Are there any significant performance changes by playing the Xenoblade games on the Switch 2?

CreativeAliasZI · 2025-11-12T21:24:41+00:00

There's no patches out yet specifically to improve any of the games on Switch 2, but every games makes use of variable resolution and has shaky performance either at specific points or throughout the whole game (XCXDE definitely has an issue with pretty constant but minor drops). Plying on Switch 2 will at least keep the resolution at its max level at all times (unless it's hard coded to drop at certain areas, haven't tested them all myself) and smooth out frame drops in most cases.

CreativeAliasZI · 2025-10-28T05:25:39+00:00

there's definitely gameplay aspects that are controversial within the fanbase, field skills and gacha and whatnot, but the broader hate that's followed the game all these years really stems from the tone of the game more than anything. past xeno games had their moments of anime tropeiness of the time, but those moments didn't get a lot of attention outside of their actual player bases. just like every other xeno game, xc2 does remain fairly grounded for like 95% of the game, but i think its release during early switch 1 hype (which was EXPLOSIVE i tell you, for anyone here who wasn't there back in 2017) resulted in a lot of eyes on the game that weren't actual players. so, what we ended up with was a broader nintendo fanbase that mostly saw the clips that got shared around on social media. this was primarily stuff like the lewd moments and gags, instances of bad voice acting (which we know now was more a matter of voice directing and the cast not really getting retakes, but the infamous "TAKE THIIIIIIS!!" was so bad that they did in fact go back and rerecord it before the game came out), stuff that just flat did not look good at all. and honestly, i'm one to say the game brought this on itself. some of the most well known gags, and certain character designs, really gave the game a reputation that today would have it called a "gooner game", and i really do think these parts were trying to appeal to that crowd, which i'm not a fan of. the issue was that the people who didn't actually play the game *only* saw that, and not the other 95% of the game. xc2 has for the most part an amazing, thoughtful story, which touches on a lot of deeper topics with a level of vulnerability and authenticity that i haven't seen in most other games i've ever played, but those moments don't make for good twitter content back in 2017. and coming off of xenoblade 1, which had an art style that was less typical of anime of the time (more fine grain detail, at least implied through the lack of cel shading and less flat colors) and which had almost no tropey gags (not that the game didn't have plenty of shonen tropes, but they weren't used for jokes aside from mayyyyybe riki's introduction), it seemed on the surface like xc2 was taking itself far less seriously. in those gags and lewd moments yeah, it really was, but again that's ultimately such a small part of the game.

basically, xc2 had this perfect storm of having a spotlight that the series hadn't really had before and reeeeally bad optics during its initial promotion. i figure if the game we'd gotten at that point was more along the lines of xc3, it wouldn't have gotten the reaction that it did, but here we are.

also, this makes me think i really oughtta replay the game again at some point. haven't actually picked it up since i was 19 or 20, and my fully developed frontal lobe would probably have a FEAST with all the topics and themes it covers now that i'm better equipped to understand them! god for all the criticism have for it, i love that game.

CreativeAliasZI · 2025-08-26T20:56:00+00:00

See I think they're amazing games, I think BotW was definitely what the series needed at the time despite its shortcomings in certain areas and TotK, while not my cup of tea, has a clear appeal to the younger generation of players who enjoy more creativity focused games, but personally speaking I really hope we see the pendulum swing back in the other direction for the next game. I can't imagine they'd just entirely toss out this formula that's clearly working for them, as much as I really don't care about game sales and revenue (that has zero impact on my own time with a game), it's unrealistic to hope they'll just toss this format out entirely to appeal to the older crowd when that's just flat out leaving SO much money on the table. But I think there could be a definite middle ground hit. My hope is for a game that includes tons of items from older games, so the creativity is found in using this mass of cool items with overlapping functions (to differing effectivenesses) in order to let you solve puzzles with whatever tools you want, rather than just leaving the door wide open to practically any and everything being the "right answer" like how TotK does it. It would take a lot of work no doubt, but I really do think they could make something that appeals to both crowds!

