Project X Zone

[Xero]

So I got this game and have been playing it a lot.  It's a lot of fun to be honest.  Anyone else have it yet? 

[TheRedPriest]

I got it last week, but have been too busy to pop it in.  I'll get a chance to play it over the break this week though.  I heard X and Zero don't get to show up chapter 20 or so, about halfway through the game.  That's too bad.

[Xero]

Yeah.  Also wait until Chapter 29.

I don't think I ever cried in a video game....

[NovaMan XP]

I'm having a blast with it so far, only just got X and Zero but I'm loving them already.

[TheRedPriest]

Got about 40 hours into it last week over vacation.  I'm really liking it.  Music is fantastic, sprite work looks great.  Game play is tight.  It's actually quite funny too.  I love the dialog in it.  And the fan service is so over the top it's just awesome.

I have only 2 complaints with the game.  The first is I'd really have preferred a dub for it.  I don't really mind subtitles, but generally I like things in my native language.  The game has SO much talking and you get subs for virtually none of it in battles so you lose a big part of those little touches. 

Second is the pacing and enemy numbers.  The game really teeters on going from fun to simply teadius FAR too often as you get farther into the game.  We really don't need 6 or 7 boss level units per map with about 40 or 50 15,000 HP scrubs along with them.  The sheer number with that many HP make it a chore not a pleasure.  The maps are so big and you move so slow it's almost impossible to move one group of units from one end of a map to the other.

I actually really like the game, but it could use some balancing and refinements to be sure.  Also, X and Zero are pretty damn ace in this game.  The glory days of the X series return with Dante level style here, though it makes the fact we'll never get another proper X game of that quality ever again bittersweet.

[Majikn]

though it makes the fact we'll never get another proper X game of that quality ever again bittersweet.

Anyway, I'm still pretty unimpressed with the general idea of campy spoken dialogue during battle sequences. I seriously considered figuring out a mod for Xenoblade Chronicles to avoid such repetition, for example.

I think this game's level of fanservice is part of what turned me off of it, but it's not all. I tried the demo for it and I was feeling the sense of tediousness within playing ONE stage. I really didn't think it was worth the money. It's a respectable project in that it's so ambitious, I just don't see the result as being very satisfying, especially as someone who has tried time and again recently to get into stuff like RPGs and tactics games.

I think it's cool that X and Zero are in the game, but it would be the only reason I'd buy it, and I've been passing on a lot of games to save my money.

SORRY TO BE SUCH A DOWNER.

[TheOnly]

Dunno if this topic is considered "dead" by now, but, I got this game  as well and its the most fun I had in a while, and the main reason why I got it was, well, X and Zero are in it, but what I want to ask here is what Solo Char best works with them? Currently I have Tron on em.

[TheRedPriest]

The game forces you to change support characters so damn often it's hard to say.  I usually used a support that gave them the attack+15% or shield break.  I can't remember.

In respect to the fan service, I was deeply offended Iris didn't have any.  She should have had some bouncy attack with Mii or Kaguya.

[NovaMan XP]

Hell, I thought they were gonna give us Iris as a support character. Was really disappointed when she was just a small cameo.

I still haven't finished this, I think I'm on Chapter 32 or something. After a while whittling down huge health bars for pretty much half of the enemy forces becomes very tedious.

[TheOnly]

The last chapter is VERY long, and then you have your new game plus after that.

[Xero]

##### the Last Chapter.

[spoiler]"Here!  Fight All The Bosses."
"Had fun?  Well here fight them all again!"  Don't forget to get Mii to the final boss area!"
"Not tired yet?  Ok fight all the bosses once more!  Don't forget the final boss has huge ass reach and can one hit kill your party members!"[/spoiler]

Beat him with X & Zero who delivered the final hit.  Felt good.

[TheRedPriest]

I think he only refills the field with bosses if you kill so many of them, because when he got down to about 30% of his health, he did some move that did nothing.  I never had any bosses respawn that I could tell.  Of course the first time I killed him I had X and Zero finish it.  They're an unstoppable team.

[Xero]

*Revives topic*

Now I'm playing Project X Zone 2.  Holy ##### this game is #####ing fun.  So much better than the first game, and they've fixed a lot of the minor annoyances of Project X Zone 1.

As Rez said before, a dub would have been nice. 

[TheRedPriest]

2 fixed pretty much every problem 1 had.  My only issues with it are

1) I'm not as fond of some of the cast additions/removals.

2) The fan service has been dialed back a LOT.  Not even a censor issue, it's just not there.

