there.
I'm a pretty big fan of both games, but I legitimately can't see how Xenoblade Chronicles X influenced Breath of the Wild, the "freedom" of X isn't really all that (I guess besides the ability to jump around like a madman? which more often than not is something that you can abuse if you are stubborn enough, and not really an intended design like a lot of Breath of the Wild's mobility), since there is always gates of progression to most things, story chapters, affinity missions, side quests, they are all locked behind affinity chart, levels, story progression, etc. The amount of freedom to its design lies within the fact that you can still decide to go anywhere, but going anywhere won't really give you a substantial reward in the story or a side quest most of the time, the most you could do is grind out levels and clean up stuff like unique monsters and the like, but that wouldn't be too different from the other games I think, just that you can do it across all continents if you so desire to go through that. And like there is freedom in your character builds, but of course Breath of the Wild isn't heavy on those RPG elements, so is a non factor there.
Happy 20th Anniversary to Xenosaga Episode 1!
Harada: not profitableThis is how I turn to dust. Mostly because there's still no collection.
Harada: not profitable
well to their benefit, Tales finally got a budget and hit 2M faster than any Tales before itThat interview of these kinds of games only selling well when they have a big budget still makes me laugh. They've been pumping out mediocre low budget title one after another with little to no marketing. No wonder non of them sold well...