Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition

If I didn't like the 2nd one (tbh, it's the first game I have ever sold off without finishing), should I even try this one? I'd be willing to try this franchise again if an entry has a compelling story

the worldbuilding is very good but goddamn these characters practically don't exist, how can a game this long completely fail to build relationships

After having experienced all the other Xeno games including Gears and Saga I can conclusively say that this is still my favorite. The story isn't as innately complex as Saga or Gears with all their crazy details and lore, but because of that everything is set up and written clearly and effectively.

Admittedly though, I've come to figure out that pretty much anyone's first Xeno game ends up their favorite, because so many plot twists in the series are reimagined later on in other games so you can only be totally thrown for a loop with the first one you play.

all-time classic

Haven’t played 3 yet but i far prefer this to 2. There’s plenty to love about 2 but it’s far more of a mixed bag than this game.

First one just has the right mixture of things. There's plenty that's much better about the second and third, particularly the combat and visual presentation, but both games get bogged down by things that don't effect the first. Even the very basic plotting and flat characters work in its favor due to the mythological, mysterious tone of the story, compared to the overly-convoluted sequels.

plot kind of implodes on itself 2/3 of the way in but its still a fun ride the whole way through

still one of the coolest worlds ever created, not just in video games, but all of media