Mr. Takahashi added, "We didn't want people from the very beginning being able to be to zip towards the exact opposite end of the continent. We wanted people them to have the experience of knowing that distance first hand by running it. Once you do have the opportunity to control a Skell, it really does change the feel of the game. And we feel like these are gradual steps that ease you into that process."
Is he worried that some fans may balk at the long wait? "When people hear 30 hours of gameplay, they might be reacting to that number a little bit. But I think that something that's going to be familiar to MMO players is the idea that 30 hours is not necessarily a really long time if you think about the total gameplay time that might pick up. Now, certainly in traditional JRPG terms that may feel like that's quite a ways out, but I think that we've designed the content in such a way that it feels fast as you're going through it."
Looking forward to controlling a Skell in Xenoblade Chronicles X? Let us know in the comments below. Meghan Sullivan is one of IGN's foremost RPG experts. Talk JRPGs and WWE with her on Twitter at @Meghan_IGN.