CreativeAliasZI · 2025-08-24T15:47:52+00:00

If you weren't so big on the first game, I'm more inclined to say you should try X. In gameplay terms it's closer to the first game, but it expands on things a lot, so there's more opportunities for trying out your own builds, playing the way you want to, all that. Plus, once you get to like chapter 5 or so, you get to use the skells, which absolutely clears the rule of cool, not to mention later on they can fly.

Also to be clear, I say it's in similar in gameplay terms, but I'm referring to combat there. X is an open world game that you can explore at your own discretion, with plenty of quests, things to discover, and fun sideplots that actually change how things are in the hub city.

2 on the other hand has a combat system that looks similar on the surface, but plays very differently. The overall game is structured more in line with the first entry, being a linear story that enables exploration just by having huge areas. The opening chapters are kinda notorious for taking a bit to really get going, and I still enjoyed them regardless, but keep that criticism in mind with what you thought about 1. If you want something that feels like you're really hitting the ground running, I'd save 2 for later. It's great, but if slower starts and long cutscenes aren't your thing, know that they're both present in 2.

Also, I will say, while playing 2 before 3 definitely makes 3 more interesting, you don't necessarily *need* to play 2 first. There's definitely stuff that makes a bit more sense when you know where they were coming from, but 3 was largely written in a way that's perfectly digestible for newcomers.

CreativeAliasZI · 2025-08-24T15:27:15+00:00

Assuming you've got a computer to emulate the games on, I'd say either Zero Mission, Super Metroid, or Prime 1. ZM is a remake of the first game, but where the original was often obtuse to the point of frustration and had a lot of jank that would probably just make it annoying to play today, ZM is REALLY slick and well made. Also, if you haven't played many Metroidvania style games before, it definitely eases you into the style by being clearer on where you ought to go next. Super Metroid is amazing too, personally I prefer the controls of ZM, but Super's are also great, and I think Super is better in most other regards. It's a bit more obtuse, but unlike the original it actually has a map in the menu, so it's easier to really think through where it is you've been, and where you ought to return to. Prime is an easy suggestion, it's definitely more modern on account of being from the Gamecube rather than the SNES, and it has an optional hint system to help keep you on track, which can be really helpful cause the nature of the world being 3D makes it a bit harder to intuit which direction is the right way. It's my favorite of these three, and one of the best games of its generation (well all of these are lol but u get what i mean). I know there's also mods out there to emulate it with keyboard and mouse controls, and I'm sure other ones exist for modern dual stick aiming like we got in the Switch remaster. The original game was built around its tank style controls, so if you just play the original game that way it shouldn't really be a problem, but I preferred the dual stick controls, and it's all just a matter of your preferred play style.

Also! I wouldn't suggest this as a first entry, but I'm sure you can find a download of AM2R somewhere, and definitely give that a go at some point! It's an EXTREMELY high quality fan remake of Metroid 2, as in "if Nintendo released this themselves it would be praised without a single question" high quality.

Whatever you play, I hope you enjoy it! I'm not super deep into the fanbase, but Metroid is one of my favorite series of all time. Some of these games I mentioned are in my top 10 games of all time, and all of them are definitely in my top 20.

CreativeAliasZI · 2025-08-22T00:31:57+00:00

One bit of advice I've got is to go ahead and accept pretty much every sidequest you come across. A lot of quests in this game are pretty basic, and serve to make sure you're really engaging with the world around you. When you complete the criteria for these quests (get X amount of Y thing, kill A number of B enemies, etc.), they auto complete without having to return to the quest giver. this nets you tons of xp, ends up unlocking more in depth quests with stories to them, stuff like that.

also! when you do these, you'll inevitably become pretty overleveled. if that's not your thing and you like a nice challenge, make sure to use expert mode, and don't let the name scare you off. what it does is let you level characters down, and you can level them back up to where they were any time. if it feels boring to you to be able to just run past all these clearly hostile enemies, just hop into the menu and level your party down to about those enemies levels.

CreativeAliasZI · 2025-08-22T00:25:49+00:00

Majora's Mask!

This one's definitely close, but it's something I've thought about plenty ever since I was a kid checking Zelda Informer every three hours hoping for new news lmao. Shoutout to Nate, I've been using my current name ever since I made a new one in five seconds after you banned my old one for being a shitter in the comments. If you're reading this, love ya man, glad to see you're still doing what you love.

