Xenoblade Chronicles X is an action RPG by Monolith Soft that o?riginally launched on Wii U in 2015 and has remained on that console for many years, even after the subsequent release of the Nintendo Switch. Fortunately, this is finally about to change.

Out of nowhere, Nintendo announced Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition on its many social media accounts, like YouTube, Twitter/X, and more. ?This remastered version of the critically acclaimed Wii U RPG will feature completely enhanced visuals, which you can see for yourself in this amazing accompanying trailer. Needless to say, the open world of Mira looks absolutely beauti??ful on the Switch.

This new version of Xenoblade Chronicles X will also include new story elements, some of which we can see briefly at the very end of the trailer. This means that this port will have something new for those who originally experienced this game on their Wii U. Lastly, Nintendo confirmed that Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition will launch on Nintendo Switch on Ma?rch 20, 2025.

The entire Xenoblade Chronicles series is now available on Nintendo Switch

This is an important announcement because fans have been asking Nintendo to port Xenoblade Chronicles X to the Nintendo Switch for years. After all, the company already ported most of its best Wii U games to its new device, but this beloved Action RPG remained stuck on the company's previous console. However, it seems that Nintendo finally listened to its fans and, in turn, they re?acted with a mix of surprise and excitement.

This new port finally cements the Nintendo Switch as an excellent console for RPG aficionados, especially for those who are big fans of the Xenoblade Chronicles IP, since it means that the entire series will be available on one console: Monolith Soft remastered the first entry in 2020, with Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, it released both Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 exclusively on the console and lastly, the only title that was missing, Xenoblade Chronicles X, is finally arriving to the Nintendo Switch next year. Will this legendary?? RPG franchise continue to thrive on Nintendo's upcoming new console? Only time will tell.

The post Xenoblade Chronicles X ?is finally coming to Nintendo Switch next year appeared first on Destructoid.

The best menu sc??reens in games can be articulated in many ways, just l??ike the sheer amount of options you can get from the feature itself. In my mind, they're determined by the music, the visuals, and how unique they can be. You don't want to see a bland introduction to a magnificent game. Here are the top 10 best main menu screens in games, ranked.

Before we start, I have some honorable mentions. While it's too soon to rank this alongside long-standing greats, Sea of Stars' main menu screen is an impressive introduction to its world. The flickering of the flames reflecting on the pixel-based characters, and the gorgeous backdrop is absolutely stunning. Additionally, Rayman 2: The Great Escape's menu features strange, yet enticing music ?with a view of the world we're about to explore. There's also a cute teensie on the left side, welcoming you to the game with its hat.

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10. Super Metroid

During the SNES era, gamers weren't anticipating a cinematic introduction to the game. However, Super Metroid features tense music and neat transitions of scenes that feature the creepy sci-fi world of the game. It then reveals a Metroid trapped within a pipe with the machinery flickering in green light?. It's genuinely creepy to see fallen bodies next to the machine as well. It's a perfect introduction to this game.

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9. Psychonauts

Double Fine is a developer known for its wild worlds, game concepts, and characters. This menu follows that same idea. One of the strangest (and coolest) is in Psychonauts, in which you're Raz running around a brain. The concept of the game is that you're trying to fix the issues of a person by infiltrating their mind. It's a clever main menu concept for a game like this and is certainly unique. I also love Double Fine's record-based main menu design in Brutal Legend, but Psychonauts just edges it out.

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8. L.A. Noire

This may be a controversial pick, but L.A. Noire has a unique menu design that complements the subject matter. You get the old-fashioned black-and-white styling mixed in with a shadowy figure of the?? text. The light shone from the?? car gives a wonderful effect on the brick wall, adding to the atmosphere of the scene. While it can be annoying to have a gentleman walking in and out of the menu, it's certainly an interesting take on this classic gaming feature that we haven't seen before.

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7. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Yes, this is a simplistic menu for such a huge RPG like Starfield, but it more than makes up for it with the theme alone. You hear a majestic choir and triumphant orchestra calling to you. It gets you pump?ed for the adventure you're about to have. The logo also looks iconic amongst the white mist and the black background.

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6. Pokemon Red & Blue

Despite the limited power of the Game Boy, Pokemon Red & Blue still had amazing intros and menus. You see two Pokemon fighting it out in the intro underscored by a memorable theme song. It then constantly switches between the different Pocket Monsters you'll find in the game like Snorlax, Mankey, and Ditto. It's simple but "super effective"at introducing us to the world of Pokemon. 

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5. Xenoblade Chronicles

The Xenoblade Chronicles title screen is super simple. You see the Monado sword stuck in the ground all by itself. However, the beau?ty of the world surrounds us as day turns to night. You also see the shine of the metal blade against the sunlight, which is a nice touch. The Monado also glows in the dark as the stars shine brightly above. The emotional music is engrossing as you simply stare at this stunning scene. This is one of the best main menu screens just from how stunning it is.

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4. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

I know, many say that Ocarina of Time's menu screen is better, but the one from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess holds more prestige for me. You see Li??nk riding Epona valiantly across the Bridge of Eldin and the wilderness of Hyrule. In the background is a somewhat creepy choir singing the main theme of the game. Then, the intro transitions to Wolf Link who howls to a strange golden wall in the distance.

You also have a hint of the "Midna's Theme" from the music, hinting at ho?w prevalent your partner wi?ll be in the plot and gameplay. You're then left with a feeling of dread as you only have the sound of wind to keep you company. It's a brilliant main menu that pulls you into the intended darker atmosphere of the game.

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3. Kingdom Hearts 2

Possibly with the prettiest main menu theme ever "Dearly Beloved," Kingdom Hearts 2 has one of the best intros in gaming history. The credits roll and the music begins to build up. As you begin to see Sora emerge into the title screen, you hear the harp play an??d the bass strings refer to the protagonist?.

It sounds like an orchestra prepping to play before a concert oc??curs. It then calms down for a brief second until ??the full menu appears. Then, the piano begins to play the main melody, and each wonderful instrument of the piece blends together in a truly "beloved" way.

Seeped with the sound of waves from Sora's home world Destiny Islands, you remember where the end goal lies. T??he blue streak to the right also has a wave-like gradient to it. I just noticed this as I was writing, but the color of the streak goes from navy to turquoise to yellow like a beach. Neat!

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2. Persona 5

Persona 5 has so much style behind its UI and graphical ingenuity. However, the main menu stands out as well. The introduction of the train pop ar??t and then the Phantom Thieves at a stop is fantastic. I love the striking red and white style as you see the trains beside them rush on either side.

The music gives you the depiction that this is going to be a cool, suave adventure. When Futaba gets off her seat, you'll see a graffiti mark on her seat. ?It also shows Haru in the back, showing her more shy side.

Personally, I prefer the calmer nature of this scene to the more energetic Persona 5 Royal's, but it's a?? personal taste, for sure. It gives a more underground feel that matches the Phantom Thieves better.

