August 7th, 2008(JP)
August 26th, 2008(NA)
June 26th, 2009(EU)
Tales of what?This is a game I'm sure few of you have heard of, and even fewer of you have actually played. Tales of Vesperia is an excellent JRPG that is part of a long running series. The series itself (each game begins with "Tales of")isn't very well known, especially when compared with other big names such as Final Fantasy, Fire Emblem, and Kingdom Hearts. However, while often overlooked, the Tales series is like a needle in a haystack, a diamond in the rough, or even a Chick-fil-A amongst a sea of McDonald's.
Congratulations! Your ears aren't bleeding!One of the first things you'll notice when you start up the game is there is voice acting (and quite a bit of it). But wait, what's this? It's not bad? No, it's not. This game has excellent voice acting. While horrible voice acting often plagues video games of today, Tales of Vesperia sets quite an example. The voices of the characters convey the tone of the situation and liven up the game as a whole. Almost every scene of the main quest (and a few important sidequests)are voiced. Additionally, party members often converse amongst each other in skits (a series staple). Skits are fully voiced, and discussion ranges from plot events, the acquisition of new skills, and even cooking. Unfortunately, there are a handful of scenes from the main quest that are not voiced. Despite this, the voice acting is excellent all around and is a major plus.
So what about that Chick-fil-A?Here's where Tales of Vesperia breaks away from traditional RPG's (especially Final Fantasy)and really shines. It's the battle system. You're thrust into your very first battle and expect your typical turn based fights, right? You couldn't be any more wrong. Battles are fast paced, real time, and awesome. When entering battle, you'll find yourself on a 3D plain. You'll perform everything (attacking, guarding, using items, etc.)in real time. But here's the best part: artes. Think of artes as your special attacks (not the super duper ultimate ones)in fighting games like Tekken or Street Fighter. You're given a set amount of TP (akin to MP)and may perform artes until you run out. Now, you probably remember how much of a pain it is to run out of MP in your typical RPG. Well, in Tales of Vesperia, all you've got to do to replenish your TP is use your standard attack. As you level up, you'll gain more artes, and as with all RPG's, you'll also change your equipment. Each weapon in the game will have a certain skill associated with it. After battling enough with the weapon, you'll acquire the skill and be able to use it without the related item. Seems like a lot, right? Well, there's even more. Combat progressively becomes more flexible as more battle elements are piled onto you. With overlimit (allows infinite attack chains), to fatal strikes (allows you to finish an enemy in one hit), burst artes (stronger artes), and mystic artes(your super duper attack), battles will never become dull. Furthermore, almost every boss is assigned a "Secret Mission." These can involve attacking your opponent when left open, or using the battlefield to your advantage. For completing these missions you received extra rewards at the end of battle. Adding to the fun, up to four people can play cooperatively at the same time. As you get further and further towards the end of the game, you'll feel more and more like a badass as you pull off longer and more intense combos. With such a dynamic battle system, this is one area of the game that will most likely never get dull.
Gotta save the world!Being what it is, Tales of Vesperia can't really be expected to deviate drastically from the typical threatened world scenario. However, the plot itself is very nice. The game is in three big pieces, and each time you beat the boss of a chapter, you feel like you've gotten rid of the main antagonist. However, sometimes the plot strays into the world of technobabble, and can be hard to follow if you're not completely attentive. The motive of the final boss can even seem silly, even a bit dumb. While the plot can be a bit silly at times, it's very solid for the most part. To accompany a solid plot is a vibrant and lively cast. One of the first things you'll notice is that the main protagonist, Yuri Lowell, is much older than your run-of-the-mill hero. Shying from the typical whiny teenager who grows up over the adventure, Yuri changes very little, as he is comfortable with who he is. Yuri, combined with the other six party members, create a cast that has that feeling of being a family. As the story progresses, you may even become interested in what happens to each of them in the end.
So much to do, so much to see.Although Tales of Vesperia can be beaten in under fifteen hours, it is a fairly extensive game. You'll most likely clock in between forty and sixty hours your first time through. There are tons of sidequests for you to do as you play through the main quest. While some of these quests are mundane, others will be more useful, providing new artes, skills, bosses, and even dungeons. Once you've beaten the game, you may notice that EX New Game has appeared on the title screen. In addition to post game content, a new game plus is also included. After battles, you'll earn Grade based on performance. You can use this to buy extras for your new game plus. This includes, but is not limited to retention of money and items, retention of skills, a harder difficulty, and EXP multipliers. Although you've played through the game once already, there's probably a lot of things that you missed. Despite being long, a second playthrough(or even more than that)may be required to experience everything the game offers.
Wrap upThe games in the Tales series typically go unnoticed and are quite often overlooked, and Tales of Vesperia is no different. Despite its solid gameplay, other games are often chosen over it. If you're looking for a good RPG, this is a good choice for you. On the other hand, if you're looking to jump into the RPG genre, this would be an excellent place to start.
The Good
