Posted August 30, 2014 I can't play this. The menu lag is simply too annoying. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 30, 2014 I can't play this. The menu lag is simply too annoying. This is the weirdest complaint of a game I've ever heard, haha. Fair play to you though, as you've said, you like menus in RPGs. I guess I don't get it as I didn't spend too much time with the menus at all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 30, 2014 This is the weirdest complaint of a game I've ever heard, haha. Yeah, I can understand that. Fair play to you though, as you've said, you like menus in RPGs. I'm a stat-whore. I want to see how every piece of equipment changes every single stat Even if it reduces stats. I remember playing FFIX (my first JRPG ever) and instantly falling in love with every stat there was, the mechanics behind them and how equipment affects stats and therefore the battles. That's why I spend so much time in menus. You should see me playing Diablo 3 It's a shame that Monolith apparently weren't able to reduce menu loading to a minimum. I really wanted to play the game. If they improve on that in the New 3DS version...maybe I'll get one Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 30, 2014 I must admit, I did not get on with this on Wii, but think I might have more patience for it on 3DS. Only thing that will bother me is the lower resolution, but I think I would enjoy this more on (New) 3DS as I won't be sitting there in front of the TV with the Classic Controller Pro hooked up to my Wii Remote, draining the batteries away... I just think a portable version could be my chance to get into it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 30, 2014 This is the weirdest complaint of a game I've ever heard, haha. Fair play to you though, as you've said, you like menus in RPGs. I guess I don't get it as I didn't spend too much time with the menus at all. He's got a point though. Although it didn't bother me at the time, there is a noticeable "lag" when you compare item stats, change weapons, etc. I can deal with it and it's one of those things that you just have to get used to. It's not toooo bad and the lack of loading between areas in the actual game itself more than makes up for it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 31, 2014 It's not something I have ever noticed if i'm being honest. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 31, 2014 I can't help but cringe everytime someone mentions playing with the Classic Controller. Positioning yourself behind an enemy while selecting Back Slash at the same time. You ever do that without breaking your hand? I'm guessing not. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 26, 2015 Soooo, I've just started playing this on 3DS Priming myself for a big adventure - 5 hours in and just reached Gaur Plains. I recognise this bit from Smash! Never played the Wii version. Enjoying it so far. Any tips for a newbie?? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 26, 2015 That faceplate looks so good but I can't justify paying £26 for it. Game + Faceplate: £53 Game: £27 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 26, 2015 Soooo, I've just started playing this on 3DS Priming myself for a big adventure - 5 hours in and just reached Gaur Plains. I recognise this bit from Smash! Never played the Wii version. Enjoying it so far. Any tips for a newbie?? I'm glad to hear that you're getting right into the game as I'm sure you're aware it's a huge RPG which is said to take around 80 hours or so to finish, and that's a conservative estimate. How are you finding it so far? I loved my first time playing Xenoblade on the Wii even though I only put fifty hours into it, how does the action hold up in 3D btw? I'm hoping it has a really consistent frame-rate as I'm looking forward to picking it up again so that I can play it to completion this time. Tips... I would advise going after all the collectables in each area, I seem to remember there are lots of shiny objects that you will find randomly on the map, if you find all of them in each area and fill in the card for that part then there's some kind of reward which will help you, it also means that you'll need to scour all of the map which is definitely a good idea anyway just to take in the scale of it all. Above all though... the most important thing... and this is crucial... ...enjoy playing the game! I can't wait to hear your impressions on it and I look forward to the full review, it's just as well that review codes are getting sent out so early because you really need a good month to properly complete the game and to have time to absorb all of its amazing moments which make for a truly memorable JRPG which I'd imagine is still one of the best to be released in recent years. : peace: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 27, 2015 (edited) Soooo, I've just started playing this on 3DS Priming myself for a big adventure - 5 hours in and just reached Gaur Plains. I recognise this bit from Smash! Never played the Wii version. Enjoying it so far. Any tips for a newbie?? Just enjoy it man. I felt like XC was at just the right sort of level of general difficulty(not too easy, but also not too hard). I'd second SCG's advise though, collect the crap out of things. Maybe consider fusing up/combining the ether thingies you can use to boost weapons - I'm a notorious hoarder both in life and in games, and I ended up not doing it then ending up at capacity for holding them. They're at 'levels' and you get higher levels as the game goes on though, and there really isn't a shortage of them so fuse them up and stick them on your gearrr. Edited February 27, 2015 by Rummy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 27, 2015 Soooo, I've just started playing this on 3DS Priming myself for a big adventure - 5 hours in and just reached Gaur Plains. I recognise this bit from Smash! Never played the Wii version. Enjoying it so far. Any tips for a newbie?? Take the time to read the tutorials. Not just the ones that pop up automatically. There's