Elma for Smash Ultimate: Strength comes from experience. That’s true on any planet.

[Senatiator]

Ah, alright. That's at least somewhat reassuring. Was it just that leak, though, or were there others along those lines?



I really feel like we're dealing with two rather different situations here. Remember, back in Smash 4, we didn't even know how many DLC fighters we'd get at all. Corrin was a surprise pick outside of the ballot.

No it's the same. This is what some people are speculating and what they think the developers would do rather then what they actually would do. There is already more slots for the World of Light mode that is datamined which is pretty important for Super Smash Bros Ultimate. They have yet to say there would be more DLC but they never said the exact amount of it. For example, Sakurai stated there would be one "E3 2019 character reveal" causing some people to assume there would be "ONLY ONE" character reveal. How many surprises does Smash needs? When will it end? When the series ends, if ever?

I don't know if Heihachi really had a shot. Sakurai said in an interview that he passed on Heihachi because he couldn't come up with a moveset for him, which is a little odd. If Sakurai who managed to make full, interesting, fun and in the case of the third, viable, for Duck Hunt, Piranha Plant and Wii Fit trainer, then why couldn't he make a moveset for a character who already appeared in a fighting game. There is an answer: copyright. Heihachi already appeared in PlayStation All Stars, a game with a very similar playstyle to smash (let's be honest it's a rip off) and if a single one of Heihachi's moves was the same as one of his moves from that game, it could potentially lead to a lawsuit from Sony. My bet is Sakurai decided he'd rather not have Heihachi then have someone who looked like Heihachi but did not play like him.

More straw grasping. Sony does not own any of these characters. Or else they would have sued for Cloud Strife's inclusion in Smash since Sony was the one whom published Final Fantasy VII in North America. Or Joker having a move where he spins upside down in the air firing his guns just like Dante does in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.

Or Nintendo should sue Sony for having Konami's Metal Gear Ray showing up in a background of a stage.

 

[The Rhythm Theif]

Rubbish. Just. Plain. Rubbish. Nintendo was fine with Metal Gear RAY showing up in the background of the Metal Gear Solid stage in Smash Brawl, and Smash Ultimate. Nintendo never sued anyone. Except that one against Universal Studios in 1981, but Universal had no rights to King Kong and they got Donkey Kong mistaken for King Kong. Yeah, Universal Studios were idiots back then.

 

[chocolatejr9]

Rubbish. Just. Plain. Rubbish. Nintendo was fine with Metal Gear RAY showing up in the background of the Metal Gear Solid stage in Smash Brawl, and Smash Ultimate. Nintendo never sued anyone. Except that one against Universal Studios in 1981, but Universal had no rights to King Kong and they got Donkey Kong mistaken for King Kong. Yeah, Universal Studios were idiots back then.

That's implying they're not idiots anymore.

 

[KatKit]

I don't know if Heihachi really had a shot. Sakurai said in an interview that he passed on Heihachi because he couldn't come up with a moveset for him, which is a little odd. If Sakurai who managed to make full, interesting, fun and in the case of the third, viable, for Duck Hunt, Piranha Plant and Wii Fit trainer, then why couldn't he make a moveset for a character who already appeared in a fighting game. There is an answer: copyright. Heihachi already appeared in PlayStation All Stars, a game with a very similar playstyle to smash (let's be honest it's a rip off) and if a single one of Heihachi's moves was the same as one of his moves from that game, it could potentially lead to a lawsuit from Sony. My bet is Sakurai decided he'd rather not have Heihachi then have someone who looked like Heihachi but did not play like him.

He said that implementing Heihachi's movement in Smash would be difficult, not his moveset. Tekken is a different genre of fighting game with its own complex set of movement techniques/physics and whatnot. Translating things like backdashing, sidesteps, sweeps, juggling, etc. is not an easy task. Tekken is more ground-based than say, a platform fighter (or even a 2D fighter like Street Fighter) and how you attack/maneuver is different. Adding Heihachi is one thing, but getting it to feel like you're playing Tekken in Smash and balancing the character accordingly is another. It's possible, and Sakurai and co. have managed to make previous 'difficult to implement' stuff happen.

I'm not even going to address the Sony lawsuit thing (that's random and irrelevant); plus, Bamco literally helped develop Ultimate lol.

 

[ZealousGamer]

Just came in here to say; even though I still have yet to play Xenoblades; Elma is in my top 10. I'm rooting for her!