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1. Mega Man 2

Admittedly, I haven't grown up during the NES era, but my goodness, this is one of t??he greatest main menu screens in a game, bar none. You start with an overview of the city with a brief summary of the story. The music begin??s slow and pleasant, but as the camera moves up the skyscraper, the music gets faster until you get one of the most badass menu themes ever. You can't help but get hyped.

You see Megaman's hair waving in the air as he readies himself for his tough adventure?. When you choose a selection, he then teleports away. Despite having better technology today, this main menu still stands as one of the most epic. Let's set out and defeat each of the bosses (or at least hope we can). This is one of the best main menu screens ever just due to the excitement I get every time I boot it up.

The post Top 10 best menu screens in games, ranked appeared first on Destructoid.

The entire patch addresses issues

The new Xenoblade Chronicles 3 patch is live (version 1.1.1), and the entire focus of it involves some bugged quests. While we wait for the English patch site to catch up, the Japanese site has the full details.

There's two big fixes here that fans have been asking about since launch. So one of the quests (the Mysterious Raider in Severed Connection) actually deals with one of the lengthiest and well-hidden questlines in the game, which you can dig into with more detail here.

Another one involves a food-related bug. So in certain circumstances, some food effects (which buff the party/player and provide bonuses, like extra XP) didn't apply correctly. Now, as of version 1.1.1, they should work. The team even has a retroactive fix for the talent arts button, which could bug out on occasion. There's also the classic vague "??extra fixes" line that's typical of Nintendo patch notes ("in addition, we fixed some issues so that you can play the game comfortably"), which hopefully translates to extra quality of life features.

In the meantime, this ?is good table-setting for the upcoming DLC, and 2023 expansion.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 patch Ver.1.1.1 [2022.9.7]

The post Check out the new Xenoblade Chronicl??es 3 patch: It might fix your bugged ques??t appeared first on Destructoid.

The end of the Xenoblade series is not nigh!

Recently, there have been staff comments alluding to the potential end of the Xenoblade series, but that's not exactly correct. Instead, the team is mostly referring to the end of the "trilogy," as a new email from Xenoblade Chronicles 3 director Tetsuya Takahashi (obtained by Nintendo Everything) s??heds some more light on where th??e series is going from here.

N??ote that there is one spoilery element, which I have removed with the bold emphasis below:

Greetings to everyone who purchased Xenoblade Chronicles 3. This is Takahashi from Monolith Soft. Thanks to your support, we’ve released the third Xenoblade title, twelve years after the original Xenoblade was released for the Wii in 2010. Xenoblade 3 has been called the culmination of the whole series up until now, and it truly is the culmination. We at Monolith have put everything we have cultivated over the past twelve years into it. It is also a stopping point to me. This title depicts the conclusion of the Xenoblade story that began [X]. While it is a conclusion, that does not mean it is the end of the Xenoblade series. It is just a stopping point in my mind. I think that everyone who played this title and the additional stories in the Expansion Pass can imagine what lies in the future for Xenoblade. I have one recommendation for how to play Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Some things are marked by a ? on the game map. Even if you are in the middle of progressing the main story after finding the ? marks, try taking a detour. There are many encounters waiting there. Thank you for your continued support of Xenoblade Chronicles 3!

So, how about that teaser for the expansion pass? With everything due by the end of 2023 (which culminates with another campaign), it sounds like it's going to be really spicy stuff, especially if i?t helps folks "imagine what lies in the future" for the series.

I mean, it makes total sense. As a whole this series is a nice little gravy train for Monolith Soft, with a baked in audience that seems to grow with every iteration. The only thing on my wishlist: more respect for Xenoblade Chronicles X. It's barely mentioned in any of ?the recent interviews??!

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"The total walkable area"

Just how big is the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 world compared to the second game? A whopping f?ive times as large, according to? the developers.

This raw figure was disclosed via part three of an official developer interview series, featuring Tetsuya Takahashi (senior director and chief creative officer at Monolith Soft), Koh Koj?ima (producer and director at Monolith Soft), and Genki Yokota (producer and director at Nintendo).

After being asked about the scope of the game, and how big it was intended to be as the third entry in a major series, Kojima laughed, and really let loose just how big the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 world really is:

"Come to think of it, we were just talking about this yesterday in the office. Tha??t the world would be crazy big for this title. So I actually did the math, and it turns out that the total walkable area in this game is over five times larger than in the second title. It was like... "Yikes!"

Kojima elaborates, citing the hindsight of accumulated knowledge from prior games to?? really allow this map to sing. This allowed the team to get more "creative" instead of just re-using variations of the same landscape concepts, and cites the danger of over-designing things like "wall pattern" aesthetics, which can cut into development time needed to implement more gameplay. Draw distance was apparently a priority though, and I think that was a good call �despite the limitations of the Switch hardware, the game managed to really surprise me at times with some amazing-looking vistas.

If you're interested in diving deeper into the world of Xenoblade Chronicles 3, you can find? all three interviews from the series below!

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 interview series links:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

The post The world of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is “five times larger” than the second game appeared first on Destructoid.

These are near the endgame

Three Xenoblade Chronicles 3 classes are tougher t?o find than all the others. Here's a quick rundown of how to pick them al??l up.

[Note that there will be no specific story spoilers below, but locations will be named, as will names of quests and classes (without proper character names).]

How to find the Machine Assassin in Xenoblade Chronicles 3

So this is by far the hardest class to find in the game, as it requires multiple quest chains. Note that you likely shouldn't attempt this until you're at least level 50, so you can just go back and eventually close this ??one out: or do some of the required quests along? the way. Your choice.

Once you reach the Fornis Region you'll have the opportunity to do quests for Colony 4 (pictured here). Complete all the quests you can inside of the confines of the colony, and eventually, you'll be able to get "Severed Connection" outside of the colony's gates with a question mark icon (?) appea??ring to denote it can be picked up. Complete that (simply head to the quest marker? and finish one fight).

Later in the game, through listening to a rumor in The City, you'll get this quest from the same location called Writer's Block. That's the next step of the questline. Complete that quest (all you need to do is have it as a focus, and go to the locations it tel??ls you t?o).

After that, head here to the Upper Aetia Region. Once Writer's Block and Severed Connection are complete, a question mark icon (?) will appear right here. Tha?t will lead you directly to the Machine Assassin? questline.

How to find the Royal Summoner in Xenoblade Chronicles 3

After finishing the game, head here with a clear file. The "questline" is essentially a c??onversati??on and you'll unlock the Royal Summoner.

It's that simple!?? I'm keepin?g things as vague as possible.

How to find the Lifesage in Xenoblade Chronicles 3

After finishing the game, head here with a clear file??. The "questline" is another conversation and you'll unlock the Lifesage.

It's that simple! I'm keep?ing things as vag?ue as possible.

The post A ?spoiler-free guide on how to? get the three toughest to find Xenoblade Chronicles 3 classes appeared first on Destructoid.

You'll carry over most of your stuff

Yes, there is a Xenoblade Chronicles 3 New Game+ mode.

