Xenoblade Chronicles X Actually Uses the Wii U Gamepad Well

[Yahtzee Croshaw]

Xenoblade Chronicles X Actually Uses the Wii U Gamepad Well

I might go as far to say that Xenoblade Chronicles X is the first Wii U game I've played that actually found a decent use for the screen controller.

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[UberPubert]

After finishing the article, I went back through it again and imagined it dripping with sarcasm, and now I'm confused as to whether Yahtzee actually thinks the game uses the Wii U Gamepad well or not.

To me it sounds like all the functions suggested in the article really aren't that useful. Like a map that tells you what's in other areas instead of just your current one, isn't that something basically any modern MMORPG does? And as for doing it while you walk from point A to point B or wait in elevators, shouldn't the player just be able to fast travel or have the elevator ride resolve after a loading screen? (and if the elevator is just a hidden loading screen, how long can you really check that map?)

I'm so confused...

 

[Zontar]

The elevators are actual elevators that physically lift you up to the upper floors of the admin district in real time if you dont want to/cant fast travel up there.

And they're pretty much only useful for going up. I don't know about you but due to the no fall damage (unless it's at one of Oblivia's bottomless pits) I take the fast way down at the Administration district.

The touchpad was honestly surprisingly useful though. I spent a fair deal of time trying to optimize resource and income generation through my probes. Never would have expected they'd use it so well.

 

[Snotnarok]

Another game that uses the second screen well....ZombiU. Yes it does what a menu could do but since it's in real time and you're forced to look away from your screen, your character is vulnerable making it very tense.

 

[Thanatos2k]

I think you could add a new level of challenge that would really speak to those smartphone-addled fuckwits. It's just a matter of having the option to automate a few things. Maybe set your character to automatically run to your selected destination while you sit back, text your mates and play relevant meta-games where you do things like take photos of passing creatures and post them on Twitter, receiving new followers based on the quality and framing of the pictures.

I'm honestly surprised Nintendo hasn't made a second Pokemon Snap game where you do exactly this, filled with social media posting and liking and all that trash. But then again, Nintendo hasn't understood what kids actually like to do anymore in over a decade.

 

[Thanatos2k]

The elevators are actual elevators that physically lift you up to the upper floors of the admin district in real time if you dont want to/cant fast travel up there.

And they're pretty much only useful for going up. I don't know about you but due to the no fall damage (unless it's at one of Oblivia's bottomless pits) I take the fast way down at the Administration district.

Yeah I don't know about you, but I jumped down the elevators, and just fast traveled when I needed to go up!

 

[DocImpossible452]

Wait...not only does Yahtzee like the gamepad usage, but he wishes they had used it *more*!?

*looks around for flying pigs*

Huh. Whelp okay!

 

[Darth_Payn]

That buying things without going to the store bit brough to mind one of my favorite parts of Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction, the Merchant of Menace. Your character had a PDA that stuff like email, a map of which part of North Korea you were in, stats, something else, and the Merchant of Menace, the Russian Mafia's online store that let you buy weapon and ammo crates, vehicles, and airstrikes, with more being unlocked the more missions you take on for every faction. What's more, they deliver it to you by helicopter!

 

[DarklordKyo]

What about the new Fatal Frame\Project Zero? It basically has you use the Game Pad as the Camera Obscura.