 

[PSIGuy]

Japanese fans made their own twitter hashtag where they react to a pretend Xenoblade X follow up being announced. Gotta say, I feel the same way.
It’s called
#ここだけゼノクロ続編発表された世界線 if you want to look it up.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

Think there might be a reveal at Gamescom?

Most notably, since Elma was revealed for Xenoblade 2 at last year’s Gamescom, and Shulk was revealed for Smash 4 in a Japan only direct that was shadow dropped for the west...

I have a feeling August is the month of all things Xenoblade

 

[Calamitas]

Alright, I suppose I have regained some optimism here by now. I think we might still have a chance, but Fighter Pass #4 is most likely our best shot. There's a good chance that #5 will be revealed at the Game Awards again, and no matter how much I'd like to see Elma revealed there, that just doesn't seem like something they'd do. A reveal in a September-ish Direct just seems like the most likely, especially since "the wind blows hard in December".

Think there might be a reveal at Gamescom?

Most notably, since Elma was revealed for Xenoblade 2 at last year’s Gamescom, and Shulk was revealed for Smash 4 in a Japan only direct that was shadow dropped for the west...

I have a feeling August is the month of all things Xenoblade

I highly doubt it. I've been at Gamescom in many years now, and it has never been a place for Nintendo to drop big announcements. Something like Elma's DLC for 2 or a new Pokémon for Sun and Moon (Turtonator) is the most that ever came of that.

 

[Nonno Umby]

TBH I don't expect any new reveal until Banjo is out (which I suppose will be between September and October), so we should see the 4th and potentially the 5th character in a November Direct

 

[Wisehunter]

I kinda gave up on Elma in smash, and gave up on smash, it can go to hell.

But the lack of a Monolith Soft project in the direct borders me (zelda does not count for me).

About a Xenoblade x port, I thought of something. If it was me, strategically speaking, I would not annouce a X port until sometime after the release of Daemon X Machina and Astral Chain. There are people who are being driven toward these games to fill "the X void", but if there is X, then there is no void to fill. So keep X a secret for now, to help Daemon X Machina and Astral Chain sales seems a wise choice, financially speaking. Announcing X after their release, so maybe October, for release in December (because the wind), would work.

But if that does not happen, I think X won't come to the switch anymore. And in such case, I would assume the xenoblade currently in development is nor X2 nor XC3, and hence, there is not a highee need for X to be on switch. When they finally do X2, it will already be another Nintendo console in the market, amd X should be ported to that console.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

I refuse to give up on Elma in Smash until the bitter end. And I have a feeling there’ll be a second fighter pass and/or more standalone DLC, so all the more reason to keep fighting the good fight.

Until we know what Caitlin Glass’s NDA role is, or what Hiroyuki Sawano’s secret project is... I do not think Caitlin’s NDA is Edelgard after Vee got let go, Edelgard sounds like Kira Buckland a la 2B.

Also you know how Rare spirits were cut content upon release and then Banjo happened? The fact Xenoblade 1 and 2 are mentioned in Spirits code but not X... maybe soon, X WILL be added.

To quote Elma when her Overdrive Gauge hits 50, “It’s not over yet!”

 

[Sunny-Zee]

I refuse to give up on Elma in Smash until the bitter end. And I have a feeling there’ll be a second fighter pass and/or more standalone DLC, so all the more reason to keep fighting the good fight.

Until we know what Caitlin Glass’s NDA role is, or what Hiroyuki Sawano’s secret project is... I do not think Caitlin’s NDA is Edelgard after Vee got let go, Edelgard sounds like Kira Buckland a la 2B.

Also you know how Rare spirits were cut content upon release and then Banjo happened? The fact Xenoblade 1 and 2 are mentioned in Spirits code but not X... maybe soon, X WILL be added.

To quote Elma when her Overdrive Gauge hits 50, “It’s not over yet!”

Yeah, the show’s not over until the power anthem kicks in! Speaking of which, I have a little something queued up just for this...

 

[Jocario Zero]

I'm gonna be honest. As much as i want Elma to be a part of the fighters pass, i have a hard time seeing her inclusion here. Especially after DQ-Hero and Banjo-Kazooie. I think Elma would look a bit...."out of place"? Especially if the other unknown character is a third-party-character.

I myself am a bit surprised about our current dlc-lineup. Especially (man, i really like this word huh?) that Nintendo choose them at first.

I refuse to give up on Elma in Smash until the bitter end. And I have a feeling there’ll be a second fighter pass and/or more standalone DLC, so all the more reason to keep fighting the good fight.

