I recently picked up a copy of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 in a sale and don’t have enough time to play all the previous titles at the moment. I know that playing the games in a chronological order would be beneficial in terms of background story and lore, but is it possible to follow the story without having played one and two before?
My order of preferred is 1 > 3 >>>> 2. 3 dumbed down character customization too much, IMO. For gear you only get 3 accessories (I think, haven’t played since it launched) for gear and your mech skill trees are fairly straightforward. The first one felt more like a traditional RPG where exploring rewards you with things to get better gear. Plus each character felt like they had different skills and couldn’t all be the same.
I couldn’t overcome the second one’s fan service and utterly confusing combat system. I’ve been meaning to try it again since it’s been ~6 years from when I tried it and it was the first of the series that I tried (besides original Xenogears on PS1). I did enjoy it 2’s story, but the gacha mechanics and big boobed weapon girls or whatever they were, were quite off-putting. Same with the annoying Furby looking creature.
No one ever mentions X
Probably because most people haven’t even played it. They should have ported it to Switch.
I didn’t get around to it before the Wii U gen was over. I have been meaning to try emulating it, as I am curious to try it out. Although, I’ve read mixed reviews, it seems fans either really love it or find it quite boring without much middle ground. I love mechs and RPGs, so I’m definitely willing to give it a try with an open mind.
if you get past the confusing combat system in 2, you are rewarded with… a boring combat system lacking in any agency, just a lot of busywork. so it’s not even like it’s misunderstood but good, it’s just not very good.
they made something much more enjoyable with actual agency in the standalone dlc for 2, but it’s still not anything to write home about, just far more enjoyable.
and yeah all the fan service is nothing but embarrassing
2 was the first one I played, and my introduction to “Xeno” series. I enjoyed the overall world and story, but I agree with being annoyed with the gacha system and the fan service.