Xenoblade Chronicles X

[zenith16]

Xenoblade Chronicles X Director Says The Game Is Almost Complete. November 20, 2014 . 4:31am

Xenoblade Chronicles X Executive Director Tetsuya Takahashi reiterates that the game is nearly done.

Xenoblade Chronicles X Executive Director Tetsuya Takahashi of Monolith Soft recently spoke more about the upcoming Wii U title on Twitter, about how he wanted to create something a little more sci-fi using Xenoblade as a base. Today, he updated with a few more tidbits about the game’s current status.

“This is a continuation of our my previous talk,” Takahashi noted.

He continued: “The development [of Xenoblade Chronicles X] did have its twists and turns, but we were able to finish up (just a little more until it’s complete) Xenoblade Chronicles X in the sci-fi world we aimed for from the beginning in a seamless open-world with online play, and I feel that we were able to overcome several obstacles as far as game development goes.”

“With the vast world that was shown when Iwata-san introduced the game in the Nintendo Direct the other day, it would bring me great pleasure to have you folks get to thoroughly explore it.”

Xenoblade Chronicles X will release in Japan in Spring 2015, and sometime in 2015 for North America and Europe for Wii U.

Read more stories about Wii U & Xenoblade Chronicles X on Siliconera.

source:Siliconera

 

[zenith16]

Xenoblade Chronicles X Will Have A “Deep” Sci-Fi Story. November 25, 2014 . 2:20am

Xenoblade Chronicles writer Yuichiro Takeda is also the main script writer behind Xenoblade Chronicles X.

Xenoblade Chronicles writer Yuichiro Takeda is also the main script writer behind Xenoblade Chronicles X, director Tetsuya Takahashi revealed via Twitter today. Prior to Xenoblade, Takeda had worked with Takahashi on the anime adaptation of Xenosaga.

“After the basic fantasy story for [Xenoblade], we’re having him write a deep and distinctive sci-fi story this time around,” Takahashi tweeted.

Takahashi then went on to remind fans that composer Hiroyuki Sawano (Attack on Titan) is in charge of sound, while Kunihiko Tanaka (Xenogears, Xenosaga, Xenoblade) is in charge of character designs.

Regarding Tanaka, Takahashi stated: “I’ve known Mr. Tanaka for a long time, but this time I asked for his cooperation to bring out the Xeno-ness in the art.”

Xenoblade Chronicles X will be released for Wii U in Japan this Spring. Nintendo are targeting a 2015 release window for North America and Europe as well.


Read more stories about Wii U & Xenoblade Chronicles X on Siliconera.

source:Siliconera

 

[Matt Mortem]

Hold on. Xenoblade is gonna have a sci-fi story? I'm shocked.

 

[zenith16]

Gundam Screenwriter Kazuho Hyodo Helped With Xenoblade Chronicles X’s Story. November 29, 2014 . 9:29am

Xenoblade Chronicles X executive director Tetsuya Takahashi tweeted a few more tidbits of information via the game’s official Twitter account this past Friday.

Xenoblade Chronicles X executive director Tetsuya Takahashi tweeted a few more tidbits of information via the game’s official Twitter account this past Friday.

“This time around, aside from Mr. Kunihiko Tanaka, I have also asked many other graphic artists to help with design,” Takahashi wrote. “As you all might have already realized, many different types of extraterrestrial beings appear in this game, and each has their own characteristic culture.”

“In order to convey the culture of each of these races through the game’s visuals, we’ve adopted the lavish approach of assigning different artists to each race.”

Switching gears, Takahashi then reveals that anime screenwriter Kazuho Hyodo worked on the script of Xenoblade Chronicles X alongside Yuichiro Takeda, who is writing the game’s story. Hyodo has served as screenwriter for various episodes of Gundam Seed Destiny, Gundam Age, The Pilot’s Love Song, Robot Girls Z, and Wagnaria. He also penned the s-CRY-ed After novels.

“To tell the truth, the script for [Xenoblade Chronicles X] is much larger than it was for the previous Xenoblade,” Takahashi explained. “As it would be very hard to handle everything by himself, Mr. Takeda introduced [Hyodo] to me. “As Mr. Hyodo is well-versed in sci-fi, I was able to leave things to him without worry.”

Takahashi also mentioned that he will introduce some of the artists working on the game, the next time he tweets.

Food for thought:
1. It bears mentioning that Hyodo appears to be a writer-for-hire, just like many other writers (and directors) that work in the anime industry. He wasn’t necessarily in charge of the direction of the shows he has worked on. I thought it might be wise to point this out before anyone decides to sound the alarm at the mention of Gundam Age and Gundam Seed Destiny.