Until we know what Caitlin Glass’s NDA role is, or what Hiroyuki Sawano’s secret project is... I do not think Caitlin’s NDA is Edelgard after Vee got let go, Edelgard sounds like Kira Buckland a la 2B.

Also you know how Rare spirits were cut content upon release and then Banjo happened? The fact Xenoblade 1 and 2 are mentioned in Spirits code but not X... maybe soon, X WILL be added.

To quote Elma when her Overdrive Gauge hits 50, “It’s not over yet!”

But i agree with you here. We shouldn't give up now. There is still a chance. If Elma does make it in then i will sure as hell main her alongside Banjo-Kazooie.
Seeing these two (well technically three) next to each other would be mindblowing to me.

But at this point i feel like asking for more would be kinda rude. I mean look at this roster. If you showed this to someone just 2-3 years ago they would call it a pipedream. This is already the biggest (gaming) crossover ever (but Elma would be the cherry on top).

 

[Flyboy]

I'm with you. I'm not "giving up on Elma", I'm thankful for what we have. If we get Elma, or KOS-MOS, or Phoenix, or 2B, or whoever....then that's just awesome. The game is already great and packed with content. Would more X stuff be better? Yeah, of course. But what an amazing product it is now!

I do hope we get the X sequel soon though. Astral Chain looks great and I'm really excited for it, not because it's an X replacement, it just has it's own identity and happens to feature the cool sci fi stuff I like from X.

 

[Calamitas]

I do hope we get the X sequel soon though. Astral Chain looks great and I'm really excited for it, not because it's an X replacement, it just has it's own identity and happens to feature the cool sci fi stuff I like from X.

I personally don't even see the connections to Astral Chain that strongly. Sure, from a visual standpoint, it may look very similar. But to me, a huge part of what gave X its identity are its characters, the way it really tells its story through both the main and the side quests, and themes of cooperation between races and taking a stand against oppression and xenophobia. I have no doubt that Astral Chain is going to be good, but I just don't think that it will be able to really accomplish the same thing X has.

 

[Jocario Zero]

On a site note. I was looking something up at "behind the voice actors" and saw something pleasantly surprising.

One the respective pages of Caitlin Glass and Hoko Kuwashima (Elmas japanese va) Elma got a surprising amount of votes for
favorite roles of the actors. On Caitlins page she is on (a shared) 3. place (she is above Cammy from Street Fighter! This blows my mind!) and on Hoko Kuwashimas page she is 2. place! I mean...there is nothing wrong with my eyes, right?

Granted this doesn't mean all too much but i still approve those peoples good taste (and makes me want to hear Elma with a german dubbing voice even more...)

 

[RetrogamerMax]

I still think out of all the Nintendo characters that have a spirit in Ultimate, Elma has the best shot of making it in due to there not being any Xenoblade X music in the game at all. I hope we get our gal or at least some other Nintendo character like Porky in the Season Pass. I really don't want all the DLC just to be 3rd party.

 

[Rie Sonomura]

I still think out of all the Nintendo characters that have a spirit in Ultimate, Elma has the best shot of making it in due to there not being any Xenoblade X music in the game at all. I hope we get our gal or at least some other Nintendo character like Porky in the Season Pass. I really don't want all the DLC just to be 3rd party.

We might get a stage, too...

 

[RetrogamerMax]

We might get a stage, too...

That would be sweet. I never played Xenoblade X so what stage you think would come with Elma?

 

[Rie Sonomura]

That would be sweet. I never played Xenoblade X so what stage you think would come with Elma?

Most people would expect New Los Angeles or Primordia, but those are too predictable and not very unique imo

My choice would be either Noctilum (jungle continent, really pretty at night) or Sylvalum (coolest weather effects, alien biome that isn’t TOO alien, BEST NIGHT TIME MUSIC SERIOUSLY GIVE IT A LISTEN )

 

[Calamitas]

On a more random note, with the reveals of Hero and B&K, it's pretty certain that animated reveal trailers are a given for the remaining two DLC fighters. So, anyone have any new ideas what an reveal trailer for Elma could be like, based on these two new trailers?

 

[Rie Sonomura]

On a more random note, with the reveals of Hero and B&K, it's pretty certain that animated reveal trailers are a given for the remaining two DLC fighters. So, anyone have any new ideas what an reveal trailer for Elma could be like, based on these two new trailers?

I’m drafting up a new one with a hypothetical Mecha-Fiora echo, that would have WoL elements like Hero’s, and take place after my KOS-MOS/T-elos trailer, which can be found in the T-elos thread in my sig. writing it may take a while, though.

