Nintendo Xenoblade Chronicles 2 - Nintendo Switch

I’d give this game a 4.5 out of 5 if I could. I am about 40 hours into this game and it’s crazy addictive. Let me break down the game.Story:The story starts out a little slow, but it picks up around the 20ish hour mark(I’ve done all the side quests along the way). I love how you discover more about the world, about Pyra, and the main enemies bit by bit through each cutscene. The story is gripping once you get into it. But be warned if you don’t like anime, because so far it’s had every single anime cliche in the book.Graphics:I have never been super picky about graphics(I’ll still play PS1 games today), but the graphics are gorgeous in this game. As per usual for a Xenoblade game the sceneries are drop dead gorgeous. The graphics are a little grainy in portable mode, but nothing unbearable.Gameplay:The battle system is a little complicated at the start. The game hits you with tutorial after tutorial in the beginning and there’s no way to look back in the game(you can buy “tutorials” from informants, but they’re very broad and only one sentence). Personally, I learned the basics first from the tutorials and googled guides on the more complicated parts of the battle(combos). Once you get everything down battling is really fun!Navigating can be a little difficult. There were be level 80 monsters on the map that roam around when you’re level 8 so you have to stay villigant. But that can be difficult when you’re trying to figure out how to get to where you’re suppose to go. The compass is helpful, but when there are multiple objectives they all overlap and it’s hard to tell how far away some of them are. The map is also annoying. You have to open up skip travel, go into the region you are, and guess what section you’re in. This is one thing I wish could be improved upon in a future update.CharactersMany of the character designs are cool, but I wish you could change outfits like in Xenoblade 1. 90% of the girls are scantily clad(which is annoying), and I still don’t understand why Rex’s pants were designed the way they were. Most of the characters are also stereotypical anime characters, but it plays well for the story and you can get a good laugh at how ridiculous some of the characters are.I was kind of worried when I saw a lot of negative reviews about this game since I had preordered it, but I’d have to say this is my favorite game on the Switch! Yes there are a few flaws, but that doesn’t mean you should write out the game entirely. This game is not for everyone, but if you love old JRPGs you’ll fall in love with this game.

This is an absolute must have for any JRPG fans. The world is colorful and vast, the battle system deep and rewarding, and the cast of characters unique and ever relevant. If you are on the fence about this game fear not, as it will introduce you to its more hardcore aspects gradually to ease you in. The story however gets off to a lightning fast start and has not disappointed me yet up to 20 hours in. Side quests can be a bit on the mundane end of the spectrum( think fetch this, or go kill that) but what saves it from being a monotone mess is the fact that just walking across the landscape can feel like an absolute adventure.You will find yourself coming across strange locations that you may need to return to with different abilities to access, and at no point in your journey will you miss out on the massive boss level creatures enticing you to increase your strength and challenge them properly in the future. The ambient music and soundtrack is outstanding, and you never feel alone when you can explore every part of the world with all 5(!!!!) of your companions in tow behind you(try not to fight on tree branches, they tend to fall off). This game is a masterpiece and a great entry into the Switch lineup.Minor Cons: The compass can be......less than helpful at times, especially when quest descriptions are lacking in detail. And for the love of god why do I have to go into the Blade affinity screen every time they unlock a skill? THEY ARE PASSIVE! Needs an option to turn off Blade resonance and collection animations/prompts, it gets really tedious.

This is a hard one to know if you'd like it or not. It starts out pretty slow, and while the music and world design is amazing, at points you wonder if it's worth going on with. Combat is lackluster at first, everything kills you when you're alone, and the dialogue of certain enemies is repeated.But that all changes a few hours in when you have a full party with different blades and a grasp on the combat system. The combat system, once opened up, is fantastic and a ton of fun. Setting up combos for flashy, overpowered moves is satisfying. Even choosing whether to keep hitting and flicking the joystick to raise your arts meter or letting the combo play out is an important and fun part of it all.The music is incredible, as can be expected since Japanese developers tend to focus a lot on the compositions featured in their works. The world is gorgeous and really vast while being varied. The characters are a delight, despite what your opinion may first be when looking at the character designs.If you're buying this for your child/nephew/niece, I'd be wary if they've played and e joy games that are like this, mainly JRPGS or MMO type games as the combat can be pretty complicated at first glance and the enjoyment of gameplay is a big factor that depends on past experiences.All in all, this is a really great game only if you are open to a kinda MMO style of gameplay and give it a little time while everything falls into place, because when it does, it's an incredible game that I didn't think I'd be that into at first.