Xenoblade Chronicles X Review

Overview:

I've played this game over 100 hours already and it still feels like I only barely scratched the surface. This alone shows what a massive game Xenoblade Chronicles X is. The spiritual prequel of this game on the Wii (Xenoblade Chronicles) is lauded as on of the best games of the previous generation. In a year that is quite loaded with RPG and open world games, can Xenoblade hold its own?

Story:

The Earth is destroyed! This game starts with quite the grim outlook. The Story follows one of the few Arcs that managed to avoid the Earths destruction. The White Whale, as it's called, wandered space for two years before the Aliens caught up to them and shot the Arc down over a unknown Planet called Mira. From there on Xenoblade Chronicles X tells a story of survival in an unkown world against all odds. The Story of the game takes its time to wind up and if you only play the Story Missions you miss a huge chunk of it, but it kept me on the edge from start to finish. Unexpected twists and turns coupled with some awe inspiring cut scenes (for example all of Chapter Eight) really pull you into the foreign world of Mira.

Also the characters are damn likeable. Some people may get annoyed by Tatsu and/or Lin, but to me these two were among the highlights of the game. Another unique aspect of Xenoblade is that you Avatar isn't considered the main protagonist. This role is filled by Elma and in my opinion she fills it quite well. A negative aspect of this is, that although your Character is often offered decisions, in the End they don't truly matter. They have another important role however, but more on that later.

The biggest chunk of Xenoblade Chronicles isn't the main quest, but the countless affinity and side quests that tell the story of New L.A., its residents and how they all try to survive in this new unknown world. There is also a big chunk of quests that only open up after you finished the main story, so the epilogue in this game is quite extensive.

Gameplay:

Xenoblade Chronicles X is huge. Often times overwhelmingly huge. And it doesn't do the best work in explaining everything to the player. This can lead to a lot of confusion, and some features I still don't fully understand, even after 100 hours of play time. Generally speaking X feels more like an MMO than a classic single player game. From the Combat, to the exploration and, sadly, most of the quests. That, by no means, should imply that the Quests are badly written. Far from it. But most of them boil down to simple kill and collect missions.

But lets start with the basics first. Your Avatar is fully customizable and offers tons of possibilities. Even a fierce warrior with a Panda face. Some may say that the Anime Style of the characters clashes with the beauty of the immense landscapes. I don't think that, but I can't deny that it took some time getting used to the presentation of humans in this game.

After getting picked up by Elma and naming your character, you're then thrown out into the first tutorial area. This is a good chance for getting used to the controls and movements of your character. Jumping several feet high into the air feels great. And it helps a lot in traversing the huge word.

Planet Mira is absolutely enormous. Gigantic doesn't do it justice. Exploring this beautiful alien Planet is one of X strongest points. While many of the continents may feel familiar at first sight, Monolith Soft managed to give them a unique alien twist.

These continents are also littered with things to explore. From Hidden caves to majestic peaks there is something to satisfy every inner explorer. Scattered across the land you'll find small blue orbs, which symbolize different collectible items. These are used for Quests, Crafting or just to complete your Encyclopedia. You'll also find tons of treasures. These come in three categories, which also require a matching skill level.

The Way you traverse the terrain is heavily changed two times in the game. Once you acquire your Skell (huge humanoid Mechs) and once you unlock the flight module and start conquering the skies of Mira. Flying high above the lands and taking in the impressive view distance and beautiful landscapes was truly awe inspiring.

All across the land you'll also find points where you can use probes. These probes have different offer different bonuses, but mostly they are used to mine Miranium, credits and other scarce materials. Miranium is used to refill the tank of your Skell, upgrade Arms Manufacturer or research new weapons and armor. Different Probes offer different bonuses and if you use several probes of the same category next to each other they form a link and improve their performance. Generally it's important to install many probes early on, because they not only supply you with Miranium, but each probe also unlocks surrounding areas on the map, showing you the location of treasures, quests or Tyrants (Elite Enemies).

One Issue you'll most likely run into, while exploring the land, is the vastly varying level of the fauna on Mira. It sometimes happens that Level 10 and Level 40 creatures live in the same vicinity. This can be quite frustrating, when your team members keep pulling these high level monsters, which kill you in one hit. It also happens during some story missions. One mission still sticks to my mind. You'll have to destroy three Anti-Air cannons. Inside the base you'll mostly find level 19-22 enemies, which was also roughly the level of my crew. However there are also a couple of Level 30 fiends patrolling through the area. This inconsistency between levels is an issue that often dampens the enjoyment of the game.

