I've learned more about this game and really want to play it, but they've made it really hard for people to do so. I hope it gets a wider release in the future, either across platforms or in the States so it'll get more attention.

Man the Wii is bringing it this year.

My roommate has a wii and she has Skyward Sword coming on release date. I wish this game came out in the states...

Just so I can order it off Amazon and Dolphin it...

@RobertOrri said:

This is indeed an excellent game. It puts FFXIII to shame.

@ahoodedfigure said:

How closely is this related to Xenogears / Xenosaga? I never was clear on the lineage there.

Completely unrelated.

At first I didn't think Xenogears was related to Xenosaga until I read the wikipedia articles. I did not know it was done by the same developer.

Xenoblade is one of the best RPGs I've played in years.  I'm at about 140 hours and getting close to the end.  I play my JRPGs extra slow and try to do everything.  I've got almost every quest done that is available and at this point and right now I'm just trying to raise affection levels with all my party and get some nice equipment from higher level monsters.
 
I don't know if it will eventually crack my top three (Persona 4, Shadow Hearts: Covenant, Tales of Vesperia) but it is definitely on its way to taking the number 4 spot.

Ok, so in all fairness, I'll list exactly the games I have been playing that stand out in memory. I'll happily admit my catalog of JRPGs isn't exactly an encyclopaedia.

Final Fantasy 7, 8, X2, 12, 13

Grandia 2

Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross

Dark Cloud 2

Star Ocean: The Last Hope

Resonance of Fate

Gaia

I don't regret buying or playing any of the games on that list, with the slight exception of X2, but of all of those I completed exactly three titles: Grandia 2, Chrono Trigger and FF12. All of the other games, at some point, simply ground to a halt for me for various reasons. Resonance of Fate on paper was a super exciting game, but the story just doesn't hold up. FF13 is gorgeous, but my god does it grind. Star Ocean too, gorgeous and dull.

If my statement sounded like I thought all JRPGs are boring, then that's wrong. Some of them are rad. But when I've been playing Xenoblade, it *feels* revolutionary, like the first time I tried Grandia 2's battle system when I'd just come out of Final Fantasy 8. If you're going to stand and defend JRPGs, at least play Xenoblade and share your opinion, since you clearly have more points of reference than me.

@Stingraymond: What fast travel are you talking about? The Airships? I don't actually think that counts. And I'd say having to restart from a save point is a death penalty, ever played FFIII? One dungeon in particular is a complete bitch if you die, like an hour of progress lost.

This is indeed an excellent game. It puts FFXIII to shame.

@ahoodedfigure said:

How closely is this related to Xenogears / Xenosaga? I never was clear on the lineage there.

Completely unrelated.

@Stingraymond said:

@Sunjammer said:

Great combat, great story (so far), really smart systems.. I love how you don't have to turn in quests, or how the future prediction stuff feeds into the combat, and the fast travel, and the nonexistent penalty for death. It's like they looked at what made JRPGs boring and just sliced it all out, while taking the right kinds of inspiration from other more modern RPGs in the same vein.

Okay... turning in quests is an almost exclusively Western RPG game mechanic that still exists to this day in the most popular WRPGs. Fast Travel has been around since early FF games, along with nonexistent death penalties, none of those are new, innovative features, and none of those are features that 'make JRPGs boring' so fuck knows what games you've been playing.

Someones mad.

@Sunjammer said:

Great combat, great story (so far), really smart systems.. I love how you don't have to turn in quests, or how the future prediction stuff feeds into the combat, and the fast travel, and the nonexistent penalty for death. It's like they looked at what made JRPGs boring and just sliced it all out, while taking the right kinds of inspiration from other more modern RPGs in the same vein.

Okay... turning in quests is an almost exclusively Western RPG game mechanic that still exists to this day in the most popular WRPGs. Fast Travel has been around since early FF games, along with nonexistent death penalties, none of those are new, innovative features, and none of those are features that 'make JRPGs boring' so fuck knows what games you've been playing.

How closely is this related to Xenogears / Xenosaga? I never was clear on the lineage there.

I'm 9 hours in (which I assume is very early in the game) but I am totally blown away. I don't even like JRPGs and I'm totally drawn in. Reminds me a LOT of the previous JRPG I enjoyed in any capacity, Final fantasy 12. Great combat, great story (so far), really smart systems.. I love how you don't have to turn in quests, or how the future prediction stuff feeds into the combat, and the fast travel, and the nonexistent penalty for death. It's like they looked at what made JRPGs boring and just sliced it all out, while taking the right kinds of inspiration from other more modern RPGs in the same vein. I guess I never thought of it like that before, but World of Warcraft really has a lot in common with JRPGs, so much so JRPGs are now cribbing from WoW. Impressive either way.

I know some people lament this game being on the Wii, but I actually think the shittier specs make for a game that was easier for Monolith to make. I mean we saw how Squeenix folded in on themselves trying to produce a JRPG with next gen assets, and for Xenoblade the developers really went as far as they felt they should, and the overall quality of the world and just running around it and looking at it is so good that any technical complaints about the visuals end up feeling really ungrateful. The first time i saw rain on a huge grassy field with building sized monsters wandering around I was completely sold on the illusion.

If you have a chance to play it, you really should give it a go. I think it's a truly stunning achievement.