#I may make a grumping tag so that any complaints I have don't get into the main tag for the game

[eaglefairy]

We started xenoblade 2 last night! The liveblog tag will change to "roommate chronicles part 2" now. My thoughts on 2 are...complicated. (You can see #alrestposting for more on that.) But I'm looking forward to experiencing it with my roommate and seeing it through new eyes! (Quick note: anytime there's a quote without a tag, it's from my roommate. I figured this was just easier than trying to summarize what she was saying.)

(during the opening cutscene) "Space whale!!" Me: Dead space whale...

"Enough of that existential crisis stuff, we need to make money!"

"Bana?? Chairman Bana?? Is that our Bana?!" Me: "It's Bana if he got what he wanted." Roommate: ... Me: "It's Bana if he owned this whole airship."

Roommate: "Jabba?? Is he Jabba the Hutt???"

"Rex you idiot. You don't even know what the job is."

(While Jin is talking) "What is happening here..."

"Why is this dialogue so unreal. Like why is it so strange."

Rurui appeared on screen and I just started laughing Me: "He looks like an among us..." Roommate: "...Oh, he does."

So far she's pretty annoyed by every character except for Dromarch.

We finally got a good look at Nia and: Roommate: "There are catgirls now?"

"Rex, you didn't even ask what they're trying to find! What if they're trying to unearth a demon or a monster or a god?!"

"Jin, can I ask about the mask? I'm an impertinent 15-year-old, can I ask why you're wearing a mask?"

"Whoa, Sever looks cool. Is that one of the new alien species, what're they called?" Me: "They're called Blades." Me: "Dromarch is also a Blade." Roommate: "Huh???"

"It's a demon! I knew it! We're hauling up a doomsday device!"

She said she'd be willing to believe that the salvagers are evil and the Monoceros ("black ship from the harbor") are secret good guys which is like. ha.

"It's a god. It's chthulu. We're pulling up a god."

(I mean the fun "fun" part is that Mythra and Pyra would absolutely agree with the description of doomsday device. And in fact are just as against this right now as my roommate is.)

"I'm not gonna lie. The white guy [Jin]? He's hot. I don't trust him. I haven't even seen his face. But he's hot."

This is Dickson all over again. This is amazing I love it.

[activating the control panel] "We're about to meet god." [sees the Aligo boss in the next room] "What the hell is that." Me: "Not the god you were expecting?" "What is this...man-shark?"

Game: "That's...the Aegis." Roommate: "Nope, that's the Monado. Easy mistake to make."

"Oh, we're not dead. We're in heaven? Are we going to meet god now?" [sees Pyra in the distance] "Jesus? Mother?"

I forgot how much this game doesn't explain things at the beginning. So far she's asked me "what's a Blade?", "what's a Driver?", and "what's the Aegis?", which are all very fair questions considering how many fantasy proper nouns the game throws at you with no explanation

"Yay Nia! I knew you were good!"

"If you hurt my grandpa I'm killing you."

We agreed that xc2 really needs its own Sword Valley prologue. Xc1 starts strong with the opening lore cutscene from the Titans' antiquity going straight into the battle, and only then cutting to the slice-of-life stuff with Shulk. My roommate admitted that so far she's bored by the game because it starts so slow, which is exactly the problem I had with it 7 years ago!

Oh yeah, she really hates the tutorial narrator. She's calling it Navi and giving it a high annoying voice.

The roommate was touched by Gramp's death scene (until he was revealed to be alive)

Me: "Ever have your mentor figure turn into a mascot?" "...They turned my dragon into a mouse."

"Did that boob just jiggle?" Me: "Oh, you'd better believe it."

The squeal of delight I just heard when I showed her how to play as Nia riding on Dromarch made the past 2 hours completely worth it. "I'm never playing as Rex again, he's LAME!"