nogoodnamesleftMemberOct 25, 20178,450To preface- I've tried xenoblade chronicles three times (Wii, 3ds, switch) each time I've gotten a few hours in. The furthest I've gotten is a village with the most obnoxious little furry character from memory who wa honestly so annoying (and I was already dealing with another annoying huge dork, reyn, and it just threw the annoying into overdrive at that point) the boring side quests, the boring open world and the not so great characters have made me sell the game each time.HOWEVER I am stubborn and some of my favourite games of all time have been games I've tried on repeat occasions and they have eventually clicked for me. There have been many games where I try 2, 3, 5 times whatever and I end up somehow loving and become obsessed. I don't know if it's mindset, time of the year, vibe, whatever. But it happens.SO with switch 2 coming and the inevitable performance and resolution patches coming, I'm going to give the series another shot. I'm even willing to give 1 another shot if it's the best one to the hardcore fans. I'm stubborn like that. Plus, I love jrpgs. Favourite genre.So what's your favourite game in the series and why? Would love to get solid opinions.And in regards to x I don't want to ever play it again. I did not know it was a single player mmo style game and I have no interest in this type of game. Even just seeing that gif of the mech launching and panning the camera annoys me. Thanks in advance!Last edited: Yesterday at 1:50 AM SkojeMemberOct 26, 20171,819Go play XenogearsShinobido HeartMemberDec 23, 20179,960I really like Xenoblade 2. From the world, to the characters, combat, and music. Even had something for Xenosaga fans.That said, they all play like single player mmo's with a large open world to explore.OP OPnogoodnamesleftMemberOct 25, 20178,450Skoje said:Go play XenogearsClick to expand...Click to shrink...Finished way too many times my brother. One of my all time favourites even with the bleh disc 2ShamanMemberJan 18, 20243,093Will always be 1 followed by 3 for me. One holds a very special place in my heartNot going to talk about X since you despise it but listen to this lad:Skoje said:Go play XenogearsClick to expand...Click to shrink...BonefishMemberOct 28, 20175,0252. Best story and characters, great world and amazing music.SupersonicHypertonicMemberApr 20, 20223,2601 > 3 >>> 2.1 has best story especially after the half way point, the freshness of the world and had a cool visions gimmick. Gameplay is pretty basic and side quests all suck.3 has the combat and best set of flesh out characters, emotional story for most of the game. Story falls flat toward the end.2 has the best setting and the most light hearted fun characters. Combat really drags until 3/4 when you have full access to parts of the Battle system. Field skills, blade gacha suck big time.Last edited: Yesterday at 1:10 AMBeelzebufoMemberJun 1, 20225,542Canada1 has the best story, 2 has the best gameplay, 3 is the best compromisecriteriondogI like the chili styleMemberOct 26, 201713,1553 is my favorite. I love the series. All of them are great.Pick one of them and enjoy.BottledLightningMemberNov 25, 20211,053My pick is "I think they are all excellent, but I do not think you will gel with them based on the impressions from your post" flatearthpandasMemberOct 26, 20176,7643 > X > 1 > 2I like them all but 3 and X are like digital crack.Edit: 3 and X both just have a very engaging gameplay flow completely outside of the story where you explore the world, recruit characters, and earn new classes. I can easily just fuck off for like 5-10 hours in between chapters or story elements without even thinking about it. Plus, these two have the mechsLast edited: Yesterday at 1:14 AMaraMemberOct 26, 201713,600BottledLightning said:My pick is "I think they are all excellent, but I do not think you will gel with them based on the impressions from your post"Click to expand...Click to shrink...Ditto. We get enough persistent, loud-ass whinging about these games (especially 2) on here already, don't really need more people hateplaying them lol.GameflowMemberApr 14, 2022558Beelzebufo said:1 has the best story, 2 has the best gameplay, 3 is the best compromiseClick to expand...Click to shrink...This. Also all dlcs are great and in some cases even outshine their base game. But considering ops post, I am not sure if they would like any tbh (which is fine)OP OPnogoodnamesleftMemberOct 25, 20178,450ara said:Ditto. We get enough persistent, loud-ass whinging about these games (especially 2) on here already, don't really need more people hateplaying them lol.Click to expand...Click to shrink...They do?Genuine question- I don't frequent these threads and I thought they were mostly loved (hence wanting to want them to click)geehepeaMemberAug 5, 2024273BottledLightning said:My pick is "I think they are all excellent, but I do not think you will gel with them based on the impressions from your post"Click to expand...Click to shrink...Here's