Official Xenoblade thread- Opinions, thoughts and questions inside! Can it hit 1mil in sales next year? Sequel coming for Wii U???

[gumby_trucker]

RolStoppable said:

What are these elements you speak of? I have never played an MMO, because I stay away from trash.

Can't say I'm an adamant MMO player either, but parts of Xenoblade reminded me of, for lack of a better word, the "blandness" that is usually associated with MMOs. It comes down to having such an overabundance of content, that it begins to loose substance.

Too many NPCs and monsters feel like clones or texture-swaps with only minor changes in stats or other superficial elements, and this is also true about armor, a lot of the weapons, and even some side-quests and towns. Item collection, while by no means abused in the game, still feels rather pointless, as does gem-crafting. Even stuff like affinity and heart-to-hearts can feel like they were superimposed on top of the game, and not an integral part of the initial design. Worse still, I feel like the main characters' individual personalities lack the depth they deserve.

I realize some of this is intentional - obviously many interface elements were streamlined in order to make the playing experience simpler and more transparent, and the game prioritizes actual exploring and combat over lengthy cut-scenes or rambling dialogue, but as a result I sometimes feel a lack of emotional connection in places where I think I should feel it. Also as a result, many supposedly different actions in the game feel like they are just the same action, with minor differences, as if the pretty graphics I see with my eyes are just a thin vail between me and what's actually going on, which is just dry stat-crunching by a computer.

All this contributes to an annoying feeling that pops up in my mind once in a while when playing the game, causing this epic adventure to feel unsubstantial.