Xenoblade Chronicles X open world bigger than Skyrim, Fallout 4 & Witcher 3 combined

We all know that Xenoblade Chronicles X is big, but just how big is it? We've done the math, and we're ready to share our results.

[italiangamer]

The score for this game simply kicks ass. Less than a month now!!

[Segata]

Yeah I have the CD OST since May and the OST is fantastic.

[WildArmed]

Heck yes! Ost is amazing, sometimes I still paused on the main menu to listen to the soundtrack.
Considering how xenoblade alone had 400 side quest, colony relationship trackin and affinity, the game already had a ton to do.

Xenoblade C X is not only larger but has even more to do! This game is going to be the reason to own a wii U... I need to get one this Black Friday!

[iplay1up2]

Black Friday is November 27th this year. X will not be out till Dec 4th.

I will be downloading this the second it is available to pre-load. At least I hope they have that option.

[WildArmed]

That's my plan as well!

Though I want a physical copy :)

(nintendo doesn't deal with DRM well)

[Concertoine]

Bigger doesn't mean better but Monolithsoft have a good track record and im very much looking forward to this game

[cannon8800]

Dang, this game is huge, and I love the environments. They look so unique and alien-like. I'm kinda jelly that I won't be able to play this game lol

[Concertoine]

It really is like a ps1 epic brought in with modern graphics.

[Big_Game_Hunters]

@Concertoune
you mean PS2 graphics?/s

[Segata]

Big_Game_Hunters If XCX is PS2 then Fallout 4 is N64

[Big_Game_Hunters]

@Segata
You might want to check over your head, you will be able to see the joke whizzing past.

I agree that FO 4 looks N64 tier though.

[Doodleburger]

Bigger isn't better. I can guarantee there's more to do in ONE of those game's worlds than there will be in the entirety of xenoblade's world.

[_-EDMIX-_]

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Agreed, what does size mean if its just lifeless wastes of space? Gamers want dense and space for a reason, something that adds life to the game and purpose for the distance vs......here is this really huge mile long field of nothingness.

I'd rather they focus on quality vs quantity of space. The team needs more work on this concept as their inexperience with it really, really shows.

CDPR did a great job with Witcher 3 being their first huge open world game and even they still have some issues here and there (like their map and way points).

I'd rather see them try again with another title as what I've seen from Xenoblade X shows they need much more work and experience with open world.

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

Cherry picking one section from one video doesn't illustrate just how much there is to do in the hundreds of sectors per area in this game.
The amount of things to do and see in an RPG of this scale, as in all other large scale RPG's, is dependent on what quests you're on and the type of environment you're exploring.
The first area alone, Primordia, has tons of secret areas to discover (with fantastic scenery that's enjoyable to see in and of itself), quests to solve, strong enemies to contend with, treasures to find, and resources to gather to strengthen New L.A. for the coming conflicts.
It's not as empty as you're both trying to downplay it as.

This is a case of bigger being better, and that's even before getting the flying mechs to discover areas you just can't reach on foot.

[Neonridr]

@EDMIX - he's right though. That's like all those people that cherry picked that one ugly texture shot of Halo 5 and said the graphics in the game sucked.

You can't just pick out one part and claim that it holds true for the rest of the game.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Not really bud, I merely found any footage of it with them running in a field, you are free to look up the damn game your self, you guys can't be this slow.

Mind you, I've played it many times and its indeed very dead in terms of what you can do, the size of the world doesn't add much to the game compared to something like Witcher 3 or Fallout 4.

I didn't just hide the footage of the game folks, look it up for yourselves. Whats so sad....its all I did was look up on Youtube the game and found any footage, you again can do the same, considering how empty it is, its something you can find very quickly, its not as if I was deeply searching for that footage of a field of nothingness in that game, it happens very, very often.

Here is a good example.