2. Bringing an external writer in to to assist your internal team isn’t uncommon either. You may recall that PlatinumGames did the same for Bayonetta 2.

Read more stories about Wii U & Xenoblade Chronicles X on Siliconera.

source:Siliconera

 

[zenith16]

Metal Gear Rising’s Mechanical Designer Created Mechs For Xenoblade Chronicles X. December 1, 2014 . 2:34am

Just as he promised last week, Xenoblade Chronicles X executive director Tetsuya Takahashi introduced a couple of the artists working on the game today.

Just as he promised last week, Xenoblade Chronicles X executive director Tetsuya Takahashi introduced a couple of the artists working on the game today.

“First up, Mr. Takayuki Yanase,” Takahashi tweeted. “He always manages to give shape to the exact image I communicate, so I have faith in him. For this game, too, he’s created some very cool Dolls (robots).”

Other projects that Yanase has worked on include: Ghost in the Shell: Arise, Tenkai Knights, and Metal Gear Rising, for which he did mechanical designs. You can access his website here.

“Then there’s Mr. Kouichi Mugitani,” Takahashi continued. “Xeno fans already know him, though. Naturally, I’ve asked for his help as a core member of the staff.”

Mugitani worked as a production designer on Xenosaga I and Xenosaga II. He served in the same role for Xenosaga III, and is also credited with providing character illustrations for that game. His website can be accessed here.

Xenoblade Chronicles X is in development for the Wii U.

Read more stories about Wii U & Xenoblade Chronicles X on Siliconera.

source:Siliconera

 

[zenith16]

Xenoblade Chronicles X Director On The Concept Behind The Game’s Mechs. December 2, 2014 . 8:27am

Tetsuya Takahashi tweeted a few more tidbits about Xenoblade Chronicles X, touching upon the mechs in the game.

Tetsuya Takahashi tweeted a few more tidbits about Xenoblade Chronicles X today, this time speaking a little more about Takayuki Yanase and Kouichi Mugitani, two of the art designers working on the game.

“Mr. Yanase is a well-known designer that has worked on Gundam 00 among other things,” Takahashi tweeted. “The concept for the Dolls in this project was that one single convertible frame be able to transform into several vehicles, so I asked for his help, knowing that he would be able to realize that [concept]. If I recall correctly, I asked for his help around the time that Kotobukiya announced its new plastic model ‘Frame Arms Series’.”


The bit about a single frame being able to transform into multiple vehicles is interesting. It would suggest that a single mech in Xenoblade X might be capable of transforming into more than one kind of vehicle, but so far this has not been confirmed, so don’t get overly excited just yet.

As an aside, the image you see to the right is one of the Frame Arms models designed by Yanase. You can check out Kotobukiya’s line-up of Frame Arms mech models at their online store.

Takahashi then moved on to discussing Kouichi Mugitani, an artist that has worked on previous Xeno titles as well. Takahashi stated that, the design line of a “certain power” within the game could only be realized by Mugitani, which is why Takahashi wanted his assistance by any means possible. By “certain power,” Takahashi presumably means one of the various factions in the game.

“I remember when the [Xenoblade Chronicles X] project was launched, the first meeting [with Mugitani] took place at a café in Tachikawa,” Takahashi said. “With each meeting, he would present extremely detailed designs, and was a great help. And as an important employee for sexy-type battle suits as well. (lol) Look forward to those, too!”

Xenoblade Chronicles X is in development for the Wii U, and is planned for release in Japan this Spring.

Read more stories about Wii U & Xenoblade Chronicles X on Siliconera.

source:Siliconera

 

[zenith16]

Xenoblade Chronicles X Director Says He’s Finally Made The Game He Always Wanted To. December 4, 2014 . 9:31am

Today’s Xenoblade Chronicles X tweets by director Tetsuya Takahashi once again touched upon the mechs in the game.

Today’s Xenoblade Chronicles X tweets by director Tetsuya Takahashi once again touched upon the mechs (called “Dolls&#8221 in the game. Takahashi set aside talk of the game’s art staff to speak a little bit about the Dolls this morning.

“The Dolls’ height is about five times that of an adult, making them around 9-10 metres high,” Takahashi said. “This was calculated as the best [human-to-robot] ratio when taking fights or field exploration with both Dolls and humans present into consideration.”

“If the Dolls were bigger than that, the map would also need to be bigger, so we decided upon this size not due to budget constraints, but because it would lead to much slower exploration in human form.”

You may recall that, in an interview with Edge magazine a few months ago, Takahashi stated that the map in Xenoblade Chronicles X is over five times larger than that of Xenoblade.

