Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Pros

• This year I played about 58 games that have decisive endings to them (I don’t count stuff like Stellaris or old favourites of mine like Xenoblade Chronicles 2 that I revisit regularly).
• XBC2 is probably in my top 5 JRPGs. ... it's an amazing game if you look past the fan service. That the fan service makes the game appear shallow, but it's an amazing journey.
• God I love XBC2. Underneath its veneer of anime tropes and aesthetics is a thematically rich story prancing around with a mask of a "boy meets girl" narrative. The villains in particular were quite fantastic. In addition, Xenoblade Chron...
• I played the second entry in the series in 2022/2023, which is also my favorite aside from X.
• I gave Xenoblade Chronicles 2 shit for being over-complicated. But looking it back I think it actually improved upon the established formula, give or take sixteen hours spent teaching a polar boar the lute. The combat had more going on,...

Cons

• JRPGs with endgame DLCs, by the time they release I forgot the plot ( Xenoblade Chronicles 2 ).
• I was so disappointed by the route they took with the second one, it is just so embarrassing how they designed and weote the characters. There is something good in there, but it is buried under a big pile of anime poo poo.
• Parent context: Im 20ish hours in, I'm coming straight after playing and enjoying XBC:DE Reply: The anime whiplash is so hard to bear lol. XB1 tone is anime, but not as cringy. And the VA wasn't perfect, but it was miles better than what...
• Personally, it goes right through me without causing any sort of emotional reaction. I mean, after 30 of these dramatic plot pivots how could someone give a shit? The main protagonist, Rex, is a 15-17 year old kid with a weird kiddish Sc...
• I think the gameplay *does* pick up--but not enough to justify trudging through those 30ish hours. Eventually you'll have enough equipped blades to combine abilities to do some meaningful combos. Despite your growing power, the game will...