So Xenoblade Chronicles X is coming to the Wii U. Good news for those looking forward to a sprawling RPG. Slightly less so if you remember the game’s 2013 trailer.
Via YouTube user Gundamzerostrike, here is the most recent Xenoblade Chronicles X trailer compared with the 2013 one.
Found on the GameFAQs forums, here is a helpful roundup of all the little differences:
I dunno if I’d call this a “massive downgrade” like someone on GameFAQs did. But the final product didn’t hit its original visual targets. While somewhat disappointing, that makes no bearing on the actual gameplay. Just remember graphics aren’t everything! And ignore the fugly faces!
Xenoblade Chronicles X will be out this month in Japan. It will be out in the West sometime this year.
Comments
13 responses to “A Disappointing Xenoblade Chronicles X Comparison”
How long is this game expected to be? I never ended up getting the first one.
I can’t remember exactly how long I spent on my first play through of XC but it was well over 100 hours. I expect the same of this one. That figure obviously includes sidequests and full exploration of the world etc but you definitely get value for money IMO.
Was the 2013 one labelled a gameplay trailer though? If not, this was to be expected I suppose.
Nah it wasn’t. The one from 2013 was just a trailer, it wasn’t a gameplay one. They were just showing off some of the game iirc.
Ever since Killzone 2 they should be labelling gameplay or not gameplay. Game footage should never be run on ‘benefit of the doubt.’
I can’t say I’m surprised. I’d have liked the final product to be closer to the 2013 trailer but Ninty aren’t exactly a visual powerhouse. Also, the graphics could be the same as XC, I’d still shell out my hard-earned in a heartbeat.
I just spent money a second time on the graphically inferior version of the original on n3DS. No regrets 😉
A shame about the downgrade. The videos that have been released showing the scope of X are ridiculous. I hope we get this in the west before the end of the year.
This is a disappointment? Seriously? This is an RPG game… Why are we comparing the graphical differences with trailers from 2 years apart? Graphics are not the most important part of an RPG. The gameplay is…
Next thing you know, people will be giving this game a 3/10 because it doesn’t run at 60fps during a certain point in the tutorial.
One would expect that what you see now would be the same or better than what you saw 2 years ago, especially with modern technology and the fact that the Wii-U has been out long enough for people to start learning how to optimise for it.
I would also argue that graphics are an important part of some RPGs, especially spell and attack effects as well as working to convince you that it is a living, breathing world. It all depends on the game. Xenoblade Chronicles is a very visual RPG so graphics are important. If it was just a Wizardry style dungeon crawler then the graphics wouldn’t be as important and the gameplay would be the stronger focus. Other RPGs are built around a strong story and have simple, yet fun gameplay and graphics that complement the rest of the game.
As for framerate, no one (other than the vocal minority) will give the game a low score, but you can bet that if every time you cast a spell or do a summon the framerate drops noticeably people will (rightly) complain. Basically, if you are going to put something in a game, make sure it works and is consistent with the rest of the game.
Yeah, a lot can change in two years, but like Casual Prolix said, you kind of expect things to change for the better.
I’m getting pretty sick of having to realize that, “Early access footage does not reflect finish product,” isn’t a disclaimer asking you to be gentle on what you’re seeing because it’ll be better when it’s done, but rather industry code for, “This is the prettiest it will never be.”
Don’t care because it doesn’t matter. One can expect whatever they like, one doesn’t get to claim “but they made me expect that!” when new promo materials replace the old ones. Take some semblance of responsibility, not all of it, just a bit.
How about don’t show it if it’s not reasonable?
One shot is different, as it was a very early pre-rendered trailer. All the rest is the same, non-story.
If it takes a side by side shot to be able to tell which is which, I don’t think there’s a problem.