the best answer you're going to get.Side note; the games are connected so if you're like me then you'll want to play them in order to get the most out of the narrative and include titles like X and any sequels to X, probably consider this a factor in your choice.BurstLayerMemberFeb 6, 2019270BottledLightning said:My pick is "I think they are all excellent, but I do not think you will gel with them based on the impressions from your post"Click to expand...Click to shrink...Agree with this based on your post, but if I had to give a recommendation it would be 1 because the combat is the most like X which is the best one (sorry). Also has the best story id saySynohanMemberOct 25, 20174,529Given your post, this series isn't for you. Best to move on.jonjonaugMemberOct 25, 20176,133It's 3.It has the best cast in the series. One big flaw of Xenoblade 1 and 2 is that most party members get one or two chapters of focus and are just around for the rest of the story. In 3, every character feels like a "main character" throughout the whole game, and everyone gets long development arcs. This extends to sidequests, which have actual dialogue for all your party members even in the minor ones, instead of the canned dialogue of 1 and 2.It has the best gameplay in the series. The class system is excellent and allows for a lot of party building variation, while the break combos and chain attacks are more intuitive than 1 or 2. Being able to shift which character you're controlling during battles is also great.It has the best sidequest design in the series. 3 takes X's sidequest design, where you have lots of long quest chains that intertwine while developing all the minor characters you meet throughout the game, and elevates it to the next level. It feels great to see the soldiers from each Colony interacting and learning from each other as you progress. Not only that, but the game world and plot are strucured in such a way that it actually makes sense for the party to be doing most of these sidequests (outside of stuff in earlier chapters that takes a while when Mio's still gonna die in like a month lol), as opposed to 1 and 2 where there's really no logical or practical way for the party to even go back to other areas.It has the best music in the series. Even if 2's more bombastic soundtrack is more fun to listen to, 3 has better compositions that are used more effectively. There's an excellent (and sadly, unfinished) thread going over 3's soundtrack in detail. https://www.resetera.com/threads/xenoblade-chronicles-3-ost-appreciation-analysis-thread.661096/They all play like single player MMOs though so IDK why you keep trying to play them if you don't like that.Jakenbakin"This guy are sick" and Corrupted by VengeanceMemberJun 17, 201814,1523>2>X>1 but I dunno it's just not a franchise for everyone and I don't get the feeling you'll love them. I kind of always suspected I should love them, hence I kept buying them, it was just hard for me to actually get into them. Your willingness to try and try again might be a virtue that helps you love them too though.If it helps, I played 1 twice up to the same point as you and dropped it, I played X for a similar 25 hours then dropped it, then I bought 2 and it was a top 10 favorite in the genre for me and I have played them all now and it's easily my favorite franchise in gaming (with 3 being my favorite game ever). 2 is super obnoxious, far more than any entry, but moving the combat from the row of buttons to actual controller style inputs completely turned my opinion around on playing them. And the story has a lot of great aspects to it, just there's so much baggage.H2intensityOne Winged SlayerMemberOct 27, 20171,026X>2>1>3 but since you don't wanna play X then 2 is the best. DrBillRivermanAvengerOct 27, 2017660EnglandFor my money it's Torna: The Golden Country.Peak Xenoblade combat. Amazing music.Really fleshes out the story of Jin and adds a lot to the base game.Listen. Idc that you have to do all the damn affinity missions. I want to do them anyway. Torna is the absolute best Xenoblade experience for me.fixing rangerMemberAug 24, 2021893They are all single player MMO games, so X is not really different, just with better side quests.Honestly, I feel like they all are flawed and recommend not to play since you tried multiple times. I think they have the potential, but they all have meh plots, the combat balancing is ruined by chain attacks, and each have specific problems.They have their moments, the sense of exploration is good, mid game combat is good in every one of them, some story beats are decent.texhnolyzeShinra EmployeeMemberOct 25, 201725,684IndonesiaWhy no X though? It's the best RPG with actual player agency which directly affects the world building. Lots and deeper character customizations too compared to the very linear numbered games.psynergyadeptShinra EmployeeMemberOct 26, 201718,634Xenoblade ChroniclesI has the better cast, interesting world, and the best story!3 is a close 2nd though, I'd give the best world; especially if you played 1 & 2.1>3>>>>>>>>2 and I haven't played X yetI enjoyed two but I think it was a step back from 1.Last edited: Yesterday at 11:02 AMJasperMystPowered by FriendshipMemberSep 25, 2023661Loved Xenoblade Chronicles 2, I think it has the best setting, charm and the whole exploration on these giant Titans, it was very unique and unlike anything I ever played at the time.But ultimately 2>X>3>1 but all of them are good in my opinion; monolith went total beast mode with Xenoblade Chronicles.gamewhooprMemberDec 10, 20185963 has the best characters and combat. 