It WOULD have Uncontrollable playing for sure, and have some signature lines from Elma like “That put a dent in ‘em. Move in and keep the rhythm going!”

 

[PSIGuy]

I do think a first or second party character might seem out of place in the Fighters Pass after DQ-BK but Smash 4 went “Ryu, ****ING CLOUD STRIFE, Corrin and Bayonetta”. The second half of those newcomers are definitely not as impressive as the first half and Smash reveals in general end on low points. And who would be more of an anti-climax than our beloved colonel?

Wait, no. I didn’t mean it quite like that...

 

[Calamitas]

I do think a first or second party character might seem out of place in the Fighters Pass after DQ-BK but Smash 4 went “Ryu, ****ING CLOUD STRIFE, Corrin and Bayonetta”. The second half of those newcomers are definitely not as impressive as the first half and Smash reveals in general end on low points. And who would be more of an anti-climax than our beloved colonel?

Wait, no. I didn’t mean it quite like that...

That reminds me that I have been thinking that if Elma does end up making it in as DLC, she'll probably get some blowback similar to what Corrin received. . . I just hope that it's nowhere near as severe as that. At the very least, she's not another Fire Emblem character, though on the other hand, most people want Rex for Xenoblade.

 

[GolisoPower]

Honestly, I don't see Elma getting as much flak as Corrin if she makes it in. She's got a lot going for her in terms of uniqueness, and as Calamitas said, she's not another Fire Emblem character. Also, people should also remember that when Sakurai revealed the Rex Mii Outfit, he sincerely apologized for not putting the real deal in Smash, so that alone should also soften the blow.

 

[SorrowOfAcheron]

Yeah, I think Elma would get a way better reception than Corrin. I can see a tiny part of the community hating her inclusion because "X sucks, Xenoblade not important" etc but I don't think it'd have even a fraction of the traction that the Corrin hate train had, and while I wouldn't say Corrin's was 'justified', you can understand why people were upset.

Honestly I would say Elma's now in the top 5 most likely Nintendo characters, maybe even overall; we've gotten so many heavy-hitters this time around that I'm almost glad.

K. Rool
Ridley
Isabelle (AC representation is now cemented)
Inkling
Dark Samus (unfortunate that she's an Echo but she could be Luigified down the line)
Daisy
-----
Belmonts
Joker
Hero
Banjo
Ken

If they're looking to add a Nintendo character, I would say the top 5 right now would be Isaac, Dixie, Elma, Bandana Dee and maybe Ashley or an ARMS rep, in no particular order.

So I'm pretty hopeful in terms of Elma's chances if they decide to look to Nintendo characters. Also we haven't had a female character yet, so I think that helps somewhat with her priority. Final reveal like Bayonetta pls
Even with three reveals I still can't decide what they're going to do for the last two. If they choose to go 3rd parties then it could be anyone at this point.

 

[Michael the Spikester]

I will say this. We should have gotten Elma during Sm4sh rather then Corrin.

 

[Calamitas]

So, I was randomly looking into the KOS-MOS thread, and I saw this.

I was debating on bringing this up or not but since we have been speculating the next fighter is female I thought it would be okay.

So the newest credible rumour is that a female character is next. This guy predicted DQ Hero correctly even before Erdrick was ever speculated/leaked and the most important part is that he guessed correctly that Hero has no female alts.

He's now been posting in English instead of Japanese sometimes... possibly cause his tweets have now gained traction in the west.

Here are some of the tweets from the account with his posts which were before and right after Sakurai finalized dlc with Nintendo.

There was a problem fetching the tweet

October 2018

Translation:
"I have a friend irl saw the development of Smash Ultimate, and he said that they're not making DLC yet statement was a lie.
I wasn't listening to him well but he predicted Isabelle so he has credibility.
He said Akira Toriyama art style character(s) and a female fighting game character? are coming.
I don't really care about them just give me Neptune."

There was a problem fetching the tweet

December 2018

Translation:
Nintendo Switch VR will be released.
Dragon Quest protagonist (excluding women) and a female fighting game character (I can't remember who) will be added to Smash Bros.

There was a problem fetching the tweet

June 2019

And here is where it gets super interesting. He came back and now says the character is "like a female fighting game character"

There was a problem fetching the tweet

people have been heavily speculating Reimu and he denies that today

There was a problem fetching the tweet

There could be the possibility KOS-MOS is that female especially if we are talking Namco. When I think "like" a fighting game character I think of lots of moves and similarities. KOS-MOS is similar to Alisa Bosconovitch in Tekken for example. It's all speculation but I believe this rumour is pretty credible. Also, KOS-MOS appeared in Soulcalibur III as a CAS... not necessarily a fighter but it's something.

