For Those Who Played Them-Thoughts on the Trails and Xenoblade Games

All other video games not related to the main farming series - Pokemon, Stardew Valley, My Time at Portia, and other indie-developed games.
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infel
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I just wanted some thoughts from those who have played the Trails and Xenoblade series. See, I'm having trouble decided if I should stick with these games. I've dabbled in both, playing XC1 and Trails in the Sky FC, but haven't beaten them. XC1 I only played about four hours and Trails in the Sky FC, I'm halfway done I think. Problem is, I'm wondering if I should stick with these games since I know they are pretty long and I have a big back log.

I myself am fine with long games, like reading, and don't mind certain anime tropes, but I'm not sure if I should stick with these. Still, a part of me wants to play them. So, can anyone whose played any of the games in these franchisees tell me what they thought on the series or a certain game they played.
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I have put hundreds of hours into those games. I've completed the first Xenoblade four or five times, I think, and Cold Steel I about the same. I've also played Sky FC, SC and all the other Cold Steel games, plus read/seen screen-by-screen plays of Third, Zero and Azure. So basically, I know every single thing that's happened in the series that is availabe in English so far. I know nothing about Kuro, yet, but it'll come...eventually.

What do you need to know, to figure out if you want to play them?

I personally LOVE both Trails and Xenoblade. They are my absolute favourite JRPG series ever, along with Ys. They have incredibly detailed stories and rich world lore. The characters of the first Xenoblade are great and the story has the biggest plot twists and to me is the most exciting, the antagonists of the second Xenoblade are fantastic, and the gameplay of the third is astonishingly good, so they're all great at slightly different things.

They're the best games in the JRPG world, imo, but that's what I like. That's me. What are YOU? I don't know how to answer you because I'm not sure what would make them worthwhile for you, since you've started these games, but stopped again. The world of these games is really interesting, the characters are interesting (though yes, they're JRPGs, so there are lots of stock tropes in there) and the stories are great, so for me, it's a huge 'yes' on being worthwhile to play.
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I have only played the first Xenoblade (DE), and while it wasn't my favorite game, I thought it was a fun and decent game, enough so to see it through to the ending. It is kind of long, but I think it was shorter than my time was with Dragon Quest 11, if that helps any. I wasn't the biggest fan of the characters or lore, but that's me, but I LOVED the world. The world is so beautiful and detailed, just a joy to explore and fill your map or do quests. I thought the gameplay was pretty fun after I got used to it, and it had some good music too. Personally, I don't have any desire to play the sequels, but I enjoyed my time with the first one.
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I guess the questions are... what stopped you from playing? And what did you really enjoy about each game?

I've never played either game, but I've watched two livestream playthroughs of XBC1, largely because the gameplay never seemed like it was for me. I don't like slow paced, hotbar combat. (Never got into WoW either. Same logic.) But if you like it (or at least don't mind it), the story is very rewarding. There WILL be some amount of grinding required to beat the game--classic JRPG problems, you cannot skill your way out of a boss snowing you. But if you like JRPG stories, it's one of the best told out there. The English voice cast keeps up the quality throughout, too!

Speaking from experience, I still got a lot of joy out of watching the game be streamed. Which can also be done while clearing a backlog. :)
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Kikki wrote: Sep 20, 2022 3:17 am I have put hundreds of hours into those games. I've completed the first Xenoblade four or five times, I think, and Cold Steel I about the same. I've also played Sky FC, SC and all the other Cold Steel games, plus read/seen screen-by-screen plays of Third, Zero and Azure. So basically, I know every single thing that's happened in the series that is availabe in English so far. I know nothing about Kuro, yet, but it'll come...eventually.

What do you need to know, to figure out if you want to play them?

I personally LOVE both Trails and Xenoblade. They are my absolute favourite JRPG series ever, along with Ys. They have incredibly detailed stories and rich world lore. The characters of the first Xenoblade are great and the story has the biggest plot twists and to me is the most exciting, the antagonists of the second Xenoblade are fantastic, and the gameplay of the third is astonishingly good, so they're all great at slightly different things.