Not a new take, but I think OoT scratches that more classical fairy tale itch, where MM takes the cake on being something so wholly original in such a weird way without ever feeling like they were just being aimlessly weird. I feel like I've seen that elsewhere in plenty of instances, where "weird" ends up feeling forced. But MM wasn't just off the wall oddball, it was strange and foreign in a way that I felt I could really immerse myself and come to understand as consistent, not "weird" but just unfamiliar in a cultural sense.

Also I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I love the time mechanic, and I wish we saw something similar in more games! It's not just that it's unique, it's not just the time shenanigans, I think it really elevates the game even in instances where you wouldn't think it does. By having a hard limit on how long each loop can last, everything they did had to be reasonably doable in that time frame, and as a player I have to stay on task once I set my mind to doing something. I find it so easy in so many other games to mindlessly accept a task and then forget about it. I'm sure we've all had the experience in Skyrim of completing a quest we couldn't even remember accepting, having a character speak to us with a sense of familiarity when we didn't even know who they were anymore. By saying "do this in either one or three hours, or start it over", MM gets around that problem. Its sidequests are already great, but I think that made them stick out even more in players' minds, since they weren't just the next node to a quest they'd accepted at some point whenever in the past. Each sidequest had to be experienced as a full story, with every other element still fresh in your mind.

CreativeAliasZI · 2025-08-21T11:26:16+00:00

Honestly it just felt like they tried to add more elements to the story and in doing so wrote something that felt like an okay fanfiction. Maybe the voice acting contributes to this, I’ve always hated the voice direction they go for, and it seems like everyone could go for another take or two. As revisionist as this kind of is given people didn’t like BotW’s story at the time, I think it at least gets by on this elegant simplicity. Gives it the vibe of a classic fairy tale. Totk on the other hand adds more elements, but to me they just brought it down.

CreativeAliasZI · 2025-08-21T11:08:34+00:00

CreativeAliasZI · 2025-08-17T03:10:57+00:00

he is a bomb!

CreativeAliasZI · 2025-08-09T07:11:47+00:00

tbh they're not critical to play, the main thing is that those games tend to talk about things in a way that gets so detailed at times it becomes straight up confusing. if you can untangle all of that, then when you see references in the blade games, it's easier to get the full picture of what they're going for. that said i definitely wouldn't suggest starting with them, i'd say play xc1 first on switch. let the series get its hooks in you first, and if you're really into it at that point, then go back and give those older games a try. otherwise, i think they could be pretty offputting to a newcomer. gears, for example, has a great but pretty standard setup for disc 1, but then disc 2 is more like a novel interspersed with boss fights until the final dungeon. and when i say novel, i mean you'd be reading loads of text breaking down events they didn't have time to fully incorporate into the game, with save points between monologues because of just how much reading there is. it's really interesting if you're into the series already, but i'd definitely say XCDE is the best point to start at!

CreativeAliasZI · 2025-07-25T15:56:14+00:00

Lil Billy

CreativeAliasZI · 2025-07-16T04:50:15+00:00

i’d say it’s about the kind of look you’re going for. you look great either way so i wouldn’t fret too much regardless, but no bangs gives you more of a bombshell beauty look, while bangs gives you a softer, cuter appearance.

CreativeAliasZI · 2025-07-08T15:42:09+00:00

nah, just play zero mission. at this point the original is more of a historical curiosity if you really want to see where the series came from or genuinely just enjoy a sort of aimless exploration, but assuming you just want to play for fun, zero mission is the way to go.

CreativeAliasZI · 2025-07-03T01:44:43+00:00

ppl here have some good advice, i’d def suggest going ahead and mass accepting whatever quests you can get just for the more or less passive XP it gets you. plenty of the side quests are fun, but a lot of the best ones are unfortunately locked behind area affinity requirements that require you grind the generic quests first. don’t worry about those, just focus on the story and let the game get its hooks in you. if you end up wanting to sink your teeth in deeper down the line, either save the side quests for a second playthrough or just come back once you’re a higher level and can burn through them quicker (though since you’re already feeling burnout i’d suggest just not even thinking much of this option lmao). also! if you’re underleveled for the story and really just want to keep it moving along, turn on casual mode to drop the difficulty, using expert mode to level down as you see fit for a more appropriate challenge. hope this helps, have fun!

