Xenoblade X is definitely the most 'play however you want and go whichever direction you like' of all the Xenoblade games. So if you prefer games that won't lead you by the nose and give you ultimate freedom, Breath of the Wild style, this is definitely the one to start with.

All of the Xenoblade games are great though. They just all require you to invest a lot of time into them.

(i think my prev comment was too political lol.) In other news: Zelda EoW just won its first GotY! So, Nintendo will retain its 15y streak of having a first-party release win at least one GotY award every year! Right at the finish line, Zelda came in clutch: Awards stop getting counted next week.

btw anybody have any words of recommendation for Xenoblade Chronicles X? Never played a. enoblade game before, but I’ve heard a ridiculous amount of praise over this game, in particular.

Xenoblade X is different from the other Xenoblade games, some ways good and some bad.

The gameplay is arguably the best because it has mechs.

The story is easily the worst, at least the main story. A lot of people complained about the story pacing because it forces you to fluff around with other stuff before you can continue, but doing all the side quests and interacting with all the little characters is actually the most interesting part. Most of the world building requires you to go around helping as many people as possible to see how they're all connected. They're all pretty goofy and ridiculous, but that's the charm. Just don't expect many epic and melodramatic story beats.

Music is also arguably the best. Composed by the Attack on Titan guy.

It does take a while before you get your first mech. Then it takes another bit before you can get mechs for your squad. Then it takes another bit after that before you can actually fly. But every step of the process is incredibly rewarding and satisfying once you get to hear one of the game's best OSTs which they just released a remix for (and it's glorious):

They've shown a lot of small but impactful changes for the definitive edition so far. The improved character models and UI in particular. Just wonder how much the peformance can really improve from Wii U to Switch. Pop-in became very prevalent once you began racing around in the mechs. I'd love if they made the game to be forward compatible with Switch 2 and take advantage of some much better hardware. That alone would make me want to buy a new system day one.