1 has the best world and story. 2 is great too, although some character designs are questionable and some gameplay systems feel like they were meant for the series' mobile venture at some point.Both Torna and Future Redeemed are better than 2 and 3, though. They iterate on what made the main games good while also never managing to struggle with pacing and both tie up some loose ends story-wise.araMemberOct 26, 201713,600nogoodnamesleft said:They do?Genuine question- I don't frequent these threads and I thought they were mostly loved (hence wanting to want them to click)Click to expand...Click to shrink...They are mostly loved, it's just that the haters really fucking hate them lmao. I don't know how Xenoblade threads are nowadays, but particularly anything about XB2 was infested with people from regular users to straight up forum admins always coming to shit the thread up instantly, from unimaginative drive-bys at best to calling fans of the game pedophiles at worst, for years. You could have the most positive LTTP thread imaginable and someone would pop in to call the game the biggest pile of shit ever, and also fuck you too for liking it, within 5 posts.But to also actually contribute a little: I can definitely relate to your insistence on giving games you initially disliked a second, third, fourth try, because I also do that and have found it to be very rewarding, both with regards to introspection and figuring out my own likes, dislikes, prejudices, and simply by just having a lot more stuff to enjoy nowadays, and being able to enjoy them in a bigger variety of ways. So the way I would summarize the three numbered games is this:1 is the most consistent. Mostly everything about it is good to very good, but aside from the world concept and maybe the plot--which is very fun and exciting--nothing about it really stands out to me.2 is the most interesting if you are able to look past the surface (e.g. some questionable character designs and anime silliness, bad performance on the technical side, some janky mechanics). It does the most with its story and characters, and I personally found the world the most fun to explore and the gameplay the most engaging of the lot.3 is the one you play if you really love characters. Like, character development, dialogue, intraparty interactions, banter, drama. The cast is fantastic and play off of each other wonderfully. It is also absolutely chock full of good side quests if you like mini-narratives--gameplay-wise they aren't that special. I found the gameplay to be far too chaotic to be enjoyable, though, and the plot is a bit of a slog, although with some incredible character drama peaks.That said, they all seem to have an equal amount of fans, so you're probably going to get about an equal amount of "n is the best" posts for each entry lol.OP OPnogoodnamesleftMemberOct 25, 20178,450jonjonaug said:It's 3.It has the best cast in the series. One big flaw of Xenoblade 1 and 2 is that most party members get one or two chapters of focus and are just around for the rest of the story. In 3, every character feels like a "main character" throughout the whole game, and everyone gets long development arcs. This extends to sidequests, which have actual dialogue for all your party members even in the minor ones, instead of the canned dialogue of 1 and 2.It has the best gameplay in the series. The class system is excellent and allows for a lot of party building variation, while the break combos and chain attacks are more intuitive than 1 or 2. Being able to shift which character you're controlling during battles is also great.It has the best sidequest design in the series. 3 takes X's sidequest design, where you have lots of long quest chains that intertwine while developing all the minor characters you meet throughout the game, and elevates it to the next level. It feels great to see the soldiers from each Colony interacting and learning from each other as you progress. Not only that, but the game world and plot are strucured in such a way that it actually makes sense for the party to be doing most of these sidequests (outside of stuff in earlier chapters that takes a while when Mio's still gonna die in like a month lol), as opposed to 1 and 2 where there's really no logical or practical way for the party to even go back to other areas.It has the best music in the series. Even if 2's more bombastic soundtrack is more