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Post by Wolfe on Feb 4, 2016 23:46:02 GMT -5
The multilayered allusions and thematic undercurrents all over this game really contradict the sort of criticism ancientrune shared in the shoutbox. As if no one can appreciate worldbuilding and lore without being led through it by the nose.
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Post by Primulus on Feb 22, 2016 23:34:10 GMT -5
So while going over the new Japanese artbook with Zipzo of GameFAQs, we noticed something... peculiar. The "unidentified materials" section of the artbook has many points in which the text is actually blacked out, or redacted, as if they are hiding spoilers. I'll post one page with such an example: Throughout multiple points in the notes on this page, there is redacted or blacked out text. It actually makes it pretty hard to read, according to Zipzo. But of course, this leads to a question: Why would they put redacted information in an artbook if they didn't intend on making a direct sequel? More evidence to say they do intend on it, at least.
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Post by flameheadshero on Feb 23, 2016 16:51:12 GMT -5
I hope there's a sequel. There seems to be so much foundation placed down. They have to do something with it. All this concept art is great and makes me want to see it used in a game. The tandem skell cockpit looks like a really cool concept. I remember Doug mentioned it in Elma's first affinity mission and I assumed that later in the story you would get to fight in a skell along with Elma. That would've been awesome. Oh well.
Moving past that, what do people think about Tatsu's "hom hom" line in the ending there? It seems way to oddly placed with too much emphasis to be a simple reference. Like, if it was just something muttered during a side quest, I probably wouldn't think twice about it. But during the last chapter like that when all the serious plot stuff is going down? Makes me think there's some real connection there.
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Post by Primulus on Feb 24, 2016 15:59:22 GMT -5
I hope there's a sequel. There seems to be so much foundation placed down. They have to do something with it. All this concept art is great and makes me want to see it used in a game. The tandem skell cockpit looks like a really cool concept. I remember Doug mentioned it in Elma's first affinity mission and I assumed that later in the story you would get to fight in a skell along with Elma. That would've been awesome. Oh well. Moving past that, what do people think about Tatsu's "hom hom" line in the ending there? It seems way to oddly placed with too much emphasis to be a simple reference. Like, if it was just something muttered during a side quest, I probably wouldn't think twice about it. But during the last chapter like that when all the serious plot stuff is going down? Makes me think there's some real connection there. We actually see the tandem skell in the opening of the game, and there's more concept art featuring it, if you want to see. I'll just spoiler text it all, even though technically none of this is really too spoilery...
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Post by Rathlion on Feb 25, 2016 12:37:38 GMT -5
Not really contributing to the discussion here, but I just wanted to say that this thread is really interesting so far. Makes me even more excited for a sequel.
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Post by flameheadshero on Feb 25, 2016 15:42:18 GMT -5
I hope there's a sequel. There seems to be so much foundation placed down. They have to do something with it. All this concept art is great and makes me want to see it used in a game. The tandem skell cockpit looks like a really cool concept. I remember Doug mentioned it in Elma's first affinity mission and I assumed that later in the story you would get to fight in a skell along with Elma. That would've been awesome. Oh well. Moving past that, what do people think about Tatsu's "hom hom" line in the ending there? It seems way to oddly placed with too much emphasis to be a simple reference. Like, if it was just something muttered during a side quest, I probably wouldn't think twice about it. But during the last chapter like that when all the serious plot stuff is going down? Makes me think there's some real connection there. We actually see the tandem skell in the opening of the game, and there's more concept art featuring it, if you want to see. I'll just spoiler text it all, even though technically none of this is really too spoilery... Yeah, I remember that from the opening and that skell makes no appearance in the rest of the game. If we're going by those short stories, it's still out there somewhere with that lone hero. I wonder how tandem skells could work in a sequel in a gameplay sense. Could be interesting to get different bonuses depending on what two characters you had in the skell.
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Post by DarknessLink7 on Feb 25, 2016 18:03:20 GMT -5
We actually see the tandem skell in the opening of the game, and there's more concept art featuring it, if you want to see. I'll just spoiler text it all, even though technically none of this is really too spoilery... (pictures)
This is the tandem skell Doug was referring to. This is evident through a combination of sources. But what's really interesting is some of the Japanese in the page from the artbook here. It translates to "Protagonist's Machine." This tandem skell was originally going to be the main character's skell, when the game was still being planned and developed with a set main character in mind.
