Nintendo of America is releasing Xenoblade Chronicles to North Americans exclusively at Gamestop and via Nintendo's online store.

Official website.

Nintendo of America said:

It’s man vs. machine in a new game coming to Nintendo’s Wii™ console in spring. Xenoblade Chronicles™ asks players to use the Monado blade to take on a seemingly endless series of invading Mechon robots in a sweeping role-playing adventure.

The main character is Shulk, a weapons researcher who must confront the Mechon by wielding the ancient Monado blade. It’s the only weapon that has any effect against the Mechon, and it also enables Shulk to see the future.

Players can customize their characters with a variety of weapons and armor choices, as well as headgear, boots and gloves. As in many role-playing games, players can then gain experience and upgrade their characters. Players can watch their enemies, learn their tactics and unleash real-time counterattacks.

The vast open world of Xenoblade Chronicles is ripe for exploration. Players can avert their focus from the main story and venture out looking for other challenges and side quests. Hidden areas and unique monsters are scattered throughout the game’s massive world, which players can explore freely.

Xenoblade Chronicles has already launched in Japan and Europe, and has received unanimously positive reviews, including several perfect scores.

Xenoblade Chronicles will be available exclusively through U.S. GameStop retail locations, http://www.gamestop.com and http://www.nintendo.com at a suggested retail price of $49.99 in the United States. Additional information about the game will be announced in the future. For more information, visit http://xenobladechronicles.nintendo.com.

Source.


Announcement trailer. Video courtesy of GameTrailers.
Canadian confirmation.

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@anon_mastermind

I guess we'll see if this becomes a common thing for Nintendo. It seems like a one time thing to me, but if you're right it would make sense for Nintendo to do this for future niche releases as well.

Posted by

Jargon

on: 12/03/11, 02:51

@Zero

Dude! Earlier this year, all you kept saying was you would hold out and hope Nintendo released this here in NA. Even on podcast 16 you went on about holding out on modding your Wii, still holding on to that sliver of hope.

Now, its becoming a reality and all you do is complain?! Even about it being at Gamestop and taking forever for the price to drop! I mean, from the way you was talking earlier this year, you sounded like you would buy this game as soon as it was released. If you want the game to be a success then you need to buy it and fork over the $50 bones. I mean, what else will be available to purchase for the Wii?

Shame on you! I thought for sure you would come into one of these threads and be like, Hell yea! Im getting Xenoblade on day 1...yada,yada,yada.

Posted by

gamewizard65

on: 12/03/11, 03:37

Well, not going to dabble into the somewhat silly argument going on here. Will just say what I said in the other thread:

Going to be heading to my local Gamestop tomorrow, pre-order this, and know my friends that work there will take care of me and what not.

Posted by

CB200

on: 12/03/11, 04:03

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

And we don't have to get it at GameStop!

Posted by

cozzin

on: 12/03/11, 04:04

Xenoblade's North American Release A Victory For Fans And The Medium Both

Gamasutra said:

"Moreover, like I already said, this game proves something. Yes, video games are a business, and one at which Nintendo lately often excels. At the scale at which it moves product -- Mario games selling in the tens of millions -- the sales potential for Xenoblade Chronicles is comically low. But the company -- all companies -- has a responsibility to publish works which enrich the medium."

"It is a game where a highly motivated developer stuck a stake in the ground and said "I want to transform the way this kind of game is made" and did it. How can a game like that not be made available to the broadest audience possible? It is, to my mind, an ethical question as much as it is a business one."

Very well put.

Posted by

Guillaume

on: 12/03/11, 06:54

Edited:

12/03/11, 06:54

@Guillaume

That was very well put. I still question Nintendo's strategy, meaning only being available thru Gamestop and no other retail outlets other than Nintendo's online store and I read somewhere else that it was only in the US the game is being released. Sure, for our friends up North, I guess the game will be easier to acquire, but still almost the same hassle as importing, I mean, they'll have to place an order thru Nintendo of America. And limiting the games release to the market, plus the fact that its almost a year past the game's initial release, probably 75% or more who really wanted the game either imported it or pirated it, when the game sells like shit, Nintendo will say, "See, this is why we didnt want to release the game in NA."

Posted by

gamewizard65

on: 12/03/11, 13:27

...all I know is I'm reserving this very soon. Time to pile up some **** to sell.

* looks curiously at recently-bought and very-much-hated copy of Ultimate MvC3 *

In all seriousness, it's a shame it took this long and it's still a limited release, but I'm not about to look down at it when I'd been waiting for such a thing to be announced. I've been listening to RFN give it like 90% love for weeks. I want in, dammit.