But before we delve too deep into the Wildlife of Mira, lets first talk about the people exploring the planet. Like it said in the beginning, your character is fully customizable. This even includes the things you wear. Xenoblade Chronicles X offers a option to change the look of your character, without actually changing the armor. In World of Warcraft it's called Transmogrification. This basically means that, even if you war a full on body armor, your character can still look like he's wearing Jeans and a Hoodie. It's a great way to see the faces of your crew during cut scenes, which are all Ingame.

The casual clothes are mostly earned through side missions, so this is another incentive to do them.

But enough with the aesthetics, let us talk about the meaty part of the game. Classes, Talents and Techniques. Your character has three parts in which he can raise his level. Firstly the classic level, making him stronger and more endurable until he reaches the max level of 60. Secondly his Class Level, which unlocks new skills and talents and is capped at Level 10. And lastly his Blade Level, which unlocks different options to design your barrack and improves your skill in Mechanics, Biology and Archeology. After reaching Class Level 10 as Novice you then can choose between three branching paths, which also branch of into two paths each. This decision, however, isn't permanent. You can change your Class at any moment outside of battle. Classes determine, apart from the abilities you'll use of course, what weapons you'll use.

Techniques also come in two general flavors. Normal abilities and attacks which use Special Points. More on that later during the talk about combat.

Next come Talents. Talents are passive traits that are always active. For example 30% more laser damage or 12% accuracy while using a melee weapon. These talents also remain active while you're inside your Skell, so keep that in mind.

Talents and Techniques can be upgraded a maximum of five times.

Your party members are also customizable. The only thing you can't change are their classes.

The most amazing part about Xenoblade are without a doubt the Skells. After earning your Skell license, you're finally allowed to pilot your very own Mech. Later on you can even take to the skies, aerial combat included.

One part about Skells, which I didn't like, but also adds some tactical depth, is the fuel system. Flying and the use of Arts during combat drain Fuel. Refilling happens passively while your outside your Skell or actively through Miranium. This leads to you planning the use of your Skell, but also slightly punishes aimless exploration, because flying costs a lot fuel.

Skells are a different entity from your Character. They come in three different classes. Light, which is focused on avoidance and melee attacks. Medium, which are range specialists, but sill well rounded in other departments. And Heavy, which are classic tanks with a bulk of armor and health. This allows you to build a well rounded team or One that excels in a special department.

Skells come with their own weapons, Arts and even level. Your character does need to have at least the same level as the Skell, if he wants to use it. Arts do function quite different. They are determined through the weapon you equip. Skells can equip a total of eight weapons plus two used exclusively for auto attacks. This can be quite overwhelming and confusing. It took me a while till I got the hang of it, also because the game does once again offer you little to no explanation.

However getting your Skell does drastically change the way you approach situations. You now have an even wider array of combat options, because you can exit and enter your Skell fluently during battles. It also allows you to tackle many of the huge creatures that roam Mira. And lastly you can even build your equipment in a way that further supports your Skell, although it limits your own combat possibilities.

Finally lets talk about the combat. Just like in it's Quest department (more on that later) Xenoblade Chronicles X feels like an MMO during battles. Like in its predecessor on the Wii the battles run in real time. You can fluently switch between melee and range auto attacks. These build Special Points which can be used on special techniques, which require them. Normal techniques don't need special points, but simply time to recharge after using them.

There are many things to consider during battle. Most attacks have a second or even third charge. These slowly fill up, while using the corresponding weapon. These extra charges buff the damage of the technique or allow several consecutive uses. During battle you're often faced with the decision between using the attack right away or waiting for a stronger effect.

Positioning is also very important. Each Monster has several points, which can be attacked. You can lock onto this attack points and tell your team to focus on them. This is especially important, because some attacks can only be used as long as the corresponding body part is intact. A Grex can only Tail Swipe as long as he has a tail. Also your critical chance is increased while attacking from behind.

You also should keep in mind how your attacks interact with each other. One techniques, for example, lowers the laser resistance of the enemy and you melee weapon deals laser damage. Then you should build corresponding combinations to maximize your damage.

Through a simple button press you can also open up a menu to give your team rudimentary orders like, Focus, Melee Attacks or use your Skells. It offers a nice possibilities for a more tactical approach, but apart from the focus command I hardly used them.

