Now are you done with Mass Effect 3? Good. You just made it in time for a Japanese Role Playing Game that got so much hype it actually spawned a grassroots movement to get it released on our shores. It really doesn’t matter if the movement had anything to do with it actually getting released here. I only need to know that this once out of reach game is finally in our grasp in mere days.

Remember. Release dates are quite literally made at the whims of the publisher. The following are subject to change without any warning.

Honorable Mention

Of all the days to leave my camera at home…

Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii)

Friday April 6, 2012
History has seen plenty of great games that never managed to get localized to the U.S., and for over a while, Xenoblade Chronicles became one of the newest member on that list. Seeing this injustice, a group of people banded together and started a movement called Operation Rainfall with the explicit intent to convince Nintendo to get Xenoblade, along with two other Wii titles, Pandora’s Tower and The Last Story, localized going so far as to create a mock entry on Amazon.com that represents the game. They even managed to make it a top seller for one day. For over four months, this group started letter writing campaigns, call in campaigns, and Facebook comments and Facebook Like campaigns on Nintendo’s various Facebook pages. Their day of jubilation came on December 2nd when Nintendo officially announced its release date for the U.S.

So exactly what is Xenoblade Chronicles about anyways? This JRPG stars a simple mechanic, Shulk who got drawn into the endless struggle between organic life and synthetic life known as the Mechons (Side note: The timing of this game just can’t get any better). As the wielder of Monado, probably the only sword that can pierce Mechon armor, Shulk and company embarks on a journey through both the world of organic life and synthetic life to uncover the mysteries of the world and this war. It might have something to do with the fact that the entire world is set on the backs of two dead titans, one organic while the other synthetic, which died in mid battle complete with their weapons planted in each other. Maybe.

In the spirit of keeping this brief, let’s just say that the combat systems plays a little bit like Final Fantasy 12. Encounters happen only if you go up to the enemy and start fighting them, unless the enemy is aggressive to begin with, and all the fighting takes place on the overworld instead of a special screen. Once you do fight, combat involves a combination of regular attacks, heavy attacks, special attacks, chain attacks, aggro management, where your attacks hit on the enemy, and seeing the future. Thanks to the Monado, Shulk can see the future, and in combat this ability warns him of an impending devastating attack that can flatten your entire party if you’re not prepared for it.

In addition of the fairly lengthy main story, the world of Xenoblade is filled with side quests and monsters from which you can harvest for material to make stronger equipment and armor. In fact, you won’t even see some parts of the world unless you choose to take on the side quests. If you ever need to backtrack, Xenoblade offers fast travel options between specific locations and landmarks.

Unlike most of the games I’ve written about, we know for a fact that Xenoblade Chronicles is good with a Metacritic score of 91 from 47 reviewers, with the lowest Metacritic-interpreted score of 80. Every account I’ve come across for this game has been either positive or positively glowing. For fans of RPGs in general, all signs point to this being the next logical step after Mass Effect 3.

(Side Note:Given the recent outcries spewing from the gaming circle, I’ve lost quite a bit of faith with the gaming audience. Xenoblade Chronicles impending release has thankfully reminded me that not everything that comes out of the video gaming masses has to be negative.)

Coming This Week

Tuesday April 3, 2012

Devil May Cry HD Collection (Xbox 360, PS3)

Occasionally, I’ve missed important games in my articles, and normally I’d squeeze them in into my next edition. In this case, though, the original street date for Devil May Cry HD Collection of April 3rd has been dropped out of the blue by Capcom, which is why you can already pick this title up yesterday if you have a time machine or something like that. So no, I didn’t “miss” this game last week. Oh and also this game contains the first three Devil May Cry games. If you missed them the first time around blah, blah, blah, you know the drill.

Fallout 3 & Oblivion Double Pack (Xbox 360)

You know, I don’t have a job, and I most certainly don’t need sleep, food, going to bathrooms, going outside, taking showers, or any of that frivolous stuff. What am I going to do with all that time? Preferably something cheap by the way. I know, how about a compilation of two one hundred hour plus RPGs for only 30 bucks. That’ll do the trick.

Kinect: Star Wars (Xbox 360 Kinect)

For those of you who have always wished they were a Jedi and not control one through a controller, this game has your name written all over it. The main mode has you playing as a Jedi in the Clone Wars. Your right hand controls the lightsaber while your left hand lets you use Force powers like Push. Thankfully, the game controls all the moving. Other modes include Podracing, rampaging through areas Godzilla style as a Rancor, and... dancing as Slave Leia. I guess I know what mode I’m playing first.

Funky Barn 3D (3DS)

Won’t you take me to Da DuDum Funky Barn! Da DuDum, Won’t you take me to Da DuDum... I’ll stop. Despite the funky name and the cutesy animals on the box art, Funky Barn seems to be more of a farm simulator than a farm animal simulator, and yes they do differ from one another. One feels redolent of SimCity. The other, Tamagotchi. I prefer the former.