3) I'm not sure I like the music as well this time as I'm not fond of the fake orchestrated style they went with.

Mostly all that is superficial though, and subject to personal taste.  The mechanics are solid as diamond.  The dialog is still brilliant and the game is more fun that should be allowed by law.  The one thing I wish they'd add is a place to level up so you can buff your units, as you just can't get EVERYONE at levels you need by doing normal stages.

I'm like 50 hours into it and I'm on chapter 30 something.  I don't have my 3DS with me so I can't check for sure.  I might even play the new game + to get to see the all female hot spring scene too.

[Xero]

2 fixed pretty much every problem 1 had.  My only issues with it are

1) I'm not as fond of some of the cast additions/removals.

2) The fan service has been dialed back a LOT.  Not even a censor issue, it's just not there.

3) I'm not sure I like the music as well this time as I'm not fond of the fake orchestrated style they went with.

Mostly all that is superficial though, and subject to personal taste.  The mechanics are solid as diamond.  The dialog is still brilliant and the game is more fun that should be allowed by law.  The one thing I wish they'd add is a place to level up so you can buff your units, as you just can't get EVERYONE at levels you need by doing normal stages.

I'm like 50 hours into it and I'm on chapter 30 something.  I don't have my 3DS with me so I can't check for sure.  I might even play the new game + to get to see the all female hot spring scene too.

While it is #####ing bull#####, you can get Advanced SP mode DLC which makes the enemies harder but you get more CP, Gold, & EXP to level up faster.

Also once you access New Game Plus, you can do challenge stages where the enemies are much stronger, but you can level up faster.

FUN FACT:  There is an exploit that allows your party access to unlimited SP allowing you to effectively buffing your characters, and heal without the use of items. 

This process involves Reiji/Xaiomu & Ulala.  Just make sure Ulala isn't paired up with them.  You can basically replenish SP.

[TheRedPriest]

I thought I'd read they had a stage or stages you could play to level up, but not that they were new game+ only.  That kind of sucks.  I've screwed myself with several pair units since I never use them and they're about 10-14 levels behind everyone else.  Every time I'm forced to use them in stages they do lilke 4 or 5 damage with attacks.

One of the downsides of letting you pick your party every stage instead of rotating who is in and out every time to keep leveling even.  Also the skill points to raise stats hurts if you don't earn any during fights, which I don't too often, because I'm not great at timing and chaining things and that's how you earn them.  That also keeps your stats low.

[NovaMan XP]

I still have to finish the first one. I think I'm close to the end but the enemies just kept getting more and more health and it became somewhat tedious...

Eventually I'll get to it.

[TheRedPriest]

It only gets worse.  That was one of the first games biggest shortfalls.  Enemies were just damage sponges and they had like 140 of them on each stage.  2 is SIGNIFIGANTLY better in that regard.

[NovaMan XP]

Finally beat PxZ1, for #####'s sake the last chapter was the opposite of fun. Not even hard just so obviously tedious on purpose.

Started the 2nd game and yeah, I'm liking it better so far, but I have to agree the soundtrack is iffy sometimes.

Hopefully X & Zero aren't late game this time around...

[TheRedPriest]

You get them almost from the start of the main campaign this time.  Almost all the best characters join early, or at least you get to play them early.

[LCrazy11]

Gah wish I had a computer that could handle it. It looks so good and I love X


(edit) I wish I had anything that could play this

[Mikero]

But isn't it a 3DS/PS4/Switch game?

I remember the demo for the first one, but it wasn't my thing even though I like tactical RPGs.

[TheRedPriest]

Both Project x Zones are on 3DS.  I don't know what the "computer program of dubious legality" scene for that looks like, or if it even has one.

1 has Iris, but you only have X and Zero for the 2nd half of the game.  2 has Sigma, and you have X and Zero from almost the get go.  2 also got rid of most of the deliciously over the top fan service and sexy times.  A real disappointment given the number of sizzling babes it has.  But 2 also fixed the ENDLESS WAVES of reinforcements problems the first game had.  The pacing is MUCH better.

Both games have great music and the banter between characters are top notch.  I honestly wouldn't mind a fourth game in the series and it would be nice to get the first one in English.  If you don't have a 3DS, these games are more than enough reason to get one (plus metric ton of AAA+ games it has).

[NovaMan XP]

I still need to finish PXZ2, I actually can't remember why I stopped.

I also liked that X and Zero got different themes in it, instead of just remixing the same themes from the last one.