Presently, I suspect the presence and nature of this skell is one of the things that will make any subsequent games "look and feel different from Xenoblade Chronicles X." Yeah, I remember that from the opening and that skell makes no appearance in the rest of the game. If we're going by those short stories, it's still out there somewhere with that lone hero. I wonder how tandem skells could work in a sequel in a gameplay sense. Could be interesting to get different bonuses depending on what two characters you had in the skell. Imagine local and online multiplayer in a Tandem Skell! Two people controlling it at the same time, pulling in different directions! The Skell just spinning out of control... It would be hilarious. Also, welcome to the forum, flameheadshero! I haven't seen you around before. Glad to have you on board.
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Post by flameheadshero on Feb 26, 2016 19:32:46 GMT -5
Thanks, Darknesslink!
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Post by ancientrune on Feb 28, 2016 2:04:11 GMT -5
I was wondering in an article I saw about the artbook it mentioned that there may have been a skell that was actually named Xenoblade and wondered if it was a bad translation or something. edit, it was a bad translation it was actually a mention of humanoid machines that resembled machina in the artbook.
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Post by flameheadshero on Feb 29, 2016 11:52:05 GMT -5
I was wondering in an article I saw about the artbook it mentioned that there may have been a skell that was actually named Xenoblade and wondered if it was a bad translation or something. edit, it was a bad translation it was actually a mention of humanoid machines that resembled machina in the artbook.Isn't that the milsaadi? Or is it something else?
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Post by Primulus on Mar 1, 2016 4:39:00 GMT -5
Upon further scrutiny of the artbook, I actually discovered there is a page that appears (based on the translated Japanese text) to contain illustrations of what those purple aliens may look like, or at least one of their species... (Actual potential spoilers, this time.) The Japanese text reads "GHOST-person (REDACTED) of Light Illustration" and "Person (kanji) Shape (kanji) Front View." The bits with the (kanji) there are symbols I couldn't figure out on my own.
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Post by DarknessLink7 on Mar 1, 2016 5:49:46 GMT -5
Those purple aliens look TERRIFYING. O___O
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Post by ancientrune on Mar 3, 2016 12:45:05 GMT -5
you know primulus brought up something on gamefaqs with regards to ryzz's death saying he wasnt sure she was even dead and I think he is on point. Even though his context was more in regards with the ending rather the scene. The scene itself actually makes me think the same thing, watching again you can clearly tell that Dagahn shielded her from the explosion which may have cost him his life. If thats the case it would give her the classic revenge plotline which would give her a reason the be a continual villain if a sequel (ganglion are gone so she wont care about that anymore) is in the works
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Post by flameheadshero on Mar 4, 2016 11:51:21 GMT -5
you know primulus brought up something on gamefaqs with regards to ryzz's death saying he wasnt sure she was even dead and I think he is on point. Even though his context was more in regards with the ending rather the scene. The scene itself actually makes me think the same thing, watching again you can clearly tell that Dagahn shielded her from the explosion which may have cost him his life. If thats the case it would give her the classic revenge plotline which would give her a reason the be a continual villain if a sequel (ganglion are gone so she wont care about that anymore) is in the works Oh I definitely think they're still alive. Like you said, Dagahn clearly makes an effort to shield Ryzz which seems like an odd thing to include if they were just going to die anyway. I also think you do a mission later where you're investigating pieces of the Zu Pharg that scatter around Sylvalum. Correct me if I'm wrong but don't you find the cockpit inside one of the Ganglion Forts. I seem to remember that.
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Post by ancientrune on Apr 6, 2016 5:13:08 GMT -5
i mentioned the rumor of the NX name being Nintendo Extra in the shoutbox but didnt want to say the rest of it to keep spoilers away from those who havent beat the game yet.
