Xenoblade 2 thoughts (no spoilers)

[Asriel]

Yeah, I'm about 27 hours in and finding it completely uneven. At times I love it, but I find the only consistently brilliant thing is the soundtrack. The battle-system can work brilliantly but is hampered by poor tutorials and frustrating enemy placement (getting rushed by large groups is frustrating, especially when they are deliberately placed near side-quest objectives), the map/quick travel system is almost incomprehensibly useless and particularly disappointing after how well X's map was integrated into the gameplay. It just feels messier than either X or Chronicles, and I do wonder if that's down to a shortened development cycle; though ostensibly X took ages because of the demands of adjusting to HD development and because of the decision to incorporate online features. It lacks the staggering ambition of X or the refinement and pacing of the first game.

That said, when it comes together, it's excellent. Large stretches of the story have been quite basic so far (go from point A to point B for reason C), but it works well enough and Monolith Soft design fantastical worlds unlike any other developer. The two cities I've been to so far are particularly inspired, if a little confusing in terms of lay-out. I just feel like next time Monolith Soft need to reign themselves in - stop throwing every single mechanic and idea at the wall and seeing what sticks, and actually develop a handful of mechanics while ensuring they're accessible. It'd be good to see something different from them, too; especially between the 5 and 20 hour mark, I couldn't help but compare this negatively to the original game. While many found X's story disappointing (and I agree it's a weak part of that game), I found the emphasis on exploration-driven gameplay refreshing after the narrative thrust of Chronicles. 2 returns to that narrative thrust but with less focus.

I don't mean to sound overwhelmingly negative because I will continue with this game. The Xenoblade series is unlike anything in contemporary game design, but this time that feels like as much of a curse as it is a blessing. Maybe that'll change as I get into the middle and later stages.