There's something I wanted to say in the main review, but decided not to because it uses too many words to say far too little. Using chain attacks with Dunban as one of the AI-controlled characters. 2 problems: I don't know whether he has Blossom Dance available (totally awesome in chain attacks), and I don't know if he's just used Gale Slash (to get bonus effects from his other arts). While theoretically I could listen to the voice clips, I feel there should be a visual indicator of whether my party members can use their talent art and what art they're currently using. Also the AI likes using Blossom Dance as soon as it becomes available.
Um...why did it take you 60 hours to learn about tension? I knew what it was the day I got the game. 3 hours in.
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This is the game I always wished existed
I've played a couple MMOs in my time. I always thought they were too grindy, but I liked the overall concept of the gameplay - the ones I played had free-roaming, team-based combat and some moves with additional effects based on the direction the enemy was facing, etc. I wished that a single-player game with these mechanics were to be made. Xenoblade is that game, and to my knowledge the only one, and without the grindy part to boot. The main game requires relatively little grinding.
I've always thought that variety is one of the biggest things that makes a game good, and this game provides it. You have a party of three, which can be made up of a selection of several characters, each with their own playstyle. Each of these characters can bring 8 techniques out of an ever-growing selection. This can be further customised with equipment and gems. The game is relatively balanced and no one is absolutely necessary for success or absolutely terrible - even lengthy, drawn-out battles are as easy or hard with Sharla as without, so feel free to mix and match to your heart's content!
All the characters have unique personalities. Read a few lines, and you can know who said them. They're also very believable, you get the sense that if a real person has been through what they have and have a similar-ish personality, they would act in roughly the same way. This is especially true of the main villain, even as he was explaining his motivations all I could think was "this is so... believable".
However, if you're looking for a game that completely avoids all the common flaws of JRPGs, look elsewhere. Needless randomisation is everywhere, most of what isn't the main game is rather grindy, and the game withholds some information you'd really like to know. Any RPG-savvy player can figure out what the stats do (but not by how much), but it took me until the endgame (60 hours in!) to learn what tension does (pretty sure it raises the rate at which you gain party meter). I still don't know how to raise tension barring certain arts, so this hinders certain strategies. The gem crafting system is the worst about this, I only half know what I'm doing. Though, to be fair, it tells you more than your average JRPG.
Overall, Xenoblade is a great game that fills a niche that really needed to be filled. Also the soundtrack is amazing.