XenoEra Community |OT| I'm really feeling this new Era!

Reki · Dec 24, 2017

So did you know about an area that only appears in cutscenes in XC? The new spotlight is for...

"The single biggest piece of unused content in the entire game" - Chuuggaaconroy about Bionis' Shoulder

Bionis' Shoulder is one of the unused areas in Xenoblade Chronicles. If you want to take a look at it, both Helsionium and chuggaaconroy have made videos of the map.

The area can be seen in at least three cutscenes and, more prominently, in promotional artwork for the game. However, it's usually considered to be "cut content" as you can't visit it in a normal playthrough. A hack is necessary to access it, as the map is stored in the disc files in order to use it for the cutscenes.

It's one of the biggest regions of the game, including different levels and caves, and some colored chests sugest that those were supposed to appear through the game and not only after defeating enemies. But more interesting are the housing structures forming a town. It's unknown which race was supposed to live there, but some players speculate that it could have been another numbered colony.

Trivia: Its internal number suggest that the area was supposed to be visited in between Frontier Village and Eryth Sea, which implies that the way the party travels from the former to the latter was added in an advanced stage of development.

OniLinkPlus · Dec 24, 2017

I always felt that the way you get to Eryth didn't really make sense. Learning about the Bionis Shoulder made that part of the game feel a lot better in that section, knowing they had something better that was tragically cut.

Would've been great foreshadowing to Prison Island as well, given the Shoulder was intended to be the home of the (extinct) Giants in addition to one of the destroyed Homs Colonies.

TheGreatLugia · Jan 25, 2018

New Xenogears album? http://www.square-enix.co.jp/music/sem/page/xenogears/revival/

SinCityAssassin · Jan 26, 2018

I remember something like this being announced a few months ago, guess it's up for preorder?

TheGreatLugia · Jan 26, 2018

SinCItyAssassin said:
I remember something like this being announced a few months ago, guess it's up for preorder?

The 20th anniversary concert was announced a few months back, but I can't remember if this album was announced along with it.

Cat_o_Nine · Feb 3, 2018

I have played Xenosaga 1-3 twice on the PS2. Then, twice on the PC. I tried playing gears but couldn't get into it. I've played XC1 and thought it was great. I played XCX and thought it was awesome. I still have yet to finish XC2 though...

Someone sell me on XG. I know I can stomach bad games, I played XS2 four times.

And I mean, Full Completion. Not "everyone is 99" completion, but "all sidequests and main quest done"

TheGreatLugia · Feb 3, 2018

Cat_o_Nine said:
I have played Xenosaga 1-3 twice on the PS2. Then, twice on the PC. I tried playing gears but couldn't get into it. I've played XC1 and thought it was great. I played XCX and thought it was awesome. I still have yet to finish XC2 though...

Someone sell me on XG. I know I can stomach bad games, I played XS2 four times.

And I mean, Full Completion. Not "everyone is 99" completion, but "all sidequests and main quest done"

I haven't played Xenosaga so I can't compare Xenogears to those games.

I mostly enjoyed my time playing Xenogears a few years ago, but some game mechanics do feel a bit dated. I do like how compared to other Square RPGs at the time, it tried to utilize fully 3D enivronments with a controllable camera.

The story is definitely the main reason to play it, though. It probably has one of my favorite protagonists in an RPG.

There's also a playthrough thread for the game right now: https://www.resetera.com/threads/lets-play-xenogears-20th-anniversary-edition.19283/

(If you're enjoying Xenoblade 2, I'd kind of suggest finishing that before starting another huge RPG though).

FiXalaS · May 22, 2018

Today I realized that episode II in Xenosaga I+II DS, is redone by Takahashi-san..

It seems there isn't a translation patch even, did anyone on Era play the game?

foxuzamaki · May 22, 2018

FiXalaS said:
Today I realized that episode II in Xenosaga I+II DS, is redone by Takahashi-san..

It seems there isn't a translation patch even, did anyone on Era play the game?

I wish

BrentoLand · May 22, 2018

FiXalaS said:
Today I realized that episode II in Xenosaga I+II DS, is redone by Takahashi-san..

It seems there isn't a translation patch even, did anyone on Era play the game?