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Put in Youtube

Xenoblade chornicles x open world

Its the 4th or 5th one down and its the longest regarding the size of the world in the first few links. The game is no where near as complex as something like Fallout, doesn't have anything near like Witcher 3, yet bigger then both, its very much going to add even more so to the lame, yawn, bore effect of large empty space for legit no reason then to have large boring open space.

Can you craft item from things you find on the open world? Can you harvest plants? Is their anything you actually do on the open world besides kill enemies to level up?

That is what I mean, your gathering material ie looting in titles like Fallout ,Witcher etc. They create items to make the world have importance for the journey, Xenoblade X has none of this as I played it YESTERDAY and was literally looking for something even remotely like that. Its not.

That doesn't even fall under a subjective area, its OBJECTIVELY lessor in terms of what can be done in the open world.

You have no real dependence on items to survive and the plants and animals in teh game are merely scenery, they are not game, they can't be harvested and crafted etc.

They only crafting in that game is from enemie as they are the only thing besides shops that even give you anything in the game, which begs to question why the large size yet provide nothing to even reward such exploring? OH look for things to kill?

Soooo no housing, no crafting of items found, no plants to harvest, not hunting of animals but stand back lets make it HUGE as if that cures the games lifelessness....? Funny.

Playing Fallout 4 right now and its just POURING with LIFE! Every corner has items, objects for survival, to sell, to complete quest, to start friendships with NPC's to start side quest to even randomly finding a trader out of no where who lives in a shack who will give you a discount for coming the long distance...

That isn't in something like Xenoblade X, yet its larger with lessor complexity. That is also a fact if you regard the features in Fallout vs Xenoblade X.

You for a matter of FACT can do MORE in Witcher and Fallout to justify the size. Doing less and being larger isn't a good recipe for great things.

Quality vs Quantity bud.

[light69]

lol he's trying so hard to nitpick. You know if you want a life simulator you could always play the sims bud

[Chaosdreams]

Bigger isn't always better, but it can be better.

[_-EDMIX-_]

I mean agreed, if done correctly of course it can be better, no doubt about that.

[gamerb6]

I doubt that, troll harder. They haven't made it this big for no reason obviously there is going to be stuff to do to keep the gamer entertained.

All the reviews so far sound positive haven't heard anyone complain that there's little to nothing to do. You just wish that was case as it would make you feel better about yourself.

Day 1 purchase for me.

[browngamer41]

^this. Totally agree, sounds like some haters are just a tad salty..lol

[MsmackyM]

You just sound salty as browngamer41 has stated. I for one am looking forward to the game. The size of the gameworld wasn't a determining factor, but it does give me even more to look forward to what I already believe to be a fantastic game.

[MasterCornholio]

I understand what you mean but after playing Xenoblade on the New 3DS I disagree.

If they apply the effort they made with the side quests in Xenoblade New 3DS the world should be filled with things to do.

I'm not worried about this title.

[styferion]

speak like a true ignorant, nicely done. I've played every game mentioned in that title except Fallout 4 (currently playing it). And seeing as I spent about 300+ hours in previous Xenoblade Chronicles, I can certainly guarantee this game won't lose in terms of things to do.

Try to, you know, open your minds and actually play all the games related before commenting like a salty know-it-all.

[Mikito11]

And no major bugs unlike fallout 4/skyrim

[KwietStorm_BLM]

*Entirely* different worlds, however.

[Jughead3416]

Yo! why'd you get disagrees? They are different game worlds. lol.

[Chaosdreams]

Because some people hate logic lol

[KwietStorm_BLM]

because n4g is n4g

[Ark_]

He implicates, that the comparison in size is inadequate due to the fact that those games play in "entirely different worlds" and so downplays a quality of Xenoblade. That's at least why I disagree.

It doesn't sound positive, like: Wow that's an "entirely" different and fantastic world - I am looking forward to explore it.

[syotos77]

I think the main purpose of this is that there is flight in the game. Lifting off in Redcliff in skyrim to be across the map I'm 4 seconds wouldn't feel exciting. Similarly riding a horse for 40 minutes across Xenoblade's map wouldn't be fun, it would be a chore.

