Rambling About Tales
2013 Tuck made a horrible mistake and now he's stuck in this perpetual hell.
Spoilers.
Obviously.
Spoilers.
Obviously.
15 Games
It's funny how I can literally pinpoint the exact day I became a Tales fan because it's a video on my friends channel that's still up to this day. And the experience of having no ps3 of my own to play this game with so I had to spend weekends at my brother's house in my sophmore year of high school playing through this game for a few hours every scant few weekends is a fond time I look back on. Talking with my friend who made the video that got me into Tales after coming back home about every session I had was great, and probably only added to my newfound love to a franchise I had barely heard about in passing before this game.
I think it's kinda nuts how this game and its sequel became like the defacto ARPG standard of quality when it comes to combat for me. Everything about it flows so perfectly and just works on a level most action rpg's dream of achieving. It also helps that this is a very nice intro to the series since it has a bit of everything from old Tales games that it nods to like with the Lance of Kresnik being a mana cannon, harking back to Phantasia, the two worlds plot line and so on.
The plot and characters are supremely well written and hits character beats well. The big fights all feel narratively satisfying, especially Jude and Alvin's 1v1. The whole cutscene before that 1v1 is also some of the best writing and direction I've seen out of the series as well. The majority of the game has very small subtle moments of good writing that you appreciate, but the moments where the writers go all in on emotional beats, they really fucking nail it.
Moments like when Leia doubts herself and Milla tells her to stop acting like she's inferior to anyone else in the party, which adds to Milla's growth as a detached god to a kind and caring human being, Jude's depression after Milla's death, Alvin's inner conflict with his morality and loyalty to the party, the quality of the game really shows in the character writing. Leia's cheery attitude, Rowen's calm and wise demeanor, Elize's innocent and meek personality, Alvin's sly yet thoroughly convincing facade, and Milla's overall charisma and powerful leadership.
If Xillia didn't come out in the age where every Tales project must be a rush job, it and its sequel could have been contenders for some of the greatest video games of all time.
I think it's kinda nuts how this game and its sequel became like the defacto ARPG standard of quality when it comes to combat for me. Everything about it flows so perfectly and just works on a level most action rpg's dream of achieving. It also helps that this is a very nice intro to the series since it has a bit of everything from old Tales games that it nods to like with the Lance of Kresnik being a mana cannon, harking back to Phantasia, the two worlds plot line and so on.
The plot and characters are supremely well written and hits character beats well. The big fights all feel narratively satisfying, especially Jude and Alvin's 1v1. The whole cutscene before that 1v1 is also some of the best writing and direction I've seen out of the series as well. The majority of the game has very small subtle moments of good writing that you appreciate, but the moments where the writers go all in on emotional beats, they really fucking nail it.
Moments like when Leia doubts herself and Milla tells her to stop acting like she's inferior to anyone else in the party, which adds to Milla's growth as a detached god to a kind and caring human being, Jude's depression after Milla's death, Alvin's inner conflict with his morality and loyalty to the party, the quality of the game really shows in the character writing. Leia's cheery attitude, Rowen's calm and wise demeanor, Elize's innocent and meek personality, Alvin's sly yet thoroughly convincing facade, and Milla's overall charisma and powerful leadership.
If Xillia didn't come out in the age where every Tales project must be a rush job, it and its sequel could have been contenders for some of the greatest video games of all time.
A bit weird of a second game to pick up after finishing Xillia. I had a full year to wait for Xillia 2 at this point in my life and I wanted more Tales since Xillia got me so hooked, so I started looking up Tales games for consoles I have in my possession, which, at the time, was just a Wii. And the only Tales game on the Wii available in the states was this game, and luckily there was a copy in stock at the gamestop across the street from my high school (rip that gamestop btw, it closed down like 2 years ago now lol).
From what my friend told me Symphonia 2 was the black sheep of the Tales family. and this was in a pre-Zestiria world so imagine how much people hyper-focused their anger on this one at the time. It was the sequel to the biggest gateway drug to this franchise, and it also came out the same year as the other fan favorite game so it really didn't stand a chance. I, however, didn't really care because I was used to liking things people didn't by that point. Especially when it comes to this series where I'm considered a contrarian to the majority of the fanbase at large. My friend told me that he liked this game and felt it was overhated as well, and that Emil proves to be a better protagonist than Lloyd. I agree. I'll get further into Lloyd in the Symphonia Chronicles section, but for now I just want to share my experience with Symphonia 2.