I've really wanted to. I know some people that are going to try and get a fan tl done. One was being made originally but hasn't had an update in over 4 years

moustascheman · May 22, 2018

Speaking of Xenosaga, I've been doing a replay of the series and just beat episode 1 again a few days ago. Man, that final boss was a lot more anticlimactic than I remember it being, just some random Gnosis/reactor thing that goes down pretty easily. Sure it has a ton of HP with it being the only thing in the game that can survive a hit from Erde Kaiser, but even then I honestly had a tougher time with the Albedo fight before it. The music in the fight is pretty good though (last battle is probably my favorite song in episode 1), so there's that atleast.

FiXalaS · May 22, 2018

moustascheman said:
Speaking of Xenosaga, I've been doing a replay of the series and just beat episode 1 again a few days ago. Man, that final boss was a lot more anticlimactic than I remember it being, just some random Gnosis/reactor thing that goes down pretty easily. Sure it has a ton of HP with it being the only thing in the game that can survive a hit from Erde Kaiser, but even then I honestly had a tougher time with the Albedo fight before it. The music in the fight is pretty good though (last battle is probably my favorite song in episode 1), so there's that atleast.

I don't understand the music in Xenosaga I, it feels like most areas don't have music, except for cutscenes and end-game.

But Kokoro <3

BrentoLand said:
I've really wanted to. I know some people that are going to try and get a fan tl done. One was being made originally but hasn't had an update in over 4 years

Ah =( I've seen some of the changes in wiki and they do add to the story and fix some stuff, they sound different enough I wanna play them.

Xbro · May 25, 2018

Can we just have like one monolith thread that doesn't become cancerous?

Deleted member 33533 · May 25, 2018

Xbro said:
Can we just have like one monolith thread that doesn't become cancerous?

Uh oh what happened?

BrentoLand · May 25, 2018

SuperiorTrashTalk said:
Uh oh what happened?

Pretty typical stuff tbh. People are mad that Xenoblade 2 sold well, calling Takahashi a creep, and saying that they want the next game to bomb etc.

I honestly just avoid most threads about them at this point

Carassius Auratus · May 25, 2018

Lol I just read the OP for information and then bail. There's never any meaningful discussion, anyway. It was the same with XCX on the old site, too (poor Lin).

Deleted member 33533 · May 25, 2018

Carassius Auratus said:
Lol I just read the OP for information and then bail. There's never any meaningful discussion, anyway. It was the same with XCX on the old site, too (poor Lin).

Carassius Auratus · May 25, 2018

I was bored and took a peek. I think I found the real reason why things always turn out this way. Oh well, can't even ignore this person.

Xbro · May 25, 2018

Carassius Auratus said:
I was bored and took a peek. I think I found the real reason why things always turn out this way. Oh well, can't even ignore this person.

Is it one person who derails?

Momo · May 25, 2018

Carassius Auratus said:
I was bored and took a peek. I think I found the real reason why things always turn out this way. Oh well, can't even ignore this person.

Yep. That person has a tendency to derail Xenoblade 2 threads...I've tried reporting this person a few times, but it seems like nothing works... *sighs*

FiXalaS · Jun 24, 2018

Can I ask why is Albedo there in XenoERA logo.

like why not Jr.?

BrentoLand · Jun 24, 2018

FiXalaS said:
Can I ask why is Albedo there in XenoERA logo.

like why not Jr.?

To be fair, Xenosaga II is as much Jr's game as it is Albedo's. Probably Albedo is kind of an iconic villain from the series

FiXalaS · Jun 24, 2018

BrentoLand said:
To be fair, Xenosaga II is as much Jr's game as it is Albedo's. Probably Albedo is kind of an iconic villain from the series

Man we should get Albedo as a blade in XB2.

FiXalaS · Jun 25, 2018

Siliconera

What is going on here? Monolithsoft Profit decrease 60% compared to last year.

edit: probably because of new team and hiring for their new ip

Watershed · Jul 3, 2018

I had no idea there was a community thread for the Xeno series on Era. One thing I really appreciate, and find curious about the entire Xeno series, is the reoccurrence of certain symbols, naming conventions, races, and similar character designs. It creates a kind of shared aesthetic across all Xeno games, even the ones that are not canonically related.

