@-JKR-

I think backtracking can be fun, but it's all about how. I wouldn't want to backtrack in this game as much just because the game is just too freaking big. Skyward Sword IMO was really guilty of having a shitty transportation system that felt like a chore.

But in something like Super Metroid, they have secrets peppered into the world, so backtracking brings about more discovery. I like that kind of backtracking. In a game like this though, I agree, I just want to zip where I need to go.

@PogueSquadron

Well the backtracking is made better due to being able to quickly travel from one area to the next and returning to earlier areas to beat all of those high level monsters is quite rewarding One of my earliest stops was beating Immovable Gonzalez

@PogueSquadron

I wonder if it's a 2D thing vs. a 3D one? I totally agree about Metroid (and Castlevania games too) but I'm struggling to think of a big 3D world I was happy to backtrack in. Thoughts?

The Metroid Prime games have been fun to backtrack in I thought. Any game will be boring to backtrack in really but as a game that's well designed like Metroid where you acquire new abilities to access new areas and explore more of the regions, it has more of a rewarding feel to it.

I would have preferred it if Xenoblade had more high level areas to explore. Give us more regions where it's obvious they're full of high level monsters so returning to them later once you've leveled up would be a fun challenge.

I think a lot of it is:

Character movement/speed (In Super Metroid, Samus is very fast, for instance
Reward Factor (do you find goodies along the beaten path? Any secrets "right under your nose" that you discover later? Has the world changed at all?)
Ease of traversal (how easy is it to retraverse as you get more powerful? How complicated is the world to get around?)
Amount of backtracking

What 3D games are there that make backtracking annoying? I think the problem with some 3D games is that they make backtracking a part of the game when it shouldn't be. Maybe I'll get flak for this, but I think Mario 64 kind of falls into that category. The fun part of Mario 64 is the platforming to me. The platforming and the focused level design that exists in pockets in each world. That's what I want to be doing - hopping around and navigating obstacle courses. I don't like climbing the same mountain 5 times.

Contrast this to Banjo-Kazooie, and I like the exploration/backtracking element more. It feels more like an adventure game, and that's why I go back to that game now and then. The fun part of BK for me is exploring the huge worlds and seeing how my new abilities let me access new areas - I especially found joy in finding new places in Gruntilda's Lair.

Whether it's 2D or 3D, I think a game generally has to encourage exploration and backtracking using different methods. In general, I think the BIGGEST problem 3D games have with this is that the character simply isn't fast enough. The nice part about Xenoblade is that even though the world is huge, you have a lot of quick travel options at your disposal, and your character does run relatively quickly (compared to someone like Link).

Metroid Prime (series) broke backtracking for me. Big time.

Fragile didn't help.

@Mr_Mustache

Yet you LOVE Muramasa!

@Guillaume

SO GOOD.

Mr_Mustache said:

@Guillaume

SO GOOD.

YES!

S

Got up to the Makna Forest tonight. One thing I really like about this game is the "Story Memo." I thought it got kinda boring in the swamp, but I'm still liking the game. I usually can't stand swamp areas in this game, and this was no different. Things seem to be progressing a little more slowly, but I suppose that's a given after some big sequences a couple hours ago.

One thing I'm finding I don't like...the armor in this game is generally really ugly. And if you don't have enough money, you have to mix and match armor, and then it's REALLY ugly. (Usually though, I guess you can sell a bunch of the meaningless items you happen across).

Right now Dunban has some feathery thing on his arm that looks really bad. Can't wait to get something new, haha.

Also, I'm glad that I finally figured out the battle system. I did figure it out a while ago (I think it finally "clicked" as I started making my way to Colony 6 and started having to fight multiple Mechons at once). It was just hard not to panic at the beginning. As long as you focus on one thing at a time, you're usually fine.

I still don't quite get the skill linking system. I'll have to look it up online and do some research.

@PogueSquadron

Just wait until you get more characters. They really help add some variety to your team setup/the battle system in general. The next one you get has been my main ever since they joined my team .

And at 55 hours I've finally gathered the courage to just throw Shulk off my team, and have been having a blast so far ;p

@PogueSquadron Just when I think I'm getting a handle on the battle system, I get severely beaten down by a unique monster that's a level or two under me, and I realize I'm just scraping by. But then I remembered that I should have been leveling up my Arts, so maybe that's part of my problem.

My problem is that I've gotten so used to playing with Reyn and Sharla, and how Reyn sets up Shulk. I'll have to try another combo, but I dont have the courage to take Sharla out. She makes me pretty unstoppable against enemies at my own level.

@PogueSquadron

Same here. I sincerely doubt I'll have any other team the rest of the game unless one of those two leaves the party. I like this little groove I've learned and I don't want to learn a new one!

(Of course the rare times I play RPGs, that's what usually happens. The first team I get is the team I keep.)

PogueSquadron said:

I still don't quite get the skill linking system.

It isn't as complicated as it looks.

Skill links are basically a way to give one character's skill to another character. An example of this is Reyn's skill to equip heavy armour, which can be a good one to link to another character so they can also use heavy armour. The shape of each slot determines what kind of skill you can place in that slot. So, Reyn's Heavy Armour skill is in the shape of a spikey circle if I recall, and one of Shulk's skill link slots is also that shape. So he can "equip" Reyn's skill and then use heavy armour himself.

The affinity between two members determines how many slots are available to link between the two, from 1 to 5 slots.

"Affinity coins" are basically the points required to equip a skill. You can raise the max number by leveling up, and they may come from other places like defeating a unique monster, I'm not entirely sure.

I made the mistake of handing over the controller to my wife for some of the item management stuff last night, and I passed out during the two hours she took making gems and linking skills and yadda yadda yadda. Reminded me why I don't like RPGs. :P

Today, back to adventuring!

I'm slowly growing to hate side quests in Xenoblade

I spent all of my time with this game yesterday getting Colony 9 up to between 4 and 5 stars so I could finally unlock Shulk's 4th Skill Tree...and now I've learned I need to do the same at Frontier Village if I want to get Sharla's. Wooooooooo!

Yeah I really don't like how they handled sidequests. It's really annoying that the exclamation marks only appear on the map when you get close to something. Why can't they just be there all the time? I can never remember where any of the NPCs are. I kind of just complete sidequests as a side effect of killing things mostly. If I see a red exclamation point on the map I'll run to it, but I've basically stopped going out of my way for them.

I agree that side quests could be better managed in the game. However, since they are just that, side quests, I'm not harsh on them; you don't have to do them to play the main game.

The marks appear when the models are loaded into the game, so you have to get close enough for the characters to appear. The quest listing shows you the name of the place that the character hangs around, and the affinity chart shows you the time range the person will be active, so be sure to check both of those to find someone.

Also, here's a little warning for a side quest in Frontier Village: someone named Kofuko will give you a quest where you have a choice of collecting two things, walnut grapes or bitter kiwis. Walnut grapes give you the bad outcome, but they are a common item unlike bitter kiwis. If you initiate this quest and have 4 walnut grapes, you'll automatically turn them in and won't be able to give him the bitter kiwis for the good outcome. Make sure to get rid of your walnut grapes before talking to him! I had to reload because of this guy...

I just got to the tree village and added Riki to my party! A character named after ME?! How can I not use him??