All things considered? I really like this game. I enjoy Emil and Marta's relationship and the sarcastic wit Tenebrae brings to the table. I enjoy how original this game gets when put next to the rest of the franchise with the monster collector aspect. You can get some cool ass monsters on your team like the Sword Dancer boss that all the Holy Trinity fanboys love to gush about so much, a kickboxing werewolf/bear, various dragons, so on and so on. I enjoy Emil's character development very much, where as Marta's is very lackluster in comparison. Emil gets really good character moments when he begins to see the OG Symphonia casts side of things concerning Emil's feelings about Lloyd, Emil and his alter ego constantly struggling over possession of the body due to the Alter Ego hating how cowardly Emil is, and Emil's overall freshness as a protagonist. Most of the protag's in this franchise are very self-assured and brave men fitting a typical hero stereotype, but Emil starting off as a more cowardly kid thrust into a shitty situation, and while still being afraid he grows into the role of a hero by the end, mustering the bravery and courage we usually see out of the gate with the majority of the protags. It's something I admire about Jude in Xillia as well, because he's also kinda like this. It's a shame that Marta doesn't get as good of characterization as Emil but I still like her regardless of that.
Most people really meme on the opening hour of this game and it's not hard to see why. The ridiculous amount of flashbacks, the "courage" line, Emil's cowardly personality. I get it. But I also feel like it's very shallow to hate this game for those exact reasons. Over the years I've really come to realize that I do not like this fanbase lmao. Their opinions on games can be so warped sometimes that it's hard to believe what they say.
The game is rushed in a few areas but it's nowhere near as bad as later titles, but it has actual puzzles in dungeons and those haven't been seen in a long ass time. It makes use of the Wii mote controls but the chronicles version makes it completely obsolete. But as a whole experience the game is definitely not bad in any sense of the word. The story has satisfying pay offs, the gameplay is the solid base arcane system everyone loves, and I don't believe anyone who played this game really gave it a chance.
From what my friend told me Symphonia 2 was the black sheep of the Tales family. and this was in a pre-Zestiria world so imagine how much people hyper-focused their anger on this one at the time. It was the sequel to the biggest gateway drug to this franchise, and it also came out the same year as the other fan favorite game so it really didn't stand a chance. I, however, didn't really care because I was used to liking things people didn't by that point. Especially when it comes to this series where I'm considered a contrarian to the majority of the fanbase at large. My friend told me that he liked this game and felt it was overhated as well, and that Emil proves to be a better protagonist than Lloyd. I agree. I'll get further into Lloyd in the Symphonia Chronicles section, but for now I just want to share my experience with Symphonia 2.
All things considered? I really like this game. I enjoy Emil and Marta's relationship and the sarcastic wit Tenebrae brings to the table. I enjoy how original this game gets when put next to the rest of the franchise with the monster collector aspect. You can get some cool ass monsters on your team like the Sword Dancer boss that all the Holy Trinity fanboys love to gush about so much, a kickboxing werewolf/bear, various dragons, so on and so on. I enjoy Emil's character development very much, where as Marta's is very lackluster in comparison. Emil gets really good character moments when he begins to see the OG Symphonia casts side of things concerning Emil's feelings about Lloyd, Emil and his alter ego constantly struggling over possession of the body due to the Alter Ego hating how cowardly Emil is, and Emil's overall freshness as a protagonist. Most of the protag's in this franchise are very self-assured and brave men fitting a typical hero stereotype, but Emil starting off as a more cowardly kid thrust into a shitty situation, and while still being afraid he grows into the role of a hero by the end, mustering the bravery and courage we usually see out of the gate with the majority of the protags. It's something I admire about Jude in Xillia as well, because he's also kinda like this. It's a shame that Marta doesn't get as good of characterization as Emil but I still like her regardless of that.
Most people really meme on the opening hour of this game and it's not hard to see why. The ridiculous amount of flashbacks, the "courage" line, Emil's cowardly personality. I get it. But I also feel like it's very shallow to hate this game for those exact reasons. Over the years I've really come to realize that I do not like this fanbase lmao. Their opinions on games can be so warped sometimes that it's hard to believe what they say.
The game is rushed in a few areas but it's nowhere near as bad as later titles, but it has actual puzzles in dungeons and those haven't been seen in a long ass time. It makes use of the Wii mote controls but the chronicles version makes it completely obsolete. But as a whole experience the game is definitely not bad in any sense of the word. The story has satisfying pay offs, the gameplay is the solid base arcane system everyone loves, and I don't believe anyone who played this game really gave it a chance.