Since a lot of people like a heads-up about how the end of the game works, you can read all about it here. Note that the?re are no spoilers at all, but the guide will talk about continuation options at the end of the game (hence the question at the very bottom). So come back later if y?ou only want to know near the end.

Can you continue exploring your original Xenoblade Chronicles 3 file after your save?

Yes. After you finish the game, you'll have the opportunity to make a clear save file. Loading it up will bring you back to the area you were at before you finished the game. Clear save files will be denoted by a gold medallion in the top left corner of the file.

Just in case, you may ??want to save that clear file in a slot you aren't using (it doesn't really matter, but it might matter to you).

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 New Game+ carries over most of your progression

You can also opt to just play a completely new file and start the game over ?again. A new option will appear on t?he main menu right next to "New Game," for "New Game+."

Here is exactly what carries over, in the words of the game's own tutorial for NG+:

• You'll retain your character growth.
• All the tutorials you've read thus far will not come up again (but you can access them via the in-game menu).
• All of your inventory outside of key items stay (but you will keep shards and nopon coins).
• Unique monster kills will be reset (graves will revive, but if you clear them again you can see your original kill record).

Here is what doesn't carry over (and will need to be unlocked):

• Chain [super] attacks
• Interlinking [Ouroboros]
• Key items

The post A spoiler-free rundown of how New Game+ works in ????Xenoblade Chronicles 3 appeared first on Destructoid.

And what's next

The Xenoblade Chronicles 3 season pass (referred to as an "expansion pass") was revealed during a recent Nintendo Direct? presentation, but now that it's actually here, we have some info on what it actually comes with. Right now you're buying into the "Adventure Support Pack," as well as the promise of two smaller DLCs, and one bigger expansion

[gallery link="file" ids="337243,337240,337242"]

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 season pass Adventure Support Pack contents

The eShop descriptio?n says that it contains "a collection of helpful items, as well as color variations for existing outfits," but we can do a bit better than that thanks to snooping the expansion pass menu in the actual g??ame:

• Nopon Coin (Silver) x 30
• Nopon Coin (Gold) x10
• Iron Temple Guard
• Circlet of Wisdom
• Silver Belt
• Auto-Balancer
• Glass Memory
• Nopon Strap
• Noah - Color 02 (outfit)
• Mio - Color 02
• Eunie - Color 02
• Taion - Color 02
• Lanz - Color 02
• Sena - Color 02

As? you can probably glean??, none of it is essential.

Nopon Coins are helpful in Xenoblade Chronicles 3(they can speed up gem creation, as well as class leveling and cooking), but you can easily get by without them or find more out in the world through exploration and quest completion (when choosing a side for world event clashes, try and err on the side of coins: you can always get XP later). All of the other items might be helpful early on as quic??k upgrades (especially when you don't have much to go around), but you need to unlock equipment slots anyway gradually by leveling up, and you can find plenty of good equipment through vendors and quests.

As it stands, you might want to wait fo??r the second pack to come out before pulling the trigger, unless you really want alternate costume colors.

So what's next for the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 season pass?

On th?e immediate horizon, "pack 2" is called "New Hero & I??ntense Enemy Battles." Based on the official in-game description, it includes:

• A Challenge Battle mode against difficult enemies
• A new hero character and accompanying quests
• New character outfits (this part is not directly advertised in-game, but is listed on the eShop description)

Expect it to operate like a lot of 2010s-style "arena bout" DLC, and you'll likely get a new hero to mess with (and thus, a new class) at the end of it. Nintendo says the release date for the pack will be "by 12/31/2022," so by the end of the year.

As for pack 3, it'll?? co?ntain the exact same contents as pack 2, and will be released by "4/30/2023."

Pack 4 is the main event, and involves a "new original story scenar??io," and will arrive by "12/31/2023," so by the end of next year.

The post All of the day one bonuses in th??e Xenoblad?e Chronicles 3 season pass appeared first on Destructoid.

As spoiler-free as possible

Want some Xenoblade Chronicles 3 tips? Well, play the ?game ?first, and come here if you get stuck or are starting to feel frustrated!

If that's the case, we have you covered.

Head to every canteen you can

This is something you should start making a habit of early on. When you visit a canteen anywhere (mostly in colonies, which are like small outposts/towns so to speak), buy the one meal available. It'll "unlock" it for use at regular campsites as your team cook (Manana) can no?w wield the recipe. Canteens can be identified on the map with a handshake symbol (which is also shared by campsites): but ?it'll say the words "canteen" on the screen.

Here is a more detailed breakdown of canteens and the food system in Xenoblade Chronicles 3.

Go to every map spot with a question mark, and find the Hulk structures

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 uses question mark symbols on the map to denote important locations. This can be anything from a point of interest to a whole new optional party member. It's important to stop by and at least check them out when you're walking around, but if you miss some, you can come back la?ter instantly with the fast travel system.

There's also the "Hulk" structures to account for, which are littered about the map, and are kind of like micro-factories that can generate items. You'll come across one? story-required Hulk around five hours in, and the rest are up to you to find. The thing is, they're m?arked on the map when you get close to them!

While the question mark symbol (?) is straightforward, the Hulk symbol isn't. That's why I i??ncluded it above!

Your amiibo won't add much, but you can scan three per day

Like most first-party games in the last several years, amiibo support is a rear-view feature, which is sure to delight a lot o??f people who don't feel like tracking them down.

The go??od news is that unless you care about the Shulk figure unlocking the Monado, the rest of them don't really matter. Scanning up to three amiibo per day provides rewards in the ?form of reagents (like cooking or crafting materials) �minor stuff in the grand scheme of things.

You can read more about the amiibo feature here.

Swap classes constantly

Whenever you find a new "hero" party member (read: a seventh guest spot you can cycle in and out), they'll come with their own unique class. T?hese are typically alterati??ons of the core three roles (tank, attacker, support [healer]), but all of them have nuances and extra abilities that you can mix and match, and help you get an edge in tougher fights.

There's a catch: when you unlock them, only one party member resonates with their class. But if you use that party member and the hero, you can slowly raise the class points of each person to unlock the class for everyone else. Some heroes will unlock classes faster than others, so when they are "done" learning them, you can swap their class, swap the hero, and repeat the process to unl?ock everything you have at that current moment. It helps to be proactive before you're swimming in extra classes.

You can find the ful?l breakdown of how classes work in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 here.

Use chain attacks right as you hit the enrage portion of a boss health meter

So this is kind? of a tricky one to visualize because I don't want to post a spoilery boss image this close to launch, but I got you.

Bosses have a health bar at the top of the screen like everyone else, but they also wield an "enrage" symbol toward the middle: it looks like a burning flame. Once they reach that their entire health bar glows with fire, and they get a little stronger. As a result, it behooves you to save big attacks (like chain attacks) if a boss is just about to enrage, as you can potentially push them over the?? line and finish them off just as they're unlocking their full potent??ial.

Keeping Ouroboros cooldowns ready, on top of your chain attack combo (used with the + button afte??r your meter charges), and even your speci??al party member moves (which are linked to the A button) can slash through the amount of time you'll spend fighting an enraged boss.