[sullynathan]

Wow, this is my first time really seeing this game in action. It makes me want a Nintendo console.
This game is massive, albeit not even close to Just Cause 3's size.

To put this into perspective, here is a list of recent open world map sizes.

Witcher 3 - 47 sq. miles
Xenoblade Chronicles X - 154 sq. miles
Afghanistan in MGS V - 6.63 sq. miles
Skyrim - 14.2 sq. miles
Fallout 3 - 15 sq. miles
Just Cause 3 - 400 sq. miles
GTA V - 31 sq. miles
Far Cry 4 - 17.7 sq. miles
Assassin's Creed: Syndicate - 1.28 sq. miles
Red Dead Redemption - 15.9 sq. miles
Oblivion - 16 sq. miles
Morrowind - 10 sq. miles
GTA: San Andreas - 13.9 sq. miles

[Pekka]

Well, Daggerfall had map size of 62394 sq. miles. So that game was technically dozens of times bigger than all of those combined.

[TheColbertinator]

Daggerfall was basically walking all through England

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

Keep in mind that they didn't include terrain you can only reach by flight into the video's calculations.
Still probably won't be Daggerfall big in terms of going from one end of the ground map to the other, but it's still larger and with more stuff to do in it than most RPG's.
Who knows, it might even have more quests than Daggerfall, what with that huge social link chart to fill out.

[Pekka]

Elder Scrolls Daggerfall (Elder Scrolls II) had huge world, area was even bigger than UK, but sequels (Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim) were much smaller. Actually, Daggerfall was also much bigger than Skyrim, Fallout 4 and Witcher 3 combined. And there are even bigger games such as Elite series. You could easily make huge games but making interesting content for everything is much more difficult.

[sullynathan]

Daggerfall was procedurally generated. Almost all of it wasn't handcrafted.
Most of those games like Minecraft , kerbal and other space sim type games don't have hand crafted worlds and they take place in space. or just keep being generated.

[richyque]

Xenoblade Chronicles X looks worse than skyrim.

[PygmelionHunter]

You have probably never played Skyrim on consoles, specially on PS3. It's hideous, just like every Bethesda game on last gen consoles.

[PlatinumGX]

Actually, this game looks miles better than Fallout 4.

[dubal-e]

Just curious, but do you know how big the world is in comparison to the new Zelda? Or is it too soon to know or assume that?

[nowitzki2004]

http://s2.quickmeme.com/img...

[PlatinumGX]

Amazing work from Monolith Soft. RPG devs will really need to step their game up if they want to come close to the level of this masterpiece.

[LOL_WUT]

Heres hoping it gets all the sales it can get, and that it doesnt get overshadowed by all the awesome games coming out for the ps4 and x1. ;)

[rjason12]

And this is why people call you a troll.

[Ck1x]

Sad thing is most of the games that have came out for those systems this year people seemed disappointed in some major factors of the games.

[OtakuDJK1NG-Rory]

you take every chance to troll eh

[marloc_x]

Lots will be enjoying Xenoblade Chronicles X on Wii U;

..as the camps of the HD twins squabble over this holiday's definitive console versions..

..under the shadow of a PC.
😉

[MsmackyM]

LOl_WUT "Heres hoping it gets all the sales it can get, and that it doesnt get overshadowed by all the awesome games coming out for the ps4 and x1. ;"

Just so you know McDonalds have Billions served, but that doesn't take away how good a steak taste.

[marloc_x]

Now THAT, is a great analogy👆

Lol..*well said*!

[nowitzki2004]

You forgot to add *drops mic

[DivineAssault]

I better get started on Fallout 4 and a couple backlog games.. Im buying this day 1 and will be dumping plenty of hours into it while im on christmas vacation.. This is going to show people what the wii u is capable of since everyone thinks its little more than a PS3.. Its a technical marvel how huge this game is with no load screens (except booting up & fast travel).. Wii U not only has the most exclusives this gen but it has the best as of NOW.. I have PS4 for multiplats with some excellent incoming exclusives but wii u has amazing games on store shelves ready to buy.. What i dont understand is why games need a mandatory install.. Wii U doesnt do that and load times are always minimal..