BrentoLand · Jul 11, 2018

For those interested, Miiks uploaded an almost 3 hour video talking about the lore and story of Xenosaga

Chalphy · Jul 11, 2018

Can't wait for the Torna expansion in September. It's going to be great.

Hikari · Jul 11, 2018

BrentoLand said:
For those interested, Miiks uploaded an almost 3 hour video talking about the lore and story of Xenosaga

Xenosaga needs a HD release. Beautiful video. My favourite game is Episode III but tied with Xenogears.

Neoleo2143 · Apr 3, 2019

These have been some interesting character analyses behind two of the main antagonists in XC2. I think it speaks to the narrative strengths that there's a lot to say about each character through the subtext (which there's a lot in XC2 compared to XC1), there are more interesting ways that scenes are framed, more opportunities for subtle character growth. It makes for entertaining revisits.

Ryouji Gunblade · Apr 3, 2019

I've been revisiting the wonderful world of Mira lately. Xenoblade Chronicles X is so good. Finally got the last party member and I plan on finishing off the blood lobster soon... hopefully.

garion333 · Apr 3, 2019

Neoleo2143 said:
These have been some interesting character analyses behind two of the main antagonists in XC2. I think it speaks to the narrative strengths that there's a lot to say about each character through the subtext (which there's a lot in XC2 compared to XC1), there are more interesting ways that scenes are framed, more opportunities for subtle character growth. It makes for entertaining revisits.

What a breath of fresh air that these are long form written pieces and not videos for once!

I know, I'm old.

Reki · Apr 3, 2019

Neoleo2143 said:
These have been some interesting character analyses behind two of the main antagonists in XC2. I think it speaks to the narrative strengths that there's a lot to say about each character through the subtext (which there's a lot in XC2 compared to XC1), there are more interesting ways that scenes are framed, more opportunities for subtle character growth. It makes for entertaining revisits.

Thanks for sharing, I'll take a look for sure. XC2 has interesting villains due to the way they're involved with the protagonists, the main narrative and the events of Torna. That's partly why, if we eventually get another Xeno rep in Smash, I'm cheering for Lora/Jin (behind Elma of course). I like their dynamic more than Rex/Pyra to be honest.

Ryouji Gunblade said:
I've been revisiting the wonderful world of Mira lately. Xenoblade Chronicles X is so good. Finally got the last party member and I plan on finishing off the blood lobster soon... hopefully.

It took me more than I'd care to admit to find all the plushies but that quest is both weird and fun. My memory isn't that great but I believe I had a hard time with its boss though.

Mia is an interesting character too due to the way you have to recruit her (if that was your last character, that is).

Deleted member 33533 · Apr 3, 2019

Reki said:
It took me more than I'd care to admit to find all the plushies but that quest is both weird and fun. My memory isn't that great but I believe I had a hard time with its boss though.

Mia is an interesting character too due to the way you have to recruit her (if that was your last character, that is).

Yeah the Blood Lobster fight took me ages to defeat. I eventually took him down by building up my resistances for his most damaging attacks.

The actual collection part of the quest is neat in concept but the execution is so poor and basically designed in a way that you have to use a guide. At the start, the Blood Lobster would make you believe that all of the bombs have already been scattered around NLA but the actual truth is it's something like 49? Basically you collect 49 and then a single lobster appears in a set location. What is so annoying about this is that it's not there beforehand so you could've checked there and thought no lobster was there. They actually do that twice in the quest line as finding that lobster unlocks the next half and when you get all of those, another one appears in the Mediators hangout area tucked behind some crates, which again, you have no idea will appear there because you could've already checked there before getting the 98 lobsters needed to spawn it. Basically there's hidden rules you don't know about, the quest progression marker is always x/99 so you think all 99 are out when it's not.

I do enjoy the whole reveal and twist at the end of the quest. The Blood Lobster is actually responsible for a lot of the plotlines that occur in the affinity missions and sidequests, which ties together a lot of plot threads.

Also Mia is the best. There is another NPC that feels designed like Mia but you can't recruit them and it makes me sad.

Neoleo2143 · Apr 15, 2019

This is a video essay covering some of the religious aspects of XC2. The guy speaks a little too quickly for my tastes, but the video overall is reasonably well edited and covers more interpretive points from multiple religions such as Hinduism in addition to the classic Xeno staples in Christianity.