Special Points can be used on techniques which require them, or you'll wait till you acquired 3000 and activate Overdrive. This greatly boosts your combat abilities. Your techniques recharge faster, you'll deal more damage and you'll take less. Knowing when to use your Overdrive can tip a hard battle in your favour.

Skell combat works just like regular battles, with the added possibilities of flight. The Overdrive System is also present, but functions slightly different. Instead of a simple boost of your abilities each Skell Model has it's own overdrive, with different effects.

The last part about battles is the soul voice system. Once again the game doesn’t really explain this feature, but it's essential to build a well rounded character and team. You may recognize your teammates or your own character shouting commands during battle. For example: Now is the time to strike. Focus on Melee attacks. These so called Soul Voices award you with different benefits, if you follow the commands. On your own character this is highlighted by the corresponding attacks blinking for a short period of time. These Soul Voices offer buffs like 50% Melee damage or a good chunk of Special Points.

These Effects can be customized. For example, opening a battle with a Melee attack can either award 200 Special Points, a short term damage boost or a guaranteed stagger to the enemy. With this in mind you can further customize your character beyond your class choice. Heavy Melee Hitter, cautions Sniper or Supporter. Anything is possible and mastering Soul Voices is the key to mastering the combat of Xenoblade Chronciles X.

And now lastly a brief overview about Quests in the game. And these prove to be a sword with two edges. There are actually four kinds of quests in the game. At the bottom there are the standard Blade quests offered at the Blade Terminal. These are standard, MMO Cookie cutter quests. Gather ten of Item X or kill five of enemy Y or hunt down Tyrant Z. These are only good to farm some exp or affinity with your team. They have, however, a very confusing difficulty curve. I've been offered quests to kill level 81 Tyrants, while being only level 40 myself. Also it doesn't tell you the level of the enemy at the Terminal, but you'll have to find out the hard way. And if you find yourself in over your head you can only abandon the quest at the Terminal, which just adds an unnecessary trip back to the city.

The next kind of Quests are those, who tell a small story. These quests can be found all over New L.A. and Mira and are marked through a red question mark. These are used to flesh out the inhabitants of New L.A. and show their daily struggles. The objectives, remain simple however. There is hardly more than collecting specific objects or killing a special enemy. But the small stories are told engagingly and even build upon one another. These Quests really are the main part of the game, telling the story a an ever evolving city, where Aliens and Humans have to live together and the struggles this creates.

Next up are Affinity Missions. By completing standard Quests or choosing specific dialog options you build affinity towards the members in your team. Once you filled the affinity meter of a specific character enough, you'll unlock an affinity mission. These flesh out the character of your team and tell their story. They are fully voice acted and often start with a little Ingame cinematic. If the normal story missions are the meat of the game, then these quests are the garnish. You'll learn much about the characters you travel with. The objectives are once again pretty standard, but the presentation will let you forget about that. There are also affinity missions, which aren't tied to a specific character and just develop the story of New L.A. further.

Lastly there are the big Main Story Missions. Xenoblade Chronicles X has 12 chapters, but it's pretty clear that the Main Story is not truly the main story of the game. It's engaging, but the main part of the game lies in the affinity and small story missions. Nearly each Main Story Mission can be completed in about half an hour.

Xenoblade Chronicles X also offers a nice online part. You can form squads with your friends, which hold up to 32 members. You then can tackle specific squad missions, which range from simple kill quests to time trials. It's a nice breath of fresh air and offers tickets, which you can exchange for several rare crafting materials. I haven't played to much of the online multiplayer, but it adds another layer to this already huge and complex game.

Presentation:

Presentation and music wise Xenoblade Chronicles X is a sword with two edges. The landscapes, viewing distances and general world design are beyond beautiful and don't have to hide behind comparable titles on the X-Box One or PS 4. The characters however look Doll like and often lack any visible emotion. In my opinion the Anime Style of the characters doesn't mesh well with the realistic design of the surrounding world.

From a technical standpoint it is impressive what Monolith Soft managed to produce on the Wii-U. Apart from Cut Scenes and one or two Areas the whole world is completely seamless and without any loading times. This is achieved through several tricks, which you'll hardly recognize out in the wild. Inside New L.A. they become more apparent however. Pop-Ups and blurry, low resolution textures, which only get replaced by high definition ones after you come close, are a common sight inside the city. There is also no collision detection with moving objects. Outside in the World you won't recognize this problems, and if, only when traveling at high speed with your skell.