I got this with a new 3ds for Christmas back in 2013. My friend would tell me that this was his favorite game in the series and that it's in the top 3 Tales games and if not, THE best Tales game. From a story stand point I whole heartedly agree with him.
The combat is serviceable. It's a slightly polished version of Symphonia's with its own identity and gimmicks, and they're all fine and balanced properly. But let's be honest, the gameplay isn't what makes Abyss stand out from the rest.
I don't think there's been a protagonist in the series since Luke that has been as well written since Abyss' inception. Characters in Abyss in general are all so well-written that you have a plethora to choose from to say is your favorite. Luke not being a typical hero archetype also helps. He starts off as an incredibly obnoxious, selfish, spoiled rich kid and ends up probably more heroic that the naturally heroic Tales MC's, but not in sheer confidence and exuding a manly aura just being incredibly melancholy and lamenting his past mistakes and how horrible of a person he used to be.
What helps is his interactions with Asch which the game treats as important every time they interact one to one. Asch hates Luke for more than just stealing his life, but being the complete anti-thesis to everything Asch stands for. Their shared existence constantly calls each others lives and reasons for living into question and the game caps this off with one last emotionally resonant and heartbreaking battle. Character interactions like these litter the game not just for Luke and Asch, but the whole cast, too.
Guy's tragic past having watched his sister sacrifice herself for him to keep living imprinted in him an irrational fear of women that he struggles to get over, and it's all because his best friend's dad. Luke's dad. Ordered it so because it was pre-destined by the Score. Unbeknownst to his own friend Guy wished death upon Luke, and actually wanted to kill him himself once upon a time, which does put a wedge between their relationship a bit.
You get to see Tear and Van constantly butt heads over the meaning of this world, as Van sees a world ruled by the score as evil, and while the party sympathizes and agrees, the way he's going about it by trying to create a world of people like Luke, a world of replica's of real people, free of the score, tears away at the relationship the brother and sister once had. The only other person Tear can confide in is Legretta, who has sided with her brother, which leaves Tear completely helpless and alone, but with the party she finds a new family she never knew she wanted.
There are so many amazing dynamics and such well-written and thought provoking character pieces in this game alone that I could go on all fucking day. I can forgive the wonky early 2000's voice acting and the, at times, the poor pacing, and the boring dungeons and world map because the moments fucking HIT. Abyss is truly this franchise at its peak.
The combat is serviceable. It's a slightly polished version of Symphonia's with its own identity and gimmicks, and they're all fine and balanced properly. But let's be honest, the gameplay isn't what makes Abyss stand out from the rest.
I don't think there's been a protagonist in the series since Luke that has been as well written since Abyss' inception. Characters in Abyss in general are all so well-written that you have a plethora to choose from to say is your favorite. Luke not being a typical hero archetype also helps. He starts off as an incredibly obnoxious, selfish, spoiled rich kid and ends up probably more heroic that the naturally heroic Tales MC's, but not in sheer confidence and exuding a manly aura just being incredibly melancholy and lamenting his past mistakes and how horrible of a person he used to be.
What helps is his interactions with Asch which the game treats as important every time they interact one to one. Asch hates Luke for more than just stealing his life, but being the complete anti-thesis to everything Asch stands for. Their shared existence constantly calls each others lives and reasons for living into question and the game caps this off with one last emotionally resonant and heartbreaking battle. Character interactions like these litter the game not just for Luke and Asch, but the whole cast, too.
Guy's tragic past having watched his sister sacrifice herself for him to keep living imprinted in him an irrational fear of women that he struggles to get over, and it's all because his best friend's dad. Luke's dad. Ordered it so because it was pre-destined by the Score. Unbeknownst to his own friend Guy wished death upon Luke, and actually wanted to kill him himself once upon a time, which does put a wedge between their relationship a bit.
You get to see Tear and Van constantly butt heads over the meaning of this world, as Van sees a world ruled by the score as evil, and while the party sympathizes and agrees, the way he's going about it by trying to create a world of people like Luke, a world of replica's of real people, free of the score, tears away at the relationship the brother and sister once had. The only other person Tear can confide in is Legretta, who has sided with her brother, which leaves Tear completely helpless and alone, but with the party she finds a new family she never knew she wanted.
