Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition. Never played the original. Should be somewhat near the end (level 71-72 right now).
Feels a bit negatively towards it. Admits some blame in it. Read a bit of spoilers to discover what becomes inaccessible later. Hates missing out on stuff. Pushed to complete tons of sidequests (partially for easy party and affinity). Cleaned out areas. Was not worth it. Wound up overleveled at times. Skipped one area's quests to equalize it, though.
Seems to really encourage sidequests, though. Would have been severely underleveled without them. Cannot gauge how many to do without more spoilers. Spent far more time completing sidequests and/or hunting collectibles (some for reconstruction) than the main story.
Lives and dies by its combat system, honestly. Views Shulk to be the most interesting, combat-wise. Is not that type of player, though. Gravitates towards mage-types in games. Finds this game's primary mage to be incredibly dull to control. Turned a lot of the game into a slog.
Picked up in story recently. Foreshadowed some parts too much. Was not surprised by Metal Face or one character at the Core.
Recognizes some positive aspects, such as quest tracking and completing quests without returning to the questgiver. Put a lot of love into the sidequests with the NPC affinity web. Appreciates quests with choice too. Highlights Chain Attacks as an excellent, flexible button for players. Demands good forethought. Cannot make up for the bulk of combat, unfortunately.
