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Reviews Xenoblade Chronicles 3 | Review Thread (see staff post)

I've read the translated review and the main criticism is that the game is too easy. Lol
Can I just say that I hate when difficulty is brought up as a criticism.
A game being easy or hard is one of the most subjective things there is.
What one person can find easy another one could find impossible.
It's good to criticize uneven difficulty curves but saying game is too easy it's just worthless to me.
That's just a pet peeve of mine
 
Man, between Mario Maker 2, Metroid Dread, Fire Emblem Three Houses, XCDE, SMD3DW, Monster Hunter Rise, and now Xenoblade 3, Switch just can't escape the 88-89 Metacritic curse. I really hope we don't have to wait until BOTW2 for it to happen again. Maybe Bayonetta 3 can achieve it this year?
 
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At 89, Xenoblade is the highest rated first party game of the year, and by the end of the year it’ll still probably be top 2, maybe top 3 at worst.

I just don’t understand the obsession with a 90 lol. It’s incredibly hard for games to break 90 anymore. It’s not just a “Switch curse”, games in general don’t really do that anymore. 90 or above is reserved for very few games.

You can argue Xenoblade should be in that company, which is fair, I’m just saying that this isn’t a Switch specific thing, and that the game’s score is incredibly high regardless.
 
At 89, Xenoblade is the highest rated first party game of the year, and by the end of the year it’ll still probably be top 2, maybe top 3 at worst.

I just don’t understand the obsession with a 90 lol. It’s incredibly hard for games to break 90 anymore. It’s not just a “Switch curse”, games in general don’t really do that anymore. 90 or above is reserved for very few games.

You can argue Xenoblade should be in that company, which is fair, I’m just saying that this isn’t a Switch specific thing, and that the game’s score is incredibly high regardless.
It's pretty simple actually
90 looks cooler than 89.
That's the reason
 
Edge won't rate it more than an 8. Slant could also be below 8.
On the other hand, there is RPGamer left, who rated XC2 10/10 back in the day.
In the end, I would be more than happy if it stays at 89 in the end.

I've read the translated review and the main criticism is that the game is too easy. Lol
I'm playing it on hard-mode and I think it's pretty challenging, even though I'm a bit overleveled. Weird.
 
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How can you give this game a 7? It's maybe the best game I've ever played. And I'm still at chapter 4, and people say that later chapters are even better.
Real talk, I can understand.

Remember, "7" is actually "good"!
Like "this is a good videogame I can overall recommend, but with caveats."

In the case of XB3, I could see a reviewer a) not jiving w/ the battle system, b) not vibing with the graphics and their perceived issues with performance. Its possible to also mix in a c) I wasn't feeling the characters and plot as much as in other games.

And thats not to mention d) reviewer is somebody who is just aight w/ the JRPG genre and/or anime styles and tropes

Lets also not forget e) ... We are Edge magazine, thus automatic one point deduction
(I kid)

If all the above combo for a particular reviewer, boom you have a 7.

That said, the weird outlier to me would be the GameInformer review of 7.25. That reviewer is well-versed w/ JRPGs and gave contemporary title Tales of Arise a 9.25. But in that reviewer's case perhaps the graphic fidelity did indeed have significant weight 🤔
 
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Come on, Live a Live is a good JRPG but some of the issues from the original were not fixed and makes the game feel a bit dated despite that this is a remake (Not to mention that is pretty short and at times it even drags).

There's simply no contest here.

I agree with them. I'm enjoying Xenoblade 3 but I like Live a Live much more. I loved the previous Xenoblade games, but I liked 1 and 2 much more than this one. Close to the end and I think if I had to rate it, I'd also give it 7/10.
 
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Come on, Live a Live is a good JRPG but some of the issues from the original were not fixed and makes the game feel a bit dated despite that this is a remake (Not to mention that is pretty short and at times it even drags).

There's simply no contest here.
Yeah, it simply doesn't make sense for people to rate apples over oranges when the later are clearly superior. /s

I love Xenoblade 3 but if someone likes Live a Live more I'm not gonna act like they're objectively wrong.
 
Come on, Live a Live is a good JRPG but some of the issues from the original were not fixed and makes the game feel a bit dated despite that this is a remake (Not to mention that is pretty short and at times it even drags).

There's simply no contest here.