They're the best games in the JRPG world, imo, but that's what I like. That's me. What are YOU? I don't know how to answer you because I'm not sure what would make them worthwhile for you, since you've started these games, but stopped again. The world of these games is really interesting, the characters are interesting (though yes, they're JRPGs, so there are lots of stock tropes in there) and the stories are great, so for me, it's a huge 'yes' on being worthwhile to play.

First off, it’s really cool how you love these games. I honestly wish I could feel the same way for a game. I think the last game I truly loved was Grandia 2, which for me has great characters, story, gameplay, and music.

I guess for me, I want a video game to have good characters (don’t need to be relatable) and gameplay. I love, of course, a good story, but can play a game with a lacking story, but good characters. I think I’m like you though the most, wanting a game with good characters and story, along with good worldbuilding. Worldbuilding is truly a difficult thing to do, so if a game can accomplish it, it makes the game even more fun. Actually, speaking of work building, I really love towns in rpg’s and Trails in the Sky has definitely satisfied me in the towns and npc front.

For me, I don’t stop these games because of the tropes or gameplay. I just have found it hard to finish really anything really. This more has to do with my own personal problems than the games. But this is one reason I’m asking people’s thoughts on the games and wondering if I should keep investing time in them. I’m fine with tropes honestly. I’ve come to learn to push through tropes I dislike. For me to keep going though, I need fun/likable characters, good gameplay, and a story worth wanting to see. Basically, are they rewarding in the end for people who’ve played them.

greensara wrote: Sep 20, 2022 5:40 am I have only played the first Xenoblade (DE), and while it wasn't my favorite game, I thought it was a fun and decent game, enough so to see it through to the ending. It is kind of long, but I think it was shorter than my time was with Dragon Quest 11, if that helps any. I wasn't the biggest fan of the characters or lore, but that's me, but I LOVED the world. The world is so beautiful and detailed, just a joy to explore and fill your map or do quests. I thought the gameplay was pretty fun after I got used to it, and it had some good music too. Personally, I don't have any desire to play the sequels, but I enjoyed my time with the first one.
It’s cool you stuck with a game your just thought was okay. I myself find it hard to do so though I still try to stick with it. I don’t mind long games. I think though the problem with me is I have a hard time finishing them even if I really like them. I like quests though so that’s not a problem. Playing a bit of the first Xenoblade, I know that I like the main character and his two guy friends, but don’t care much for his child hood friend. Since I like most of the characters though, I’m wondering if maybe I’ll like the game. Having tries the combat it’s okay. Hard to get, but I understand it a bit more.


Mikodesu wrote: Sep 20, 2022 8:34 am I guess the questions are... what stopped you from playing? And what did you really enjoy about each game?

I've never played either game, but I've watched two livestream playthroughs of XBC1, largely because the gameplay never seemed like it was for me. I don't like slow paced, hotbar combat. (Never got into WoW either. Same logic.) But if you like it (or at least don't mind it), the story is very rewarding. There WILL be some amount of grinding required to beat the game--classic JRPG problems, you cannot skill your way out of a boss snowing you. But if you like JRPG stories, it's one of the best told out there. The English voice cast keeps up the quality throughout, too!

Speaking from experience, I still got a lot of joy out of watching the game be streamed. Which can also be done while clearing a backlog. :)

Honestly, I didn’t stop playing them because I disliked them. The reason for stopping on and off mainly has to do with my own personal problems. But for what I liked about the games, I really love the combat, towns, and npcs in trails. Turn based is my favorite, so that helped greatly in me liking the combat. I’m okay with the main characters, though sometimes they can be a bit annoying. For Xenoblade, I liked the town I was in and the protagonist and his friends for the most part. Combat may be a problem though because it’s not action based or turn based, so it’s been a bit confusing.

And yeah, I know some people don’t like the combat in Xenoblade. I don’t mind it so much and grew to like it decently, but it’s still confusing. I also don’t mind grinding either honestly (I play Disgaea lol), so that’s okay. From what you mention, it seems I may like Xenoblade (least the first), because I’m always up for a good story.