[Neonridr]

god don't even get me started on backlog...

MGS V, Arkham Knight, UC Trilogy, Fallout 4, Battlefront & XCX (when they release)..

there aren't enough months in the year for me to catch up.. lol

Not to mention I still have to finish up Until Dawn, GTA V, Bayonetta 2.... sigh

[Germany7]

I'm really excited for this game, it's a GOTY contender without a doubt, but looks like the media will "forget" about it.

[MilkMan]

Da fuq?!?
Thats bonkers bro!

[Eterna1Ice]

And that doesn't mean it's just as good as in any of those games.

[PlatinumGX]

It means it is better than those combined.

[Ck1x]

Something that many people probably aren't taking into account is I'm almost betting since Monolith is already hard at work on their next RPG for the NX. Xenoblade Chronicles X was the building block for the engine and world design for future games to come. Since planet Mira is supposed to be mostly uninhabited all they have to do is tweak the graphics engine for NX, add on to what was being done in XCX and the NX could have a great RPG closer to launch.

[Savsky]

Considering buying this game but I don't like the combat system or the art style of the characters.

[Lon3wolf]

Not sure why you would to own it then as combat is quite a big part of the game, nothing can be done about the art style either.

I'm looking forward to it personally.

[Savsky]

The world is big and looks filled with content, and the mechs look cool. That's mainly why I want the game.

Hope you like the game though.

[DittoHefner]

And emptier than MGSV's.

[DivineAssault]

Theres huge dinosaur size creatures as well as lesser monsters to kill throughout the lands.. It actually looks overwhelming..

[Segata]

One enemy in this game is bigger than MGSV map. Not kidding. There is one super massive enemy.

[Tapani]

I know people are going to lynch me for saying this, but (yikes!) lately I've come to think that Takahashi and Soraya should have stayed on the path of much more linear games.

Xenoblade was too much of an MMORPG with an empty world filled with pointers and to-do lists. It felt often like working when I played the game. Xenogears and Xenosaga I-III had a purpose and direction. There is no reason a linear game cannot be large aka Xenogears, Chrono Trigger and FFVII. Particularly, if the game opens up slowly to side quests and let's your revisit earlier locations with new twists and content, it becomes exciting to visit earlier locations.

I just think the JRPGs of the 90s and 2000s nailed the genre, and now it's trying to reinvent itself with these crappy western MMORPG mechanics. I tried to like Xenoblade as much as I did other Xeno-games, but I just could not look past some of the elements.

When Monolith Soft was purchased by Nintendo, part of my love for gaming died as I started to think nothing is holy anymore, everything is pure business. It was a strategic move for Nintendo to gain another hardcore JRPG studio to become relevant in that market.

Besides, even Japanese do not like Xenoblade or Xenoblade X. This is mostly an American / European phenomenon. No wonder, as they games are anime + MMORPG = sells well for certain Western people.

Games nowadays feel like they are about benchmarks such as square miles of land, resolution and framerate. I feel that Xenoblade X is a victim of this type of thinking in many ways.

[RPGrinder]

Xenoblade X is the GOTY

[wonderfulmonkeyman]

It's even more impressive that they were able to fill that much land with so many things to discover, fight, and sightsee.
People thinking this will be huge yet empty are just ignorant.XD

[Maybay]

What'll take for people realize the benefits to owning a Wii U? Nintendo delivers exclusives, free online multiplayer, access to original Wii downloaded software (even the other consoles with "account systems" don't allow this feature when compared to Nintendo's) and the ability to use its predecessors hardware. You can fault Nintendo for lacking 3rd party support, though the gaming industry is taking them for granted.

XCX is the type of game I would expect people to take notice to (especially after this video), though they're more astound by which system plays multi platform titles the best (which is foolish because PC games are cheaper, and offer free online play).