Apples and oranges really. I've not started XC3, but I've played X, DE, 2 and Torna. I'm now on the last chapter of Live A Live, and the package is wildly different - it's a far more accessible, pick-up-and-play type of experience. Bite sized, unique, isolated stories, tied together by a short and satisfying burst of traditional JRPG at the very end.

It's not hard at all to see how one reviewer would prefer it over something as heavy as a Xenoblade title. I'd personally recommend Live A Live to my wife over any Xenoblade game.

Gamer.no also gave XCDE a 7 so maybe they just don't like the series.

(They also gave Live a Live an 8 which is a fine JRPG but come on).

Reviews aren't an exact science, and as it stands I prefer Live A Live to XCDE - I might even agree with the 7. I loved XC2 and Torna, and I full expect to vastly prefer XC3 from what I'm hearing tho.
 
This already happened with metroid dread so nothing unusual.
If you think this is bad wait for when botw2 get's an 89 on metacritic.
The first game got a 97. That would be a big drop in quality and I can't see that being the case. And maybe it's just me, but some of you sound a bit paranoid by this whole 89 thing. Making it sound worse than a game that scores in the 70s.
 
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Some of ya'll are taking this 90+ thing WAY too seriously.

This. I thought you all were trolling and just joking about caring so much about some frivolous and arbitrary number, but my goodness, It doesn't matter and shouldn't affect your enjoyment of a game. If it somehow does, please go outside more.
 
🙄 You can drop the paranoia amigo. It's not that serious. XBCDE also scored an 89.
Don't get me wrong, to me it's all fun and games.
I genuinely don't if a game gets 89 or 90 or metacritic in general.
It's just funny to poke at the idea that there's a curse that won't let any Nintendo game reach 90 on metacritic.
That's all.
 
Yeah, there's no need to police this thread as if people are over-invested. It's condescending.

Besides, Edge very clearly marked Xenoblade 3 down by a point to make sure everybody here would be bitterly disappointed! Job done.
 
With how few games hit 90+ these days, I'd say it's impressive it scored as highly as it did. Plus review scores or GotY awards aren't the end all be all of the quality of a game. A lot of it is purely subjective after all. Plenty of 90+ or big GotY winners that did fuck all for me and plenty of games in the 80s that I thought were amazing or at least much better
 
In the last ten years, there have been three JRPGs that scored over 90.

It's okay to not hold Xenoblade to that unrealistic standard lol.
 
Yeah, there's no need to police this thread as if people are over-invested. It's condescending.

Besides, Edge very clearly marked Xenoblade 3 down by a point to make sure everybody here would be bitterly disappointed! Job done.

Then maybe some folks should get better material, as this "joke" or whatever is painfully unfunny and with Nintendo fans' history with reviews (8.8), it's hard to distinguish jokes from the real thing.
 
Then maybe some folks should get better material, as this "joke" or whatever is painfully unfunny and with Nintendo fans' history with reviews (8.8), it's hard to distinguish jokes from the real thing.
Alternatively, you could not take it so seriously and step away from the thread if it's so irritating.
 
Alternatively, you could not take it so seriously and step away from the thread if it's so irritating.

I said it was painfully funny. If that is a synonym for me being irritated to you, not only are you not very bright, but your attempt to try to talk down to me failed miserably in a completely stupid fashion.
 
I said it was painfully funny. If that is a synonym for me being irritated to you, not only are you not very bright, but your attempt to try to talk down to me failed miserably in a completely stupid fashion.
Firstly, check out the bolded:
Then maybe some folks should get better material, as this "joke" or whatever is painfully unfunny and with Nintendo fans' history with reviews (8.8), it's hard to distinguish jokes from the real thing.
Secondly, I wasn't talking down to you. If I find myself wanting to snap at people, or I'm frustrated by a thread, I take a step back from it.
 
I said it was painfully funny. If that is a synonym for me being irritated to you, not only are you not very bright, but your attempt to try to talk down to me failed miserably in a completely stupid fashion.
In the future, it'd be advisable to take a moment of pause, prior to posting, to avoid lashing out at folks like this. No need for insults. I can see you've already apologized for this post, though, which is commendable, and always great to see!
 
In the future, it'd be advisable to take a moment of pause, prior to posting, to avoid lashing out at folks like this. No need for insults. I can see you've already apologized for this post, though, which is commendable, and always great to see!
Definitely. I'm not usually one to post something overtly rude, but I guess there's a first time for everything. If the mods deem a warning for my message is necessary despite my apology, I'll honestly understand. Regardless, I am sorry again to @MisterSpo and also to everyone. Sorry for the derail, and back to the subject at hand. :)
 
In the last ten years, there have been three JRPGs that scored over 90.