There are so many amazing dynamics and such well-written and thought provoking character pieces in this game alone that I could go on all fucking day. I can forgive the wonky early 2000's voice acting and the, at times, the poor pacing, and the boring dungeons and world map because the moments fucking HIT. Abyss is truly this franchise at its peak.
I got this as a christmas present alongside Abyss in 2013. In all honesty I do enjoy this game but there's very little I can say about it. It's a fanservice game with a clunky take on Base/Arcane combat. The story is forgettable, it culminates in you thrashing not Sephiroth with a party consisting of Tales of characters of your choice from every recent entry with the latest at the time being Abyss when it came out. The game also kinda had a semi-rotation where sometimes a character you wanted would be busy in the world so you couldn't really use them, but I remember using Luke, Kratos, and Stahn regularly back when I used to play it. The game is honestly kinda tedious but I found it to be fun, even with the added honeymoon phase I was in with the franchise at this point in my life. Localize RM 2 and 3 Bamco.
It's probably around April of 2014 at this point now. The wait for Xillia 2 is probably eating away at my soul. Like a drug addict going through withdrawal symptoms I try to find whatever way I can to chase the high this series has been giving me for the past half a year. I still got 4 months until Xillia 2 drops and I'm ps3-less. I saved up for one when I heard of this port and got it like the same week. Thing was like 200 bucks back then and it's probably way less now.
Truth be told Symphonia was probably the Tales game I had the least word of mouth to go on at the time of playing it outside of "The Best in the Series" moniker that you'll see float around about it. Now I've heard the "Best of X" thing thrown around from games series to game series that i've been invested in and from what I find, the case is usually "yeah the game is okay but hardly the best." Because it's usually the one with the most popularity or the one that got it the most mainstream attraction, which is the case with Symphonia. A lot of kids in my age range played it growing up so it's really easy to just say that their nostalgia for it might be blinding their vision of it just a bit. All and all, do I like Symphonia?
Not Really? Like I think Regal and Kratos are really cool and they're the ones I play the most outside of Lloyd when I revisit it but the game is peak mid. A lot of people like to tell me how the story is "soooo gooood" but like, you can only really think that if you've either never played a jrpg before in your life, or if you've never been told a generic fantasy story before. Lloyd is such a boring dry protagonist with an equally dry cast of characters to go with him. There are no character arcs, the story is trite and predictable, and I hate Zelos. Like the combat is fun and all. I enjoy Lloyd's OTG combo continuations, I like Kratos'/Zelos' Spell Cancel tech, and Unison attacks are cool. The gameplay is solid and it still holds up well even if it is feeling the age just a bit. It was a game that came out during the infancy of 3d action combat in games. DMC3 and 4 weren't out yet for the madmen behind Xillia 2 to take a bunch of notes. What we did get was perfectly fine for the time it came out, no complaints from me.
But the fucking story is so dumb lmao. Imagine living in some backwater village, okay? To keep your village from getting sacked by some fuckhead half-elves your mayor decides to strike a deal to let them farm humans like a 10 minute walk outside of the village or you and everyone you know in that village is getting treated to the same fate. And then some fuck head kid from your village decides he wants to be a hero and lets those people in the human ranch free, so the half-elves take this as a declaration of war. So now you and everybody you know is probably fucking dead, and the kid who did this gets a slap on the wrist and kicked out of the village, and this massive fucking tragedy didn't effect him in the slightest. He does a "BIG GOOD" and then gets to come back to the village you died in hailed as a hero.
What a fucking load of shit.
The worse part is that Symphonia honestly has some good writing in it, but you have to fucking look for it in a game that doesn't fucking tell you where sidequests are. Like there's an incredibly easily missable side quest in this game where Raine and Genis find their mother, now completely insane and thinking she's holding a baby version of Raine when it's really just a stuffed doll in her hands, and Raine has a complete mental breakdown over the sight of her mother, shouting and screaming at her for never being there when her and Genis needed her, and lamenting her current mental state. In a competently written story, that would be a mandatory main line character and story beat. But this is Symphonia. and Symphonia's writing is dog ass.
There's also another easily missable side quest fight where you play as Sheena and fight a ninja from her village that hates her because she got a bunch of other ninja's killed after failing to control Volt that is also a strong character moment for her that isn't a fucking mainline story beat.
Best game in the series?
LMAO
OKAY DUDE.
