Project X Zone 2 screenshots
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, Screenshots | 0 comments
Xenoblade Chronicles X boxart, screenshots
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Screenshots, Wii U | 8 Comments
The Awakening of the Giant – A comparison of Xenoblade Chronicles’ and X’s soundtracks
Posted on 9 years ago by Jarop(@gamrah) in 3DS, Features, Game of the Month, Wii, Wii U | 2 Comments
Xenoblade Chronicles X has been out in Japan for quite some time and while the rest of us gaze enviously at the latest Xeno entry before it comes our way, it’s interesting to note some of the changes that have been made possible thanks to the Wii U. The boost in graphical power allowed Monolith Soft to flex their artistic muscle and craft a gorgeous open world, the improved online infrastructure allowed not only for interactions with other players but also the means to push out additional content (which is a staggering thought for a game with a story up around the 70 hour mark) and the most striking change came thanks to the dense, orchestral based soundtrack, which harvested a very different tone to Xenoblade Chronicles back in 2010. Moving away from the smaller ensembles covering any combination of rock, pop and classical tracks, Xenoblade Chronicles X was scored by Hiroyuki Sawano, renowned for more grand compositions focusing on a full orchestra sound, a stark contrast to the ensembles players had been exposed to previously. It was a different sound that was needed to accommodate the new direction of the game, but it was a fairly big risk to take as Xenoblade Chronicles’ soundtrack was so endeared by fans.
25 minutes of off-screen footage from Xenoblade Chronicles X’s title screen sequences
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Videos, Wii U | 6 Comments
Our Xenoblade Chronicles X video coverage has mostly come to a close (at least until the North American version approaches), but we’re making one exception here. The folks at ntower have captured 25 minutes from the RPG’s title screen, showing the game’s various – and beautiful – landscapes. Give it a look below.
Monolith Soft: From A to Xeno (Part 1)
Posted on 9 years ago by Patrick(@Patricklous) in 3DS, Features, Game of the Month, GameCube, Wii | 17 Comments
The last time I played through Xenoblade Chronicles was just after its European release in 2011, so I’ll let the other staff writers with fresher memories of it handle the actual game of the month. Instead, I’d like to take a not-so-brief look back at the history of the game’s developer, Monolith Soft, and the games they developed prior to Xenoblade. There are plenty of recurring themes, gameplay elements and staff involved, so let’s see how almost a decade of developing RPGs shaped this robot-slaying, god-climbing adventure.
More: Baten Kaitos, highlight, Monolith Soft, Project X Zone, top, Xenoblade, Xenosaga
GAME OF THE MONTH – Xenoblade Chronicles
Posted on 9 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Features, Game of the Month | 15 Comments
Edit2: I’m sorry Brian. I’ve caused a fuss and it’s all my fault. To everyone just joining us: Don’t worry. Everything is okay. I definitely didn’t accidentally brand this post with the wrong game, cause a kerfuffle, and then fix my mistake like a ninja. Direct your complaints to this Twitter account.
Edit: Due to site reader grumpiness, I’ve changed the image and title to better reflect the fact that GOTM really has to do with a whole franchise, developer, etc, rather than just one game. If you’re unclear on what GOTM is for NintendoEverything, check out this post!
It’s E3 month which means it’s actually probably a silly idea to even have Game of the Month, but since we’ll inevitably hear more about Xenoblade Chronicles X at the show (and maybe a North American Disaster: Day of Crisis localization– fingers crossed) it fits pretty well. All month long we’ll have articles about the Xenoblade series, its developer, the older games the developer made, and various other things relating to Monolith Soft and large Japanese robots. Stay tuned for our first article this weekend!
And don’t worry– we’ll have E3 articles too.
~Austin
More: highlight, Monolith Soft, top, Xenoblade, Xenoblade Chronicles X
Another round of Project X Zone 2 screenshots
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, Screenshots | 2 Comments
More: Bandai Namco, Japan, Monolith Soft, Project X Zone 2
Xenoblade Chronicles X executive director on the game’s Skells
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 6 Comments
The most recent issue of Famitsu has an interview with Tetsuya Takahashi, the executive director for Xenoblade Chronicles X. One of the topics the magazine touched on regularly was the Skells – otherwise known as Dolls.
Regarding what Monolith Soft ordered from Skell designer Takayuki Yanase, Takahashi said: “We ordered frame structures that are easy to design, easy for us to create and easy to turn into 3D.”
Monster Games on the tough task of porting Xenoblade Chronicles to the New 3DS
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in New Nintendo 3DS, News | 0 comments
Xenoblade Chronicles is a massive game. So it should come as no surprise that Monster Games, who handled the New 3DS port, encountered some challenges in making the portable version. You can find out what the studio had to say about creating Xenoblade Chronicles 3D for Nintendo’s latest handheld above.
Nintendo assisted with Xenoblade Chronicles X’s online functionality
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 9 Comments
Xenoblade Chronicles X was a huge undertaking for Monolith Soft. Not only is the game quite a bit bigger than the original title on Wii, but this was also the studio’s first time working with HD development.
Xenoblade Chronicles X executive director Tetsuya Takahashi spoke about some of the challenges in making the project in this week’s issue of Famitsu. On the topic of having trouble creating a map five times the size of the original Xenoblade Chronicles in addition to numerous quests and equipment, Takahashi said:
As the volume was large, the most troublesome thing was debugging (laughs). As this was our first HD title, it was decided from the start that we won’t use cutting edge technology. When I considered what is the strength of Monolith Soft, I came to the conclusion it’s the ability to neatly put together huge volume.