Calling it now the next game is gonna be called Xenoblade Xtra which makes sense with the way the game ended
also note that im just spit balling as the name is likely bulls***
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Post by Max Galactica on Apr 22, 2016 4:46:03 GMT -5
Man, what a chapter! Finally, Monolith Soft shows off their true potential in storytelling once more with this chapter. It's just too bad that they waited until chapter 12 to do so. Anyways, onto my thoughts and experiences: The intro scene with the calm-before-the-storm approach was very heart-warming. I really enjoyed it, especially when they added the characterization for Doug in there, when he was angry about them not going to find the Lifehold Core as soon as possible. The scene when we were approaching the Lifehold Core was very reminiscent of the original Xenoblade to me, when Kallian and the others were making their march on the Mechonis. Definitely an incredible scene, amplified by Elma's commandeering talent. Once we got into the Core, I was greeted by the ethereal, beautiful, and mystifying vocals-only theme of z15f20i12e09l14d (yes, I have that memorized). Loved that song so much! This was followed by our encounter with Luxaar in the Vita. I do have to say that the Vita is an incredibly cool-looking skell. Probably my favorite looking skell. It's too bad that I got spoiled on it a while ago (by official art on the Japanese website, no less). Although I had no idea of what it was at the time, it still would've been cool to see the Vita in action for the first time today. This boss battle had issues with the sound mixing again, unfortunately. The battle cries were way too loud for the music to be properly heard. A shame, too, as it's a pretty great song, although not as good as aBOreSSs or NO.EX01, in my opinion. After we defeated Luxaar, I knew that it wasn't over yet (since I knew what the final boss theme was, and I was yet to hear it). After the celebration from everyone, the following scene was probably my favorite scene of the game. I have not felt that many chills since certain events from the original game. Lao backstabbing Luxaar was extremely satisfying to watch. But the part where they fall into the DNA(?) and Luxaar dissolves in it and Lao transforms into that thing: that's where I truly felt the power that I've been waiting for from this game. I'm also SO glad that I hadn't been spoiled on the final boss, especially its appearance. That thing had just astounding design, even though it looked hideous. But the best part of it all was that song. The key we've lost is probably my favorite use of a song from this game, and possibly from the Xenoblade series. The theme fit the battle so well! I had literally the perfect experience with it: in the middle of the battle, after the mid-battle cutscene, right as the battle restarted, the song hit the climax with "Let's find, the key we've lost!". That was so perfect, and it left me utterly awe-struck as I did the second phase of the battle (the battles were super easy, by the way). After the battle, Lao told us about what "the key we've lost" is. Apparently it's something in our bodies that is the real reason that the Ganglion are afraid of us, which also is because of humans being the descendants of Samaar. I'll have to think that over for a while longer to get a better idea of what it is. Then, we finally got the reveal for Elma's true identity. I was right all along! I'm really happy that I called that way back when. I'd also like to point out how incredible of an ending theme Your Voice is. It fit amazingly well with that scene and the credits. In that scene, we finally learned of who Elma was and what her real purpose was when she came to Earth. I'll need to watch the intro sequence again to get a better understanding of what actually happened. Finally, the epilogue. It was really shocking to find out that the whole database with all of everyone's memories had been destroyed. But that left them with the question of how everyone was still alive. Elma cited Mira for being the reason (There's something about this plaaaanet! A lot more than we can maaaanage! But we gotta keep on staaaaanding!). But then it showed the cloaked figure standing over a "resurrected" Lao. This makes me think that instead of it being Mira itself, maybe that figure is behind everything that's happened that is strange on Mira. Overall, what a fantastic way to end the story! The first ten chapters were uninteresting for the most part, but the last two chapters more than made up for it. I can't wait for the inevitable sequel! Now I need to sleep. It's almost 4 AM right now.
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Post by DarknessLink7 on Apr 22, 2016 6:42:43 GMT -5
Man, what a chapter! Finally, Monolith Soft shows off their true potential in storytelling once more with this chapter. It's just too bad that they waited until chapter 12 to do so. Anyways, onto my thoughts and experiences: [...] Overall, what a fantastic way to end the story! The first ten chapters were uninteresting for the most part, but the last two chapters more than made up for it. I can't wait for the inevitable sequel! Now I need to sleep. It's almost 4 AM right now. Reading your thoughts on the ending let me relive it for a while. Thank you! Dang, this game, man... This game... There are some amazing themes presented in the last two chapters. I'm listening to "Your Voice" right now and I'm getting chills just thinking about the ending. All the memories I have from this game are so awesome. From jumping over the cliffs in Primordia to fighting Almandal for the thirtieth time. Have you done all the Affinity Missions? Apparently there are some that expand on these themes and explain a bit more. I haven't gotten around to playing them all yet, so I don't know the details.