And yeah, I don’t mind watching streams. Problem is, when I watch it just makes me want a play lol.
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Maybe watching a bit of a playthrough of whichever game sounds more tempting might be an idea, then? It could help you remember some of the plot, and get the urge to go back to the game. And if it doesn't, you have something to watch (if watching ends up being entertaining, that is).

For the combat in Xenoblade, I would bet there are some guides out there if you end up having trouble. There's more layers to the menus than the combat itself, but if it's not something you're used to, I'm sure it can get overwhelming. (Battle chatter doesn't help. :/)
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I loved the first Xenoblade game so much (I was playing in 3DS, so it wasn't the new "DE" version) that I instantly started the game over when I finished it for the first time :) I love the main cast of characters in the first Xenoblade game. Imo...

XC1: Best overall story and best cast of protagonists. (I also like the soundtrack best overall.) I like the combat best in 1, it feels more minutely customizable than any of the others, and not restricted by that stupid endless timed-button-mashing of the other two games. I love that I understand the combat of 1. (That also happens to be part of why I loved Trails of Cold Steel.)
XC2: Best cast of antagonists (and the most fascinating single plot device in the form of blades and their eternally re-written lives/memories)
XC3: Best overall gameplay and exploration of the 3 connected games. Best side-quests.

And because I can't not mention XCX...it has the best world and exploration BY FAR of all the games. And the best single music track of ALL the games (Sylvalum's night theme! Overall the soundtrack is as good as XC1's but with a very different, more modern feel. I swear I react to that song at 1:06 like other people probably react to narcotics.) But it's not connected to any of the others and it's only available on WiiU, so I must just whimper as I admit that it doesn't count. :(

If you already like the starting town of XC1, and the characters (minus Fiora, right?), then I suspect you'll absolutely love the game. It sounds like you were still in chapter 1, or early chapter 2. I definitely recommend finishing chapter 2 at minimum before deciding if you want to continue or not, as it takes that long to set a story, which will of course be built upon right up to the end, much, muuuuuuch later. And if you care to know, then the exploration starts to get really good in Chapter 4, though even Colony 9 has some interesting bits...but it's a lot more bland than later areas of that world.

As for Trails, well...I freaking adore Rean, and I'm pretty sure everybody knows it. Thing is, Rean is VERY unpopular. I think the prevailing opinion is that he's bland...just a super-powered yet run-of-the-mill nice guy who ends up with an enormous harem of girls/women who want him. That bugs a lot of people. And I won't go into it again, but I have a very different opinion, and find Rean very interesting. But you're still on Sky, so I may as well not talk about Rean! Sky actually works really well due to...spoilers. Well, let's just say it's unique compared to the Trails sub-series that follow it. It's a great story, VERY heavy with world lore (insanely heavy...I got really bogged down by the sheer amount of overarching story in trails, because I'm much more about the more intimate personal stories of each character than grand stories like warring political, religious and mystical factions.)

I could talk for a soul-crushingly long time about Xenoblade or Trails, either, so...I'll stop here and just say that if you have any questions you'd like answered before you can make a decision, then go right ahead, as I probably have an answer.
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Mikodesu wrote: Sep 20, 2022 11:30 am Maybe watching a bit of a playthrough of whichever game sounds more tempting might be an idea, then? It could help you remember some of the plot, and get the urge to go back to the game. And if it doesn't, you have something to watch (if watching ends up being entertaining, that is).

For the combat in Xenoblade, I would bet there are some guides out there if you end up having trouble. There's more layers to the menus than the combat itself, but if it's not something you're used to, I'm sure it can get overwhelming. (Battle chatter doesn't help. :/)
That’s a good idea, thanks =). I do this with farming games actually and it can be helpful. Only problem is I worry about spoiling story. I just have to be careful when doing this though. It’s a good thing to do. Maybe I’ll try with Xenoblade. I follow a yt who plays the game.

And yeah, I will use a guide for XC1 and the others if needed. I do know that XC2 seems to have terrible tutorials and also that you can’t even go back and look at them. I also don’t mind complicated combat, but it needs to be explained well and fun. I am someone who does try and learn it, but if can’t then I have to drop the game sadly. Lucky with XC1, I am getting it.