In his final tweet for the day, Takahashi said: “15 years have passed since Monolith was founded, and I believe that with this game I have finally met the challenge I had within me, of creating an RPG in which humans and robots can co-exist.”

Monolith Soft was formed in October 1999. The company was founded by Hirohide Sugiura and Tetsuya Takahashi after the pair left the employ of Squaresoft and accepted an investment from Namco. Until 2007, Monolith produced games like Baten Kaitos and Xenosaga as part of Namco, after which the studio was acquired by Nintendo and went on to create Disaster: Day of Crisis, Soma Bringer and Xenoblade.

Read more stories about Wii U & Xenoblade Chronicles X on Siliconera.

source:Siliconera

 

[zenith16]

Sin & Punishment 2 Art Director Designed Enemies For Xenoblade Chronicles X. December 8, 2014 . 8:26am

Sin & Punishment: Star Successor art director Yasushi Suzuki designed enemy mechs for Xenoblade Chronicles X.

After a break of a couple of days, Xenoblade Chronicles X director Tetsuya Takahashi returned to tweeting about the game today. This time, Takahashi once again touched upon some of the other staff members working on the RPG.

“Returning to the original subject, today I’ll present Mr. Yasushi Suzuki,” Takahashi tweeted. “His skills are top-notch, be it for character, mecha or landscape design. I’d meant to work with him one day and this wish has finally come true with this project.”

“For this project, he’s mainly in charge of enemy mechs. The huge mech that appears in the last cut of the previously released [promotional video] was also designed by him!”

Does the name Yasushi Suzuki sound familiar? It should. Suzuki served as character and effects designer on Sin & Punishment for the N64, and as art director on Sin & Punishment: Star Successor for the Wii. The promo video Takahashi is referring to is likely the trailer Nintendo released at E3 2013, where the mech designed by Suzuki appears at the very end. You can see it in the screengrab above and find Suzuki’s website here.

“Next up is Mr. Raita Kazama,” Takahashi tweeted. “I believe some people already know him, as he’s also drawn beautiful images for the previous Xenoblade.”

“For this project, I’ve mainly asked him to design the alien NPCs and the primitive lifeforms inhabiting the planet. Despite being an illustrator with a delicate touch, he himself is the macho bodybuilder type, lol.”

(Kazama’s website can be accessed here.)

Xenoblade Chronicles X is in development for Wii U and will be released Spring 2015 in Japan. A 2015 release is planned for North America and Europe as well.

Read more stories about Wii U & Xenoblade Chronicles X on Siliconera.

source:Siliconera

 

[zenith16]

Xenoblade Chronicles X Director Introduces More Artists Working On The Game. December 11, 2014 . 9:31am

There’s a fair bit of sci-fi talent working on Xenoblade Chronicles X, but today Takahashi introduced someone better known for fantasy designs.

There’s a fair bit of sci-fi talent working on Xenoblade Chronicles X, but today, executive director Tetsuya Takahashi introduced another of the artists working on the game, emphasizing that her involvement should convey that the game won’t be built expressly on sci-fi elements.


“Today, I present Ms. Yoko Tsukamoto,” Takahashi tweeted. “I believe that by hearing her name, you’ll understand that the Xenoblade Chronicles X world isn’t built only upon sci-fi elements.”

Tsukamoto has served as an illustrator on games like Half-Minute Hero, Lord of Vermilion, and also provided artwork for the first Xenoblade. You can find her website here. The image to the right is one of her illustrations, but it isn’t from Xenoblade Chronicles X.

“Then there’s Mr. Takashi Kojo,” Takahashi continued. “His solemn landscapes are fantastic, but this time around I’ve mainly put him in charge of enemy designs. His designs for large enemies are particularly great, and the strongest unique enemy [in the game] is also his creation. The Growth Soldiers which you’ll probably see the most throughout the game (and crush, lol) were also designed by him.”

Kojo’s website is accessible here. His past credits include Gravity Rush, Sol Trigger, 7th Dragon 2020-II, Senran Kagura and more.

Xenoblade Chronicles X is in development for Wii U.

Read more stories about Wii U & Xenoblade Chronicles X on Siliconera.

source:Siliconera

 

[zenith16]

Gyrozetter Mech Designer Fumihiro Katagai Working On Xenoblade Chronicles X. December 15, 2014 . 1:31pm

In today’s set of Xenoblade Chronicles X tweets, executive director Tetsuya Takahashi continued to introduce more of the art talent working on the game.

In today’s set of Xenoblade Chronicles X tweets, executive director Tetsuya Takahashi continued to introduce more of the art talent working on the game.

“As the introduction of artists will continue for some more time, [my] tweets might feel a little monotonous, but I wish to present as many of them as possible, so please bear with me,” Takahashi said.

