So there's lots of Xenoblade threads running around. Time for an official thread for impressions game discussion etc.
Whether you're a lucky resident of Europe or Australia, a North American who's decided to flip the bird to Nintendo and import, or even someone who simply wants to live vicariously through the experiences of others, this is the place you want to be!
I recommend that whenever you have a chance to get to a town, do so and accept every quest you can find. Then go out and explore the area connecting the town. You're going to be killing monsters and collecting stuff anyway, and you'll end up doing tons of quests just by chance. Then if you feel like finishing off the quests you didn't already complete, you can use a FAQ, but there's no harm in ignoring them.
Also, I found the combat to be confusing and hectic at first too, but you will get more used to it as you go along. By the end, I was never overwhelmed even when I was in battles with tons of enemies. But being able to slow things down and select characters would definitely be a welcome addition for the sequel.
And I've tried to sell Zero on WoW before. I feel like anyone that loves Xenoblade should at least give that a game a try if they can, because you're right that they have a lot in common and there are unquestionably some things that WoW does better (although Xenoblade does some things better as well).
I guarantee you guys that I will never, ever play a MMORPG. Ok never is a harsh word, but it's incredibly unlikely. That's not so much a choice based on the perceived quality of the games as it is a lifestyle choice. As much as I love Xenoblade, I need it to end. I really just don't have the time or energy for this kind of thing very often. I feel like it has literally led to poorer health in some ways, because I rarely find time to play games until very late at night, which is fine if you play an hour or two and then knock off and go to bed, but with Xenoblade I play until much, much later than I should and I'm running on next to no sleep here.
@Jargon Pff. You know what happened with Xenoblade? I said "this is ridiculous, I'm not going to do all of these sidequests" and "I should be done at around 80 hours". And now I'm at 115 hours into the game and I did every sidequest that I could find and I still have a bit to go. Ug. WHY? WHY I ASK?
I don't want to become this guy:
That's probably not even very crazy for some of those MMORPG players.
Honestly though, nothing about any MMORPG has made me care enough to enter into that insane world from which many never return. If there were some big playable MMO Zelda that had a nearly infinite amount of unique areas and puzzles, maybe.
I escaped WoW. My friends stopped playing so I had no reason to play anymore. The only MMO that has tempted me since is Dragon Quest X, which may never see the light of day here, so I'm good!
But I'm not sure I can recommend WoW. It was always a bit of a bummer, after playing so many RPGs, to play a game where nothing I did had any effect on the world. There were world-changing events connected to expansion releases, but there were no non-NPC heroes. I felt like just another worker ant, grinding for mats. That can't really compare to the wielder of the Monado. WoW was all about playing online with friends. If Xenoblade 2 is online as people suspect, I'll be all over it like relish on a hot dog. Hopefully it will be the best of both worlds.
I'm at the point of no return. But I decided to go back and do side quests, even though I'm way underleveled for the ones I have open, so I spent a few hours last night just to go up 3 levels. Ug. I think I should be able to take some of these on soon though.
@Smerd I think in general you can't go wrong with Shulk / Sharla. For the third, I've just gotten used to picking one with a lot of HP so they don't die on me.
The problem I have with an MMORPG is that I don't want to see a bunch of random morons around everywhere, I just want to play with people I know. My ideal online ROG would just be Xenoblade, except two other real players are controlling the other two party members. If they make the Wii U "X" game online then I hope this is what they do with it instead of turning it into an MMO.
Thanks! I figured I was strong enough, but something needed to change.. I can't wait to kick Dickson's asssssss what a 'dick'
@VickiL@Zero Did you guys bother with the Monado Sidequests? I'm wondering if it will make a real difference...
Also - Where the heck do you find enemies at around level 80-85 or so? I'm finding monsters all in the 70's, or the freaking 90's. No inbetween except for one boss on the fallen arm (level 80)
@Smerd I got all five of them after the fact. They won't really make a difference in terms of just beating the game, they just specialise in a specific stat but are reduced in others, so they are not stronger than your default one.
@Smerd I only did the first one, accidentally, but yeah as MiU says they don't really add much, just change things around a bit.
...and yet I still may end up doing them all, just to be all completionist.
I did some leveling up with level 80 monsters at the bottom of the spiral thing on the Bionis Leg... there is a little side cove area with a "unique" level 75 and a bunch of pods that open up with level 80s inside.
I figured I was strong enough, but something needed to change.. I can't wait to kick 