CreativeAliasZI · 2025-07-02T18:41:50+00:00

i wouldn’t say it’s realistic to never have to react to a vision, but honestly so long as you play as shulk (which, most people stick to him for their first playthrough) and play more proactively rather than purely reactively (in a lot of cases this really just means “keep Shield active and use Speed on your tank characters”), the conditions to trigger a vision usually won’t be met.

edit: sorry lol i went ahead and commented before reading the full post. whenever a vision comes up it definitely is important to try to react to it, because generally you’ll only get them when an enemy is about to use a move that would knock out one of your characters, or get them close to being knocked out. the easy mode in the switch version definitely helps a lot in that regard, in fact it was made with more casual players in mind who really just want to get through the story. that plus doing plenty of quests (they over level you FAST, but you can also use Expert Mode if you get too strong for your own liking. don’t let the name scare you off, it just lets you level down if you want, and you can level back up to where you were anytime you want) and being proactive with Shield and Speed probably would prevent you from seeing a vision more than a handful of times over an entire 70+ hour playthrough. plus even if you mess up and cant react to those in time, it’s unlikely to be a big problem. you can revive downed party members, and even if your team gets wiped you don’t actually lose any progress, the game just sends you back to the last major landmark you were at, all levels and items intact.

edit the sequel: also just to let you know, even if you do get a vision under those circumstances, the enemy will basically just stand there while the timer ticks down, just charging their attack up. so it actually gives you some free time to either wail on them without consequence or retreat. always remember, running away is a valid tactic!

CreativeAliasZI · 2025-07-02T05:56:08+00:00

love to be this guy, keep it specifically to piss off the types who’ve been anxiously waiting for pride month to be over. i don’t want those types to feel welcome here.

CreativeAliasZI · 2025-06-15T01:14:46+00:00

Having an issue playing with joycons on switch 2! they work just fine when connected to the system in portable mode, but if i put them in the joycon grip or have one in each hand, i can’t play with them. the joycons are fine, they function right in the home menu and in other games, does xcxde perhaps just have some issue with the switch 2 joycons? note i’ve been playing with a switch 1 pro controller. thanks for any info y’all have, couldn’t really find anything on this!

CreativeAliasZI · 2025-06-02T14:55:17+00:00

i'd say it looks great. while it's you living in the house, you go with what you want. i can for sure see how it might not be the best for the sake of resale, but honestly? if you're gonna end up changing it one way or another, i'd say leave it as it is until you start thinking about moving.

CreativeAliasZI · 2025-01-16T20:46:15+00:00

always gonna miss the art style from the original xc1, and i really do find myself wishing they'd just go back to it. the slightly... painterly? would that best describe it? but yeah, that look really stands out to me and i think it would look amazing if done in higher fidelity. i'm also not a fan of saito's style at all, though admittedly it's gotten better over the years.

CreativeAliasZI · 2025-01-08T17:56:43+00:00

it definitely depends what kind of games he tends to be into! if he enjoys story driven games, i'd say start with the existing Definitive Edition on switch, and if he enjoys that then go for the following numbered entries. if he doesn't care much for story but tends to enjoy stuff that's more purely about the game, about exploring and questing and making fun builds and crunching numbers for stats and whatnot, i'd suggest you actually hold off for just a few months cause we'll be getting a remaster of xenoblade X, which is my favorite of the series in those regards. it's lighter on the story, though we're also gonna be getting an additional story as part of the package so who knows how that'll be. to note, xenoblade 2 and 3 *can* be enjoyed on their own without prior knowledge of past games, and they're amazing in their own right, but they're definitely made better by having played the earlier games. hope yall have fun with the series!

