No links to the other games in story, other than nopon appearing and one type of unique monster. No real main character (create your own), missions and exploration over story. Very minimal story. Huge mechs, soundtrack by Hiroyuki Sawano (attack on titan) complete with rap during battles.
It’s a very frustrating game, but it is gigantic, has some awesome worlds to explore and is worth playing
I was disappointed in it at launch as it was not what I expected from Xenoblade after getting that one at launch here in the UK in 2011 - that was incredible.
My example was just the first that came to mind. But like baldurs gate, you can tell the amount of care and passion that has been put into it. And it’s a AAA title no matter whether people think otherwise due to it being a Switch exclusive (admittedly, I only play switch games nowadays on my PC emulated in 4k60fps but still…)
No, that was 2. That mechanic and plot point doesn’t exist in 3. 3 has very little, if any, fanservice, most due to its dark subject matter (infinite war, limited lifespans)
And yes, AAA. It cost multiple millions, hundreds of staff working on it, hundreds of hours of VA including notable UK talent (Jenna Coleman, etc), a fully orchestral soundtrack by Yasunori Mitsuda recorded in multiple countries, and the game itself pushes the switch to breaking point. It absolutely counts and is considered by Nintendo as one.
There’s loads of other examples of decent single player experiences without bullshit, this one just came to mind first. And I hope Baldurs Gate’s success brings more like these
Jan 2022: “Heres xenoblade 3, an absolutely gigantic single player game, no microtransactions, pushes the console to it’s absolute limit, Monolithsoft at the top of their fucking game. Announced today, out in september.”
April 2022: “Lol, it’s now out in july. Enjoy.”.
Baldurs gate is fucking sweet, but let’s not act like it’s a unique occurance in AAA gaming.
I’ve only had a select few genuine “holy fuck” moments during gaming where I have genuinely been stunned. One being Mario 64 in 1996, the other being Half Life Alyx.
It’s a shame it’s in a medium that restricts how many people can actually play the thing. The VR-less mod does the game a huge disservice.