Anyone else feel like this could be potentially rather promising?

I will say this. We should have gotten Elma during Sm4sh rather then Corrin.

God, I'd love to live in the timeline where that happened. Even if it means that there would've been no stage to go along with her.
(Although maybe they could've ported something directly from X. . .?)

 

[SorrowOfAcheron]

"like a fighting game character" sounds super vague but narrowing it down to Bamco actually makes it sound like it fits. KOS-MOS ties Nintendo (XC2 appearance, and the DS game if that counts lol) and fighting games (Soul Calibur) and the 'like' could either reference the fact that she wasn't a 'full' fighter in SC OR the fact that she has so many moves/versions to work with, "like a fighting game character".

Still haven't played X so my view on Elma isn't affected by a lot, so that's why I'm not seeing the connection (apart from being a Xeno character and also being kinda similar to KOS-MOS in terms of body size and potential fighting style).

Not gonna lie, I'd be pretty hyped if it was Alisa from Tekken, she's my main lol

 

[Flyboy]

Alisa from Tekken would be wild because she's my main too and I would never expect her since she's not really the main "face" of the series. She did have a movie though, so she's popular.

I don't think there's a lot in this rumor but the other rumors and theories floating around involve Blue and Orange characters being revealed next and Jill Valentine was in a fighting game (MvC2) and wears blue. Of course my dream is Phoenix Wright...

Then again all of this could be ridiculous. We just don't know. I'd be hyped if it were KOS-MOS though. One of my best friends has had her as her most-wanted since Brawl.

 

[Abade]

"like a fighting game character" sounds super vague but narrowing it down to Bamco actually makes it sound like it fits. KOS-MOS ties Nintendo (XC2 appearance, and the DS game if that counts lol) and fighting games (Soul Calibur) and the 'like' could either reference the fact that she wasn't a 'full' fighter in SC OR the fact that she has so many moves/versions to work with, "like a fighting game character".

Still haven't played X so my view on Elma isn't affected by a lot, so that's why I'm not seeing the connection (apart from being a Xeno character and also being kinda similar to KOS-MOS in terms of body size and potential fighting style).

Not gonna lie, I'd be pretty hyped if it was Alisa from Tekken, she's my main lol

Elma Is very similar to KOS-MOS and not in just having a thing for cold logic.

Spoiler: Pic chart

/SPOILER]

 

[Senatiator]

Elma Is very similar to KOS-MOS and not in just having a thing for cold logic.

Spoiler: Pic chart

/SPOILER]

Elma is secretly the actual mother of KOS-MOS confirmed!

 

[YoshiandToad]

I've not been sure if Xenoblade would be for me and have been on the fence for some time. I don't traditionally enjoy JRPGs, but seeing as Xeno isn't exactly turn based it peaked my interest. Ummed and erred about buying Xenoblade 2 every single time it came up on sale but the price was just a little too high.

Today I happened across Xenoblade X in my local game store for a measly £12 and am currently booting it up for the first time. Is X a good indicator of whether or not I'd enjoy the others from a purely gameplay aspect?

 

[Calamitas]

I've not been sure if Xenoblade would be for me and have been on the fence for some time. I don't traditionally enjoy JRPGs, but seeing as Xeno isn't exactly turn based it peaked my interest. Ummed and erred about buying Xenoblade 2 every single time it came up on sale but the price was just a little too high.

Today I happened across Xenoblade X in my local game store for a measly £12 and am currently booting it up for the first time. Is X a good indicator of whether or not I'd enjoy the others from a purely gameplay aspect?

X overall takes a rather different approach to the way it tells its story and presents its world. It has overall a very large focus on sidequests, to an extent that even its main story missions are presented as quests, which is in none of the other games. If you want to get the most out of the story, I highly suggest that you also go for (non-generic) sidequests, since they do all somewhat play a role in the larger narrative of humanity establishing itself on the planet Mira. As for the big difference in how the world is presented, X is more of an open world game. After you finish the opening hours of the game, you can essentially go wherever you want, although there are some different ways of traversing the world that you don't really get until later on.
The basic combat is rather similar to the original Xenoblade Chronicles, but very different from 2.