And I want the British accents. <3

Posted by

roknin

on: 12/03/11, 14:26

Why GameStop, though? If these companies are so anti-used games, why the fuck do they keep supporting GameStop with exclusive content/bonuses?

@Dynablade
Why did you hate it? I was thinking about picking it up. Maybe I should wait for Ultimate MvC3 Arcade Edition. I heard that you don't get the DLC characters in UMvC3. That's kind of a dick move.

Posted by

Anand

on: 12/03/11, 23:23

Edited:

12/03/11, 23:24

@Anand

I can't speak for @Dynablade, but I assume the unbalanced jankiness of the game has at least *something* to do with it. That game is a mess when it comes to character/team balancing. Tatsunoko vs Capcom does SUCH a better job of creating a fair and balanced fighting game.

Of course, I always comes across as a Nintendo fanboy by saying that. And that often devalues my opinion in other forums. So I'll only admit that here, lol.

The last game I felt that was as balanced as TvC was Marvel vs Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes.

Posted by

GameDadGrant

on: 12/03/11, 23:35

@gamewizard65 Nah it's good news and all, just thinking longterm I still think that Nintendo of America is screwing up. I don't hold out much hope that their localization as a whole is going to get any better than the piss poor experience that it was this generation.

But yeah, in the end it's certainly nice that it's coming. Won't pay $50 for it though, I haven't paid $50 for a game since the launch of the Wii.

Posted by

Zero

on: 12/04/11, 00:54

Well....now I feel obligated to purchase this to validate all of that crying by the internetz. Not sure if I have the time to play this game right now...

Posted by

Abdooooo

on: 12/04/11, 01:23

Bump for the Canadian confirmation (source in the OP).

Posted by

ludist210

on: 12/07/11, 23:20

@Earendil

Not rippin' or anything, but is this how most people think? The entire thing up front?

--5 bucks down, and you can shift it to something else (or get it back) in the future if you change your mind.

@Zero

Good luck with that. This is a game that I will be playing on the day I buy it. You know, release day.

@Abdooooo

You don't have to! It comes out in April, wooo! Get your affairs in order, or something.


For me?:
-Rosters
-Skyward Sword
-Do..something with poor Monster Hunter..

Posted by

Mr_Mustache

on: 12/08/11, 01:53

CANADA YES!! It will be mine, then.

Posted by

carlosrox

on: 12/08/11, 10:28

Rumor has it that Gamestop actually convinced Nintendo to release Xenoblade here and is even chipping in for publishing costs. If so, big ups to Gamestop! (even though I usually hate them).

Also says they might be interested in bringing Last Story over if Xenoblade sells well. So I guess if you want the Last Story, you know what to do.

Posted by

Jargon

on: 12/13/11, 06:19

@Mr_Mustache

True! First SS then Okami then Xeno...

@Jargon

Interesting. It would be weird to see Gamestop as a legit publisher down the line.

Posted by

Abdooooo

on: 12/13/11, 06:27

Jargon said:

Rumor has it that Gamestop actually convinced Nintendo to release Xenoblade here and is even chipping in for publishing costs. If so, big ups to Gamestop! (even though I usually hate them).

Also says they might be interested in bringing Last Story over if Xenoblade sells well. So I guess if you want the Last Story, you know what to do.

NOA is pathetic. GameStop had to come to NOA to get them to do this AND offer to pay some of the publishing cost? The more I learn about this, the more I feel like importing this game anyway just to spite NOA.

Posted by

WrathOfSamus777

on: 12/13/11, 06:29

I just read about this and was about to post this. "If" this rumor is true, I'd be speechless (not in a good way). I absolutely dislike Gamestop. But I have to give the devil the credit it's due by commending them for taking a (somewhat) smart business risk buy appealing to Nintendo to bring this game here. I may get Xenoblade just to be able to sell it on Ebay in the near future. Heck, I'll probably buy two just in case I get over my anger for Nintendo on how bad they fucked up my excitement for this game (as well as The Last Story and Pandora's Tower).

BTW, I really really hate that I will have to buy this from Gamestop.

Posted by

shinriley

on: 12/13/11, 06:37

Just read the rumor on GoNintendo and came over to basically say what others already have. Devil it's due yada yada.

Think I'm gonna buy two copies, and see what the prices look like later down the line. I've never been a fan of price-gouging for new, rare items, but if it turns into a true collectible...

Posted by

grantimusprime

on: 12/13/11, 08:42

@grantimusprime

You'd probably have to wait a WHILE. Like, two decades or something. But then I bet yes, it would be worth a nice bit of cash still in the wrapping!

Posted by

-JKR-

on: 12/13/11, 15:36