Another issue, which you probably won't notice, but should be mentioned anyway, is the absence of intelligent shadows. Xenoblade features a dynamic day and night cycle. But while the sun moves across the sky, the shadows don't follow. They remain stationary the whole day and simply fade out when the evening dawns.

The game runs at a stable 30 Frames per Second with only slight drops and offers 720p resolution.

Music wise I have to say that I love the tracks, but others addressed the fact that the Hip-Hop heavy soundtrack doesn't feel right on such an alien world. Apart from the Battle Theme Black Tar I can't share their conclusion. There are some incredible songs in this Game and they complement the feeling of Xenoblade perfectly.

Bonusround or the game after the game:

(Small) Spoiler Warning:

After you finish the final boss a lot of questions remain. These will probably (and hopefully) get answered in a sequel. Finishing the Main Story also unlocks Level 60 skells for you to use and opens up several new Affinity Missions, which act as sort of epilogue, showing you how the story continued after the ''End.''

Apart from that there is still lot's to do. I was Level 54 when I finished the final boss. After that the game can become a little bit grindy. Especially when you're aiming to defeat the strong level 90+ Tyrants that hide all across Mira.

Conclusion:

Xenoblade Chronicles X is one of the biggest games released this year. You can easily spend over 200 hours before even coming close to finishing 100% of it. Some times it overwhelms you with its sheer size and complexity. And it doesn’t a good job at explaining things to you. But it also creates a feeling, where you just want to explore this huge alien world.

It often feels like an Offline MMO. This is both, good and bad, but most of the time the Good wins outright. Quest tracking is very sub par and the sometimes strange enemy placement can really dampen your enjoyment some times, but nonetheless you'll always return for another round of exploration.

The combat is very complex and you'll need some time to get the hang of it, but it's also extremely rewarding once you know how to utilize the countless tools the game offers you.

Presentation wise the incredible beautiful World of Mira often clashes with an Anime inspired character design, which often lacks emotion.

Conclusion (One Sentence):

Xenoblade Chronicles X is a huge game, which often infuriates me with small details, but always has me return to explore more of its magnificent alien world.

Source of all Pictures: https://miiverse.nintendo.net/users/Dillian

Censorship

The release of Xenoblade Chronicles X in the West is only a couple of days away and with that in mind lets talk about a controversial topic. Censorship.

First things first. I'm absolutely against any form of censorship. That means I am against altering a game or work of fiction and I'm against banning games or works of fiction from store shelves. Of course the second action is the right of every store owner. You can decide what you want to sell, but nonetheless I'm not to fond of shops doing this and probably won't shop there.

And yes I'm also against the censorship of controversial topics or offending depictions. First of all everyone deems different things ''offensive'', and secondly it just limits the creation of new stories.

Censorship is never good. In the best case it blurs the intention of the creator, but in the worst it absolutely butchers the story.

I'm especially against the censorship of Japanese games. I'm not the biggest fan of those games. Of course I'm a huge Nintendo Fan, but I wouldn't consider their games to be classical Japanese. But even as not a Fan I see censorship of these games as problematic. Why would you want to ''Westernize'' such games and destroy one of their biggest appeals.

Yes Fanservice is deeply ingrained into many of these games, but what so wrong about that. All of these outrage towards Fanservice and sexy depictions of women in games, stems from the wrong assumption that those deceptions have a real world influence. It's practically the same nonsense as the Violence debate from several years ago. It has been proven time and time again that violence in video games doesn't breed violence in real life. And I don't see why it should be any different with Sexism.

But let's talk about two recent acts of censorship in Nintendo games.

Fatal Frame (Project Zero) 5:

Here the lingerie outfits for the heroines, which were unlocked after you beat the game, have been replaced by Zero Suit Samus and a Princess Zelda outfit.

Now one might say that a lingerie outfit detracts from the idea of a horror game, but so does a skin tight latex suit, which leaves nothing to imagination. The Problem with this act of censorship is that it's completely unnecessary and doesn't change a thing. It only makes the people, knowing about it, furious. People will always focus on the things, which were taken away. Even if you give them something in return. If they just had added those two new costumes, everyone would be happy.

Because people offended by this:

will also be offended by this:

Source of both Pictures: Fatal Frame 5

Xenoblade Chronicles X:

While the Censorship of lingerie outfits was unnecessary the removal of the boob slider in Xenoblade is truly a stupid move.

