#3 - Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii)
http://www.gamefaqs.com/wii/960564-xenoblade-chronicles
Now it's Reyn time.
Xenoblade is the best JRPG to be released this gen. It’s not even remotely close. In fact, Xenoblade is one of the best JRPGs to be released ever. 2011 has been a really strong year for games, quite possibly the greatest we’ve ever seen. To hit this point home, my top three games this year are all at the very least top 20 games of all time, and all three of the game make a very strong case for top 10. The gap between 1-3 and 4-10 is considerably large, and that’s not to say that 4-10 are bad games, 1-3 are just that good.
So Xenoblade. I’d been waiting for this game for a while. I was following it back when it was still called Monado, and for two-ish years I waited and waited for Nintendo to announce a U.S. launch date for this thing. It never happened so I said screw it and went for the European version. As of recently it finally was announced for a release here, so everyone that didn’t take the plunge early should mark your calendars for April 2012 and get this game day 1.
What makes Xenoblade good? Everything, really. The game is packed with sprawling, lush environments to traverse, and they look great. Monolith found a way to take advantage of the Wii’s aging hardware and craft a beautiful world that’s actually fun to explore. This is aided by an absolutely spectacular soundtrack. Every song fits flawlessly and there's not a clunker in the bunch. The cast of characters you travel that world with are great, too. No one stands out as a cut above the rest, but everyone’s really enjoyable, they all have significant character development, and they play off each other really well. Some of them can be voiced a little goofy at times (what a bunch of jokers) but once you get accustomed to it, the overwhelming British-ness works. No one is useless in battle either, you can make a good case for using any of them in combat.
Combat is good too. It plays out as sort of MMO-ish but it keeps you active and involved. It’s fast paced as well, so battles never feel like a chore. It's rather addicting too, because you're constantly getting some kind of reward whether it be experience, a new skill, items you need to complete quests, or a new achievement (in-game achievements that give you experience are the greatest video game innovation in the last 20 years - take note developers). The amount of content in the game is staggering, and the sheer number of quests you'll obtain is very likely going to be overwhelming. Completionist types with both revel and loathe this - the rewards are usually worth it, but hunting for that last collectable can sometimes be a severe test in patience.
If there one minor flaw in Xenoblade, it's that the story kind of unravels in the final hours. It's more than competent throughout the vast majorty of the game, with some really cool scenes and plot twists that you may or may not see coming from a mile away, but the ending stretches a little too far. I ended up being okay with it because I've come to expect that kind of thing from Xeno games, but it certainly could be a little offputting. In the grand scheme of things though, that seems incredibly minor and it's hardly a knock against it.
Xenoblade is a huge undertaking - I clocked in 105 hours in my playthrough, but every single hour is worth it. It's hard for me to say enough about this game. I had high expectations, but even those were surpassed. JRPGs are my bread and butter, and this gen hasn't had a lot to offer in that aspect. Xenoblade more than makes up for the draught. The fact that it's only #3 on the list is kind of absurd, but it just speaks to the strength of the best games of 2011.
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FF fans don't hang around the internet on a monday morning they are out doing shopping or asleep hungover from parties. They got lives. -The_Djoker