. . .Okay, but to put it more shortly. In terms of story, X is not really a good indicator as to whether or not you would enjoy the stories of 1 and 2. In terms of gameplay, it is a decent enough indicator as to whether or not you'd enjoy 1, but not really for 2.

 

[PSIGuy]

"Is X a good indicator of whether or not I'd enjoy the others from a purely gameplay aspect? "

Not exactly. The other Xenoblade games are very story-focused in the sense the main story is long and has the most effort put into it. In X it's almost like the story is just there to hang the exploration and sidequests on.

 

[YoshiandToad]

So some first impressions from a Xenoblade virgin who has gone in completely blind;

The character customization was actually far better than I was expecting X to have. Figured it'd be only a few very stock options. Bit annoyed some of the hairstyles were locked to certain models though. Seemed a bit arbitary, but spent far longer making my avatar than I was expecting.

The combat's kind of bizarre. At first I thought it was a simple case of real time combat allowing you to leap out the way of obvious attacks, but I very quickly learnt it didn't matter how far away you are even melee combat can hit. Seems obvious now but it did blind side me a little the first attack that landed. Quickly adapted but I feel the combat's going to take a little practice to get used to.

I've noticed the further away you are the less damage you take but that could just be my imagination? Can anyone confirm if I'm going mad or that's the case?

X seems to throw you in the deep end with very little explaination of the combat mechanics and even initiating a fight wasn't quite as intuitive as I thought it'd be, however now I've had time to get used to it's picking up.

One question I thought I'd ask here though; how the heck do you heal Elma? Poor girl keeps dying due to me only knowing how to self heal.

Elma, by the way, seems pretty damn likable thus far as I suspected she would be.

 

[PSIGuy]

With healing arts that target one person, after you click on them the first time you have to select who to use it on.

Also, when a character that isn’t you asks for a specific attack (ie Elma saying “Now! Melee attacks!”), using that kind of attack will grant you a bonus as well as healing everyone a bit. You don’t need a dedicated healer in X thanks to this system (called Soul Voice).

 

[Flyboy]

I hope you enjoy the game! The world and cast really are what shine and why so many of us love it so.

 

[YoshiandToad]

With healing arts that target one person, after you click on them the first time you have to select who to use it on.

Also, when a character that isn’t you asks for a specific attack (ie Elma saying “Now! Melee attacks!”), using that kind of attack will grant you a bonus as well as healing everyone a bit. You don’t need a dedicated healer in X thanks to this system (called Soul Voice).

Aaah, thanks a lot man. That's incredibly helpful to know!

I hope you enjoy the game! The world and cast really are what shine and why so many of us love it so.

It's early days so far, but I think if I can understand the combat system a little better I'm going to really enjoy this. I wanted to get it back during the Wii U's hayday but wasn't sure if I'd get on with the game or need to know anything about Xenoblade(1) to understand X...I know it's standalone now, but at the time I thought it might be an issue.

Elma seems pretty great, not going to lie. I'm sure she'll be on my Smash wishlist by the end of this.

I can't get over how incredible the scenery looks either. Also it's a really REALLY minor thing but damn do I appreciate the ridiculously huge jumping ability and no fall damage in the early game.

 

[Pallex]

So some first impressions from a Xenoblade virgin who has gone in completely blind;

The character customization was actually far better than I was expecting X to have. Figured it'd be only a few very stock options. Bit annoyed some of the hairstyles were locked to certain models though. Seemed a bit arbitary, but spent far longer making my avatar than I was expecting.

The combat's kind of bizarre. At first I thought it was a simple case of real time combat allowing you to leap out the way of obvious attacks, but I very quickly learnt it didn't matter how far away you are even melee combat can hit. Seems obvious now but it did blind side me a little the first attack that landed. Quickly adapted but I feel the combat's going to take a little practice to get used to.

I've noticed the further away you are the less damage you take but that could just be my imagination? Can anyone confirm if I'm going mad or that's the case?

X seems to throw you in the deep end with very little explaination of the combat mechanics and even initiating a fight wasn't quite as intuitive as I thought it'd be, however now I've had time to get used to it's picking up.

One question I thought I'd ask here though; how the heck do you heal Elma? Poor girl keeps dying due to me only knowing how to self heal.

Elma, by the way, seems pretty damn likable thus far as I suspected she would be.

The game should come with a manual. You can read it up to see how things work and if you only want to go through the main story, then play as Elma since her Full Metal Jaguar class has everything you need to tackle through the story. You get so many good arts and useful skills from her FMJ based class, she can take on high level enemies at a very low level once you understand how she/FMJ plays.