Later on ?you'll also have the ability to remove the rage status in some cases. Try and change the tactics of the squad (hold ZL) to "burst" to attempt this (left option after holding ZL).

The post Xe?noblade Chronicles 3: Five Quick tips for getting started appeared first on Destructoid.

As soon as you unlock a class, use it

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 classes are highly customizable, as you can mix and match abil?ities from other classes into one synergized player-crafted build. That said, you need to unlock the ability to use a class with everyone in you??r party. Here's how to make sense of the system.

[No major story spoilers will be discussed in this article.]

After meeting a new party member, you'll inherently unlock a new class

So this is actually important to understand. Typically, party members join up as part of the main storyline, or through optional quests. To find every possible party member (and thus, unlock all the classes), you'll want to head toward ? icons on the map, which generally denot?e points of interest like new quests: something mea??tier than a pickup or item stash.

After finishing ??their questline (which, for the most part, have yellow quest markers in your quest menu to show that they are character related), they'll join the party as a "hero," and you can swap them in as the 7th member of your group. Here's where it gets interesting.

New classes can generally only be used by one party member at first

Once you unlock a new ??class, swap that specific core party member (one of the "main six" that can't be changed out) to that class right?? away. What you're doing here is beginning the process of "unlocking" the class for the rest of the party.

Sometimes this will bring you out of your comfort zone. In other words, a "career healer" might drastically shift over to a damage-dealer. This is OK! You only need to keep them in that role until y??ou unlock that class for at least one other person, then they can swap back to their prior role or adjust to something else.

The more class points [experience] you earn from using that class, the faster the class will unlock for everyone else. At some point, you'll earn enough for every??????????????????????????one on the team to use it, which opens up your ??options of cross-synergy abilities and more build options.

To level up classes beyond the standard limit of 10, you'll need to finish a questline

These quests generally come later in the game, sometimes all the way in the back half. You'll come across many of?? them naturally, and they'll be labeled as character/hero quests (with th??e same yellow quest marker in your quest menu). You've seen them before in the JRPG arena: they deal with character-specific storylines and can close out some arcs for guest heroes.

You'll even do a few of them as required by the m?ain story! Just finish them and you can level up classes to 20, and unlock more abilities.

The post In Xenoblade Chronicles 3, always make sure you’re swapping classes appeared first on Destructoid.

This is as spoiler-free as you can get!

A Xenoblade Chronicles 3 canteen is useful for multiple reasons. It serves as a rest stop, which you can use to do all sorts of rest-stoppy things like add bonus XP and talk things over with your party for a chance at extra XP and more questlines. But the real thing that sets canteens apart from camps is the ability to learn new recipes for party member Manana. So make sure? you make a point to hit every canteen you can?!

Here's a very early g??ame (like first-few-hours-early) e??xample!

Canteens are typically found in colonies

Colonies are by and large the "cities/towns" of Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Here you'll find opportunities to gather up new quests, as well as some hidden caches (barrels full of useful items and equipment), ??and...canteens.

One of the first things you'll want to do every time you locate a new colony is go to the canteen. If you aren't sure if something is a canteen or not (if you're judging whether or not to waste precious fast travel load time), you can simply highlight it on the map and it'll appear on the screen with the full rundown. These can share the same ?"handshake" icon as camps, but it'll say "canteen" in the rest spot description.

Just order whatever food is available

Once you're at a canteen, buy the food available for a nominal gold fee. It's OK if you're overwriting a current effect (like the one shown here), you're going to be learning the recipe to use?? forevermore in any camp.

By ordering new food, Manana (the p??arty cook) will be able to replicate it on their own. You'll want to gather as many recipes as possible so that you can use the one that su?its your needs (like if you need an XP boost, or a class point [CP] boost to reach a certain milestone to clear a boss/optional encounter).

If you just caught this tip and haven't ordered anything at a Xenoblade Chronicles 3 canteen, don't worry! Just open up the world map and go to every canteen you've located, and order the food. Even if you've ordered it before, it's OK: the cost is generally minimal and you could end up acquiri??ng a new re??cipe you missed.

The post A ??crucial Xenoblade Chronicles 3 tip: Make sure you order food at every canteen appeared first on Destructoid.

"Fixed some issues"

Nintendo and Monolith Soft just pushed out the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 day one patch (since Japan is getting the ??game now) and it's pretty small!

For sta??rters, the bulk of the update seems to be enabling the season pass. The studio also added the ability to open up the main menu (X) in-game and obtain delivery-based bonus items from the season pass. It also "fixes some issues," which are likely last-minute development fixes. But in my experience throughout the entire game, I didn't really see many technical problems outside of some framerate drops in massive areas.

With that in mind, the physical edition is fairly well preserved already (so far, at least), as all you're getting is "minor fixes" and the ability to add in (mostly future) season?? pass c??ontent, which required an online connection anyway.

You can find the full notes here.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 day one patch notes - Ver. 1.1.0:

• • Added the ability to receive items delivered in the Expansion Pass.
    After downloading the Expansion Pass, the "Expansion Pass" item will be added to the main menu and you will be able to receive delivery items.
  • The main menu can be opened by pressing the X button during play.

• Fixed some issues to make the game more comfortable to play.

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Creating a whole new sound for Xenoblade

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 arrives this Friday, with a grand new world to explore backed by music from Yasunori Mitsuda and company. And in a new developer interview, the team details how it created the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 soundtrack with the hel?p of some brand-new flutes.

Protagonists Noah and Mio each carry a flute, playing them at various points throughout the game. These are, according to a new Ask the Developer interview with the Xenoblade team, based on real-life shi??nobue flutes; a Japanese musical instrument made by drilling holes in shinotake bamboo.

Mitsuda, who has composed music for games like Chrono Trigger, Xenogears, and Xenoblade Chronicles 2, suggested the flute to the team. Xenoblade creator Tetsuya Takahashi says that after listening to the sound of the instrument, he thought it would be a good choice and would incorporate a "d??istinctive Japanese taste."

At this point, we've locked in the flutes. Excellent. I haven't played the game yet myself, but our reviewer Chris Carter tells me they're used in-game?? for pretty s??omber moments.

Only, to make those somber moments together, the team didn't just add in flutes. No, they made flutes.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwG04ZdXCOo

If you build it

Director Koh Kojima recalls Mitsuda telling him, "let's make flutes." At first, Kojima wondered why the team would make the flutes. But Mitsuda said that by "making the flutes from ?scratch, you can create a sound that hasn'?t been heard before."

The plan was for two melodies, Noah ??and Mio's, to eventually flow into each other in a single piece. And ?Kojima says that Mitsuda thought creating the flutes from scratch would enable him to freely control the scale and expression.

The team at Monolith Soft designed them with the intention of actually using them. Then, they sent the designs to a shinobue flute craftsman to make them. And they had a ?Japanese urushi lacquer craftsman decorate them.