I did play Symphonia 2's remaster without the motion controls and yeah it works. I don't have anything else to say other than that.
Truth be told Symphonia was probably the Tales game I had the least word of mouth to go on at the time of playing it outside of "The Best in the Series" moniker that you'll see float around about it. Now I've heard the "Best of X" thing thrown around from games series to game series that i've been invested in and from what I find, the case is usually "yeah the game is okay but hardly the best." Because it's usually the one with the most popularity or the one that got it the most mainstream attraction, which is the case with Symphonia. A lot of kids in my age range played it growing up so it's really easy to just say that their nostalgia for it might be blinding their vision of it just a bit. All and all, do I like Symphonia?
Not Really? Like I think Regal and Kratos are really cool and they're the ones I play the most outside of Lloyd when I revisit it but the game is peak mid. A lot of people like to tell me how the story is "soooo gooood" but like, you can only really think that if you've either never played a jrpg before in your life, or if you've never been told a generic fantasy story before. Lloyd is such a boring dry protagonist with an equally dry cast of characters to go with him. There are no character arcs, the story is trite and predictable, and I hate Zelos. Like the combat is fun and all. I enjoy Lloyd's OTG combo continuations, I like Kratos'/Zelos' Spell Cancel tech, and Unison attacks are cool. The gameplay is solid and it still holds up well even if it is feeling the age just a bit. It was a game that came out during the infancy of 3d action combat in games. DMC3 and 4 weren't out yet for the madmen behind Xillia 2 to take a bunch of notes. What we did get was perfectly fine for the time it came out, no complaints from me.
But the fucking story is so dumb lmao. Imagine living in some backwater village, okay? To keep your village from getting sacked by some fuckhead half-elves your mayor decides to strike a deal to let them farm humans like a 10 minute walk outside of the village or you and everyone you know in that village is getting treated to the same fate. And then some fuck head kid from your village decides he wants to be a hero and lets those people in the human ranch free, so the half-elves take this as a declaration of war. So now you and everybody you know is probably fucking dead, and the kid who did this gets a slap on the wrist and kicked out of the village, and this massive fucking tragedy didn't effect him in the slightest. He does a "BIG GOOD" and then gets to come back to the village you died in hailed as a hero.
What a fucking load of shit.
The worse part is that Symphonia honestly has some good writing in it, but you have to fucking look for it in a game that doesn't fucking tell you where sidequests are. Like there's an incredibly easily missable side quest in this game where Raine and Genis find their mother, now completely insane and thinking she's holding a baby version of Raine when it's really just a stuffed doll in her hands, and Raine has a complete mental breakdown over the sight of her mother, shouting and screaming at her for never being there when her and Genis needed her, and lamenting her current mental state. In a competently written story, that would be a mandatory main line character and story beat. But this is Symphonia. and Symphonia's writing is dog ass.
There's also another easily missable side quest fight where you play as Sheena and fight a ninja from her village that hates her because she got a bunch of other ninja's killed after failing to control Volt that is also a strong character moment for her that isn't a fucking mainline story beat.
Best game in the series?
LMAO
OKAY DUDE.
I did play Symphonia 2's remaster without the motion controls and yeah it works. I don't have anything else to say other than that.
So my Junior year of high school has officially ended. The long summer break begins. What do I do the second school ends? Walk right over to the GameStop across the street from said school, and buy a copy of this fucking travesty.
Graces is constantly hailed as the game with the "Best Combat" in the series and I want to fucking die every time I hear that bullshit. Graces has some of the worst fucking combat I've ever had to play in an action game. Not just an action RPG, not just a Tales game (even though it definitely is a contender for the worst combat in a Tales game), but just some of the worst combat I've played around with period. Imagine going from Vesperia, a game with intense combo freedom and combo tech like Manual Cancelling and the first game with intricate air movement and air combos thanks to Judith, and then deciding "yeah fuck all that movement and combos shit. Let's just put a fucking metaphorical railroad to 90% of your combat options."
No more air movement.
No more freeform combos.
You are stuck to the ground, free-running is useless, your main movement is dashing, your main attacks always come out in a set order with very little freedom in variation to said combos, all on-top of an incredibly stupid fucking story with some of the worst characters in the franchise. All these disgusting character designs where everything is brightly colored pastel. It's like vomiting and shitting rainbows violently. At least this time around the amount of people saying Graces has a good plot is in the heavy minority, because even people who like Graces admit (for the most part) that the story is kinda ass.
