I’m still on the fence about whether I like Xenoblade Chronicles or not. Whenever I think I’m starting to get into it, some stupid cutscene pops up that irritates me to no end. First there was there whole Xord thing, then the whole Metal Face thing, then after running for ages and ages I made it to Makna Forest and had to put up with first Alvis, then Melia, then Riki all pissing me off.

Plus I now have two more party members to deal with just when my party was starting to gel. I’ve been shuffling Shulk/Dunban/Reyn/Sharla around and getting through things just fine. Got some affinity built up, got some Skill Links set up, learned lots of Arts, figured out how to use everyone. Now they’ve tossed two more characters in there. What on earth do they expect me to do with those? See, this is why I like games that let you switch party members into battle at will.

Story-wise, I haven’t actually made any progress since last time. Well, it’s hard to make progress when there isn’t much of a story in the first place. First we’re seeking revenge on a particular Mechon named Metal Face. Shulk had a vision that he takes down Metal Face near a tower. So we’re climbing a giant robot in order to find that mythical tower. I started climbing about 12 hours ago and I’m still climbing now. And people complain about the giant tower in Persona 3…

I would be further along, but I went back to Gaur Plains and the Bionis’ Leg to do some running around and exploring. I love that scenery, it’s so lush and verdant. I also did some swimming around in Colony 9, exploring the anti-air batteries and almost getting taken out by rabid level 71 flamingos. Satori Marsh was okay except for the dark swamp. Makna Forest though, I can’t wait to get out of there. At least it’s prettier than that hateful Ether Mine. In general I’m enjoying having lots of ground to cover and places to explore if I choose to do so. I also love being able to warp backwards and forwards at will.

I’ve also gotten the hang of the battle system at last. I still spend 80% of the time staring either at my HP or at the commands in the bottom, but now I can tell from my party’s yells and cries the sort of stuff that’s going on. After that I just have to make sure my level is the same or higher than the enemy’s (though I have taken down the occasional stronger monster) and that my arts are up to date. If I find nice armor I put it on. If I don’t, I don’t. Simple enough.

So far, story = 0. Characters = 5 (would be 8 without Riki and Melia, and I hate that I had to spend 5 hours rescuing dumb Juju). Graphics = 6. Music and voice acting = 6. Battle system = 6. That’s about right. I’m not too crazy about Xenoblade yet, but I don’t hate it either. I’ll be happy if it ends around the 40-hour mark though. I think fatigue is starting to set in.