“Today, I present Mr. Fumihiro Katagai and RARE ENGINE,” he continued. “During the development of Xenoblade Chronicles X, we end up thinking, ‘Oh, if we had this, it would be even more interesting’ in the case of many things. I think getting people to join in after the direction of the game has already been decided for the most part is difficult, but I’m very grateful that they accepted the invitation.”

RARE ENGINE has worked on games like Sega’s Sengoku Taisen and on illustrations for Square Enix’s LORD of VERMILION Ⅲ ~Ver.3.0 Illustrations GUREN~ art book, among other projects. You can find his blog here, although it hasn’t been updated in a while.

Meanwhile, Fumihiro Katagai is an anime mecha designer that has worked on Gyrozetter, Space Dandy, Chaika: The Coffin Princess, and Code Geass: Akito the Exiled. You can find his Twitter here, and check out some of his work for Gyrozetter below.

片貝文洋 KatagaiFumihilo @fumihilo
Follow
私のジャイロゼッター1号機、ランサーエヴォリューションXです。劇中の機能説明よりは質感の追求に重点をおいたスケッチです。ざっくりした仕上げを界グラフィックさんが格好良くモデリングしてくれました。#gyrozetter
7:05 AM - 1 Nov 2014

片貝文洋 KatagaiFumihilo @fumihilo
Follow
三機合体エヴォリューションゼロ。テレビCMにも出演させて頂きました。ゲームに使われたUnreal Engineの描写力を頼りにして、塗装面と金属面との光沢の違いを細かく指定しています。皆様はゲーム画面でどう感じられましたか。
7:14 AM - 1 Nov 2014

Read more stories about Wii U & Xenoblade Chronicles X on Siliconera.

source: Siliconera

more images i the article its self

 

[zenith16]

Hideyuki Matsumoto Worked On Weapon Design For Xenoblade Chronicles X. December 18, 2014 . 8:31am

“We both worked at the same company before and he helped out with Xenosaga, too,” Tetsuya Takahashi said over Twitter.

Today, Xenoblade Chronicles X director Tetsuya Takahashi introduced the last of the external artists that Monolith Soft are collaborating with to create the look of the game.

“The introduction of outside designers ends with Mr. Hideyuki Matsumoto,” Takahashi said on Twitter. “We both worked at the same company before and he helped out with Xenosaga, too. He’s very knowledgeable about things related to weaponry, so for this project I put him mainly in charge of designing the weapons the characters will use.”


When Takahashi says he and Matsumoto used to work at the same company, he’s referring to their time together at Squaresoft. Matsumoto has worked on a number of games, including Front Mission 4 and 5, Project Sylpheed, At Tonelico, and Armored Core 3. He’s also worked on anime, such as Zettai Karen Children. You can find his website here. The weapon design on the right (not from Xenoblade) is one of his.

Meanwhile, Takahashi says, background design for Xenoblade Chronicles X was handled by a firm named the Kusanagi Company.

“They’re a professional group used to creating 3D models based on drawings, so I can always leave things to them without worrying,” Takahashi said. The Kusanagi Company’s website can be found here. In the past, they’ve worked on the Nintendo DS version of Ni no Kuni, backgrounds for the anime cutscenes in Persona 4, and more.

Read more stories about Wii U & Xenoblade Chronicles X on Siliconera.

source: Siliconera

 

[zenith16]

Here’s The Extended Version Of The Song From Xenoblade Chronicles X. December 25, 2014 . 10:57am

Monolith Soft have updated the Xenoblade Chronicles X website with an extended version of the song featured in the game’s E3 2013 trailer.

Monolith Soft have updated the Xenoblade Chronicles X website with an extended version of the song featured in the game’s E3 2013 trailer. You remember it—the one with the very recognizable Hiroyuki Sawano traits. You can download it here.

Monolith are going on leave later this week. The studio will be on break from December 27th – January 4th. Hopefully, they’ll have more news to share on Xenoblade Chronicles X once they’re back after the new year.

Read more stories about Wii U & Xenoblade Chronicles X on Siliconera.

Also with


Download A Song From Xenoblade Chronicles X's Soundtrack

News
on Dec 26, 2014 at 02:55 PM
3,144 Views

111
Now this will get you rocking out in anticipation of the release.
... More



source: Siliconera & GI

 

[zenith16]

Xenoblade Chronicles X Executive Director Insisted On Hiroyuki Sawano For Music. January 8, 2015 . 9:00am

Executive director Tetsuya Takahashi says a few brief words about Sawano via the game’s official Twitter.