In the Japanese Version, when creating a women, you have the possibility to change the breast size of your Avatar. This feature has been removed in the western release.

Now you may say, that this is a needles feature, which would only be abused by teenage boys. And while this is certainly right, it also limits the immersion.

Xenoblade Chronicles X has a massive character creation. And many players will certainly create an Avatar in their image. Be it dream or real. By locking the females to one standard breast size you essentially lock out women with small or big chests. Neither of them can create a version of themselves if they wish. With this Nintendo practically tells them, that they don't exist. At least on Mira. A Planet where even Panda People can exist.

Picture Source: Xenoblade Chronicles X

And of course the feature would have been abused to create huge bouncing Titty-Monsters. But what's so wrong about that? Games should still be allowed to create mindless fun. Let people create women with balloons for tits. Just because there is the possibility for a feature to be ''abused'' in such a way, shouldn't tempt you to remove it. Or we will be looking at a bleak and boring future for video games, where all characers are genderless, amorphous blobs.

In the end I can only say that I prefer this:

Picture Source: Dead or Alive Xtreme 3

over this:

Picture Source: Community

Still: Go Human Beings!

So please developers and publishers alike. Don't censor your games. Don't be afraid of the things you create. Be proud. Show them to the world.

And as always

thanks for reading

Linkle

Video Source: GameXplain/Nintendo

Congratulations to everyone who called her. Linkle finally got announced for Hyrule Warriors Legends on the 3DS. And I have good news for everyone owning the Wii-U Version. Nintendo announced that all characters from Legends will also become available there. The Stories of Linkle and Toon Link, however, will remain exclusive to the 3DS. I don't mind this, as long as I get to play the characters in adventure mode.

I'm still not to keen on Hyrule Warriors 1.5, but at least now I don't have to buy it to experience the new characters. Still I would have preferred an actual Toon Hyrule Warriors for the 3DS and not just this ''updated'' Version of the original game.

But enough of that for now. Today I'd like to talk about Linkle.

She looks awesome!

I have to admit, that her announcement got me pretty hyped. Last year, when her design first surfaced with the Hyrule Warriors artbook, I was pretty sure that we would see her as a DLC character for the game. And in a way I was right.

 Picture Source: Hyrule Warriors Artbook

Linkle looks like a Mid-Range Typ of fighter and a good addition to the rooster. Her crossbows look like interesting weapons and help distinguishing herself from other fighters. Especially the move, where you're shooting enemies, while sidestepping like in a 3^rd Person shooter, looks interesting. (Found at 0:53 in the video). From the looks she also seems like a more agile fighter. Of course she also takes inspiration from Links moveset, but that is to be expected. All in all I'm very happy with her addition and I'm looking forward to trying her out.

Picture Source: Nintendo

Now this was the part, where I talked about the character and her moves. Now comes the part surrounding her. Anyone not interested in Game Politics, Gamergate and things like that, can safely skip this part. Ok? Now then lets start.

Firstly I'll have to say, that, while in no way part of the Gamergate movement, I support their stated goals of more ethics and transparency in game journalism. What does this have to do with Linkle? Well after her announcement some outlets criticized Linkle for her appearance. In their Words she was just a female Version of Link and fitted the Ms. Male Character Trope. For anyone unfamiliar with this Trope, it basically describes a genderswapped Version of a established character. Or to put it into more internet friendly terms. Any rule 63.

Now, while describing Linkle as a Ms. Male, may seem justified at first glance, this does a huge disservice to the character and the people accusing her. Generally I'm not to keen on tropes, because often it simplifies the character, they have their right to exist. It's just that good characters can't be defined with one Trope and doing so proves your ignorance towards the character. Now I'm not saying that Linkle may have a great characterization, but breaking her down on just her visuals is a thing often criticized by the very people doing it. Describing her as genderswapped Link also ignores the snippets of information we already have about her.

When the Artbook for Hyrule Warriors released last year, it was revealed that the developers discussed Linkles relationship with Link. During that time she was considered as Links little Sister or maybe even daughter. Currently Nintendo describes her as a young Women from a certain Village that strives to be like the Hero.

Looking at these three possible backgrounds her attire make sense. If Link is her inspiration, her role model, it makes sense for her to copy his appearance. Even more so if she is his daughter or sister. But she is still her own character. Not acknowledging it and just dismissing her as a Ms. Male is ignorant and stupid. Of course she can end up being just that, but just generating outrage about her looks is ridiculous.