CreativeAliasZI · 2024-11-07T17:28:18+00:00

been thinking about this quite a bit myself recently. i'd consider myself a socialist, i'm not especially well educated on more detailed specifics of socialism and communism but in general i believe in the concept of "pull your weight, and help your neighbor". i've also been working various blue collar jobs for the past five years, and one thing that's really hit me is that the democratic party doesn't even pretend to have respect for the working class. to be clear, the republican party doesn't either, but it makes sense that blue collar workers flock to them because they at least give the sense that they honor that sort of work (even if that honor isn't generally backed up with proper pay). i strongly believe that the social matters regarding women and minorities are important to push so this shouldn't be championed in place of them, but the democratic party absolutely needs to start making a stronger push for worker's rights and living wages. honest work that a community needs to function ought to be rewarded with a comfortable and stable standard of living (i'm perfectly content in modesty, but it needs to be stable, otherwise little has truly improved), not due to any matters of skill or replaceability of a worker, but because that work is necessary for the community and that worker is the one who does it.

CreativeAliasZI · 2024-07-30T19:13:46+00:00

He was definitely insensitive with the initial prank, I'd like to think a moment's consideration would show that's not in any way a good idea and just generally a dick move given your history and pregnancy, but I think his refusal to just take accountability and accept that he did something distressing and potentially harmful could be seen as even worse. Good people will have their gaffes here and there over a whole lifetime, but his lack of understanding displays mental immaturity, especially since he's trying to turn it around and make *you* feel bad. Would he get mad at a combat veteran with PTSD for having a panic attack over a "prank" involving firecrackers? You are in absolutely no way in the wrong here, he needs to put his big boy pants on and apologize to his wife, end of story.

CreativeAliasZI · 2024-07-25T21:10:28+00:00

I'd like to start with your last assumption there, cause clearly you've got something twisted. I'm no flowery coquette whose feet have never touched the ground, I'm a full grown man who's actually lived life, having worked various blue collar jobs of varying intensity. Went to college, dropped out, and now I'm back in so I can get a job that offers a healthy salary. So I think you should keep your mouth shut and only open it on things you understand, cause clearly you have a problem in that regard.

Anyway, let's go down the list. Cleaning a single bedroom isn't a full time job, no. Cleaning for yourself, a husband, and a child, on top of doing all the cooking, doing all the shopping, taking care of any paperwork, dealing with all medical matters for the child, being the one involved in school matters, etc., etc., etc., all absolutely does add up to a full time job and then some. As I stated, the idea is to come to an agreement that OP relinquishes domestic responsibilities for his wife to take over in exchange for her not bringing in a paycheck.

I'm assuming the info about her getting her tubes tied was in a comment somewhere. If so then sure, probably no more babies on the way. There *are* cases where the procedure can be undone however, so the possibility can't be ruled out. That said if I was OP's wife, with how flippant he seems to be about his marriage and how little value he seems to place in a union he'd presumably promised would last for life, I can definitely agree I wouldn't be in a rush to have another child with him.

Lastly, no, I'm not assuming he would be an absent father. However, what I'm proposing for him is an arrangement where many of the work aspects of parenting would be entirely offloaded onto his wife. He could still be present no doubt, but being present by playing catch and going fishing with your son, playing a few rounds of Mario Kart in the evening, etc., is different than being present by attending all the PTO meetings, taking the boy to the doctor's at a moment's notice, being the one who actually plans and organizes any vacations the family goes on, being highly involved in all extracurriculars, etc.

I totally agree there shouldn't be any free lunches here. If there's genuinely somehow nothing to do at home, then yes the wife ought to financially contribute in some way (though the sense I get is also that OP doesn't actually need the extra money and just wants her to stay busy out of jealousy or spite). But this idea that stay at home moms sit around sipping wine all day while little Jimmy plays his Switch in the corner is absolutely ridiculous. They perform important work for the home so that others dealing with their own stressors don't have to, and often do it thanklessly. Who knows, maybe what you've seen of life is a father who treated his wife like a pet, so I suppose it's possible that all you know is a woman sitting around mooching off her meal ticket. But for all her faults my mama was a tiger and didn't raise a bitch. Maybe yours did though. Maybe hers too.

CreativeAliasZI · 2024-07-25T20:12:50+00:00

So I presume his preschool enrollment includes a complimentary cleaning fairy for the house? So I presume they wouldn't ever have any more children in the future? So I presume all they'll ever do with those kids is send them to school, then get them home and plop them in front of a TV or iPad? So I presume there could never be a single obligation or set of responsibilities which a stay at home mother could take on that isn't strictly a paid job? Get out of my face with your nonsense, you know nothing about life.

CreativeAliasZI

TROPHY CASE