I used to call Asbel the worst protagonist in the franchise because he's just poorly written. "oh no Sophie died and it's all my fault because I said I would protect this obvious walking arsenal, so even though I'm going to spend the entire game saving basically everybody i've ever come across, i'm still gonna lament that I can't save anybody!"
Shut the fuck up dude lol. This goes so far that he will save the main villain because he has a sad back story, even though said villain sustains its life by fucking draining the life energy of planets. Asbel, I get it buddy, I really do, but this particular person you're trying to save is a danger to all of existence because of the way they sustain their own. Even Zestiria, the game everyone hates, knew this. It also doesn't help that in the added storyline in Graces f, Lambda (the main villain) is constantly talking shit at him anytime he sees something even slightly morally wrong. Like you're any better you literal world eater lmao.
I've played Graces like twice now and never really finished the f section because you cannot ask me to play through Graces any more than the main story, but I don't know what happened between the first playthrough and the second but man do I hate Pascal now. I think originally I thought she was funny and eccentric because she actually stood out when put next to this personality-less party she's sadly attached to, but on the second playthrough I just found her unbearably annoying. I still like Hubert, though. Him kicking Asbel out of their hometown is still a highlight of the game for me.
But outside of those two you got Cheria who adds next to nothing to the story, Sophie who is just boring, and Malik who adds literally nothing to the story and could not be in the game at all and nothing would change.
Graces truly was the first Tales game I hated from top to bottom. At the time I hoped it would be the last. But i'll get to that later.
I do genuinely believe this game set the franchise back so fucking much in terms of combat. The Xillia's took this atrocity's combat and turned it from shit into Pure Platinum and then some dipshit decided it was a good idea to go back to the Graces style, but instead of going in a direction that evolves it like the Xillia's did, just ape its combat and design them with less and less depth with each subsequent release. This wouldn't have happened if Graces didn't exist.
Your Existence
is God's failure.
Graces is constantly hailed as the game with the "Best Combat" in the series and I want to fucking die every time I hear that bullshit. Graces has some of the worst fucking combat I've ever had to play in an action game. Not just an action RPG, not just a Tales game (even though it definitely is a contender for the worst combat in a Tales game), but just some of the worst combat I've played around with period. Imagine going from Vesperia, a game with intense combo freedom and combo tech like Manual Cancelling and the first game with intricate air movement and air combos thanks to Judith, and then deciding "yeah fuck all that movement and combos shit. Let's just put a fucking metaphorical railroad to 90% of your combat options."
No more air movement.
No more freeform combos.
You are stuck to the ground, free-running is useless, your main movement is dashing, your main attacks always come out in a set order with very little freedom in variation to said combos, all on-top of an incredibly stupid fucking story with some of the worst characters in the franchise. All these disgusting character designs where everything is brightly colored pastel. It's like vomiting and shitting rainbows violently. At least this time around the amount of people saying Graces has a good plot is in the heavy minority, because even people who like Graces admit (for the most part) that the story is kinda ass.
I used to call Asbel the worst protagonist in the franchise because he's just poorly written. "oh no Sophie died and it's all my fault because I said I would protect this obvious walking arsenal, so even though I'm going to spend the entire game saving basically everybody i've ever come across, i'm still gonna lament that I can't save anybody!"
Shut the fuck up dude lol. This goes so far that he will save the main villain because he has a sad back story, even though said villain sustains its life by fucking draining the life energy of planets. Asbel, I get it buddy, I really do, but this particular person you're trying to save is a danger to all of existence because of the way they sustain their own. Even Zestiria, the game everyone hates, knew this. It also doesn't help that in the added storyline in Graces f, Lambda (the main villain) is constantly talking shit at him anytime he sees something even slightly morally wrong. Like you're any better you literal world eater lmao.
I've played Graces like twice now and never really finished the f section because you cannot ask me to play through Graces any more than the main story, but I don't know what happened between the first playthrough and the second but man do I hate Pascal now. I think originally I thought she was funny and eccentric because she actually stood out when put next to this personality-less party she's sadly attached to, but on the second playthrough I just found her unbearably annoying. I still like Hubert, though. Him kicking Asbel out of their hometown is still a highlight of the game for me.
But outside of those two you got Cheria who adds next to nothing to the story, Sophie who is just boring, and Malik who adds literally nothing to the story and could not be in the game at all and nothing would change.
