Preparing For Xenoblade Chronicles X

Xenoblade Chronicles X comes out in two weeks, on December 4. As someone looking forward to it (it’s one of my most-anticipated games of the year despite being open world), I’d like to address some of the most common questions about it I’ve seen.

Can you play Xenoblade Chronicles X if you haven’t played the original Xenoblade Chronicles?

Yes, yes, so much YES. The biggest misconception I’ve seen is that X is a sequel. I blame the name. Xenoblade Chronicles X is a spiritual successor to Xenoblade, related only through shout-outs, similar gameplay, and some common features (like the Nopon race).

They are very different games. For starters, Xenoblade was pretty much fantasy, while X is science fiction.

Xenoblade had a focused, linear story, while X focuses more on exploration and character development. People who have played it say it has deeper lore than Xenoblade.

Combat is the greatest similarity, but X’s system seems more complex.

What are the data packs for?

In the Nintendo Direct, Nintendo announced that the four downloadable data packs for Xenoblade Chronicles X are now available. These have caused almost as many misconceptions as the name.

The data packs do not add anything new to the game. They do not contain content that didn’t fit on the disc.

Rather, they install some of the game’s frequently-used information to your Wii U, to make loading times faster. This is why the data packs are pointless if you get the digital version. If you get the digital version, the entire game is installed.

Should I get the data packs?

If you’re buying Xenoblade Chronicles X digitally, no. If you’re buying a retail copy, here’s a comparison video from GameXplain.

Do you want the faster loading times? Then the data packs are worth it. There are four:

• Basic High-Speed Data Loading Pack
• Enemy High-Speed Data Loading Pack
• Player High-Speed Data Loading Pack
• Skell High-Speed Data Loading Pack

Nintendo recommends you at least get the first one.

You’ll need slightly over 15 GB to download all of them, though they seem to only take up about 10 GB of space. If you, like me, are out of space on your Wii U hard drive, you can pick up an external drive.

Personally, I’m getting a 1 TB portable drive along with a cable so I can use it with my Wii U. I was tempted during the Fatal Frame V digital-only debacle, and the data packs convinced me.

Is the game censored?

Everyone’s favorite topic.

Yes, a 13-year-old party member’s armor has been adjusted so it covers slightly more skin. Every other female character can still wear the skimpy armor, so don’t panic.

To the people upset over this, are you also upset that Ace Attorney changed a joke involving Dr. Hotti and Pearl? (Janet Hsu’s blogs in general are a good resource to see why localization isn’t the same as a literal translation.)

The bust slider for the female player character has also been removed. In the original Japanese version, when you customized a female character, you could adjust both her height and chest size. In the localized version, you can only adjust her height.

If you call this censorship, I suppose you’re right. However, I don’t think it’s enough to warrant a boycott over, because what does a character’s chest size have to do with exploring an alien world in a sci-fi RPG?

For those of you who are upset because you can’t make your character accurately look like you, though… I have a question. If make your character identical to you is so important that removing the bust slider makes it a deal-breaker, shouldn’t you also be upset that you can’t change the character’s shoulder width? What about hand size? What if you don’t find a hairstyle that matches yours?

I’m just saying, arguing that removing the bust slider means you can’t make the character look like you assumes every other body part can be customized to match you (or maybe you just consider the chest more important).

Enough of that, what about religious censorship? By now, you’ve probably heard people crying that Xenoblade Chronicles X has censored all references to religious philosophy. Has it?

• The BLADE acronym has been changed from “Beyond the Logos Artificial Destiny Emancipator” to “Builders of the Legacy After the Destruction of Earth.”
• The Testament division has been renamed to Reclaimers.

That’s it. No need to panic.

Personally, I don’t mind. I think the majority of players would read “Beyond the Logos Artificial Destiny Emancipator” as a bunch of cool-sounding words slapped together into something meaningless, rather than something philosophical. And since the Reclaimers focus on reclaiming lost items from the ship… yeah.

Is the story good?

I can’t really answer that, because I haven’t played it. However, people who played the Japanese version seem to think it’s setting up a larger saga.

Those are the biggest questions I’ve heard asked about Xenoblade Chronicles X. GameXplain has also been releasing Q&A videos. Part 1 and Part 2 are out now.

Have more questions about Xenoblade Chronicles X? Ask in the comments, and if I don’t know the answer, I’ll try to find out.

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