[Soplox]

*ahem* No Man's Sky

[AKR]

NMS is in a completely different class. All of it is randomly generated; so there's a possibility that it may even end up getting repetitive after a while. Not knocking the game, mind you — just saying it can't be compared.

[thricetold]

I usually don't buy a console for just one game, but this looks like everything you could want in an rpg, my favorite genre.

[AKR]

There are so many great titles for the Wii U, not to mention the huge amount of specials that are one right now because of the Holidays.

You won't regret it.

[AKR]

That's insane. Just goes to show that the system is more than capable of producing some huge games; which is why it's such a shame the likes of GTA: V or Fallout 4 never graced it. Not to mention the Gamepad is a total beast when it comes down to open-world games (Lego City Undercover says hi).

I'm tempted to pick this up.

[Maybay]

You make a good point, though NOA needs to be more than a mouth piece. Nintendo's doing really well with Indies, so they need to apply the same winning strategy with AAA developers.

[Tapani]

There is nothing insane here. If you were to understand the game making processes, you would certainly not be saying that.

It's just pure geometry. They use a unique asset set for each area and thus can simply just create geometry as much as they please. If each km2 had been unique in terms of assets and 3D animated objects, then the game design here would have been "insane" (because it would truly take insane amount of work).

It does not take any space or skill to stretch a game area to become huge. Even I can open up Unreal Engine 4 and create a bigger space than Xenoblade X or Just Cause 3 has. It takes just a few minutes. Then you can start adding there what you want with just a few clicks.

The reason games like Skyrim and Fallout 3-4 are small in comparison is because the of the AI and all sorts of other calculations that affect each other are going non-stop under the surface. Xenoblade X has mostly none of this, and the data probably just streams from a disc or HDD for a certain area to create the immersion of the world being "alive". In truth, it's nothing more than an illusion.

[dubal-e]

Mama said, you're nothing more than an illusion, Colonel Sanders!!!

[dubal-e]

Xenoblade Chronicles X is YUGE!!! (In my trump voice)

[Izalith]

If Xenoblade Chronicles X is even close to first Xenoblade, then this title can take GOTY in my home for sure.

Top 5 for this year so far:
BloodBorne
Batman Arkham Knight
The Witcher 3
Fallout 4
Dying Light

Xenoblade Chronicles X can beat them all if it deliver the game I want, it sure looks like it!

[noksucow73]

A must buy for .WiiU owners. I have my WiiU for reasons like this. Super Mario 3D, Lego City Undercover, Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze, Super Mario Bros WiiU, Zelda Windwaker HD, Mario Kart, Zombie U, and Bayonetta 2 are reasons to own one. Not much third party support, but for the price of a WiiU , it's worth it

[ziratul]

Like they can choose what to buy...

[noksucow73]

Lol

[linkenski]

When I saw the latest gameplay for this game I realized I may not actually care that much for the otherwise big gap between Wii U and the real next-gen systems in terms of graphical prowess, because damn, X looks really friggin tight. It has good draw-distances, a perfectly-realized art design and really good framerate. (as in stable)

On the slightly less optimistic side though, I kind of giggle at a statement such as in the article title because there's no way X will actually be as interesting to explore as Witcher 3 or Skyrim when it's THAT big and especially not considering the grindy quest-designs of Xenoblade games.

Still, I'm really on the fence for it last I saw it. It looks great.

[someOnecalled]

You are saying skyrim quest are interesting. I love skyrim but the best thing about it is looting crafting and the lore. I don't the quest and environment wasn't nothing to write home about. And I'm curious to those above what crazy stuff is it to do in skyrim world. If you mean on pc with mods yes, but on consoles y'all are stuck with those limited interactions. On pc the gameplay completely changes when exploring so don't say like most of these open world is doing something special. Fallout same thing I got tired exploring that dead world with their few random enemy and events. People hype up these games to high hell

[richyque]

It's either the millions of mario spin offs or this 2007 ps3 looking game, Game of the year lol.