Ryouji Gunblade · May 3, 2019

I finally beat that blood lobster bastard yesterday. Feels so good. Only took me like 4 years. Essence Exchange overdrive cheese is delicious.

Neoleo2143 · May 6, 2019

For individuals who don't like a video essay. Here is a link to the script:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/16Ni8TPxadgfQA0YiAdKlTZM9behibdVQBDut7dxuNAY/edit?usp=sharing

Hikari · Jun 20, 2019

Hey, I know this thread is dead but I found something interesting. CHOCO drew Shion and KOS-MOS from Episode III recently!

I don't know what the tweet says as I don't know Japanese but can anyone translate it?

I do find it weird that he used Episode III specifically because we did get a rumour of a Episode III re trademark in April of last year. Of course, CHOCO could possibly just drawing them for fun in his spare time but yeah... there was the interview with Takahashi and Harada that had some interesting Xenosaga stuff so I WANT TO BELIEVE a HD collection is happening.

NattyBo · Oct 7, 2019

Finished XBC2 last night, loved where the story went.

For some context I played Xenogears at release and it has always been a special game to me. The saga series was a bit of a let down if I'm honest and between that and being a young father at the time I skipped XBC1 and XCX.

Well, I've got the Xeno fever now that I've finished XBC2. Just got on eBay to order XCX for my WiiU, which I guess I'm gonna have to dig out of the closet. Hopefully, Torna and XCX hold me over until the remaster of XBC1 comes out- can't wait to experience that.

garion333 · Oct 7, 2019

I don't intend for this to be a downer of a post, but I recently re-watched Neon Genesis Evangelion for the first time in, oh, almost 20 years and it's killed a lot of my enthusiasm for Takahashi's games as they are still taking a lot from Evangelion. It's disappointing to me because I felt like he wasn't aping Evangelion, but was only hugely inspired by it. Now I'm not so sure.

I know that's a kind of overly generalized statement and I don't have a deep breakdown or anything atm, but it's something I haven't been able to shake for a month or so now.

TheGreatLugia · Oct 8, 2019

garion333 said:
I don't intend for this to be a downer of a post, but I recently re-watched Neon Genesis Evangelion for the first time in, oh, almost 20 years and it's killed a lot of my enthusiasm for Takahashi's games as they are still taking a lot from Evangelion. It's disappointing to me because I felt like he wasn't aping Evangelion, but was only hugely inspired by it. Now I'm not so sure.

I know that's a kind of overly generalized statement and I don't have a deep breakdown or anything atm, but it's something I haven't been able to shake for a month or so now.

The first Xenoblade game definitely has some visual references to Evangelion, but I'm not sure how much I agree beyond that out of the games I've played (note: I haven't been able to play Xenosaga).

Xenogears definitely has a lot of similarities to Evangelion in regards to the premise and the general concepts, but I'm not sure how many of those might be intentional or coincidental. In general, I think the substance of Xenogears' story and characters and its overall message are really distinct from what Evangelion tries to do in those areas. That being said, I remember hearing Childhood's End might have been a major influence for both Xenogears and Evangelion. Also both projects having strained production issues leading to Disc 2 of Xenogears and the last two episodes of Evangelion.

This isn't to say Xenogears never lifts ideas from other works (Gundam, Star Wars, etc.) or that all of the similarities between Xenogears and Evangelion are 100% coincidental, but I think a fair number of the similarities between between the two productions are mostly on a surface level.

garion333 · Oct 8, 2019

I don't mean Xenogears, which was clearly heavily inspired though wildly different from Eva (I believe Jeremy Parish referred to it as "Evangelion fanfiction" and that's super spot on, in a good way), but that we're still having games in which crosses are prominent and names like Adam.

Maybe it's the tropes of a Xeno game I'm mostly struggling with. Yes, they'll have specific call backs and references to Eva, which is fine, but the underlying tropes of a Xeno game are the religious references and metaphysical and psychological underpinnings of the story.

The stories themselves are generally quite different, especially considering Xeno games contain quite a bit of Friendship is Magic, while Eva is, uh, the opposite. So, really, it's more of a wrapper type things, not just the religious references and whatnot, but the underpinnings of dying gods and the like.