fun to listen to, 3 has better compositions that are used more effectively. There's an excellent (and sadly, unfinished) thread going over 3's soundtrack in detail. https://www.resetera.com/threads/xenoblade-chronicles-3-ost-appreciation-analysis-thread.661096/They all play like single player MMOs though so IDK why you keep trying to play them if you don't like that.Click to expand...Click to shrink...ara said:They are mostly loved, it's just that the haters really fucking hate them lmao. I don't know how Xenoblade threads are nowadays, but particularly anything about XB2 was infested with people from regular users to straight up forum admins always coming to shit the thread up instantly, from unimaginative drive-bys at best to calling fans of the game pedophiles at worst, for years. You could have the most positive LTTP thread imaginable and someone would pop in to call the game the biggest pile of shit ever, and also fuck you too for liking it, within 5 posts.But to also actually contribute a little: I can definitely relate to your insistence on giving games you initially disliked a second, third, fourth try, because I also do that and have found it to be very rewarding, both with regards to introspection and figuring out my own likes, dislikes, prejudices, and simply by just having a lot more stuff to enjoy nowadays, and being able to enjoy them in a bigger variety of ways. So the way I would summarize the three numbered games is this:1 is the most consistent. Mostly everything about it is good to very good, but aside from the world concept and maybe the plot--which is very fun and exciting--nothing about it really stands out to me.2 is the most interesting if you are able to look past the surface (e.g. some questionable character designs and anime silliness, bad performance on the technical side, some janky mechanics). It does the most with its story and characters, and I personally found the world the most fun to explore and the gameplay the most engaging of the lot.3 is the one you play if you really love characters. Like, character development, dialogue, intraparty interactions, banter, drama. The cast is fantastic and play off of each other wonderfully. It is also absolutely chock full of good side quests if you like mini-narratives--gameplay-wise they aren't that special. I found the gameplay to be far too chaotic to be enjoyable, though, and the plot is a bit of a slog, although with some incredible character drama peaks.That said, they all seem to have an equal amount of fans, so you're probably going to get about an equal amount of "n is the best" posts for each entry lol.Click to expand...Click to shrink...Thanks a lot for taking the time to write these posts Actually from my own personal research it does seem like I would like 2 the most. Whats this torna I hear everyone talking about? Is it like a deluxe edition of 2 or its own thing?mnkMemberNov 11, 20177,796If you're saying 1 has boring characters and a boring open world, then this series just isn't for you. Maybe you'd gel more with 2's Titan regions, but I would expect you to find 3's world even more boring. But if you're that annoyed by Riki and Reyn, I'm not sure I can suggest 2 either. You'll hate Tora and will probably find Zeke and maybe Rex super annoying too. I would maybe guess 3 might be the best bet for you.jonjonaugMemberOct 25, 20176,133nogoodnamesleft said:Thanks a lot for taking the time to write these postsActually from my own personal research it does seem like I would like 2 the most. Whats this torna I hear everyone talking about? Is it like a deluxe edition of 2 or its own thing?Click to expand...Click to shrink...Torna is the DLC campaign for 2. All three games on the Switch have sizable DLC expansion campaigns with new characters, new areas, and shaken up gameplay from the base game. 1's DLC is a sequel, while 2 and 3 are prequels that are still meant to be played after you finish the base game.Although 2's can be played around 2/3rds of the way into 2's main story if you want as well since it fits nicely after both chapters 6 and 7, although going back and forth between different game designs might feel weird. MaNuuMemberMay 11, 2024130Xenoblade 2, my favorite switch gameNimbat1003MemberNov 14, 20211,919Huh u've made it past the point I find the story kicks in in 1, but that's still my fave.worth saying I collect all the side quest but never actively do any of them in 1 and 2. I hand in any I accidently complete and moved on but I basically do that in in all openworld games outside of Bethesda.3 at least has great side side quest but the weakest story imho.SpellSwordFoxxMemberFeb 27, 202587of the main trilogy, I enjoyed my time with 3 the most. Although I think your conflicting taste in gameplay may not gel with it, since it was the closest to X to me, which I consider the best of the games overall (outside of main narrative).They all play like some form of single player MMO-lite, so if that isn't what you're here for, you may want to look