Xenoblade Chronicles a GameStop-exclusive, has been announced for America (previously Monado: Beginning of the World)! It is coming to the U.S. next year. It will cost $50 in the U.S.
You can also buy Xenoblade Chronicles at the Nintendo.com Store, for all those who hate GameStop. Xenoblade Chronicles will be released on April 2nd, 2012 according to GameStop. You can pre-order the game NOW at GameStop (online or in-store) and pre-orders will open up at Nintendo.com on December 19th. As soon as you can, be sure to PRE-ORDER the game, as pre-orders are true indicators of consumer interest in upcoming media, and strong pre-order support could be the deciding factor on whether or not Nintendo also chooses to localize The Last Story and Pandora’s Tower (see below). It’s also important to note that GameStop.com ships internationally, if you want the U.S version or wnat to support the game by buying it, even though you don’t live in America. The Nintendo Store also will ship to Canada. Sadly a special edition or bundle version has not been announced (likely won’t be, but we can hope).
The PAL version of the game was offered in a Special Edition bundle that included a red Classic Controller Pro and two posters digitally signed by Tetsuya Takahashi, the creator of Xenoblade Chronicles. So hopefully we’ll get something along those lines, announced later (and people who pre-ordered will have their versions automatically updated to the CE).
No official word whether Xenoblade Chronciles will retain the same British voice-overs that the European version enjoys, or if voice overs will be re-recorded for the American version. Also no word whether the text will be changed to fit the American way of speaking and writing; though one assumes the latter will happen. But possibly not the former.
Here is the official United States trailer for the game.
Xenoblade Chronicles has been a long-time in coming, and has been demanded and petitioned for by hardcore gamers ever since Nintendo of America refused to localize it. The game was made infamous via an online campaign known as “Operation Rainfall“, which took steps to get Nintendo to notice the hardcore fan love for Xenoblade Chronicles and get NoA to localize Xenoblade Chronicles for U.S. release (along with two other Wii games: The Last Story and Pandora’s Tower, which Nintendo has not commented on). One of the ways Operation Rainfall encouraged Nintendo of America to localize the game was by asking fans to Like the Amazon.com page for Monado: Beginning of the World, and to add it to their Wishlist. Thankfully, all this focus finally got Nintendo’s attention!
Xenoblade Chronicles was released in Japan last June and has been available in Europe and Australia since August to wide-spread critical acclaim; many considering it the last great true Wii RPG. Thus many Americans have imported the title, as they thought Nintendo would not buckle to the pressure of releasing it stateside.
Thankfully Nintendo has finally come to their senses (better late than never) and will be releasing the game in the United States! However there is a big catch… The game will be a GameStop/Nintendo.com exclusive, and will not be sold in other retail stores. Doesn’t this remind you of the end of the N64/GameCube-cycle, where store-exclusive games like Clayfighter: Sculpture’s Cut (Blockbuster Exclusive for N64, sequel to Clayfighter 63 1/3) were released? Nintendo has done store exclusives in recent times as well though, such as with Chibi-Robo: Park Patrol, a DS game that was released as a Walmart Exclusive.
Due to the store-exclusivity, the game may not be updated any beyond the European version. Xenoblade Chronicles is made by Tetsuya Takahashi, who also created Xenogears (PS1, now available on PSN for PS3) and the Xenosaga series (PS2); and this game has connections to those titles in the same very loose way that Xenosaga did to Xenogears.
It’s man vs. machine in Xenoblade Chronicles, which asks players to use the Monado Blade to take on a seemingly endless series of invading Mechon robots in a sweeping role-playing adventure.
The main character is Shulk, a weapons researcher who must confront the Mechon by wielding the ancient Monado blade. It’s the only weapon that has any effect against the Mechon, and it also enables Shulk to see the future. Players can customize their characters with a variety of weapons and armor choices, as well as headgear, boots and gloves. As in many role-playing games, players can then gain experience and upgrade their characters. Players can watch their enemies, learn their tactics and unleash real-time counterattacks.
The vast open world of Xenoblade Chronicles is ripe for exploration. Players can avert their focus from the main story and venture out looking for other challenges and side quests. Hidden areas and unique monsters are scattered throughout the game’s massive world, which players can explore freely.
Xenoblade Chronicles has already launched in Japan and Europe, and has received unanimously positive reviews, including several perfect scores. Xenoblade Chronicles will be available exclusively through U.S. GameStop retail locations, or you can buy Xenoblade Chronicles on Nintendo.com. The game will cost a suggested retail price of $49.99 in the United States.