Xenoblade Chronicles X’s music is being composed by Hiroyuki Sawano, who is known for his work on Guilty Crown, Attack on Titan, and Kill la Kill. Today, executive director Tetsuya Takahashi said a few brief words about Sawano via the game’s official Twitter.

“I was thinking of discussing a new topic today, but… Mr. Sawano, thank you for inviting me to your year-end party,” Takahashi tweeted. “I had a great time there.”

“And so, let me talk about the composer, Mr. Hiroyuki Sawano. I’ve long been a big fan of Mr. Sawano’s, and fervently suggested (almost insisted?) that we ask him to compose for this game no matter what.”

“He and Mr. [Yasushi] Horiguchi, from his company Legendoor, are both open-hearted and we were able to have a frank discussion regarding our requirements.”

“Of course,” Takahashi continues, “the compositions are wonderful and I’m very glad we asked Mr. Sawano [to come aboard]. As a fan, I look forward to the soundtrack CD that will eventually be released.”

Xenoblade Chronicles X is planned for release in Japan this Spring.

Read more stories about Wii U & Xenoblade Chronicles X on Siliconera.

source: Siliconera

 

[zenith16]

Wii U
Xenoblade Chronicles X ‘Exploration’ trailer, Japanese release date set
Published 47 mins ago. 14 comments.

Nintendo debuted a new trailer for Monolith Soft’s Xenoblade Chronicles X during this morning’s Nintendo Direct broadcast.
Additionally, on the Japanese broadcast, Nintendo confirmed the game will launch for Wii U on April 29 in Japan.
Watch it below.
[YT]AvpNXhzscjQ[/YT]



Read More

Wii U, Clips, Japan, Monolith Soft, Nintendo, Release Dates, RPG, Trailers, Xenoblade Chronicles X

Xenoblade Chronicles X To Release On April 29 in Japan. January 14, 2015 . 6:33am

Monolith Soft are expected to reveal more information on the game soon.

Nintendo announced today on the Japanese Nintendo Direct for 3DS and Wii U titles for this spring, that Xenoblade Chronicles X will release in Japan on April 29, 2015.

In addition to the new trailer that was shown during the Nintendo Direct, Monolith Soft are expected to reveal more information on the game soon.

Read more stories about Wii U & Xenoblade Chronicles X on Siliconera.

source: Gematsu & Siliconera

 

[zenith16]

• 
  UPDATED: Xenoblade Chronicles X Website Lists Story, Character Info
  
  Posted on January 14, 2015 | 3 Comments
  Say hello to the 13 year old genius, Lynlee. Continue Reading...

The official Xenoblade Chronicles X website has just been updated with new information about the game regarding the story as well as some information on three characters. Please note that these translations are very loose using Google translate so take that for what you will:

Elma: Team leader of the private military organization “Blade”. Calm disposition, has insight and good judgment, and is respected by members of the “Blade”. On Earth, she had served as a colonel of integrated government forces special operations vehicle instructor Corps (commonly known as “Doll Corps&#8221.

Lynlee: Mechanic, a member of the private military organization “Blade”. Young while also adept in mechanical engineering of the combat robot called “Doll”. She is 13.

Tatsu: This one is a little harder to make sense of. But it says he’s a member of the Nopon group who are native to the planet Mira.
There is also some story information which I won’t try to Google translate since there is a lot there. But it’s interesting to note that there seems to be a date of July 2054 listed for when the story takes place.


Gamefaqs user Gessenkou has created a google document where he is attempting translations.
Here

UPDATE:
Here is a translation attempt by our manager Will Whitehurst:
July 2054 AD. On Earth, a battle between alien civilizations has unfolded. This battle exceeded the standards of Earth’s engineering. For whatever reason, the Earth was trampled upon, and the ground became scorched earth. The Earth could sense the after effects of these battles in advance. The governments were integrated, and the Earth Species Pan-Immigration Plan was enacted. From the world’s numerous major cities came interstellar immigration boats that flew into the sky.

4.5 billion years later, life broke out from the Earth. However, many of the immigration boats, in the midst of escaping their centers of gravity, crash-landed, and the formerly peaceful and quiet boats became quite small in number. The one remaining boat was the White Whale.

There have been wandering travels for two years after Earth’s collapse. From the battle came good fortune and survival on Earth, but the warring alien civilizations’ pursuit forces have taken notice.

The army, prepared to die, accepted their challenge, and with one great hero’s service, the pursuit forces have stepped back, but the combat did severe damage to the White Whale’s engine. The White Whale, which has lost its ability to fly, has been caught in an unknown planet’s gravity, and the hull has collapsed.