There was one scene in Evangelion that I wish I had taken a pic of because it has been repeated in Xeno games ad nauseum. And other anime too, I'm sure.

It was just such a shock when re-watching it to see so many elements being repeated by Takahashi, even up through XC2. If you're curious enough I recommend a re-watch of the series and see if you feel the same. It's up on Netflix currently, including the end movies, bad as they all are.

Edit: I should mention I've seen very little of Gundam, so there may be even more similarities to mine there, but I have a feeling it's mostly the look and love of mecha.

Mr.Fletcher · Oct 8, 2019

Didn't even know this thread existed! Just saying hi to my Xeno family and clicking watch so I can keep up with the chatter...

Reki · Oct 8, 2019

garion333 said:
the underlying tropes of a Xeno game are the religious references and metaphysical and psychological underpinnings of the story.

The games focus on slightly different symbology and have diverse undertones - like X's Jungiang influences - but those are used to highlight shades of recurrent themes. It would be nice to get something more removed from existentialism for a change, but we may as well need another director for that. Dunno if there's someone at Monolith that can make games like Takahashi without revisiting the same background. And that ties to the question of who his successor would be after retirement.

garion333 said:
Friendship is Magic

It feels like XC2 has a bit more of this than past games, but I'd prefer if they could tone it down. There's at least one point in which I remember it being shamelessly used as a cheap device for the party to overcome an adverse situation, and it's always better to solve that stuff with better writting.

Mr.Fletcher said:
Didn't even know this thread existed! Just saying hi to my Xeno family and clicking watch so I can keep up with the chatter...

It's sadly dead. Xeno discussion on the forum mostly happens on the news threads, as you know.

Łazy · Oct 9, 2019

And it's mostly about praising 2 or trashing X, with some hype for 1DE.

Hope it comes as early as possible next year but with some juicy additions.
New playable character(s), sound options, levelling customization to stay low level, shoulder introduced during the story more than after...

And I hope we get X and X2 in healthy shape in the future for some love for it counterbalance the unfunded hate.

Mr.Fletcher · Oct 9, 2019

Personally, I'd like to see this thread become more active because the tribalism in the other threads is too much.

I generally 'watch' any Xeno thread because I love talking about the games and I assume this thread is for those who can appreciate all the games.

That's not to say there should be no debate, discussion or criticism of individual games, but the way people express their opinions in other threads is shit.

When XDE was announced, the subsequent thread lurched between loving/hating X2 and X, rather than discussing the original game.

I made two posts in that thread telling people we can celebrate the quality of X1 and talk about how much we love it, without trashing other games people love...

... but it just gets ignored. Without casting aspersions, I do feel like it's generally massive fans of the original Xenoblade who feel the need to put down the successors.

I find it puzzling because I come to these forums to discuss games I love with like-minded people. If I dislike a game I play (which is rare) I might make a post about it, but I quickly move on to share my enthusiasm for games I do love.

But I see the same people over and over again, years later, shitting up threads about games they hate. I just wonder what on Earth their motivation is. I have ignore list as long as my arm just because I'm bored of the same posters continually spreading negativity.

It particularly annoys me in threads created to be positive. It would be like someone coming to your birthday party every year just to tell you they hate you. In the end you'd say 'I respect your opinion, but please stop coming to my parties'. lol

With all that said (sorry for the rant!), it would be nice for a place praising all Xeno games to prosper so I'd be happy if this became a little more active.

Łazy · Oct 9, 2019

Mr.Fletcher said:
Personally, I'd like to see this thread become more active because the tribalism in the other threads is too much.

I generally 'watch' any Xeno thread because I love talking about the games and I assume this thread is for those who can appreciate all the games.

That's not to say there should be no debate, discussion or criticism of individual games, but the way people express their opinions in other threads is shit.

When XDE was announced, the subsequent thread lurched between loving/hating X2 and X, rather than discussing the original game.

I made two posts in that thread telling people we can celebrate the quality of X1 and talk about how much we love it, without trashing other games people love...

... but it just gets ignored. Without casting aspersions, I do feel like it's generally massive fans of the original Xenoblade who feel the need to put down the successors.

