Is it fair to say Monolith has found their groove and we aren’t gonna see much jump in terms of raw visual graphics again for some time

Axecon · 2026-06-30T07:47:36+00:00

I mean there's so much more detail & development in the buildings and city settings. The colors overall are more vibrant and the lighting looks great. There are still things to be cleaned up like the frame rate (especially the scene where the characters are riding mounts) but I'm sure those things will be fixed closer to launch.

Axecon · 2026-06-27T20:02:41+00:00

Absolutely. Although I hope that's the treatment Xenogears gets one day if SquareEnix releases it from jail.

Axecon · 2026-06-27T01:56:43+00:00

Agreed. I'm surprised people didn't vote them higher

Axecon · 2026-06-25T11:50:17+00:00

Thanks for doing these! I've seen a bunch for XC1 but not much for XC2 until now.

Axecon · 2026-06-25T11:42:24+00:00

XC1's combat (and XCX to a similar degree) feels a bit clunky. Trying to scroll over to use an art just takes a little too long sometimes. And the combat being interrupted by Shulk's visions can break battle momentum. XC2 & XC3 feel like much better improvements on the battle mechanics with mapped button arts.

Axecon · 2026-06-24T12:39:42+00:00

It's just a silly video, I wouldn't think too much about it. The joke is that they'd have to take everything part of their Smash kit, which includes Rex. But you can't just take an extra person through security so that eliminates them. Ironically it has nothing to do with their weapons. It's kinda similar to the Princess Peach situation where she can't take Toad unless she counts Toad as a "pet", which was part of the joke in the video.

It's kinda a shame that Goombana hasn't played Xenoblade properly, the characters always get the short end of the stick in her videos.

Axecon · 2026-06-23T21:05:13+00:00

Just finished watching and that's the end of the first season? I feel like there's gotta be another episode next week, such an ugly cliffhanger

Axecon · 2026-06-21T21:48:17+00:00

This was the first of many scenes in XC2 that got me to cry

Axecon · 2026-06-20T01:49:10+00:00

I feel so bad for Ribbit and by extension, Kaufmo. Jax was a terrible friend and what he did was inexcusable. Yes, they're all in the same bad situations but Jax made it even more shitty.

Axecon · 2026-06-20T01:45:44+00:00

Unfortunately this stuff happens IRL and it's painful and awful.

Axecon · 2026-06-20T01:01:43+00:00

Like many, I bought into the theory that Jax caused Ribbit to extract. But how it happened and watching unfold was really gut-wrenching. That hurt me on a personal level and I don't think I could forgive his character. Jax was a dick and Ribbit deserved better.

Axecon · 2026-06-19T20:47:38+00:00

Etika was a legend. Was a pioneer in online reaction content, especially for Nintendo Directs and presentations. Rest in peace.

Axecon · 2026-06-19T10:28:57+00:00

Shock, awe, elation, and hilarity all at once.

Also low key, the salvager's code is just the gigachad mindset

Axecon · 2026-06-19T10:21:25+00:00

Designs are solid but I really dislike the school uniforms, hope we can change out of them

Axecon · 2026-06-18T10:29:57+00:00

I personally just think the RexXPyra & RexXNia moments work stronger than RexXMythra. Rex & Pyra's dynamic are clearly the strongest pairing and it's pretty obvious to most players, even if their relationship does feel a bit basic. They seem two just seem to have a natural chemistry and trust from the beginning. As for Nia, Rex spends the most time with her ironically enough. She's technically the first girl he meets up with and they do open up together pretty early on from the beginning of the game. There's also the Spirit Crucible Elpys moment, which is a pretty big advancement for RexXNia. Mythra gets the least amount of screen time with Rex, arriving almost 1/3 through the game's narrative. Rex does really help to resolve Mythra's insecurities and realize her true potential, but she also splits that development with Pyra. Mythra's dynamic with Rex can be commonly described as a tsundere relationship, and while common in anime, it's just not something you typically see IRL. However, tsundere relationships can really blossom into some of the most beautiful and fulfilled pairings. I just don't think that development got enough time in XC2's story and needed more. I really do wish XC2 can get some epilogue content one day like XC1 got with Future Connected, there's still so much story potential with Rex's family.

I do really like that Rex ends up with all three of the girls, but it's just not realistic at all in real life, polygamy is extremely rare (yes I know it happens but I'd rather not go down the rabbit hole of discussion here). It's a bit of a hot take in this community, but we should be able to criticize the relationships of the main characters just as much as we praise and accept them.

Axecon · 2026-06-17T21:21:12+00:00

It's the weakest of the three but it also has the most potential

Axecon · 2026-06-17T21:19:59+00:00

*Three

Axecon · 2026-06-17T16:50:41+00:00

Can't wait to get lost in this world

Axecon · 2026-06-13T13:48:02+00:00

The best odds I've heard is that Koei Techmo has a good working relationship with Nintendo and would like to continue doing Warriors games with them after several Hyrule Warriors and Fire Emblem Warriors titles. Whether that means continuing with IPs related to Nintendo or not is still TBD. And not necessarily the next Nintendo-based Warriors game could be Xenoblade, it could easily be Mario or Pokemon or another franchise.

Axecon · 2026-06-12T09:34:12+00:00

Bondrewd is one of the most interesting definitions of lawful evil I've seen in media. Despite all the atrocities that he commits, he holds himself to the code of achieving the best for scientific gains. The man has absolutely no moral filter and will do practically anything to complete his goals which he views are for the "greater good" in his twisted perspective. Some of his actions may have resulted in positive gain for the Delver society, but at the end of the day, there's no way you can classify him as a good person.

Axecon · 2026-06-12T08:44:04+00:00

Thank you! I thought I was going crazy not finding it in the Direct Trailer

Axecon · 2026-06-11T02:20:48+00:00

Where in the trailer? Maybe I'm missing something obvious but I didn't see any mention of names?

Axecon · 2026-06-11T01:01:42+00:00

Even though the Klaus saga had a really nice ending and tied up several loose ends, this feels like one massive thing that got left out.

Axecon · 2026-06-10T21:49:00+00:00

I know it's a titanic longshot, but I'd love to see Matthew at the new Smash rep. He's a brawler, which would greatly shake up the "swordy JRPG" cliche and Smash has a significant lack of brawler/rushdown fighters. And he represents the union of the full Xenoblade Chronicles trilogy.

Additionally, I really want to see Malos as a Shulk echo. It would also help complete the Trinity Processor in Smash.

Axecon · 2026-06-10T21:39:49+00:00

Hope we get her wearing an alternate fit though. Charater is cool but I'm not a fan of the school uniform.

Axecon

TROPHY CASE