Let me say this. Breaking down a character into a single Trope and ignoring any other traits he, she or it has, is jut plain stupid and helps no one.

One other thing. Why is it that Bows, crossbows and such are suddenly ''Female Weapons''? Firing a Bow takes a lot of strength, but more importantly since when are weapons assigned to a specific gender? This I beyond stupid. Are MG-5 now female guns, while ''real'' men use the AK-47? Declaring weapons to be gender specific just narrows down possibilities. It forces us into predefined paths, when creating new characters.

''Oh no I can't have her using a Bow, because Bows are female weapons and I don't want her to fall into such stereotypes. Better give her a sword... Oh no, now she is a Ms. Male or Fighting Fucktoy...''

This thinking in tropes is harmful to creativity.

Oh and the crossbow critics ignore another important part about Hyrule Warriors.

Picture Source: Zelda.wikia.com

We also have a classic magi user (Lana), a Rapier wielding Queen (Zelda), whatever Rutos Fighting Style is and a girl, who uses giant beetles to squash her enemies (Agitha).

In the end I can only say that I don't understand the outrage against Linkle. It's a mindless reaction, defining everything that doesn't fit into a (very) narrow mindset as problematic, without knowing the circumstances.

Oh and if you want to hear me ranting about Women in Games some more:

http://dilliansthoughthub.blogspot.co.at/2015/04/women-in-games-bayonetta.html

http://dilliansthoughthub.blogspot.co.at/2014/09/female-characters-in-gaming.html

In the end I can only say that Linkle, judging from her trailer, looks like a fun character gameplay wise. As for her story? I can't say anything about this yet, but judging a book by it's cover is never a smart move.

And as always

thanks for reading

Nintendo Direct 12.11.15

Now that we had some days to calm down and look back at this direct without rose tinted Hype glasses, I have to say, that it was a pretty good direct. There was nothing that literally blew my mind and left me speechless, but it had the right amount of announcements and content to keep me satisfied. Of course the 3DS was once again the clear winner and if you like RPGs this Direct was probably the best one in years for you, but even as a more Wii-U centric gamer I didn't feel let down. We got some announcements for 2016 and some remainders for 2015. Yes I would have preferred Twilight Princess HD releasing this year to beef up their Christmas Line-Up, but the way it is, it will provide a good start into 2016 and the 30^th anniversary of Zelda.

We also got a short trailer for Star Fox Zero and a release date. I really like the way the game looks, even though the graphics are really nothing to brag about. But the different vehicles look interesting and should provide different gameplay approaches. And for me Gameplay always matters more than raw graphical horse power.

We also got the final confirmation that Nintendo intends to milk Amiibo for all that it's worth.

I don't want to go into too much detail, but all in all it was a pretty good direct and it ended with a high note. Hands up if you honestly thought that Cloud was a possibility for Smash Bros.

Yeah I thought so...

Anyone who hasn't seen the Direct can take a look at it here.

Amercian Direct:  

European (German) Direct:  

This post today is a little short, but expect a longer one about Linkle in the coming days.

And as always

thanks for reading  

Nintendo Direct 12.11.2015 - What do they have in store?

Picture Source: Nintendo Germany

The drought is finally over. Nintendo just announced a new Direct and the Hype is already skyrocketing. But this is not the time to lose our heads about hypothetical announcements of Twilight Princess HD, Zelda U Information, F-Zero, Metroid and the end of all wars. Already some Nintendo Fans are expecting the mother of all directs and, as a natural consequence, are setting themselves up for massive disappointment.

Let's be reasonable and not expect a second E3 out of this. The direct will likely have one, maybe two, bigger announcements, just like it has always been. Most likely they'll start and finish with a big announcement, while we get information about smaller games and the Ones that will release soon in between.

So with this in mind, here is my prediction for the Thursday direct:

I think they'll start with a first look at Pikmin 4. Miyamoto said that the game is close to completion, and this would a perfect opportunity to show it off. There are quite a lot of Pikmin Fans out there an the Third was great game.

Next they'll probably focus on the titles that are releasing soon. New trailers for Mario and Luige Paper Jam, Xenoblade Chronicles X, Mario Tennis and Animal Crossing Amiibo Festival.

After that some smaller announcements would fit. Maybe even the rumored Twilight Princess HD together with some E-Shop tittles.