Graces truly was the first Tales game I hated from top to bottom. At the time I hoped it would be the last. But i'll get to that later.
I do genuinely believe this game set the franchise back so fucking much in terms of combat. The Xillia's took this atrocity's combat and turned it from shit into Pure Platinum and then some dipshit decided it was a good idea to go back to the Graces style, but instead of going in a direction that evolves it like the Xillia's did, just ape its combat and design them with less and less depth with each subsequent release. This wouldn't have happened if Graces didn't exist.
Your Existence
is God's failure.
August 19, 2014.
The Fated Day Arrives.
I wake up bright and early and take a bus to the gamestop to go pick up the game I had been over-hyping myself to death over for nearly a full year. 2016 turned me into an incredibly bitter cynic. Imagine what would have happened if this game ended up disappointing me. God forbid I ended up hating it. I truly wish to see the alternate universe version of myself that hated this game.
I get home, turn on my ps3, put the game in, and 3 days later I've finished Xillia 2, and go on to play it everyday for another couple of months to squeeze every last drop of content out of it.
I love this game to death. I don't think any other game has resonated with me on the level this game has outside of Xillia 1. Don't get me wrong, this game has got its issues. It's like 90% Xillia 1 asset flip because it was rushed out the door literally a year after the first one came out, but the new stuff it brings in terms of story, character writing, and combat, are all so fucking good. Xillia 2 has the best combat in the franchise. Not Vesperia. Not Graces. Not fucking Berseria lmao. But this. This is true Action Kino.
Ludger being a silent protagonist was awkward at first and it is for a very obvious plot twist late in the game but it is an original idea for this franchise and easily makes him and the game stand out to the rest of the series. And with sequels that port over the original cast of the first game you'd probably expect that they're just along for the ride and have no more growth to go through but that's actually not true at all. Everybody. EVERYBODY. Has something to do in this story. Jude is trying to solve the Spyrix problem, Milla and Muzet are trying to solve the Fractured Dimension problem, Alvin, Gaius, Leia, Elize and Rowen are all doing their part in easing public relations between Rieze Maxia and Elympios in their own ways, and it's nice to see them grow while they go through these trials together. Seeing Ludger and Elle grow closer and seeing Ludger and Julius grow more distant is interesting. You can make an argument that "Julius should just tell Ludger everything" even though if he did, Ludger would be more inclined to try and help Julius which isn't what he wants. Character interactions are solid across the board and the Character Episodes really help the old cast shine as the main plot is dedicated more to the Kresnik family. I personally really love Alvin's character episode. Seeing him deal with the consequences of his shady past while trying to make Elympios and Rieze Maxia trade relations work is legitimately interesting to see. It's even better when the game makes use of Fractured Dimensions to have Alvin stare down a younger version of himself and quietly criticize him for being the way that he is. It's just good fucking shit, man.
The combat holy FUCKING shit. during this time frame Devil May Cry was pretty much fucking dead. DMC5 wouldn't be out for another 5 fucking years, and all we were left with was DMC4, which was basically a Bloody Palace simulator since the main game is unfinished, and DmC which was a garbage product even with the improved definitive edition. This game, and Bayonetta, filled the void DMC left in action games. Combat brimming with depth, incredible movement, characters that all feel unique and distinct from each other, and great boss fights. The whole fucking package. It was everything I wanted out of this game before it came out. The new weakness system actually allows bosses to be combo'd extensively this time instead of getting a few hits in then running away to reset the process of breaking their iron stance like in the first game. It was probably the main thing people asked for when it came to Xillia 2's improvements and fuck if it wasn't the best idea for this game. This game quite possibly has the best line-up of Mystic Artes in the series too. Every single one is good. Every game after this game can't even compete. Bullet Crucifixion, Eternal Waltz, Apocalyptic Sforzando, the list goes on man.
The boss fights themselves vary in quality but a lot of the plot important boss fights fucking hit. Fighting Julius is always a blast, especially the last encounter if you decide to fight him with just dual blades to add to the atmosphere of the fight. Fighting Victor is like basically fighting a super version of yourself with a heartbreaking ending scene to cap it off, and seeing Ludger finally complete his Chromatus in the final boss fight against Bisley and the hype version of the main theme kicking in is ALWAYS PEAK FICTION.
Yeah I love this game, bro. I don't think anything can stop me from loving this game. I just wish these assholes would port both of them to a new console or PC already so that they can stop rotting on the PS3.
The Fated Day Arrives.
