Xenoblade: Hands On Impressions

I've been playing Xenoblade for the Wii a lot lately. I must say that this game so far is one of the better JRPG's out there. Unfortunately it's still TBA to be released outside of Japan. However I couldn't wait anymore and decided to try the game out myself. Here is my impressions on the game so far.

Story - The story starts off years before the main story. Three guys are in a war and are facing a load of enemies. One of the guys betrays the other two and then we are brought to present day. This is where we meet the main character Shulka who is able to use the Excalibur sword, which is the same sword one of the three guys had before him. He is on mission to find the people that destroy his village. That's all I can make out for now. The story does seem intriguing but once again I don't know Japanese.

Gameplay - The gameplay is an action RPG. The battle system is similar to Final Fantasy XII, but BETTER! Running into enemies does not start a battle. Players will have attack their enemies first, using the Z button. Once the battle starts the inventory of various attacks are at your disposal. Don't worry once you use all your special attacks it will recharge. While it recharges your character will attack automatically with normal attacks. The battle system works and it's very fun to play. I haven't gotten very far, I'am currently grinding for the first dungeon. However I do want to say the controls are smooth and the camera is great. You use the C button and the D-pad to fix where you will like the camera. You can have it high, close or just normal. The side quest is cool as well. It actually effect how people in the town view you. If you help they will like you, if not well your won't be welcome much.

Gameplay Video


Graphics - So far the graphics are beautiful on the Wii. The towns and open environments are very detail. The opening scene with the war was great to watch. I love the use of colors and how this game looks at night.

Music - The music is composed by Yoko Shimomura who does it again. I'am going to search for this OST. The only thing about the music in terms of battle, it makes me want to play Kingdom Hearts it's that similar in style.

Final Word - So far Xenoblade is on the best JRPG's that came out in 2010. Unfortunately there is no sign that it will be hitting the USA or anywhere else. We can only hope it does, this game needs to be played by all.