elsewhere. In the case of the main trilogy, they are all much slower paced cooldown-based combat wise. Compared to X post DE version, is almost comically fast with quick recasts lolLast edited: Yesterday at 1:58 AMApolloCorrupted by VengeanceAvengerOct 25, 20179,748I won't recommend X even though IMO it is the best one, so looking at the numbered trilogy, I dislike 1 and think 2 and 3 are pretty equivalent. You should probably play 3 though since it sounds like you don't like the Nopon, and so you may not care for Tora who is a major character in 2. (Okay Nopon are major characters in every XB but Tora is pretty uniquely prominent in that game).AntonyMemberOct 25, 20174,008Torna.Best protagonist, best soundtrack, everything from 2 is refined and perfected and I loved the focus on community building.TsumamiMemberFeb 3, 20226,662It's 2 and by far.Nose MasterMemberOct 27, 20172,864Probably 1. 2 and 3 get a bit tales like in anime cringe. It's there in 1, but not as bad.hydruxo Legend MemberOct 25, 201722,331For me, it's XC3 by a large amount. I just adore the cast of 3, and the world / gameplay is fantastic. Eunie >>> everyone else in the whole seriesXC1 is also excellent but I think the first half of the game is top tier and it kind of drops for me a bit in the back half. XC2 I couldn't really get into much. I'm a little baffled that 2 is winning the poll because usually it's the most divisive while 3 and 1 get the most love.DynoAVALANCHEThe FallenOct 25, 201716,4561 probably. First game was pretty good, second game was a full price game with gacha mechanics gating you from content and that was enough for me to never even consider 3. I've read enough about 3 that it's clear whatever the hell this started as, it morphed into a barely recognisable mess about having a harem by the end. What a wasteNightShiftMemberOct 25, 201710,173AustraliaIf you think the world of XC1 is boring than the series simply isn't for you.If you still want to try than I'd recommend XC3 because that one's carried by the characters more than the world and even the plot itself. It's also the best game in the series by far.Dyno said:1 probably. First game was pretty good, second game was a full price game with gacha mechanics gating you from content and that was enough for me to never even consider 3. I've read enough about 3 that it's clear whatever the hell this started as, it morphed into a barely recognisable mess about having a harem by the end. What a wasteClick to expand...Click to shrink...I don't think you know what XC3 is. It contains no gatcha and harem shit. flatearthpandasMemberOct 26, 20176,764Dyno said:I've read enough about 3 that it's clear whatever the hell this started as, it morphed into a barely recognisable mess about having a harem by the end. What a wasteClick to expand...Click to shrink...WatmnkMemberNov 11, 20177,796Dyno said:I've read enough about 3 that it's clear whatever the hell this started as, it morphed into a barely recognisable mess about having a harem by the end. What a wasteClick to expand...Click to shrink......I don't think you've read enough about 3.BernkastelTeyvat TravelerThe FallenJan 15, 20182,385Brazil2>>>>3>1AlehMemberOct 27, 201719,471Xenoblade 2 is one of the best games of all time, 1 and 3 are merely very good :)HelixMayor of Clown TownMemberJun 8, 201926,627Torna and 3HellstruckMemberJun 29, 20222,105Oh boy here we go again.Anyway, it's 2.Best characters.Best story.2nd best world design (behind X, Mira is a masterpiece)Best OSTIt's main lacking point is its sidequests. There are some interesting ones along with some fun blade quests, but 3 and X soundly beat it in this department.KhanimusAvengerOct 25, 201745,209Greater Vancouver3Best castBest storyDynoAVALANCHEThe FallenOct 25, 201716,456NightShift said:If you think the world of XC1 is boring than the series simply isn't for you.If you still want to try than I'd recommend XC3 because that one's carried by the characters more than the world and even the plot itself. It's also the best game in the series by far.I don't think you know what XC3 is. It contains no gatcha and harem shit.Click to expand...Click to shrink...2 definitely contains gacha shit but why is it when I've seen 3 come up people always talk about the ending involving him having impregnated multiple characters or something? I'm still baffled how we went from 1 or 2 to that somehow. Is that not the actual story? Because I've seen it referenced a shit load of times on this site lol. Even skipped it due to itDreyarnMemberOct 28, 2017187Dyno said:2 definitely contains gacha shit but why is it when I've seen 3 come up people always talk about the ending involving him having impregnated multiple characters or something?Click to expand...Click to shrink...It's a meme about a 3-second segment in a cinematic and it sticks out specifically because the game is not like that.To OP, I prefer XC2 but in this case I'd recommend 3 for the character focusAtomMemberJul 25, 202114,959Shulk has the best yells, so that one.