You get used to it, to a point where it becomes second nature and actually rather enjoyable

Hehe yeah I hope so! I'm also thinking about getting the Last Story... should I?

I recently finished it, and yes, it was enjoyable. However, it was a touch short (took me just under 25 hours to finish the main story and 30 with all the extra stuff), a bit linear (apart from in the main hub city areas, of which there are only 3 times you visit it and it's the only town in the game) and the story is a tad generic.

I'd give Xenoblade a 9.7, but The Last Story a 8.2. Not a bad game by any means, but coming off the back of Xenoblade sort of ruined the experience :P

Hehe, perhaps I should start with The Last Story then? :P But I can't say that I'm a big JRPG fan... that's why Xenoblade seems so appealing: it doesn't appear to be a thru and thru JRPG...

I watched this GT review and every time a grass field full of spiral mountains appeared, I drooled.

This game looks simply unbelievable! I will definitely buy it when if I get the Wii U.

didnt Game Informer also review it (with an 9.5) ?

You mean this one?

"I fell in love with JRPGs in the 16-bit era because they constantly showed me things I'd never seen before. Somewhere in the last 15 years, most RPG developers in Japan have lost sight of that, instead rehashing the same fantasies and floating by on nostalgia. Xenoblade Chronicles is the first JRPG I've played this generation that has me excited for the future rather than simply reminding me of happy memories from my past. Monolith Soft deserves praise for creating it."

http://www.gameinformer.com/games/xenoblade_chronicles/b/wii/archive/2012/03/29/xenoblade-chronicles-review-a-vision-of-the-future.aspx

Another damn good review!

Do you live in Europe? If so I'd say get Xenoblade because it's cheaper, but if you can find TLS for cheap, then go with that. 

It's up to you really. Have a look and see which one you like the most, and go for that. Both are worth getting.

But Xenoblade certainly isn't a thru and thru JRPG. It lasts for over 70 hours for the simple play-through, and more than double that with sidequests. Pretty much everything TLS does, Xenoblade does better IMO. But different people prefer TLS, so it's personal preference.

I've played both, and there is no question. Xenoblade is a much better game. Xenoblade, in and of itself, is reason to own a Wii. It's the deepest and most satisfying game the Wii will ever have in it's library.  Conversely, I was disappointed in the Last Story.  I felt that it took a step backwards in terms of the depth and breadth from Sakaguchi's previous JRPG, Lost Odyssey.  Lost Odyssey had tons of extra bosses and secret dungeons on top of the 60-hour story.  The Last Story fails in comparison, and I truly don't think the new battle system makes it better.  Give me turn-based with a twist, but don't give me what it is TLS calls their combat system.  No thanks.

great score. can't wait to buy it.