Two months have passed since…

source: Operation Rainfall

 

[Soapy]

That last trailer was pretty awesome. Surprised no one had anything to say about it. Am I the only one here interested in this game?

 

[Benstamania]

Nope, I'm gonna be all over this. Can't wait.

 

[zenith16]

Nope, I'm gonna be all over this. Can't wait.

Same. But I was always so from the Jump.

 

[WolfCypher]

That last trailer was pretty awesome. Surprised no one had anything to say about it. Am I the only one here interested in this game?

This and Mighty No. 9.

 

[zenith16]

Xenoblade Chronicles X Localization Is In Progress. January 19, 2015 . 10:31am

Xenoblade Chronicles X producer Shingo Kawabata takes to Twitter to say a few words.

Last week, Nintendo revealed that Xenoblade Chronicles X will be released in Japan on April 29th, and that the game is also planned for release in the West this year. Judging by recent tweets via the game’s official Twitter, this might actually happen.

Today, Xenoblade Chronicles X producer Shingo Kawabata took to the game’s official Twitter account to say a few words. “This is rather sudden, but it’s nice to meet you. My name’s Kawabata. I’m working as producer on Xenoblade Chronicles X,” he wrote.

“From today onward, it will not just be [executive director] Takahashi, but also other members of the Monolith staff that will take part in these tweets, and I’m the first one to do so.”

“It’s been about five years since Xenoblade Chronicles’ release, and we’ve made users wait for quite a while, but to tell you the truth it has felt just as long to us, the developers. Additionally, localization is in progress as well. However, I believe that we have created something that will be worth the wait, so please hold on a bit longer until its release.”

It’s nice to know that localization work on the game is officially underway, since it wasn’t when Nintendo showed the game off at E3 2014. Hopefully, we hear more on this front in the near future.

Food for thought:
Xenoblade Chronicles 3D will be released in Japan on April 2nd, and Xenoblade Chronicles X will follow a month later on April 29—the first day of the Golden Week holiday, which is usually a good time to release major games. While a lot of Wii U software has been held back by the console’s sales, this is realistically the best timing Nintendo could have adopted for Xenoblade Chronicles X in Japan.

Read more stories about Wii U & Xenoblade Chronicles X on Siliconera.

source: Siliconera

 

[zenith16]

Xenoblade Chronicles X Introduces Its Sharp-Tongued Commander. January 22, 2015 . 1:15am

Today, the Xenoblade Chronicles X official website introduced two more characters: Van Damme and Irina.

Monolith Soft recently introduced an interesting mix of Xenoblade Chronicles X characters with a 13-year-old engineering prodigy, and a strange little creature named Tatsu. Today, the official website introduced two more characters: Van Damme and Irina.

Van Damme:

Van Damme is the commander of the private military organization, BLADE. He was previously the chief engineer of an interstellar immigrant ship known as the “Moby Dick”.

He’s a little ill-mannered, and occasionally says rude things to whomever. His sharp tongue is considered his one flaw.

Irina:


Irina is a member of the private military organization, BLADE. Back on Earth, Irina was a member of the government spec-ops vehicular instructor corps, the Doll Squad, and was a senior officer working under Elma at the time. Even now , she still idolizes and respects Elma the way she used to back in the Doll Squad.

She’s a bit of a tomboy, and has a strong sense of duty to protect those living on the planet Mira.

You can read out earlier report for some details on Xenoblade Chronicles X’s other key characters in Elma, Lynlee, and Tatsu.

Xenoblade Chronicles X is slated for release in Japan on April 29, 2015 for Wii U. It’ll release sometime this year in North America and Europe.

Read more stories about Wii U & Xenoblade Chronicles X on Siliconera.

source: Siliconera

 

[Matt Mortem]

Some of those character models are just ****ing hideous.

 

[zenith16]

Xenoblade Chronicles X Sound Effects Being Produced By Studio Sound Racer. January 26, 2015 . 10:31am

In his latest tweets, Xenoblade Chronicles X producer Shingo Kawabata touches upon the game’s sound effects.

In his latest tweets, Xenoblade Chronicles X producer Shingo Kawabata touched upon the game’s sound effects. Kawabata wrote that the game uses an extensive range of SFX, and that these have been produced by Shojiro Nakaoka and a studio named Sound Racer.

Sound Racer are working on both the Japanese and Western builds of the game, and specialize in providing sound-related services for videogames and movies. They’ve been around for quite a while, too. Here are some of the games they’ve been involved with:

• The Legend of Legacy
• Terra Battle
• Tekken Tag Tournament 2
• Sonic Colors
• Disaster: Day of Crisis
• Xenosaga Episodes 2 and 3
• Kingdom Hearts
• Soulcalibur 3
• Ridge Racer 6
• Final Fantasy VI through X-2
• Chrono Trigger
• Super Mario RPG

As mentioned, in addition to game, Sound Racer have also been involved with a few movies, including the live-action Rurouni Kenshin movie from Warner Bros. Japan. They also worked on Electric Dragon 80.000 V by director Sogo Ishii.

