I can sort of see where Onibaka is coming from. The beautiful style of this game is one that only seems to work from a distance, the large landscapes and sweeping vistas, but i too felt that up close, the characters looked a little lacklustre

Of course, why should NoA assume that we're shallow enough for all that?

Even so, with a title like Xenoblade it is easily overlooked.

The game has fantastic music, large world to explore, good storyline, great gameplay and if anyone disagrees then they are just a "bunch of jokers".

FINALLY

Xenoblade is a SCALE game. It's like comparing GTA to Crysis. It doesn't work that way.

Also, bring on Last Story!

I'll make sure to pick this up.

Ugh. There shouldn't even be a question of releasing it in select markets. They should have just released it everywhere, period. I don't understand why we, gamers, have to beg for this kind of shit.
On top of it all, they're exclusively releasing it only on Gamestop. What kind of ass-backwards is that? Is this what they decided after 'closely' watching Europe?

Sounds questionably fake. I hope anyway (On GS exclusive).

it's worse than Ass-Backwards. This is Back-Asswards.

This game should be available everywhere in the US. It is easily deserved for a title that is easily the top JRPG of this generation, not to mention one of the best titles to be released this year.

Sucks that it might be Gamestop exclusive but I suppose I'll freaking go to their store for this game considering I usually try to avoid that place. Perhaps, I'll just order through their site but I'd rather not be associated with them at all so maybe a purchase in store would be best.

During the GameCube their were a ton of retailer specific timed exclusives. I remember BlockBuster in the states getting StarFox:Assualt two weeks before launch day. I had to travel to the US to buy the thing because BlockBuster Canada didn't have it in advance. FutureShop in Canada also got BattalionWars exclusively for a timed exclusive I think a week or so.

I don't think I recall a permanent retailer exclusive however so this would be a first from what I know. Actually in Japan I could have sworn their was a retailer exclusive, but can't recall which title or retailer.

Now I get to say I told you so in my thread defending Reggie and in other threads about Operation Rainfall I clearly said he never said the game was not coming. I suggested the title or titles could be coming in 2012. Reggie said big games were still coming for Wii next year and those titles would make perfect sense.

Turns out I was right and Nintendo is bringing Xenoblade, not sure about the other two. But all you whining fanatics better purchase this thing. It better not be like Conduit and have sales not live up to the hype. If this title fails to reach 200K then it is a failure and Nintendo will be a lot less likely to bring the other two.

As for the exclusive run having very few copies. If Nintendo has a deal with GameStop and if it is exclusive then they do. Then Nintendo will provide GameStop with the copies they require. It wouldn't do GameStop much good to have an exclusive product on their shelves if after two prints Nintendo stops supplying them.

I think a ton of you owe Nintendo and more importantly Reggie an apology. This move goes against standard Nintendo policy and shows Nintendo is still willing to take risks if their fans want the product. Don't let Nintendo regret this risk!

I don't really care for Gamestop (ever since they began refusing to accept my orders online), but I can never overlook a game with a soundtrack composed by both Shimomura and Mitsuda. Besides, like others have pointed out, I can always order directly from Nintendo when preorders open in 17 days.