Current Events > Final Fantasy X or Xenoblade Chronicles: DE?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Which of these games do you like more and why?

If you squint they kind of look like the same game. Every time I think about one though, I find myself wishing it had certain aspects from the other.
I think about this a lot and while I am leaning slightly more towards one of them, I haven't decided.

xbc because xbc is good and ffx is not

Xenoblade is the better game. I like FFX, but got turned off of its absolute linearity and hallway dungeon design. It's why I haven't played a FF game after 12.

Xbc ftw

I like XC combat better, but I think FFX does both story and characters A LOT better.

ViewtifulJoe posted...

If you squint they kind of look like the same game

Blasphemy!

Anyway, I prefer Xenoblade Chronicles. The first game is one of my all time favorite games. The world was so much fun to explore and I love the combat system

Alucard188 posted...

Xenoblade is the better game. I like FFX, but got turned off of its absolute linearity and hallway dungeon design. It's why I haven't played a FF game after 12.

You know, I did the same thing. I played FF12's big Pharos tower and that giant insane no-map guessing-game crystal level right after and decided I was done with the franchise.

Xenoblade's pretty linear in its own way I'd say. The forced loss battles and the fetch quests hurt NG+ for me.
While they're both like that for a while, I feel like when you finally get to the late game stuff, FFX has opened up more than XBC. FFX is full of weird, offbeat quests and it's where your characters go from strong to outrageously strong, meanwhile XBC it feels like there's less in the way of secrets and more like the next bunch of sidequests now appear on your map.

Prestoff posted...

I like XC combat better, but I think FFX does both story and characters A LOT better.

The combat's a different strokes thing for me. I enjoy both a lot. Xenoblade's "You stand to his left, I'll stand here, on three we're all gonna wail on this guy." "Uh you Homs are joking right, you know I can hear-" "THREE!" combat is more engaging and the big hits are a lot more satisfying, but FFX's has move versatility with each character having more moves, access to items, Overdrives and the fact you actually get to control all three. Even if it does eventually boil down to Quick Hit/Attack Reels.

Maybe if I cut it up a bit more. This could be an enormous wall of text so no details.

Main party - FFX
Villains - XBC
Gameplay - FFX
World - XBC
Music - XBC
Story - FFX
In-jokes/humor - FFX
Replayability - XBC

Oh.

XBC

I did not like X at all.

Alucard188 posted...

Xenoblade is the better game. I like FFX, but got turned off of its absolute linearity and hallway dungeon design. It's why I haven't played a FF game after 12.

Tbh unless told so I don't think most players even noticed FFXs linearity, at least during their first playthrough.

I certainly didn't. Mostly because it's pacing, lore and characters were just so damn good and engaging.

Xenoblade is really good, but FFX is up there with the best games of all time. It was so good that they even made a LotR game which 'borrowed' FFX's combat system (LotR: The Third Age).

XBC with FFX's Monster Arena
FFX with XBC's cutscene skipping
XBC with Celestial Weapons
FFX with Heart to Hearts
XBC letting you switch characters in-battle
FFX letting you reposition yourself for more damage
XBC with Dark Aeons and Penance
FFX with a Colony 6 repair quest
XBC giving you a sphere grid instead of the affinity chart
FFX giving you bursts of AP for completing side quests

Wouldn't it be nice?

ViewtifulJoe posted...

XBC with FFX's Monster Arena

Closest we've gotten to that was the boss battle mode in Xenoblade Chronicles X. Had to fight different special bosses to get specific drops

XBC with Celestial Weapons

So, ultimate weapons basically? I'd be fine with that, so long as they aren't locked behind stupid things like dodge 200 lightning bolts

XBC letting you switch characters in-battle

That's already a thing in XBC 2 and 3

XBC with Dark Aeons and Penance

Which part of this do you want? Because the Xenoblade games already have great optional bosses

XBC giving you a sphere grid instead of the affinity chart

Gross. This should never happen. Ever

Never played FFX, but Xenoblade is one of my favorite games of all time, so I'm choosing that.

NoxObscuras posted...

Closest we've gotten to that was the boss battle mode in Xenoblade Chronicles X. Had to fight different special bosses to get specific drops

I really like how in FFX they had much stronger one-offs for area completion, species conquest and then the original section was a bunch of million+ health opponents that could briefly stand up to even maxed out characters. They did have a monopoly on good item drops too.
It's more fun than standing there messing with the weather, trying to get Belgazas to respawn and then re-loading saves until the treasure chest has what you want..

NoxObscuras posted...

So, ultimate weapons basically? I'd be fine with that, so long as they aren't locked behind stupid things like dodge 200 lightning bolts

Yeah, a sidequest or odd pre-requisite for the weapon, another for the crest, a third for the sigil. Take all 3 somewhere, let's say the High Entia Tomb, mix them together and you get your character's ultimate weapon, ideally with unique crazy effects.
I endorse stupid requirements. Teach the people of the Bionis about Blitzball.

NoxObscuras posted...

That's already a thing in XBC 2 and 3

Those aren't Xenoblade 1. I don't really like the characters, stories or worlds of 2 or 3. That's like a monkey paw granting a wish. I just want to be able to stop local menaces AI Shulk and AI Melia from letting the team down.

NoxObscuras posted...

Which part of this do you want? Because the Xenoblade games already have great optional bosses

They do but it's often proceed to a certain point of the game, go here, there's an optional boss.
With a Dark Aeon there was a little more, you'd get a cutscene, you could accidentally stumble upon them like going back to Besaid and getting jumped. Spoilers ho but I thought it'd be cool if they took all those Mechon ghosts you fight just before Zanza, levelled them way up and had you go around and put them to rest once and for all. A cutscene before and after, the party give their definitive last word on those characters.
With Xenoblade 1 optional bosses it's some giant monster in the wild you pick a fight with. With Dark Aeons it's like they're last resorts that've been sent to hunt the party. I like that.

NoxObscuras posted...

Gross. This should never happen. Ever

I really like the sphere grid. If it's too rigid you could tweak it. FFX had a standard grid and an expert grid. Just add more. Make those items that let you wildly teleport around it more common too. It doesn't have to be linked to stats either, it'd just be nice to be able to funnel EXP into your characters' affinity as well as skill trees.
Something about the affinity chart felt lacking to me. Maybe it still bugs me that the shapes stop certain characters using certain abilities.

I don't like either of these games but XC is clearly better

Oh I've got it.
Here's something that should have been the standard for hypothetical Xenoblade 1 celestial weapons.
Just let them hit Mechon for full damage, no Monado Enchant needed.

I didn't like how I could max out a character and still only deal one damage against a belligerent toaster because I didn't have the special anti-Mechon weapon or enchant active.
Make it so Monado Enchant further amped them in some unique way if you really want the spell to still have use.

I tried playing FFX a couple years back and it was exceedingly linear and mindless.

It sucks that both were lightning in a bottle and that the chances of finding another game that hits the same way are miniscule.
Even their own franchises are dead set on spiralling off in different directions.

That's a shame you don't like the settings/characters of XC2 and XC3. XC2 took a little bit to grow on me (about halfway through I started really liking a lot about the game) but XC3 immediately hooked me with both of those aspects. Especially Noah, his character really resonated with me.

FFX. I've tried playing Xenoblade multiple times, but I always end up quitting some time after Guar plains.

FFX is a top-tier FF.

Smash them together and get Xenoblade X