Kikki wrote: Sep 20, 2022 11:47 am I loved the first Xenoblade game so much (I was playing in 3DS, so it wasn't the new "DE" version) that I instantly started the game over when I finished it for the first time :) I love the main cast of characters in the first Xenoblade game. Imo...

XC1: Best overall story and best cast of protagonists. (I also like the soundtrack best overall.) I like the combat best in 1, it feels more minutely customizable than any of the others, and not restricted by that stupid endless timed-button-mashing of the other two games. I love that I understand the combat of 1. (That also happens to be part of why I loved Trails of Cold Steel.)
XC2: Best cast of antagonists (and the most fascinating single plot device in the form of blades and their eternally re-written lives/memories)
XC3: Best overall gameplay and exploration of the 3 connected games. Best side-quests.

And because I can't not mention XCX...it has the best world and exploration BY FAR of all the games. And the best single music track of ALL the games (Sylvalum's night theme! Overall the soundtrack is as good as XC1's but with a very different, more modern feel. I swear I react to that song at 1:06 like other people probably react to narcotics.) But it's not connected to any of the others and it's only available on WiiU, so I must just whimper as I admit that it doesn't count. :(

If you already like the starting town of XC1, and the characters (minus Fiora, right?), then I suspect you'll absolutely love the game. It sounds like you were still in chapter 1, or early chapter 2. I definitely recommend finishing chapter 2 at minimum before deciding if you want to continue or not, as it takes that long to set a story, which will of course be built upon right up to the end, much, muuuuuuch later. And if you care to know, then the exploration starts to get really good in Chapter 4, though even Colony 9 has some interesting bits...but it's a lot more bland than later areas of that world.

As for Trails, well...I freaking adore Rean, and I'm pretty sure everybody knows it. Thing is, Rean is VERY unpopular. I think the prevailing opinion is that he's bland...just a super-powered yet run-of-the-mill nice guy who ends up with an enormous harem of girls/women who want him. That bugs a lot of people. And I won't go into it again, but I have a very different opinion, and find Rean very interesting. But you're still on Sky, so I may as well not talk about Rean! Sky actually works really well due to...spoilers. Well, let's just say it's unique compared to the Trails sub-series that follow it. It's a great story, VERY heavy with world lore (insanely heavy...I got really bogged down by the sheer amount of overarching story in trails, because I'm much more about the more intimate personal stories of each character than grand stories like warring political, religious and mystical factions.)

I could talk for a soul-crushingly long time about Xenoblade or Trails, either, so...I'll stop here and just say that if you have any questions you'd like answered before you can make a decision, then go right ahead, as I probably have an answer.

Yeah, I like the starting town. I admit, I’m not even really that far in and only on the first chapter, but I’ve done some quests and am learning the battle system when I’m able to play. And yeah, I’m not a fan of the childhood friend romance trope lol. Don’t know why. And for me, she’s just a bit too generic. But anyway, I’ll keep going as you said. I don’t mind either if the story takes a bit to get going either. I just wonder if I’ll like most of the characters. From what you’re saying it seems I will.

I also think XC3 will be for me as well. It seems to be of a similar tone to the first game, though a little more dark in a way. I was wondering your thoughts on XC2. It’s cool that it has good bad guys (I love good bad guys), but I’ve seen criticism for the fan service. Looking at some videos, it does look bad in that department, along with a rather childish mc. Were you able to get through it though?


Trails is fun so far by the way. The gameplay and towns have been the best part for me. Somewhat lacking is the characters, but I still like them. Don’t care much for the romance though, but I’m able to push through. It’s cool having a female main character as well. As for Cold Steel, yeah, I’ve seen the Rean hate. I think people may just be kind of jealous of him since so many girls like him lol. I think I’ll like him though. I like nice guys (don’t like perverts). As for the harem stuff, a while ago I spoke to a fan who says you can skip the 'romance' if you want, which I may do. Still, I can get past the whole girls falling for Rean likely. Most I’ll do is role my eyes.

