Having the map on the Gamepad was quite a handy feature in games like ZombiU and Batman Arkham City, so this is good news in my book. I like having my main screen as uncluttered as conveniently possible by HUD features.

I'm fine with what they're doing and I have no doubt the game will be epic, but I really was hoping for secondary character control via touchscreen. Issuing heal/combo commands in Xenoblade 1 would have made a 9.9 game a 10.

That's exactly the problem. It's a bad artistic choice.

I think so too, since there is Xeno in the title, think about Xenosaga on Ps2, the characters looked much more alive:

And this character was a robot...

*sigh*
I think using the GamePad as a map is obviously a very smart idea, but it seems like Nintendo is not being as innovative as they could be. We had a GamePad map for Wind Waker HD, Aonuma or Miyamoto recently said that the GamePad would be used as a map for Zelda U, and now we hear that Xeno X will use the GamePad as a "navigation device," which is just a fancy way of saying map. Nintendo promised to use the GamePad in innovative ways, but so far all we're seeing is a bunch of maps. Kind of disappointing...

Artistic merit is subjective, but from a technical POV, X's characters are way beyond PS2, even if they're not overly impressive by Wii U standards. 

Then again, when the environments are this huge and beautiful, simplistic looking characters don't both me, same as with the first Xenoblade.

I will buy X, but I still think the characters look weird. And, yes, the environments are gorgeous.

Oh, I agree they look weird, it just doesn't bother me that much, just like it didn't in the first Xenoblade. That's kind of Monolith's M.O. these days; basic character models in exchange for stunning worlds. I'll be too focussed on the latter for the former to bug me, haha.

I am in love with the WiiU´s gamepad, I will love to play a RPG that uses the thing, even if it is just map and minor stuff. It is a really neat feature.