I kind of had the opposite experience. I had a hard time with the first two games and even burnt out on them a couple times, probably because the gameplay was a little too complicated for me. But 3 was smooth sailing from beginning to end for me. ^^
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I think the cast of Xenoblade 3 didn't click for me as much. The gameplay was fine.
Although it's challenging to sit through a 60+ hour story if the characters aren't meshing.
Maybe it was just the pacing. They introduce all the main characters very quickly instead of easing you in.