Xenoblade

[Arhkaos]

I grabbed the game this afternoon and I've been playing for 5 hours now.  This one is a Godsend for us RPGFans.  I haven't been this into a JRPG in a very long time.  Everything is spot on so far.

I'd even go as far as to say it's the first time at that much into an RPG... ever! I've spent 16 hours in two days and a half... For me, I think this is a record (I rarely play more than 1-2 hours a day usually). It's definitely one of the most enjoyable games I've played in my whole life! It's ridiculous to think that NoA originally wanted to keep us from playing this!

[Gen Eric Gui]

I'm about three hours into the game right now.  I have done basically nothing except wander around and do quests.  And it has been GLORIOUS.

[Ashtrot]

Yeah, the game is really good when it comes to throwing out stuff to distract you. Combine this with some truly shocking open areas and huge amounts of exploration... yeah, you have one of the best JRPGs this gen, bar none.

[Tomara]

I would've preferred a mini-sountrack or something.

It's not much of a collectible, but NoE let people download the soundtrack ( no DRM!) for free from their website if they registered their game. Maybe NoA will do something similar?

[Farron]

I grabbed the game this afternoon and I've been playing for 5 hours now.  This one is a Godsend for us RPGFans.  I haven't been this into a JRPG in a very long time.  Everything is spot on so far.

I'd even go as far as to say it's the first time at that much into an RPG... ever! I've spent 16 hours in two days and a half... For me, I think this is a record (I rarely play more than 1-2 hours a day usually). It's definitely one of the most enjoyable games I've played in my whole life! It's ridiculous to think that NoA originally wanted to keep us from playing this!

I know what you mean. Like you it's really hard for me to go more than 2 hours in a session unless the game really grabs you. While Xenoblade haven't grabbed me like it did to you it certainly has that "just a bit more" to it.
I played it so far very few days but each day I play, it's a bunch!
Too bad I got sidetracked by Totori and Mass Effect 3 but once I finish one of these I'll get back to it!

[Aeolus]

So I have to ask, for players who've had a chance to go through this already, any missables or things worth littering your inventory with that we should know about?

[Tomara]

No not, really. There's a few missable sidequests, but the game will always warn you before the area they're in is closed off. This happens twice in the game.

As for items, if it's rare or marked as needed for a sidequest, hang on to it. If you need a certain common item, you usually only need a few minutes to aquire it once you've found the right monster.

[Yggdrasil]

Found this on neogaf:



And me without a Wii to play this. I'll have to wait for the Wii U to come out though, at this point I'm not getting a Wii just for a few games I'm interested while my PS3 keeps my busy with more games that I can play bother to play.

[Tomara]

I'm seriously wondering of the guy over at EGM played the same game as us.

THE UGLY: Why do RPG developers insist on placing the least-interesting 15 hours of the experience at the beginning of the game?

I just don't... I mean... 15 hours doesn't mean anything in Xenoblade. 15 hours is enough to pass through the first three areas. Lots of stuff happens during that time. You can also spend it wandering around the first area and not run out of stuff to do.

[Starmongoose]

Pretty sure one of the most interesting things happens 15 Hours into the game..

[Yggdrasil]

Pff, 15 hours is nothing. The longer a good game is the better for me.

[Aurian]

I try to not trade my collectables and if possible, keep as many random items as possible. You won't need more than 10 of any one item for sidequests, although some collectables can be given as gifts amongst party members for increased affinity.

[Esper_Crusader]

Wow, they definitely had the wrong guy reviewing the game over at EGM. He just sounded like he was in a bad mood.  EGM is usually MUCH more reliable:/

[cj_iwakura]

I started it yesterday(bad idea with Folklore and Wild Arms 4 still on my plate), and the gameplay is... weird. I'll have to give it more time before drawing a conclusion. Music and VA is wonderful, though.

[Akanbe-]

I bought it at the store today, just in case.  I'll probably start it up later this week, but I didn't buy a classic controller yet. I just feel like it might be hard to find after a few weeks.  It's not even listed on Amazon atm so any used purchases would have to be on Ebay.  Still, looking forward to trying it.