Read more stories about Wii U & Xenoblade Chronicles X on Siliconera.

source: Siliconera

 

[zenith16]

Wii U
Xenoblade Chronicles X details map size, unions, more
Published 5 hours ago. 148 comments.

Map is five times the size of the previous game.

Famitsu this week has new details on Xenoblade Chronicles X. Specifically, the magazine details the eight unions players will be able to join, the size of the world, and more.
Get the details below.
Start of the Game
At the beginning of the story, the goal is to survive the uncivilized planet of Mira. After meeting up with private military organization Blade, you’ll choose from one of eight affiliated unions, each with their own overarching objective to fill, and embark on quests. It’s possible to join a different union later. Unlike the linear progression of the original Xenoblade Chronicles, the successor’s story will unfold in various directions.
Unions
The eight unions are:

• Pathfinder - In charge of data probe installation.
• Interceptor - In charge of exterminating protists.
• Avalanche - In charge of hunting down dangerous life forms.
• Testament - In charge of the search and recovery of debris scattered by the ship, as well as the recovery of items lost on the battlefield.
• Corepedian - In charge of visiting areas and investigation/collecting materials.
• Land Bank - In charge of securing resources and collecting minerals.
• Arms - Assists the Arms Company in charge of the development of Dolls and their inner weaponry.
• Companion - A Jack of all trades, from the mediation of petty fights to the search of stray cats.

Other Tidbits

• The concept of the game’s online mode is to be “‘loosely connected’ with other players”—to have a sense of solidarity without feeling constantly aware of other players’ presence.
• The size of the field is five times the previous game (400 square meters) and fully seamless. However, there is loading during event scenes.
• The map is visible on the Wii U GamePad. Each area is indicated by a hex. Touching them can perform things such as quick travel or check events.
• The sense of speed from the previous game’s battles has been elevated, and players can attack freely while switching between short and long ranges.
• No character explicitly serves as a healer, meaning it’s important to gauge one’s capabilities relative to those of an enemy before picking fights.
• “Soul Voice” is a system that can be triggered in reaction to party members that are able to string their attacks well. With well-timed button presses, HP can be healed, making it possible to continuously heal while attacking.
• Parties consist of four people: the player character and three AI companions.
• Dolls are exceptionally powerful, but in exchange for that, their movement can’t be finely controlled, meaning they can’t take out enemy body parts. Being able to do so is important, as it can weaken them and yield items, among other things. As a result, players will have to disembark at times and fight enemies themselves.
• A number of new “Unique Monsters” have been added compared to the previous game, some powerful enough to cross swords with the Doll robots.
• Playtime in the game has been recorded to exceed 300 hours while doing final checks, with some elements potentially continuing endlessly.
• There are over 90 songs featured in the game, all of which were worked on by Hiroyuki Sawano.

Thanks, Games Talk.

Read More

Wii U, Famitsu, Monolith Soft, Nintendo, RPG, Xenoblade Chronicles X

Xenoblade Chronicles X Info On Battles, Exploration, And More. January 28, 2015 . 8:00am

Xenoblade Chronicles X executive director Tetsuya Takahashi shared a few scant details on the game in an interview with Famitsu magazine.

Ahead of the game’s release this April in Japan, Xenoblade Chronicles X executive director Tetsuya Takahashi shared a few scant details on the game in an interview with Famitsu magazine. Retail blog Sinobi has summarized some of the more important information, and you can find our translation below.

Player Avatars:

While creating your avatar, you’ll be able to customize the following: gender, face-type, skin color, hairstyle, eyes, makeup, and voice. The base designs for the avatars are done by Kunihiko Tanaka, who designed characters for the game. (Tanaka also worked on Xenogears, and Xenosaga Episode I.)

Additionally, the voice options for the avatar will be provided by famous voice actors, which will be revealed on the official website in the near future.

Comparisons to Xenoblade Chronicles:

In Xenoblade Chronicles X, you’ll use the GamePad as an information terminal. While exploring Planet Mira, data accumulates on the GamePad, and you’ll freely get to access it afterwards. Some of the information that will be available the GamePad screen are details on the player’s position and quest destination.

There will also be a warp function installed on the GamePad, that allows you to warp to areas you’ve previously been to. This is important because Mira is about five times larger than the world in Xenoblade Chronicles. You’ll get to travel across the immense land in a seamless fashion as well. The faraway areas can be reached via the Dolls (mechs) which are capable of flight, or with support from the Wii U GamePad.

