Well, having mechonis Fiora bothered me a bit, but not too much. What I didn't like was that the creating another universe concept, Shulk living, Fiora making people float randomly when Mechonis dies, and still being able to walk on Bionis despite it moving. How are cities still flat? How did they make this alternate universe, and why are there only 3 gods despite dozens of people on the satellite? I just felt that the end of the game was rushed, it was well planned, but for a game that's this long, there should have been more game at this point....I also hated how that High Entia woman was so much harder then the boss of the game. Still, an excellent game overall. I would give it a 9.5/10 if it weren't for all the grinding, walking, and rushed ending.

So far, I am liking The Last Story just a bit better because the story explained better as you go along, and there aren't any lucky situations which get you saved, like Fiora saving everyone.. However I still don't get the ending of the Last Story. Why did I bother killing the Sentinal of the Guraks half of the Outsider? What does killing the Sentinal prove, and what is Zangurak going to do with the Human Outsider which is so dangerous?

A lot of people seem to have a problem with this fight, but frankly I really can't see why.

All you need to do is kick over the braziers, spam Yurick's fire spell, Gather to give him time to do so, and diffuse the kid's heal circle every time someone gets possessed.

The 3 "Gods" were the three in physical contact with the console when the experiment was triggered, and the three who were  directly involved in its triggering. (Zanza pushed the button, Meyneth tried to stop him and failed, and Alvis performed the operation)

And if the "High Entia Woman" you mean is Lorithia (The one you fight in the Bionis heart, who summons all the nebulae) there's a trick to her. The nebulae give her a very high resistance to attack; focus on destroying them with magic attacks first, (the easiest way is to use Melia and spam her talent arts at them) then she becomes perfectly manageable. She's only hard if you're underlevelled or if you don't take out the nebulae first.

Ahh that's too much for people who haven't gotten to her. I beat the game a long time ago, and I followed the trick, but I had to grind for about 2 hours, and change my party to Shult, Sharla (or Reyn, can't remember), and Riki....he's good.

As for the ending, it's just not explained well enough for me, but it definatly is interesting. I especially loved the fights right before the boss of the game (on the planets) I just didn't like how the events in the later part of the game had minimal concequences, how most people survived Sword Valley, how people can still walk on Bionis while it walks, how Dickson didn't just double team with Loritha and kill you, how Shulk lived despite his body being....clone? Can you explain that one to me? I thought Shulk had no soul and was only a vessel. I also really didn't like how Fiora saved everyone when Mechonics died, how the entire party survived falling off Sword Valley, and how Shulk somehow made his own Monardo. However in general I did like the plot twist at the end and the overall story arc. This was a really good JRPG, really pushed the Wii, and if I could limit myself to 10 console games this gen, XenoBlade would probably just make the list.

I'm liking The Last Story a bit more so far (and I'm about 90% done) because there is no grinding, or 3 hour stretches of just running from A to B (XenoBlade should have been a 40 hour game), more in depth character interactions, and character development (Syrenne is so different near the end of the game, then at the start), and a really well designed fight system. However both are excellent, I'm glad Project Rainfall was a relative success (No Pandora's Tower here).

I bleeped the bit about Bionis heart.

What level were you at when you beat Lorithia? I was one level higher than her, and I didn't have to grind to beat her, the dungeon before her got me up high enough. I got whipped the first time, but that was because I tried to attack her head-on. Once I used Melia as I explained earlier, with Sharla and Dunban, I slaughtered her.

Xenoblade definiely has some plot holes, but some of those can be explained. Zanza gave Shulk life so that he could use him as a vessel, but once he did so, Shulk wasn't dependent on his continued support to live. His coma was due to being shot and the shock of Zanza leaving him. Alvis reveals later that Zanza inadvertantly made Shulk effectively a God; he left some of his godly power in him when he left his body, (the same happened with Meyneth and Fiora) which is how they exhibit the blue/red glows and super-human powers even after they are no longer hosts. (Culminating in Shulk getting his own Monado because as a God he's granted one by Alvis)

I did prefer the characters and faster pacing of TLS too, even if I liked Xeno more overall.

The problem was the healing more than any of that other stuff. Though what made the difference was me equipping some newer weapons in my inventory, so that i was, at last, damaging it more rapidly than it could heal (and more able to destroy the drones it used to heal in time anyway)

The second shade was actually easier, because you could ring-out his sacrificial zombies to keep its healing to a minimum.

Plus i remembered to use Command Mode this time <_>

awesome, awesome sooooo awesome... I got the game yesterday and my wii died on me!!! Just how cool that is!!

I was 6 levels below her, and unlike you the dungeon before her didn't level me up. I remember this actually annoyed me because all thoughout Mechonis I was overleveled, and Egil was an easy boss, even he enemies on the way to Bionis's heart were easy (despite me being a lower level) Loritha was a random spike in enemy levels, I found her harder then the Boss of the game.

As for your explanation, that makes a lot of sense. So then I'll change my opinion about the end of the game. However I think there could have been more explanation about the whole creating a new universe thing, it just has no scientific backing...

As for the game itself, if I were to rate it I still couldn't give it a 9/10, but I think for The Last Story, I can. XenoBlade had too much grinding, too much traeveling, and I don't think the side missions are organized very well. I mean it's a real hastle to rebuild Colony 6 and get some rare missions.

I finally beat The Last Story, and my only complaint is regarding an item. Do not use the sword you obtain after defeating Jirall, I think it's called the Embassador sword, you have to remove a curse to use it, but it's garbage. The sword limits you to 1 health, I didn't read that and gave the sword to Syrenne and thought it was a glitch due to a boss fight just after.

Also I don't like how you can still equip Dunban after Chapter 36, or the last time he is in your party.....

Still great game, haven't done the epilogue yet, but I don't think that will take too long. My play time is 21.5 hours before the epilogue. If the epilogue is decent I think I can give this game a 9/10. I still like Lost Odyssey better, but this game was good enough to keep anything from Mistwalker on my radar. Hope their next game is as good as these two, I should play Blue Dragon sometime.

Nintendo Product.....died??? Impossible, your outlet is broken.