The Xenoblade Chronicles Series Thread: Definitive Edition (All Spoilers in Tags)

[Jumpin]

Xeno555 said:

Jumpin said:

 

I actually disagree on that front, I don't think any of the games have immense "wow" factors when it comes to locations (outside of very high areas overlooking the surroundings). I think the feeling you're getting stems from the fact that 1 and X both reside on extremely weak hardware comparative to what was on the market at the time, as such the highs of the tech in them are elevated (similar to how 1 got an increased Metacritic score due to being one of a handful of good JRPGs on the Wii) especially when compared to other games on the system. With 2, you're on a modern platform with increased performance compared to the other Nintendo consoles; this means you're getting more AAA big budget, good looking games that waters down the individual experiences. 

As well as that, it's the 3rd game in the series, so you're starting to get that repetitive 'been there, done that' syndrome. 

You claim the games don't have the wow factor, but then contradict yourself immediately after and agree with me when you claim they do have a wow factor from high places - which is kind of what my post was about (and what's generally shown in the video clips). So I am not sure we disagree here.

I also don't see how weaker hardware would be in anything but detrimental. I mean, come on! Think about that one! =D
Review scores don't have much to say on this either. XCX (IMO) had the higher "wow factor" but scored lower than XC.

It's also not a "been there, done that" thing either. XC2 is quite a bit different in feeling and structure than the first two games; it is more like "this game is missing something" as it doesn't have those high up moments which show off large landscapes with distant horizons that are inspiring to head in and explore. The game does have spectacular moments - but for the most part, they're in the on-the-rails feeling plot-structure storyline. While I appreciate the interesting plot, I can't help but feel Xenogears did what XC2 (and XC1 for that matter) was trying to do, plotwise, to a much more satisfying degree. So, if any element can be described as "been there done that" in XC2, it's the plot; I actually feel the world is sufficiently unique, just not "wowy" like the other two games are.