In the end, two flutes were made and then used to record the music for Xenoblade Chronicles 3. So that's the story of how an RPG studio made two real-life flutes for its soundtrac??k.

It's not like Monolith Soft is any stranger to real-life models. As chronicled in Iwata Asks, Takahashi worked with Yasoyuki Honne to make an actual 3D model of the world for the original Xenoblade Chronicles pitch.

Cheers to Monolith Soft for always finding wild ways to step up their RPGs. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is out this Friday, July 29, for Nintendo Switch.

_{[Images via Nintendo's Ask a Developer interview.]}

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It's being published to celebrate Xenoblade Chronicles 3, but has tidbits on prior games

Nintendo just published an official Xenoblade interview that talks to key development team members, and it touches on prior games in the series, not just Xenoblade Chronicles 3.

[Note that the interview contains vague spoilers for the third game.]

The roundtable consists of Tetsuya Tak?ahashi (senior director and chief creative officer at Monolith Soft), Koh Kojima (producer and director at Monolith Soft), and Genki Yokota (producer and director at Nintendo). The team kicks things off by saying this new entry is the "culmination of the trilogy," which is more like a broad statement in terms of depicting themes (confirmed immediately after in the same interviews), but also touches on a story justification for it.

However, Takahashi insists that each game is a standalone story (having finished Xenoblade Chronicles 3, I feel like this is apt): "No, the stories of one, two, and three all stand alone. Although some elements and designs from one and two will appear in this third entry here and there, there is no need to have played the first and second games to understand the story or how to play. However, since this is a series of works, the underlying theme is consistent, and in each case, the story unfolds based on 'the relationship between foreign things.' Also, I used the word 'culmination' earlier, but this title brings together all the themes that have been developed over the past 15 years since 2007, when development of the first title in the Xenoblade Chronicles series began, as well as the gameplay systems that have been developed throughout the se??ries."

Takahashi also talks about the core thesis of the game (what would people do if they only lived for 10 years), and how the formative years of his life influenced that concept. Yokota agreed that it would be the best way forward, stating: "We had a great deal of discussion in the beginning about why to have a 10-year life span. Although the seriousness was in full swing from the beginning, I remember hearing the thoughts Takahashi-san just mentioned, and I was in complete agreement. Doing so would surely bring out that sense of Xenoblade-ness, and I thought that I wanted to stay the course wi??th this storyline."

If you're a hardcore Xenoblade fan, it's definitely worth reading in full (though sadly there is no respect for Xenoblade Chronicles X). Two more interviews are arriving today and tomorrow (July 27 and July 28), billed as "Chapter 2 and Chapter 3."

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You have to Xeno-start somewhere

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is out this Friday, and already it's quite a swell behind it. Monolith Soft'??s latest is obviously of high interest to RPG fans, but we're curious to see who else might finally try the series.

This third Xenoblade Chronicles game is the latest Switch game for Monolith, a company that both crafts Xeno- games and supports other projects at Nintendo. The first Xenoblade Chronicles was a big hit for the studio, bringing a massive open-world RPG to the Nintendo Wii. Its follow-up, though, proved a little more divisive. And spin-off entry Xenoblade Chronicles X is still landlocked on the Wii U.

The review embargo lifted for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 today, and the critical consensus seems keen on it. The new entry got an Essential badge over at Eurogamer, high marks at many score-giving sites, and a 9.5 here at Destructoid.

It??'s re??asonable to guess that some might be considering trying the series, possibly for the first time. And hello, I'm among them.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwG04ZdXCOo

What's in a Xeno-name?

I never got around to Xenogears, the first Xeno-prefix game made under Squaresoft. My hop-on point was later, with Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht on the PlayStation 2.

Xenosaga's?? weaving of s??ci-fi, religion, and bonkers robots hit the bullseye in my heart. It was a staple of my PS2 collection, and I still own a copy to this day.

So years later, when Monolith Soft and Nintendo announced a new Xeno game for the Wii, why didn't I jump in? Well, for one, I didn't have a Ni??ntendo Wii. (My family did, but I didn't get to steal that away to college.)

And once I could actually play it, the MMO-ness of it intimidated me. I'd heard stories about how it handled like an MMORPG, and after not clicking with games like World of Warcraft, I was ready to write it off.

Thrice upon a time

So what changed? Well, I got really into Final Fantasy XIV, for one thing. And I've also long-held the opinion that if something is incredibly popular, it's probably popular for a reason. And Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was popular enough to cause the Nintendo Store some problems with its collector's edition.

The story also seems right up my alley, as a war conflict tale in a vast fantasy world. My biggest concern was whether familiarity with the series was necessary for jumping in. Our own Chris Carter allayed my fears with this section of his review:

"Because of the way everything funnels back into the emotional core, this isn’t a bad “first dip into the pool�if you’ve never played a Xenoblade game before. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 didn’t need to do a whole lot to keep me invested, as I was all-in very early on. The cast, the weight of the story, and the freed?om of party composition are the power trio that won me over."

But my question, readers, is simply this: Are you also dipping your toe in the Xeno-water for the first time with Xenoblade Chronicles 3? Are you a longtime Xeno-ficionado with some helpful h??ints and tricks? Are th??ere still things that concern you? Let us know below!

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Playthroughs will vary wildly, but here's some numbers to work with

Now that Xenoblade Chronicles 3 reviews are out in the wild, I've seen all sorts of playthrough lengths flying around. So exactly how long is Xenoblade Chronicles 3? Let's dig in!

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwG04ZdXCOo

The Xenoblade Chronicles 3 core story (and nothing else) is roughly 60 hours

Note: that's a rough?? estimate, and read the bel??ow provisos!

JRPG game length is a hot-button issue, and I came prepared. So for this review, I actually used a timer to keep track of when I deviated from the main storyline. My first clear took around 85 hours or so, and taking away side content and some exploration, I ended up with a 60-hour estimate if you just go for the main story (this is when the credits rolled for me).

Difficulty levels will also mess with this number a bit, as will failures in combat/boss battles. Some rare encounters can go on for upward??s of 15-20 minutes, so multiple failures can add an hour or so to any given storyline-driven section.

I've seen a few figures saying that there is "over 100 hours of just main story content" and that could be a misnomer, becaus?e many people will be able to cl??ear the story in about half that time, especially those of you who will aim for easy mode just to see the credits.

An average Xenoblade Chronicles 3 playthrough will likely take 80-100 hours

So taking into account all of the above, and adding back in side content and mid/heavy amounts of exploration, most people are going to be looking at more than 60 hours.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 contains many engaging sidequests that have lengthy storylines, so the urge to finish at least a portion of them, even if you're looking to speed through the game, will be strong. It's also going to be hard to repel the siren's song of equipment right there on the horizon when wandering around �you can safely tack on at least 20 ??hours to account for that, at minimum.

If you do everything, you can muster more time out of it

"Over 100 hours" is accurate if you're l?ooking to clear every quest, and attempt to find every collectible/hidden cache/supply drop in the game.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3's length is variable, as you can see! "60-120 hours" is going to be the norm once the game gets in everyo??ne's hands �but the latter is not a hard figure if all you want to do is see things through until the end, so don't let i?t scare you off!

