STACK #126 Apr 2016

GAMES

FEATURE

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Xenoblade Chronicles 3D Monolith Soft's classic comes to the New 3DS.

L ike defining moments in history, every gamer harbours a memory of the first time they played a classic. Towards the end of the Wii's lifecycle, a game arrived from director Tetsuya Takahashi, who had previously worked on a number of games including Secret of Mana (1993), Chrono Trigger (1995), and Final Fantasy VII (1997) . Released in Japan almost a year earlier, Monolith Soft's Xenoblade Chronicles finally secured distribution in the west in 2011, where JRPGs traditionally struggle to gain commercial momentum. Rumours of its quality preceded it, and anyone who jumped in and picked up a copy (it was in hot demand in the STACK office) soon found one of the most addictive and compelling games to ever grace Nintendo's family-friendly console. Despite the obvious limitations in technology, it proved to be one of the finest JRPGs in recent memory, and a title that still stands out amidst release schedules that are filled with nostalgic reboots and remasters. Heralded as an absolute triumph by critics and players alike, Xenoblade Chronicles is a brash and daring game that delivers over one hundred hours of gameplay. It features some of the best twists and turns imaginable in a video game, pulling its mechanics from MMOs, and drawing development influences from both east and west. Now, chances are your Wii these days is currently being used as a doorstop, or is buried in the wardrobe under clothes that no longer fit you, which you can't – much like the

Chronicles 3D is out this month, although there is a small catch: you have to own one of Nintendo's New 3DS and New 3DS XL handheld consoles, packed with increased processing power, to participate. So what's new in XC3D then? Essentially it's the same game that has been impressively scaled down for the New 3DS screen. It has been designed to work with the unique control system including the in- game camera that is operated via the C stick. StreetPass plays a big part in the game, too, with users able to pick up in-game tokens with other New 3DS owners and use them to unlock music and 3D character models. And then of course there's the protagonist Shulk's amiibo. Touch this to your New 3DS daily to receive three tokens. While there is no confirmed 2015 release month for Xenoblade Chronicles X on Wii U, this is a great way to jump in and experience one of the greatest JRPGs of the last generation, and prepare for one of the most anticipated Nintendo releases of the year.

Xenoblade Chronicles is one of the finest JRPGs in recent memory

console in question – bring yourself to throw out. If you didn't grab a copy of Xenoblade Chronicles back in 2011 and haven't had the opportunity to play it, it is now commanding incredibly high prices due to the short supply of stock on release. A quick look on eBay and you could be expected to secure one for around $100 and up. However, Nintendo are giving gamers the opportunity to play it again, and in light of the announcement that Xenoblade Chronicles X will be coming to Wii U sometime this year, now is the perfect time to do so. Xenoblade

• Zenoblade Chronicles 3D is out April 2

APRIL 2015 JB Hi-Fi www.jbhifi.com.au

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