Tell me, are these games really that long though? And are they good for someone looking to relax? I kind of what to play a rpg to relax with (i often play games on normal though). I have simulation games, but sometimes I want to play an rpg.

Also for Trails, do you suggest the the Azure games? Are those good? I know Zero comes out soon.

PS-I sadly likely can't play XCX since I'd have to get a Wii U and hope I can still access the store. Sucks honestly ;-;. I hope maybe they'll make a Switch port. Maybe they will. I really want to try it.

PSS-Falcom makes YS right? I don't mind action based games and am wondering if they are good for a casual rpg player.
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I didn't particularly like XC2, but I did play it twice even so. :) It's mostly that I couldn't stand Rex as a protagonist. He was nothing except a standard shonen trope. Absolutely nothing about him was special (unlike Rean, I say! Oops, not even the same series, but I couldn't help myself...) and he looks 12, and it was such a massive turn-off for me that I had trouble caring about him or anything he did. He was just Naruto with brown hair, or take almost any other shonen manga boy and paste him in there, and you've got Rex. Everything succeeds if you just BELIEVE and WORK HARD and NEVER GIVE UP, and there's nothing else to him, no nuance...nothing. ARGH (sorry, I always start to froth when I think about Rex, lol. Well, that's me! I've heard some people love him. I cannot for the life of me understand why, but I'm sure they have their reasons.) And yeah, the fan-service was downright insulting, at times. Plus not a single track of the soundtrack stood out to me :(

However, those antagonists, man...they are so, so good. So much depth. Even just them, they make the game worth playing. And the concept of blades is jaw-dropping. I could ignore Rex and play for Jin (and Malos and Akhos and Patroka and Mikhail) and to better understand what's going on with the blades. The story was predictable, for me, probably because I'd already played XC1 and had a feel for the type of story they'd be going for already. XC3 was actually a little more surprising than 2, for me. (Only a little, though...I am regrettably prone to picking up on tropes really quickly.)

XC3 is definitely more similar to 1 than to 2. I've seen many people remark on that, so it doesn't seem to be just me who thinks so. I was very happy about that.

The characters of Sky get deeper and deeper the further you go into the story. The fandom is in love with Estelle, though honestly I never saw anything special about her...she's kind of like a more thuggish, female version of Rex, the 'genki' stereotype whose power is 'believing' and 'never giving up'. She mainly gets praise for her amazing character development, but tbh, I didn't really see it...she didn't seem all that different to me at the end than the beginning. She just becomes a little more mature in what feels to me like a way that anyone would, in those circumstances and in that passage of time. Joshua, though...wow. His story really snuck up on me. And wait until you meet Olivier!

Yes, the games are quite long. Relaxing? I don't know. What relaxes you varies from person to person. I think they're too exciting to be relaxing, honestly, and too complex to assimilate well while tired. They are extremely diverting, is what I'd say. They pull me into their world like very few games manage to do, and that, for me, is the ultimate praise.

Yes, the Crossbell games (Zero and Azure) are very good.

Yep, Falcom makes Ys (and Trails). They're amazing, I love Adol. :) It's weird, cuz he's...well, he reminds me of my avatar character in XCX, actually. It'd be very hard to explain, but at least part of it is due to the games being made about a famous explorer named Adol Christin (the fictional hero of the series), based entirely on his many travelogues. He's a silent protagonist like Link, so in a way he doesn't even have that much personality (though some definitely shows through, like that he's a huge dork for history and ruins and etc) but I love him all the same. Maybe it's his adventurer and writer's spirit that I'm into. The combat is super snappy...really lively and fun. The dialogue tends to be interesting and I like the plot and characters. I've only really been into the games since they became story-driven, though, mainly with VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana. Before that they were mostly gameplay driven. Ys is known for its combat and its soundtracks.
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Kikki wrote: Sep 20, 2022 12:49 pm I didn't particularly like XC2, but I did play it twice even so. :) It's mostly that I couldn't stand Rex as a protagonist. He was nothing except a standard shonen trope. Absolutely nothing about him was special (unlike Rean, I say! Oops, not even the same series, but I couldn't help myself...) and he looks 12, and it was such a massive turn-off for me that I had trouble caring about him or anything he did. He was just Naruto with brown hair, or take almost any other shonen manga boy and paste him in there, and you've got Rex. Everything succeeds if you just BELIEVE and WORK HARD and NEVER GIVE UP, and there's nothing else to him, no nuance...nothing. ARGH (sorry, I always start to froth when I think about Rex, lol. Well, that's me! I've heard some people love him. I cannot for the life of me understand why, but I'm sure they have their reasons.) And yeah, the fan-service was downright insulting, at times. Plus not a single track of the soundtrack stood out to me :(

