It happened this past weekend. Around eighty-five hours into Xenoblade Chronicles, I learned something new. I learned how to control a different character.

Okay, so maybe it’s not that remarkable, or at least, the act wasn’t. But the feeling that came with it was. It was a strange feeling that combined triumph and stupidity. I felt extremely happy and proud that I finally figured out a somewhat important aspect of the game (controlling characters other than the main), and I also felt extremely silly for having taken so long to do so. After all, the near-end of a game isn’t exactly the place where you really want to be learning new things. By then you should be mastering or have mastered all the skills you’ve learned up to that point, right?

Continue reading It’s Never Too Late to Learn Something New (in a Video Game) →