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Post by Primulus on Apr 22, 2016 8:11:06 GMT -5
Man, what a chapter! Finally, Monolith Soft shows off their true potential in storytelling once more with this chapter. It's just too bad that they waited until chapter 12 to do so. Anyways, onto my thoughts and experiences: [...] Overall, what a fantastic way to end the story! The first ten chapters were uninteresting for the most part, but the last two chapters more than made up for it. I can't wait for the inevitable sequel! Now I need to sleep. It's almost 4 AM right now. Reading your thoughts on the ending let me relive it for a while. Thank you! Dang, this game, man... This game... There are some amazing themes presented in the last two chapters. I'm listening to "Your Voice" right now and I'm getting chills just thinking about the ending. All the memories I have from this game are so awesome. From jumping over the cliffs in Primordia to fighting Almandal for the thirtieth time. Have you done all the Affinity Missions? Apparently there are some that expand on these themes and explain a bit more. I haven't gotten around to playing them all yet, so I don't know the details. To my recollection, there are six affinity missions after chapter 12. They wrap up the affinity mission chains of Elma, Lin, L, Murderess, Mia (well, she only gets the one) and finally there's the "Lion-hearted" affinity mission which I won't spoil what it's about. Given the name, though? Surely one can guess... Personally, I've found Elma's to be extremely disappointing, especially for answering any of my personal questions following the ending. It was a very off-putting mission in a lot of different ways, for me. On the other hand, there's a lot to look forward to with L's, Murderess' and the Lion-hearted mission. L's final affinity mission gives you one of the biggest "oh crap" moments in the game and Murderess' final one has one of the most satisfying endings (at least if you play it like I did, which was very goody-two-shoes). As for Lin's... Personally, I thought Lin's final affinity mission was nice just because it made the joke about eating Tatsu pay off in an actually funny and cute way and redeemed how hard they went with it.
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Post by ancientrune on Apr 22, 2016 9:00:27 GMT -5
primulus i dont see anything that i would consider oh crap in L's final affinity mission, care to explain what you mean.
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Post by Max Galactica on Apr 22, 2016 9:58:02 GMT -5
Reading your thoughts on the ending let me relive it for a while. Thank you! Dang, this game, man... This game... There are some amazing themes presented in the last two chapters. I'm listening to "Your Voice" right now and I'm getting chills just thinking about the ending. All the memories I have from this game are so awesome. From jumping over the cliffs in Primordia to fighting Almandal for the thirtieth time. Have you done all the Affinity Missions? Apparently there are some that expand on these themes and explain a bit more. I haven't gotten around to playing them all yet, so I don't know the details. To my recollection, there are six affinity missions after chapter 12. They wrap up the affinity mission chains of Elma, Lin, L, Murderess, Mia (well, she only gets the one) and finally there's the "Lion-hearted" affinity mission which I won't spoil what it's about. Given the name, though? Surely one can guess... Personally, I've found Elma's to be extremely disappointing, especially for answering any of my personal questions following the ending. It was a very off-putting mission in a lot of different ways, for me. On the other hand, there's a lot to look forward to with L's, Murderess' and the Lion-hearted mission. L's final affinity mission gives you one of the biggest "oh crap" moments in the game and Murderess' final one has one of the most satisfying endings (at least if you play it like I did, which was very goody-two-shoes). As for Lin's... Personally, I thought Lin's final affinity mission was nice just because it made the joke about eating Tatsu pay off in an actually funny and cute way and redeemed how hard they went with it. The only affinity mission that I haven't done other than the 6 you listed here is Phog and Frye's last affinity mission (I still need half a heart more affinity on Phog). EDIT: There's one other question that you should add to the top, DarknessLink7. I think it's the most important one of all: Will H.B. EVER stop succeeding?
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