However, those antagonists, man...they are so, so good. So much depth. Even just them, they make the game worth playing. And the concept of blades is jaw-dropping. I could ignore Rex and play for Jin (and Malos and Akhos and Patroka and Mikhail) and to better understand what's going on with the blades. The story was predictable, for me, probably because I'd already played XC1 and had a feel for the type of story they'd be going for already. XC3 was actually a little more surprising than 2, for me. (Only a little, though...I am regrettably prone to picking up on tropes really quickly.)

XC3 is definitely more similar to 1 than to 2. I've seen many people remark on that, so it doesn't seem to be just me who thinks so. I was very happy about that.

The characters of Sky get deeper and deeper the further you go into the story. THe fandom is in love with Estelle, though honestly I never saw anything special about her...she's kind of like a more thuggish, female version of Rex, the 'genki' stereotype whose power is 'believing' and 'never giving up'. Joshua, though...wow. His story really snuck up on me. And wait until you meet Olivier!

Yes, the games are quite long. Relaxing? I don't know. What relaxes you varies from person to person. I think they're too exciting to be relaxing, honestly, and too complex to assimilate well while tired. They are extremely diverting, is what I'd say. They pull me into their world like very few games manage to do, and that, for me, is the ultimate praise.

Yes, the Crossbell games (Zero and Azure) are very good.

Yep, Falcom makes Ys (and Trails). They're amazing, I love Adol. :) It's weird, cuz he's...well, he reminds me of my avatar character in XCX, actually. It'd be very hard to explain, but at least part of it is due to the games being made about a famous explorer named Adol Christin (the fictional hero of the series), based entirely on his many travelogues. He's a silent protagonist like Link, so in a way he doesn't even have that much personality (though some definitely shows through, like that he's a huge dork for history and ruins and etc) but I love him all the same. Maybe it's his adventurer and writer's spirit that I'm into. The combat is super snappy...really lively and fun. The dialogue tends to be interesting and I like the plot and characters. I've only really been into the games since they became story-driven, though, mainly with VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana. Before that they were mostly gameplay driven. Ys is known for its combat and its soundtracks.

I understand that. I don’t like Naruto and it seems I may not like Rex. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind the whole ‘never give up’ thing, but it can get really annoying. It’s also sad about the fan service part of this game being so over the top. Still, I wanna play it so I can get a full scope of the story and world before going to XC3. If I do it, it’ll take me a long time sadly. Still, it’s good that the bad guys are good and gameplay mechanics kind of fun. I think the best way to go about this game when/if I play it is to try it out for a while and if it’s not clicking, to just drop it and go to the next.

And yeah, XC3 is like this to many. Many see it as more like XC1 which is a good thing for it. Some were worried that XC3 would be like 2, but luckily it wasn’t.

Cool to hear that about Skye. I like Joshua more than Estelle, but I think she’s okay. And actually, I’ve gotten to Oliver. I like him actually. He’s a funny guy.

It’s also okay if they aren’t relaxing. Grandia 2 wasn’t. I just remember playing Steven Universe rpg and it was very relaxing. Same with Digimon. Still, I like good stories and characters, so I think I’ll enjoy these series (maybe not XC2 though). I’ll also get the Crossbell games when it can =)

For YS, I’ll try these down the line. I actually own Calceta on PS4 and it looks fun.