I find it puzzling because I come to these forums to discuss games I love with like-minded people. If I dislike a game I play (which is rare) I might make a post about it, but I quickly move on to share my enthusiasm for games I do love.

But I see the same people over and over again, years later, shitting up threads about games they hate. I just wonder what on Earth their motivation is. I have ignore list as long as my arm just because I'm bored of the same posters continually spreading negativity.

It particularly annoys me in threads created to be positive. It would be like someone coming to your birthday party every year just to tell you they hate you. In the end you'd say 'I respect your opinion, but please stop coming to my parties'. lol

With all that said (sorry for the rant!), it would be nice for a place praising all Xeno games to prosper so I'd be happy if this became a little more active.

Then let's begin now. Hopefully making a trend lol.
I mentioned what I'd like to get in the DE, what about you ?

Also, favorite area ? Favorite character, in battle ?
I'd like to add a few AI tweaks to my list. Not something so straightforward as gambits. I don't like those so much, but inbetween.

For me I'd say Valak and... ha, hard, maybe Melia cause she's so on her own and feels like Slay the Spire's Defect lol.

garion333 · Oct 9, 2019

X is probably my favorite to play. Running around exploring is aces.

XC1 is my favorite all around. They did something so right with the pacing.

X also has a vastly underrated soundtrack because people get caught up in the repeated vocal tracks.

XC2 is my love/hate game.

Reki · Oct 9, 2019

Same but X is my favorite, although I do believe XC is the better rounded game, if that makes any sense. Mira is a delight to explore but the game has its quirks.

Monolithsoft said:
And I hope we get X and X2 in healthy shape in the future for some love for it counterbalance

Seconded. Every time I read "X should get an expanded port with a 'proper' ending" I die a bit inside. It's so obvious they were setting up a sequel.

Mr.Fletcher said:
With all that said (sorry for the rant!), it would be nice for a place praising all Xeno games to prosper so I'd be happy if this became a little more active.

Fun fact. We're scheduled to get the community spotlight in a few weeks, so now is actually a pretty good time to get some talk going.

I need to update the thread too with new employee numbers and Torna. Would you put that as a separate game or under a "related releases" banner?

Monolithsoft said:
I mentioned what I'd like to get in the DE, what about you ?

Let me chime in! I just need a way to mass produce gems. And a

machina party member

would be incredible, what with them being so relevant to the plot and none of them being playable.

And Dunban is unbeatable. Although Riki had good moments too.

Deleted member 33533 · Oct 9, 2019

Reki said:
Seconded. Every time I read "X should get an expanded port with a 'proper' ending" I die a bit inside. It's so obvious they were setting up a sequel.

Yeah, I feel like they can't just add a bit to a port to wrap up the story. X set up a huge foundation for something much larger. There's no way you could just wrap it all up in a neat little bow with some post game additions.

I also think a lot of people fail to understand what X's story was about and incorrectly call it unfinished, which is why they think Monolith Soft could just tack on a "proper" ending, like you said. The main goal that you're chasing since the very beginning of the game is the Lifehold Core and you find it in the end, while managing to defeat the Ganglion on Mira. In terms of basic story structure and progression, it's a completed story. A part of what is clearly intended to be a bigger story but not incomplete on its own.

garion333 · Oct 9, 2019

SuperiorTrashTalk said:
Yeah, I feel like they can't just add a bit to a port to wrap up the story. X set up a huge foundation for something much larger. There's no way you could just wrap it all up in a neat little bow with some post game additions.

I also think a lot of people fail to understand what X's story was about and incorrectly call it unfinished, which is why they think Monolith Soft could just tack on a "proper" ending, like you said. The main goal that you're chasing since the very beginning of the game is the Lifehold Core and you find it in the end, while managing to defeat the Ganglion on Mira. In terms of basic story structure and progression, it's a completed story. A part of what is clearly intended to be a bigger story but not incomplete on its own.

My issue is that the story is clearly the start of something larger, but I enjoy the open world discovery after crash landing on an alien planet so much that I can't imagine they can replicate that with an XCX2. It'd likely end up being more like XC1 or XC2 in structure and that's a shame.

I suppose we have BotW and, I assume, the sequel to get our open world exploration fix since XCX and BotW are easily two of my favorite open worlds of all time.

XenoEra Community |OT| I'm really feeling this new Era!

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