Story
It's a year after a battle between the Mechon, a mechanical race that lives on the Mechonis, and the Homs, the main citizens of the Bionis. You start off as Shulk, the main character who lives in Colony 9. The Mechon attack the colony and kill Shulk's childhood friend Fiora, which leads to Shulk embarking on an adventure to avenge her death and bring down the Mechon. He is joined by his friend Reyn, and then over the course of the story they are joined by countless other partners in their own attempts to bring down the Mechon.
Gameplay
The battle system in Xenoblade is one of the best battle systems I've ever used in a JRPG. Like most JRPG's, it is a turn based battle system, but at the same time it's dynamic. It isn't static like you would find in a Dragon Quest game, it's a constantly moving battle system. You move while you attack, and you almost never stop moving. After a certain point in the story you also gain the ability to see the future. This allows you to see what attack the opponent will use, who it will attack, and whether it will kill them. You can use this to protect your teammate from dying, and to potentially keep a battle going that you would have otherwise lost.
Music
The music in the game is probably one of my favorite parts of the game. One of the composers was Yoko Shimomura, also known for her work in Super Mario RPG, the Kingdom Hearts series, and the Mario and Luigi series. Her music is memorable and often praised, so it's no wonder that her music in Xenoblade is excellent.
Overall
Xenoblade is a game that almost didn't make it to American shores, and if you haven't played it, then you need to. It is truly one of the greatest games to grace the Wii this generation, and is definitely a must have for any JRPG fan.
9.5/10
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