Last question though, how do you pace yourself with finishing games like these>. This seems to be my biggest problem. I find it amazing how you've played them so many times
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infel wrote: Sep 20, 2022 1:16 pmLast question though, how do you pace yourself with finishing games like these>. This seems to be my biggest problem.
I don't pace myself, haha :) Really, I don't. These are my favourites, and I marathon my favourite games...I mainline them. Gobble them up like I'm starving. Then when I'm done I feel absolutely scalded, lol, and unable to take anything else in. After a Trails game, I need a recovery period. It's so much to absorb, and there was so much emotion to process as well...I sometimes end up taking a week or two away from gaming entirely after I finish one. Trails is worse for that than Xenoblade...I need a longer break after Trails. So it turns out there is a question I can't answer about this!

Also, I'm so narrow in my tastes in gaming that when I find a game i love, I play it over and over, unable to get the same level of satisfaction from anything else. So I end up playing these story-heavy behemoths many times. It's nothing special; just a product of my overly-particular preferences.
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Kikki wrote: Sep 20, 2022 1:23 pm
infel wrote: Sep 20, 2022 1:16 pmLast question though, how do you pace yourself with finishing games like these>. This seems to be my biggest problem.
I don't pace myself, haha :) Really, I don't. These are my favourites, and I marathon my favourite games...I mainline them. Gobble them up like I'm starving. Then when I'm done I feel absolutely scalded, lol, and unable to take anything else in. After a Trails game, I need a recovery period. It's so much to absorb, and there was so much emotion to process as well...I sometimes end up taking a week or two away from gaming entirely after I finish one. Trails is worse for that than Xenoblade...I need a longer break after Trails. So it turns out there is a question I can't answer about this!

Also, I'm so narrow in my tastes in gaming that when I find a game i love, I play it over and over, unable to get the same level of satisfaction from anything else. So I end up playing these story-heavy behemoths many times. It's nothing special; just a product of my overly-particular preferences.
Again, it's really amazing how you and other can do this. I do this too, but sadly not recently with newer games. I think it's because I haven't really finished anything. Digimon does come close, but I haven't finished it yet because I keep restarting lol. But from what it seems, I'll stick with Xenoblade and Trails in the Sky. I'll at least beat the first games and see how things go. I'm hoping I can love or at least really like them. Again, thanks for all the help =)
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Kikki
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Don't be hard on yourself, and just have fun, infel :) If you're having fun, then however you're doing it, you're doing it right.
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infel
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Kikki wrote: Sep 20, 2022 5:33 pm Don't be hard on yourself, and just have fun, infel :) If you're having fun, then however you're doing it, you're doing it right.
Yeah, that is very true :) . Having fun is the most important part with gaming at the end of the day. I shouldn't be too down as long as having fun with the game. Thanks :)
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Kikki
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Yeah...people tend to find enough to criticise themselves about in life without adding 'I'm not playing my games the way I'm supposed to' to the list. The only way games are meant to be played is whatever way is fun, even if you never finish them. Unless you're a professional gamer or streamer, I guess, and then you probably have a different set of requirements, lol...but I don't think that's the case for anyone here! Life doesn't hand out a prize for how many games you strike off your backlog, either.

I often wonder if people who stream games for a living (or at least trying to make it a living even if they currently also hold a regular job) manage to continue to enjoy games. They have to play in such an unsatisfying way for the entertainment of their viewers. I'd hate it. No way am I ruining my favourite hobby by letting hundreds or thousands of others meddle in it, or turning it into a chore rather than fun! They have to play their games only on camera, for the allotted amount of time, and they can't just play that game when they WANT to. It just looks awful to me.

With Xenoblade it tends to be hard to stop yourself from continuing your progress, once you get into the story. I know several people who ended up having to play backward for a bit to catch up to their main story progress, because they didn't want to stop and do side-quests to level up (and gain affinity) because they were so into chasing down the main story. Hopefully the story grabs you and carries you along. If it doesn't, then you'll just have to put it aside...life's too short to force yourself to play games that you don't find fun, imo. There are much better things to exercise your willpower on. Imo!
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