Next they'll take a look at some upcoming titles, that are coming out in 2016. Fire Emblem X Shin Megami Tensei, Metriod Prime: Federation Force, etc.

Then it's probably time for Star Fox. It's certain that we'll get new information. A new trailer to show the improved graphics and maybe the announcement of a Multiplayer.

And then it's finally time for Zelda U. It's been nearly a year since we last saw anything and Nintendo has to know that the Fans are starving for new information. It's finally time to show, or at least, hint their vision for an open world.

Also I don't think they'll do a huge tribute for Satoru Iwata. It's not really Nintendos Style. But I'll expect a ''dedicated to the Memory of Satoru Iwata'' message at the end. Or at least something similar, but I expect them to keep it simple.

So what are your thoughts and expectations for the upcoming direct?

And as always

Thanks for reading

Project Zero (Fatal Frame): Maiden of the Black Water Review

Overview:

Only one year after it's initial release in Japan Nintendo finally decided to bring Project Zero 5 (Fatal Frame for our american friends) to the west. After the Japan exclusive 4^th part and the remake of the second, which was only available in Japan and Europe, this is the first time that Nintendo players all around the world can experience the creepy series. But can Project Zeros approach at horror still shock gamers, after the rise of games like Outlast and Five Nights at Freddys?

Story:

The story follows three different characters, and revolves around the cursed Mt. Hikami. The mountain is widely known as suicide mountain, attracting many people, who wish to end their lives. This also turned it into a gathering place for countless evil spirits, which haunt the lonely forests and forsaken buildings of Mt. Hikami. Miu Hinasaki is a young girl searching for her mother. Ren Hojo is a writer, researching the mountain for his newest book, but he also tries to find the truth about a repressed memory, connecting him to the mountain. Finally Yuuri Kozukata is, what you could call, the main protagonist of this game. She has the ability to see ''shadows'' and bring back people and objects from the spirit world. She looks for her mentor Hisoka, who has gone missing on the mountain. The stories of these three characters are, of course, intertwined.

Gameplay:

Project Zero 5 was my first entry in this series, so for me it was all fresh and new, but if you're a veteran, you won't have to learn any new tricks. The core gameplay of the series hasn't been changed since the first part and number 5 follows this tradition. In the shoes of your characters you'll explore different locations on Mt. Hikami and battle it's evil spirits with the help of the Camera Obscura. This mystical Object not only allows you to see hidden objects and make them visible, it also allows you to combat ghosts and thus survive the mountain. It's an universal tool to solve puzzles and generally progress upwards on the cursed mountain.

Using the camera works via the Wii-U Gamepad. The screen of the pad serves as camera lens and by moving the controller you'll target ghosts, items and the boobs of your boss... It works very intuitive and, for me, marks one of the best uses of the Wii-U Gamepad so far. However some players may have problems playing for long periods, because after a while the weight of the Gamepad comes quite apparent.

The Camera itself works just like in previous entries, with the slight difference that you're now able to move, while taking pictures. This makes the battles a bit easier than in previous games.
Most ghosts take more than one hit, and taking a picture of them releases several ghost fragments which work as weak points. Capturing five focus points (Faces, ghost spheres) on one pictures buffs the damage of it quite significantly and awards you with a lot of points. Better pictures provide more points, which can be used to buy items and upgrade the Camera Obscura.

Of course the ghosts won't let you just vanquish them. They have several ways of attacking, teleport around and generally try to ambush you. If a Ghost manages to grab you, there is a small time window, where you're able to counter attack, saving you and giving you a small time frame to take pictures without any penalties.

Because normally there is a waiting time after taking a picture, which leaves you completely vulnerable to ghost attacks. This period differs with the film you use in your camera. The standard film, which is the weakest, but has infinite charges, takes the longest to reload. Then there are three stronger films, but their charges are limited and you should use them wisely. Especially when a boss comes up soon.

There are also several lenses which you can use with you Camera. Each lens provide a special ability, like stunning or shooting 4 pictures at once. Using these lenses wisely and combining them with the films provides essential in taking down stronger ghosts and especially the bosses.

These boss battles are a nerve-racking change from the slower approach the game normally has. They'll put you in a state of constant stress and therefore are a great refresher.

Generally speaking Project Zero is a little to easy on the lower difficulties. Before each chapter you can buy items to help you, but I never had to do this, because the amount you received automatically proved to be more than enough.