Takahashi says that, while Xenoblade Chronicles was a traditional RPG, Xenoblade Chronicles X is made to be an open-world RPG, where you accept quests in different areas and have many aspects that expand the story.

Moving along, here’s some more information Takahashi revealed to Famitsu:

• Takahashi reiterated that while Xenoblade Chronicles X is a game from the same lineage as Xenoblade Chronicles, it is not a sequel to that game—hence the “X” after the title, instead of a “2″.

• The meaning behind the “X” (cross) also has to do with connecting with players far away (“across&#8221. However, Takahashi describes Xenoblade Chronicles X as more of a “loosely connected” online game, rather than a regular online game. It’s unclear as to just what this means at the moment, but it could mean that the online features will be more asynchronous or passive.

• Monolith Soft only prepared one track with vocals for Xenoblade Chronicles, but they’ve prepared a number of these for Xenoblade Chronicles X, enough to be considered quite a lot by RPG standards.

• There are around 90 tracks in the game, and composer Hiroyuki Sawano was involved with all of them.

• Xenoblade Chronicles X’s battle system has the basic foundations of the one from Xenoblade Chronicles, but with an increased sense of speed. It has evolved into something that has a much more action-y feel to it. Characters can use short or long-ranged attacks, and there are no healer-type roles. The healing is done through a new system called “Soul Voice”. (This was demonstrated at E3)

• Parties consist of four members. The player will control his or her character, while the other three are controlled by AI.

• The number of unique monsters in the game and the equipment that you can acquire have been greatly increased. When Takahashi playtested the game recently for a final check, he clocked in at over 300 hours.

Xenoblade Chronicles X is slated for release in Japan on April 29, 2015 for Wii U, and will launch in North America and Europe later this year. Judging by this interview, Nintendo aren’t ready to reveal everything about the game just yet, so stay tuned for more info in the weeks to come.

Read more stories about Wii U & Xenoblade Chronicles X on Siliconera.

Xenoblade Chronicles X Lets You Be A Member Of Eight Different Factions. January 28, 2015 . 10:31am

In Xenoblade Chronicles X, you’ll take on the role of a new member of BLADE, a private military organization. What exactly will you be doing on the planet of Mira, though?

We know that in Xenoblade Chronicles X, you’ll take on the role of a new member of BLADE, a private military organization. What exactly will you be doing on the planet of Mira, though? This week’s issue of Famitsu magazine shares more details on BLADE and their various factions.

As a member of BLADE, your role is to find “Life” as there are still some cryogenically-frozen humans sleeping in escape pods that were scattered across Mira when the ship from Earth crash-landed onto the planet’s surface. In addition to finding Life out on Mira, you’ll use the “Frontier Net” information system, with the Wii U GamePad, to gather other data you might come across as you explore Mira.

Once the data is probed, you’ll have access to it from then onward.

Missions in Xenoblade Chronicles X can vary according to which of the eight factions, called “Unions,” a member of BLADE is a part of, so you might be doing a different type of exploring depending on what you choose to do. Later in the game, you’ll be able to switch back and forth between factions at any time. Here are the eight Union factions:

Path Finder: A union of the pioneers, with the significance of a pioneer. They’re in charge of setting data probes, and expanding the Frontier Net.

Interceptor: A Union in charge of exterminating protists. They take on the role of guards that protect the survey teams, or help in the rescue of New Los Angeles citizens.

Avalanche: The Interceptors are about “protecting,” and Avalanche are their opposite as the “attackers”. Their role is to subdue dangerous creatures.

Testament: A Union in charge of search and recovery of remains from the wreckage of the White Whale spaceship. They are also in charge of recovering things that get lost in the battlefield.

Colepedian: A pioneer Union similar to the Path Finder, but Colepedians go ahead of any other Union to survey and gather material.

Land Bank: This Union is in charge of maintaining the livelihoods of the people. They search Mira for resources and gather minerals.

Arms: The Union in charge of helping the Arms Company develop weapons for Dolls and soldiers.

Companion: They play the role of mediators, and their job to help fix any problem between citizens of New Los Angeles. This includes everything from stopping quarrels to looking for lost cats. They’re practically a jack-of-all-trades.

Xenoblade Chronicles X is slated for release in Japan on April 29, 2015 for Wii U, and will launch in North America and Europe later this year.

Read more stories about Wii U & Xenoblade Chronicles X on Siliconera.

source: Gematsu & Siliconera

 

[BlackMagicWolf]

This game gets more and more fascinating the more I hear about it!