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I mean, good songs are kind of the norm in this series

So far, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is putting its best foot forward. We'll see how it fares come July, but for now, I'm pretty happy with what Nintendo is showing off. And that includes this new beautiful Xenoblade Chronicles 3 song called "A Life Sent On."

Shared by way of the Nintendo UK Twitter account, the track is described as a "somber flute-based melody," which is played by "off-seers" in th??e universe (specifically Noah and Mio) to mourn people who have fallen in battle. Based on the small amount of lore we have, off-seers are tasked with some sort of guidance for a facet of the afterlife, and could potentially play a larger role in the narrative.

For now, I've listened to this particular Xenoblade Chronicles 3 song a bunch of times now (even when writing this!) and it's giving me extremely good vibes for how the game will turn out. Aesthetically it seems to be nailin??g everything it needs to, as that's arguably been one of the stronger points of the series from the start: outdoing other similar games on the same hardware.

Hopefully we get even more quality of life upg??rades and a killer story. There's a lot to improve upo?n in the second core game mechanically.

[Update: As more songs are dropping on various Nintendo Twitter accounts, we're adding ??them be?low!]

Listen to the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 track A Life Sent On

//twitter.com/NintendoUK/status/1534?828335804649474

Listen to the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 track The Weight of Life

//twitter.com/Ni??ntendoE??urope/status/1537344232058413057

Listen to the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 track Keves Battle

//twitter.com/Ni??ntendoUK/stat?us/1537751916482023429

Listen to the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 track You Will Know our Names - Finale

//twitter.com/NintendoEu??rop??e/status/1544231122724347905

Listen to the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 track Millick Meadows

//twitter.com/Nintend?oEurope/stat??us/1547128870331187201

Listen to the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 track Chain Attack

//twitter.com/NintendoEurope?/status/1550028058584924160

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They're a tank

Nintendo just put out a Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Zeon character reveal, which s?howcases the tank class in actio??n.

The first reveal actually comes via the Nintendo of Europe Twitter account, which gives us a quick translated rundown of the character (notice the High Entia wing design on their head):

"Zeon is a Keves soldier and a reliable hero who’ll go above and beyond to protect his allies in #XenobladeChronicles3. Armed with a sword and shield, Zeon’s abilities are enha??nced when he’s pitted against stronger enemies."

Next, we have to hover back over to the Japanese Nintendo Twitter account, because th??is is how Nintendo delivers segmented chunks of news these days, even on bigger games.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Zeon character trailer:

//twitter.com/XenobladeJP/status/15??362440169??07694082

Through the above account, we actually get a much better look at the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 ??Zeon character reveal in video form, which more than does its job. Big sword? Check. Protec?ting the party? Check.

I'm a sucker for tank characters, and the getup of knight armor and an anime glowing sword and shield really do it for me. It's going to be hard to push this character out of my forever party unless Monolith Soft has something really special up its sl??eeve.

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The store essentially exploded immediately after it went on sale

After an unfortunate rollout of the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 special edit??ion pre-order system, Nin?tendo says they're taking another crack at it.

Everything seemed OK on the surface. Nintendo was having pre-orders take place on t?he M??y Nintendo store on June 8, with a "limit of two per account." So far, so good. Then it actually launched.

Immediately after the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 special edition went on sale, the entire Nintendo storefront crashed. Folks were greeted with some combination of a 404 page or a "queue," that took an indeterminate amount of time to load and didn't have a progress bar. I came in a little after the initial rush and was taken out of the queue after roughly 10 minutes, and plopped onto a buggy store page?? with a "sold out" notice for the special edition.

Naturally, folks were disappointed. During the debacle, Nintendo issued a statement: "We apologize for any inconvenience that you may be experiencing while attempting to pre-order the #XenobladeChronicles3 Special Edition. The My N??intendo Store is experiencing a high volume of traffic and we appreciate your patienc?e while we look into the issue."

Shortly after, they noted that they'll try, try again, eventually: "Pre-purchase of the Special E?dition will be made available again at a later date. An update will be provided once that timing is determined."

Launching any sort of "special edition" in 2022 with worldwide production issues on the rise is going to be a circus. Add Nintendo to that equation, who still hasn't quite figured out how to distribute them in general (including midnight rollouts for pre-orders that sell out in a few minutes), and you have a whirlwind of problems. I'm not confident this "later" rollout for the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 special edition will go smoothly either, but if you were shorted, you have something to? look forward to at least.

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Here's a pretty good look at Aionios

So far what we've seen of Xenoblade Chronicles 3's locations look on point, and this week Nintendo is showing off more of the world of Aion?ios.

Shared by way of Nintendo's YouTube account (and Twitter), at least one zone has the classic Xenoblade look and feel of a lush water-filled environment (similar to Gaur Plain), and "Aionios" itself is most definitely appropriate nomenclature for a Xenoblade universe. As a reminder, Nintendo describes Aionios as "the rich world where you’ll begin your journey to end the cycle of violence between two opposing nations in Xenoblade Chronicles 3." Those two nations are Agnus and Keves. Through the clip below, we're able to get a glimpse at ?some of the verticality of exploration, some teases into a few?? structures that will likely have story ramifications, and of course, several enemy designs.

For me, it's hard for the team to really top Satorl Marsh from the first game. It's such a gorgeous area and it's the first thing I think of when I hear the phrase "Xenoblade Chronicles." Walking through it was a joy in the original and made me recall some of the best zones from '90s JRPGs, and going back through it in the Switch edition was a treat.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 locations trailer:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5w6ANGPFTw

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Manana and Riku

With Xenoblade Chronicles 3 quickly approaching in July, Nintendo is sharing a ton of info rapidly, including the playable Nopons that will appear in your party.

In case you haven't played a Xenoblade Chronicles game before (which is understandable, as you can jump into any of them), Nopons are the core "cute" race of the series, not unlike a lot of other anime productions. They're typicall??y goofy, but they also fight, and sometimes serve a larger role in the overarching plot.

As far as Xenoblade Chronicles 3 goes, first up is Manana, who is "always thinking about food." It's not just for lore flavor either,? as they'll serve as the cook of the party, and they sport a "cheerful personality."

//twitter.com/XenobladeJP/st?atus/1526099318578421760

Then there's Riku, who is one of the most stoic Nopons we've seen to d?ate. They'll "maintain your weapons" as the smith, and one of his defining traits is his ability to keep his cool. That calm demeanor and that Japanese voice in the video below are a thin?g of wonder. I'm already counting on adding them to my party ahead of time. I love it when that happens with a JRPG.

//twitter.com/XenobladeJP/status/1526098?440547012609

This tweet gives us a better look at the duo in a battle-ready stance?, with their weapons out.

//twitter.com/XenobladeJP/status/1526??099687417139205

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Eagus Wilderness and Millick Meadows

A set of tweets from Nintendo of America has unveiled some new Xenoblade Chronicles 3 locations: which we'll be exploring very soon in July!

//twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/sta??tus/152519293?2256620544

First up is the Eagus Wilderness. It's a desert/arid-like biome with the classic touch of Xenoblade color, with orange trees dotting the landscape. Oh, and there's a "mechanical finger," getting that classic Xenoblade feel in with the "you're walking on colossal titans" motif. Like many, many Xenoblade locales, it seems to have a lot of ravines and?? high walls, with a focus on verticali??ty.

//twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/15251891615143116?83

The second Xenoblade Chronicles 3 locations tweet is Millick Meadows, a "lush" area that really leans into the floating island concept �and reminds me of the expansion from Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition. In all, it's a very light tease, but it's always a blast looking at these shots and imagining myself walking through them. You'll b?e able to do that with a party sw??ap mechanic now too!

We haven't seen that much of the game yet (I'm sure that will change in June), but given all of the quality of life choice?s the team has made thus far, coupled with the strength of what the series has shown us to date: it's definitely one of my most anticipated games of the year.

The post Here’s a good look at two Xenoblade Chronicles 3 locations appeared first on Destructoid.

Nintendo has unveiled the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 file size on the game's official listing and ??it's a doozy! 15GB is what th??ey have listed, before any updates.

Recently revealed for a July release, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 will take up a hefty chunk on your Switch: half the entire on-board storage n some cases. Naturally, nearly all of you have upgraded at this point, and probably expected around that file size: b??ut just in case!

In terms of how this shakes out, the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 file size is the biggest yet for the main series. While the first two games (on Switch) are roughly the same, teetering around the 13.5GB mark give o?r take, this one ups the ante a bit into the 15GB territory. Start cle??aring out your space now.

If we really want to get nuts, Xenoblade Chronicles X (which doesn't even have an official storefront page anymore), an often-forgotten part of the series, really shakes things up and takes the cake overall. It had a staggering 10GB of data packs, which included anything from speeding up load times to making things look sharper, in various aspec?ts of the game (like walking around the field, or in shops).

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 series file size comparisons:

• Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition: 13.7GB
• Xenoblade Chronicles 2: 13.2GB
• Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna ~ The Golden Country (standalone): 3.3GB
• Xenoblade Chronicles 3: 15GB

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It was originally slated for September

Plans have changed! Originally slated for September 2022, Nintendo is now targeting a Xenoblade Chronicles 3 July 29 launch.

The news was shared this ??morning directly from Nintendo, who gave us a new trailer that showcases "more about the game’s story, characters, and strategic battle system, where you can team up with up to seven characters." We'll evidently be put into the role of controlling "Noah and Mio," as they deal with a conflict between the nations of Agnus and Keves: part o??f Aionios.

Nintendo is really stressing the "seven characters" thing, noting that each party member will have a unique battle role in "Noah's party of six." You'll also ?be able to meet "additional characters," hinting that the overall party, active and non-active, will be larger than prior games in the seri?es, and many modern RPGs as a whole.

Noah is described as a close-range sword wielder, while Mio is a Zephyr, who excels in dodging/evasion and "drawing enemy attention." You can also swap classes to create your own builds, and party members can "combine if certain conditions ar??e met" to transform into a giant Ouroboros form: par for the course for super attacks in JRPGs.

We also got a taste of?? the Special Edition of the game, which will launch at a later undisclosed date "exclusively on the My Nintendo store." It'll include a special box (with art by Masatsugu Saito), the game itself, a steelbook, and an art book (that Nintendo says has "250+ full colo??r pages").

As usual, the Xenoblade series is getting a stylish launch!

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 July special edition:

//twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/15164024970820??85380

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 trailer:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt9pfN-2S0k

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It's likely coming this month

The Monolith Soft website has been updated, alongside of some sneaky teases?? that indicate a new announce??ment could be coming soon.

Piecing two things together, studio composer Yasunori Mitsuda recently noted that something will be revealed in February of this year, and explained to people that there would be a Monolith Soft website outage at the end of January. The site just came back online, with a revamped brighter layout, and it completely gutted several aspects of the site to streamline it: perhaps to focus more clearly on the upcoming project(s). A few new blogs and recruiting?? pages were reworked, too.

At the moment, Monolith Soft is working on assisting Nintendo with Breath of the Wild 2, as well as something else entirely that we've yet to hear about. Prominent rumors include Xenoblade Chronicles 3, as well as the leaked Chrono Cross remaster project.

In any case, they're in an extremely good spot right now. Everything the company touches turns to gold, and the ability to help Nintendo produce some of the best games they're putting out right now is a heck of a side hustle. While Xenoblade Chronicles 3 would be nice, as the team has been consistently putting out fresh takes on this world with each new iteration, I do hope it'??s some??thing different.

Take the concept of a beautiful open world just like Xenoblade Chronicles 2, shore it up a bit, make it more action-oriented, and give us a new universe. That's my vote! But I'll take anything?? fro?m this company.

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A hint of another Xenoblade from a voice actress is now being corroborated

It seems like a new Xenoblade Chronicles game is in development. Following a stir of speculation that came up over a voice actress' comment, Fanbyte is now reporting that a new Xenoblade Chronicles is in development.

Back in June, voice actress Jenna Coleman appeared on the YouTube channel Din's Meteorite to discuss her time working on Xenoblade Chronicles and the recent Switch remaster. During the discussion, one part about her role in the first Xenoblade Chronicles brought up an odd hint about a p??ossible new entry.

"God, when was the first game? Ten years ago?" said Coleman. "It was a long time ago, I did it pre-Doctor Who days and then when they did the second one, they just asked me to come back, and I think they're going to do another." Coleman pauses for a moment, pondering if it's "common knowledge." "Yeah, I think they're going t??o do another."

Fanbyte's Imran Khan says according to his sources, he can confirm that's the case. The new Xenoblade is reportedly nearing the f?inal stages of development at Monolith Soft, bu?t its release date may be held back for any number of reasons.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfjVIQug6_E

According to Fanbyte's report, the game is a sequel to Xenoblade Chronicles 2, ta??king place in the far-flung future with "a few returning characters who have long-outlived their human counterparts" from the previous games.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was reportedly set to be revealed earlier this year, and may still be announced before the end of it, but it's had a difficult time, both with development amid the pandemic and in optimizing the game for the Nint??endo Switch. It's reportedly aiming for more character models on screen at once than any previous title.

The report concludes by noting that, as always, take these rumors with a grain of salt, and no in-development game is guaranteed to be the same as rumored or even released. For Xenoblade fans eager for more after the extra bit of content that arrived as part of the Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition, however, it seems like they might have ??something to look forward to.

The post A new Xenoblade Chronicle???s game is reportedly in the works appeared first on Destructoid.

It still isn't Reyn time

Fans of the Xenoblade Chronicles series have likely been ecstatic with the DLC for Xenoblade Chronicles 2. Not only have Shulk and Fiora from the Wii classic been added to the game, but now Elma from the Wii U's Chronicles X can join your party. After completing a new chall??enge dubbed the "Other??worldly Fighter," Elma can be recruited to your party (though not in campaign mode).