Now this are all things that veteran players are familiar with, so what new features does the game contain? Not too many, I'm afraid. Apart from the new controls for the Camera Obscura there are only two notable changes. First on your character now can run through the press of a button. This increases the mobility in fight situations, but still wont let you run away from your attacks. The always present water on Mt. Hikami will slow you down. This also ties directly into the other new feature. The Wetness gauge. Walking through water, under Waterfalls or just outside in the rain will make your character wet. This makes the more susceptible to the spirit world, increasing the damage they deal with the Camera Obscura, but also opens them up to ghostly attacks. Their defense is lowered and they'll encounter more ghosts on their way up the mountain.

The Wetness gauge can be cleared with a new item called the Purifying Flame. This item is also important to remove the ''Yomi Nure'' Status effect. Certain Ghosts can afflict you with this curse which will result in lowered defense, reduced vision and a gradual loss of health.

Presentation:

The Presentation of a Horror game is an important part of the experience, because it determines if the game is successful in building an atmosphere. First let me say that Project Zero does succeed, but also that the graphics are nothing to brag about. The character models are the only thing truly next gen about this game. They look great and extremely detailed. Koei Tecmo once again succeeds in designing beautiful protagonists. The game uses the same engine as Dead or Alive 5, which is obvious through the breast jiggling of the female heroines. Some people may find this distracting in a horror game, but for me it didn't do much. Neither in a positive nor negative sense. Still it should be pointed out that a lot of emphasis is put on showing the females off to the player.

The Ghosts sadly don't receive the same amount of detail. While some of the special ghosts are looking really good (Good in a spooky kind of way, of course) and detailed, the standard enemies often look like they haven't changed since the PS 2 days.

And while not as bad, the areas and surroundings are also not completely up to date. Many textures look blurry and modern things like Anti-Aliasing are also not present. But still the game creates an eerie and dark atmosphere. Especially when played in the dark.

Project Zero takes its time in building an atmosphere. Sound is used sparsely but effectively. The Set pieces are well designed and fit the overarching theme of water and death. Especially the abandoned shrines on Mt. Hikami filled me with an uneasy feeling that I couldn't shake off. However there was never a moment where I didn't want to progress further.

Lastly the voice acting in the game was sufficient. It was nothing memorable, but it didn't impact the game in any negative way, in both, the Japanese and English version.

Bonusround or the game after the game:

Spoiler Warning:

After finishing the game the first time around, you'll unlock nightmare mode. This new mode allows you to play the game again on a higher difficulty. Nightmare mode is quite challenging and if you didn't sweat much on your first play through it certainly will test your skills on this difficulty. Apart from nightmare mode, you'll also unlock the Zero Suit Samus and Princess Zelda outfits for your heroines. This outfits replace the lingerie costumes that you got in the Japanese version.

Lastly you'll unlock a bonus episode staring Ayane from Ninja Gaiden. The Kunochi enters Mt. Hikami to find a girl name Tsugumi Katashina.

Ayanes gameplay is radically different from the other characters in the main game. At the start Ayane get's injured, which takes away her normal movement capabilities. Also she has no way to fight the ghosts. This leads to a different approach in this bonus episode, because she has to rely on stealth. A cloaking spell through on of the Tattoos on her back, hiding her from the Ghosts perception. She also wields an item called the ''Spirit Stone Torch'', which allows her to knock back and stun ghosts.

Conclusion:

Project Zero is a nice change from other actual horror games, which often rely on putting the player in a state of constant terror. It takes it's time in building an eerie atmosphere and doesn't bombard the player with shock moments. Still it is the most action oriented entry into the series. You'll also only find real challenge in the unlockable nightmare mode, because healing items are available in ample amounts.

The graphics are, apart from the characters, not really up to date, with some ghosts looking like they still come from the PS 2 era. The set pieces and environments, while lacking some detail, still create an intense atmosphere and offer enough variety for the game to not become stale.

Some new additions, like the wetness gauge and the ability to run, shake the gameplay up a bit, and generally push the game towards the action route.

Lastly the integration of the Wii-U Gamepad is one of the best to date. It feels very intuitive and is easy to use, but some people may find it hard to hold Gamepad in front of them for longer periods of time.

Conclusion (One Sentence):

Project Zero is a slower and more classical approach to horror games, which will need some time to drag you in, but then reveals a good horror game, without to many innovations.  

Source of all Pictures: Nintendo