a few that you can only see by accessing the Tutorial screen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 27, 2015 Thanks for the tips. Just spent the last 3 hours drifting around doing random quests - they seem endless! What would be your recommendations on selling off things I collect from monsters - e.g. all the fleecy fur etc. I pick up? Any need to keep? And how important is levelling up my arts - what should I prioritise? In terms of your question, @S\.C\.G, it runs very smoothly on 3DS, I haven't noticed a frame drop at all. I'm not finding the visuals particularly impressive - in fact I'd say Majora's Mask looks better, but that's largely down to the art style and the downscaling of the resolution for Xenoblade. That's not to say it isn't a good looking game - it is. The vast world is where the processing power is going - hardly any loading screens at all. I do find that there's quite a lot of 'pop-up' though - the draw distance for characters etc. isn't great and that can make it hard to find who/what you're looking for. I don't know what it was like on the original in that regard. It is very useful having the map available on the bottom screen, but the exclamation marks that appear to indicate someone has a quest for you seem temperamental - whether that's by design or not, that they'll only appear when you're really near the person you're looking for, I don't know. The controls are slightly awkward, with the circle pad for movement and d-pad for selecting attacks being too close to use at the same time, but I'm sure I'll get better at co-ordinating attacks with movement/positioning as the game goes on. It'd be cool if you could have maybe used ZR and ZL to switch between attacks. I'm very much enjoying it, though. It's quite addictive! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted February 27, 2015 The controls are slightly awkward, with the circle pad for movement and d-pad for selecting attacks being too close to use at the same time, but I'm sure I'll get better at co-ordinating attacks with movement/positioning as the game goes on. It'd be cool if you could have maybe used ZR and ZL to switch between attacks. I was afraid of this... The Wii Remote and Nunchuk really were the most comfortable ways to play this. (Move with Nunchuk, D-Pad selects Arts) It's a shame they had to compromise with the awkward Classic Controller setup. I find it odd that they didn't utilise the touch screen for selecting arts. (Kinda like Chrono Trigger DS did) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted March 1, 2015 22 hours in now, my team are Level 34 and have just reached Frontier Village. I've barely scraped the surface, haven't I? Been trying to go back and complete quests around the world - done all of the time specific quests at the refugee camp and have started the reconstruction of Colony 6, but carrying on along the main quest and disregarding all of that is so tempting, the story has me surprisingly gripped! What would be the general advice on rotating the team? Have tried to mix it up a bit but find I'm not having much success outside of my main squad of Shulk, Reyn and Sharla, with Shulk being the playable character 99% of the time. Should I take the time to get used to main-ing the others? Is there any real benefit to using the likes of Melia and Sharla as the player rather than as a support character? All tips would be very much appreciated! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted March 1, 2015 What would be the general advice on rotating the team? Have tried to mix it up a bit but find I'm not having much success outside of my main squad of Shulk, Reyn and Sharla, with Shulk being the playable character 99% of the time. Should I take the time to get used to main-ing the others? Is there any real benefit to using the likes of Melia and Sharla as the player rather than as a support character? All tips would be very much appreciated! Glad to hear you're enjoying it. My advice would be to not worrying about rotating characters too much if you're not fussed, my team was Shulk, Reyn & Sharla for all the time I played it, just go with whatever is comfortable. : peace: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted March 1, 2015 22 hours in now, my team are Level 34 and have just reached Frontier Village. I've barely scraped the surface, haven't I? Been trying to go back and complete quests around the world - done all of the time specific quests at the refugee camp and have started the reconstruction of Colony 6, but carrying on along the main quest and disregarding all of that is so tempting, the story has me surprisingly gripped! What would be the general advice on rotating the team? Have tried to mix it up a bit but find I'm not having much success outside of my main squad of Shulk, Reyn and Sharla, with Shulk being the playable character 99% of the time. Should I take the time to get used to main-ing the others? Is there any real benefit to using the likes of Melia and Sharla as the player rather than as a support character? All tips would be very much appreciated! I wouldn't worry too much about quests. Accept all the ones you see, but do them as you go. Unless you're going for the super bosses, you won't need the stuff you get from them. Shulk is one of the best characters to control, due to his Monado Arts. Melia would be the only character I would ever consider controlling instead, thanks to her stat buffs. But she's more hands-off and I don't enjoy using her as much as Shulk. Stick with Shulk, you'll be fine. Sharla is a great crutch character if you're struggling to beat a boss. I kept her on my party throughout my entire first play through. But if you ever go for the optional quests and get certain... Rewards for doing so. (Won't spoil it here), she becomes a bit redundant. So if you're just casually playing through, Shulk, Sharla and whoever you like will do the job. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted March 1, 2015 I'd switch it up, mainly because you'll miss out on all of the wonderful dialogue and interplay between each character if you don't. Enjoy the game. It's perfect and is really one of the last truly great games that kept me hooked on a Nintendo console. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted March 1, 2015 I'd switch it up, mainly because you'll miss out on all of the wonderful dialogue and interplay between each character if you don't. Enjoy the game. It's perfect and is really one of the last truly great games that kept me hooked on a Nintendo console. Seconding this. The game was great in that whatever you ended up choosing, it didn't really affect things too much. Iirc I originally started out my team looking for the break topple and daze combo, and as the game went on more possibilities opened up in terms of that, but then so too did the story and interaction aspects. Unless I'm mistaken there's affinity benefits to mixing up teams too, no? I also know what you mean of the story mr-paul, for me it was one of the most gripping and addictive things I'd experienced in quite a while. It's such a vast game, having such a massively central theme yet so many sidequests, it really feels like a world in which you're just a person on an adventure, of sorts. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted March 1, 2015 Seconding this. The game was great in that whatever you ended up choosing, it didn't really affect things too much. Iirc I originally started out my team looking for the break topple and daze combo, and as the game went on more possibilities opened up in terms of that, but then so too did the story and interaction aspects. Unless I'm mistaken there's affinity benefits to mixing up teams too, no? I also know what you mean of the story mr-paul, for me it was one of the most gripping and addictive things I'd experienced in quite a while. It's such a vast game, having such a massively central theme yet so many sidequests, it really feels like a world in which you're just a person on an adventure, of sorts. Yeah, there are benefits when the team know each other more. Also, you need it for certain quests, I think. Can't remember the full details, but it's worth getting the party to like each other more by putting them together. The overworld for this game was fantastic and there are tons and tons of little things thrown in to just make it such an outstanding experience. The variety in quests, the characters, the types of creatures you see, the music, it just all came together nicely. Such a satisfying ending, too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted March 5, 2015 Update time! 42 hours in, I've just had to do my first bit of grinding to level up to beat the boss on Valak Mountain - was only Level 45 when I reached him, whereas he's Level 48. Slightly frustrating, but took the chance to do some more side quests and affinity boosting. Have now got Shulk up to the with Reyn, Sharla and Melia. Think I'm almost ready to return to fight him again. Also took the time to learn how to use Melia - she's deals a lethal amount of damage, especially if you get in a chain attack! A lot more hands off than playing with Shulk, but an effective fighter. She's become my "second main". The one thing that's frustrating me at the moment is getting a full inventory all the time - what's the point of the limited space? Luckily I found a list online of which materials were safe to sell. It goes against my nature, I'm naturally a hoarder! Can I also just mention how much more comfortable the New 3DS is to hold than the original? Not that I had much of a problem with the original outside of maybe Kid Icarus, but the difference is notable when playing for long periods of time! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted March 15, 2015 The download version of Xenoblade Chronicles 3D does not fit on the microSD card included with New Nintendo 3DS and New Nintendo 3DS XL systems: an 8GB or larger microSD card is required to download this game from Nintendo eShop. [/Quote] Does that make it the biggest download title on the 3DS? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted March 16, 2015 Does that make it the biggest download title on the 3DS? I believe so. But yeah, with the amount of glorious British voices and the sheer scope of the game, is anyone even remotely surprised? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted March 16, 2015 It is a big file, almost 4GB I believe - it took a while to download even with 30mbps internet. It's quite amazing that it is even that size with how long the game is! Haven't played this since last Wednesday as I was away on a stag do all weekend, but I've just reached the Mechonis - over 52 hours logged now. Got all seven party members now and have almost got Shulk up to max affinity with everyone - then I'll have to start working on the rest! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted March 20, 2015 So I'm just about to enter the Mechonis Core now - story is really picking up now! Level 71 and 75 hours on the clock. Took today off from story questing to do some side quests, as I read Alcamoth quests are locked out once I've completed the next area. This is probably the part of the game I'm most disappointed with - there's just too many side quests, it's tricky to find where people are, item drops that you need are a lot of the time so rare you end up saving and loading so often to respawn enemies it gets extremely tedious. I used the Xenoblade wiki to help me through this, otherwise there is no way I'd have ever got through these. I wanted to do them though because I need to raise the affinity with the townspeople, and wanted to raise the affinity between my teammates! I know they're not compulsory, but I think it really detracts from the quality of the game. The affinity chart should be a lot clearer on the locations of each character, and perhaps there should have been a encyclopaedia of monsters, so you could find where they are to get items. As I said, without the internet, I'd have got nowhere with most of these quests. Rant over, onwards with the story! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