Along with her, a brand new blade called Corvin will be available. They are both a part of the 1.5.2 update to the game and will be the final Rare blades for expansion pass owners. The full patch notes reveal some extra treats for fans of Chronicles X:

• Changes and New Features
  • Added functionality to receive Corvin, the third and final round of rare blades from the Expansion Pass.
    • A core crystal is available that will guarantee bonding with Corvin. Corvin possesses the following characteristics:
      • Weapon type: Uchigatana
      • Element: Light
      • Role: Defense
    • Drivers bonded with Corvin become able to use an art with the reaction “Smash.”
  • Added functionality to the Expansion Pass to receive new challenges for the “Challenge Battle: Nopondemonium” called “Otherworldly Fighter” and “Poisoned Paradise.”
    • “Otherworldly Fighter” features a battle against Elma, from the game Xenoblade Chronicles X. Clearing this challenge will allow Elma to join your party as a blade.
    • Pressing the R and Minus buttons at the same time when all three bars of Elma’s party gauge are full will consume all three bars and engage her Overdrive ability.
    • While Overdrive is active, a counter is applied to all attack arts and specials that hit. As the counter goes up, the effect of the following three bonuses increases damage boost, an Arts recharge boost from auto-attacks, and a decrease in enemy resistance to reactions and combos.
    • Add this challenge by selecting the following options from the main menu: Expansion Pass, Gift from Zuo 3, Nopon Summons, Pt. 2. The challenge is available from Chapter 6 onward.
  • “Flawless Noponstone” has been added as an item available from treasure chests in the “Challenge Battle: Nopondemonium” of the Expansion Pass.
    • To make this item available, select the following options from the main menu: Expansion Pass, Gift from Zuo 3, Nopon Invitation, Pt. 2.
    • Flawless Noponstones can be earned during any of the challenges.
  • Added items that can be acquired in exchange for Flawless Noponstones to the “Challenge Battle: Nopondemonium” section of the Expansion Pass.
    • Some of these items will slightly alter character outfits. Included in these items are “swimsuits” that will aid in completing the challenge “Poisoned Paradise.”
    • Certain items for Nia and Zeke will become available from Chapter 8 onward. (These items will be available from the start when playing New Game Plus.)
    • Mòrag’s swimsuit may cause her hairstyle to change in certain event scenes.
  • A Pouch Item Emporium and Noponstone exchanger have also been added to the “Challenge Battle: Nopondemonium” section of the Expansion Pass.
    • Noponstones can be exchanged for Flawless Noponstones using the Noponstone exchanger.
  • The track “Uncontrollable” from Xenoblade Chronicles X has been added to the options available when choosing which music will play during battles with unique monsters via the “Special BGM” selection.
    • To listen to the Special BGM tracks, the blade Elma, available via the Expansion Pass, must already be added to the party.
    • When Elma and either Shulk or Fiora are in the party, the BGM for the blade engaged with the player character will be given priority.
    • When Elma and Shulk or Fiora are of the same priority, the BGM that plays will be selected at random.

Nintendo of America [Twitter]

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It's finally cheap!

Xenoblade Chronicles is launching on the Wii U Virtual Console in North America?? today.

The role-playing game?, which complet??ed a world tour in 2012 after its Japanese debut in 2010, will cost just $20 on the eShop -- which is a hell of a lot less than you'll find it almost anywhere else.

In comparison, the highwaymen at GameStop are charging $65 for second-hand copies, while the portable version, one o?f the few New Nintendo 3DS exclusi??ves, is still going for around $40.

Xenoblade Chronicles [Nintendo]

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$40 each, of course

Just a couple months ago, GameStop was selling copies of Xenoblade for upwards of $90. The retailer has exclusive rights to the title, you'll remember. This monopoly and pr?ice hike raised a number of issues, especially when it was reported that the store has a surplus of?? the game and was still hiking up the price.

Just in time for the holiday season, it appears Gamestop no longer wants to?? Scrooge you.

An ad leaked by BFads.net, picked up by Siliconera, has Xenoblade and the equally scarce Metroid Prime Trilogy listed at $?40. At that price, I might jus??t have to pick both of them up. How about you?

Xenoblade And Metroid ?Prime Trilogy ?Coming To GameStop For $40, Ad Suggests [Siliconera]

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Gamers accuse retailer of scamming customers

Over the past few days, GameStop has found itself in the midst of a controversy surrounding the used sales of Xenoblade Chronicles, a fan-favorite and a game which the retailer had negotiated an exclusive contract to distribute in North America. That contract, in addition to its limited printing, made Xenoblade a scarce commodity allowing the retailer to price its used copies for ~$90 accordingly. However, following a recent surge of used stock, GameSto??p's pricing has been called into question, and that's not all.

Upon inspection, consumers have reported that the used copies recently stocked by the retailer appear to be brand new,?? with some Internet Matlocks noting a slight alteration to the inner case which seems to indicate a second printing. This has led to many accusations and conspiracy theories being leveled at the company, with some even going so far as to claim that GameStop reprinted the game itself -- highly unlikely, to say the least. For those of you who may be familiar with the inner-workings GameStop's retail practices, a more-likely scenario presents itself, and while it may be somewhat-less-damning, will still leave a few questions unanswered.

So why are new copies of Xenoblade being stocked as used? Since the launch of the Wii U, GameStop has been slowly scaling down the size of its Wii section to account for retail space. The section for new releases is now limited to the most recent titles, with older games being?? converted to used stock, and this process includes p??reviously unopened copies. At this point, new copies on hand are gutted for display, the shrink wrap removed, with the disc and booklet usually being set aside -- terrible, right? 

What shouldn't surprise you is that this practice has been in place at GameStop for quite some time and happens often enough. In practically every case, the retailer eats the cost of its initial investment, then tries to recoup losses with used sales, which can lead to potential magazine and discount card subscriptions. An annoying and arguably savvy maneuver that probably works often enough to warrant the practice, at least as f?ar GameStop is concerned.

Xenoblade Chronicles seems to have met this fate, and while I'm willing to deal with the annoyance of having someone else open a new game for me, the major concern once again lies with the pricing. As Kotaku has reported, GameStop justifies the price based on supply and demand but what makes this case different is that the company has likely retained the exclusive right to distribute Xenoblade Chronicles in perpetuity, allowing it to essentially c?ontrol the supply chain, and artificially influence or inflate the used market.

So, why continue to sell the game at ~$90 despite the increase in supply? The answer could be anything from a matter of corporate greed to just an oversight in accounting, but that'd probably be wishful thinking. Then again, it's entirely possible that this new printing may be limited in na??ture, once again justifying the price, but without a fair amount of transparency on the part of GameStop or Nintendo, we'll never know for sure.

When reached for comment, a representative of Nintendo responded that "This is actually a GameStop issue and has nothing to do with Nintendo. GameStop can comment, but Nintendo does not have? a statement."

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