It's okay to not hold Xenoblade to that unrealistic standard lol.
Looking at the great difference between the number of positive reviews versus neutral and negative I sincerely don’t consider it so unrealistic. i mean, some of the lower scores’ reviews had some head scratching comments that actually contradicts the immense majority of reviews out there probably made by people not fan of the series so the game really deserved a better score. Anyway yeah 89 is a great result.
 
Guess that EDGE 8 was the final nail in the coffin.
Yup, there it is. Honestly Im kinda surprised the Edge score surfaces this quickly. I feel like there are times where their scores dont appear for like 2 months after release 🤔

===

For anybody who doesn't understand The Quest for 90, best way I can explain it is to use this clip from The Office:



Sometimes ya just want to see it hit that corner, I dunno what else to tell ya 😅 🤷
 
I feel like Xenoblade 3 lacked the next gen factor to get in that fabled 90 realm. With it I think it would have gone there easily. Most review won't explicitely say it but a new shiny thing absolutely boosts critical reception, way more than a cool system buried in the menus that enhance the combat or something. Tales of Arise greatly benefitted from it, the new Ratchet... These solid games punched way above their weights critically because of that new gen aura they had.

XB3 already has a ton of QoL improvements, a more serious story, all good things for critics. You add to that a brand new look on the Switch 2 or whatever and you had the easiest 90.
 
Definitely. I'm not usually one to post something overtly rude, but I guess there's a first time for everything. If the mods deem a warning for my message is necessary despite my apology, I'll honestly understand. Regardless, I am sorry again to @MisterSpo and also to everyone. Sorry for the derail, and back to the subject at hand. :)
Just my own perspective, but I think it's great for the overall community, when members can reconcile, and reach amicable resolutions, all on their own. I've definitely previously been involved in disagreements where I regret the way I came across, and felt it was appropriate to reach out, and aim to patch things up. I think a lot of us probably have, especially those of us that have been on forums for years.
 
I feel Metacritic scores are only useful when a game gets a low score because it is really buggy or overwhelmingly bad, so you can easily tell it's not worth it. For anything else it's better to just read the individual reviews because 8/10 can mean different things to different people. All Xenoblade games I have played so far basically score a 10/10 for me because games that keep my attention for 100hrs+ while remaning fun deserve a perfect score.
 
I feel Metacritic scores are only useful when a game gets a low score because it is really buggy or overwhelmingly bad, so you can easily tell it's not worth it. For anything else it's better to just read the individual reviews because 8/10 can mean different things to different people. All Xenoblade games I have played so far basically score a 10/10 for me because games that keep my attention for 100hrs+ while remaning fun deserve a perfect score.

My issue with MC, is that 1. they give more outlets more weight than others, which is insulting. Every core should carry the same weight, and as it is a business, it is for them to sort out unverified outlets and a random blog post from a geocities fan site.

They can go the RT route, however, that is futile since it seems many people have trouble comprehending how RT works, which is a percentage of liked vs disliked. So they see a 70, and deem that something is medicore, when in truth, it just means 7 out of 10 people gave it a good review.

OC is more of an ideal, since I found out they do not weigh one outlet over another. That is how it should be.

A bigger issue, with all 3 sites, is that when a review does not use a score or when a review has a letter score or 5 digit score, MC will take it upon themselves to interpret the score or not count it at all. Which is no bueno.
 
My issue with MC, is that 1. they give more outlets more weight than others, which is insulting. Every core should carry the same weight, and as it is a business, it is for them to sort out unverified outlets and a random blog post from a geocities fan site.

They can go the RT route, however, that is futile since it seems many people have trouble comprehending how RT works, which is a percentage of liked vs disliked. So they see a 70, and deem that something is medicore, when in truth, it just means 7 out of 10 people gave it a good review.

OC is more of an ideal, since I found out they do not weigh one outlet over another. That is how it should be.

A bigger issue, with all 3 sites, is that when a review does not use a score or when a review has a letter score or 5 digit score, MC will take it upon themselves to interpret the score or not count it at all. Which is no bueno.
Opencritic puts unscored reviews towards the recommendation rating I’m pretty sure. Feels like a pretty decent compromise.
 
Please see the threadmarked staff post. Thank you.


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