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PAX East 2015 has officially begun, and the Nintendo booth was the first place Nick and I hit. One of the games both of us were excited to check out was Xenoblade Chronicles 3D. Neither of us played the original on the Wii, so it was a new experience for us. So, for those who have played it on Wii, please excuse my ignorance. These first-impressions are coming from a “noob” to the franchise.
One of the things I first noticed was how great it looked on the 3DS. It is far from high definition, but it is one of the best looking 3DS games I have seen. It is also incredibly smooth. This means a lot, because there are also quite a few cutscenes to watch. Of course, you can skip past them, but since I was new to the game, I wanted to make sure I caught the story. Unfortunately, though, there were too many of them and not enough time. I eventually started skipping them in order to get to the gameplay.
As for the gameplay, this is an action-RPG, which means it does not fall into the turn-based style most “traditional” RPGs follow. This also means there is ton to focus on at the same time. You have to choose your attack, manage your party, and keep out of the way from attacks all at the same time. Maybe I would get used to it over time, but it was actually a bit overwhelming for me. However, it is important for you to know that my favorite games are platformers and straightforward action games. So, if you are more familiar and enjoy action-RPGs, you will probably catch on right away.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3D will release for the NEW Nintendo 3DS on April 10, 2015.