I wake up bright and early and take a bus to the gamestop to go pick up the game I had been over-hyping myself to death over for nearly a full year. 2016 turned me into an incredibly bitter cynic. Imagine what would have happened if this game ended up disappointing me. God forbid I ended up hating it. I truly wish to see the alternate universe version of myself that hated this game.
I get home, turn on my ps3, put the game in, and 3 days later I've finished Xillia 2, and go on to play it everyday for another couple of months to squeeze every last drop of content out of it.
I love this game to death. I don't think any other game has resonated with me on the level this game has outside of Xillia 1. Don't get me wrong, this game has got its issues. It's like 90% Xillia 1 asset flip because it was rushed out the door literally a year after the first one came out, but the new stuff it brings in terms of story, character writing, and combat, are all so fucking good. Xillia 2 has the best combat in the franchise. Not Vesperia. Not Graces. Not fucking Berseria lmao. But this. This is true Action Kino.
Ludger being a silent protagonist was awkward at first and it is for a very obvious plot twist late in the game but it is an original idea for this franchise and easily makes him and the game stand out to the rest of the series. And with sequels that port over the original cast of the first game you'd probably expect that they're just along for the ride and have no more growth to go through but that's actually not true at all. Everybody. EVERYBODY. Has something to do in this story. Jude is trying to solve the Spyrix problem, Milla and Muzet are trying to solve the Fractured Dimension problem, Alvin, Gaius, Leia, Elize and Rowen are all doing their part in easing public relations between Rieze Maxia and Elympios in their own ways, and it's nice to see them grow while they go through these trials together. Seeing Ludger and Elle grow closer and seeing Ludger and Julius grow more distant is interesting. You can make an argument that "Julius should just tell Ludger everything" even though if he did, Ludger would be more inclined to try and help Julius which isn't what he wants. Character interactions are solid across the board and the Character Episodes really help the old cast shine as the main plot is dedicated more to the Kresnik family. I personally really love Alvin's character episode. Seeing him deal with the consequences of his shady past while trying to make Elympios and Rieze Maxia trade relations work is legitimately interesting to see. It's even better when the game makes use of Fractured Dimensions to have Alvin stare down a younger version of himself and quietly criticize him for being the way that he is. It's just good fucking shit, man.
The combat holy FUCKING shit. during this time frame Devil May Cry was pretty much fucking dead. DMC5 wouldn't be out for another 5 fucking years, and all we were left with was DMC4, which was basically a Bloody Palace simulator since the main game is unfinished, and DmC which was a garbage product even with the improved definitive edition. This game, and Bayonetta, filled the void DMC left in action games. Combat brimming with depth, incredible movement, characters that all feel unique and distinct from each other, and great boss fights. The whole fucking package. It was everything I wanted out of this game before it came out. The new weakness system actually allows bosses to be combo'd extensively this time instead of getting a few hits in then running away to reset the process of breaking their iron stance like in the first game. It was probably the main thing people asked for when it came to Xillia 2's improvements and fuck if it wasn't the best idea for this game. This game quite possibly has the best line-up of Mystic Artes in the series too. Every single one is good. Every game after this game can't even compete. Bullet Crucifixion, Eternal Waltz, Apocalyptic Sforzando, the list goes on man.
The boss fights themselves vary in quality but a lot of the plot important boss fights fucking hit. Fighting Julius is always a blast, especially the last encounter if you decide to fight him with just dual blades to add to the atmosphere of the fight. Fighting Victor is like basically fighting a super version of yourself with a heartbreaking ending scene to cap it off, and seeing Ludger finally complete his Chromatus in the final boss fight against Bisley and the hype version of the main theme kicking in is ALWAYS PEAK FICTION.
Yeah I love this game, bro. I don't think anything can stop me from loving this game. I just wish these assholes would port both of them to a new console or PC already so that they can stop rotting on the PS3.
Imagine me, hot off of Xillia 2 in the early days of my senior year of high school, waiting for a fucking vita game to come out because I enjoyed the reused asset hell I was given a few months ago so damn much that I was honestly blinded by my love for this franchise at this point.
I dont even really have much to say about Hearts R. I've finished the game twice at this point and I still hardly remember shit from it every time I finish it. It took me almost a full year to finish it the first time, and by that time Zestiria was about to come out. It doesn't help that even to the untrained eye this game's translation work is fucking horrendous and the characters are just bland and forgettable for the most part. I also constantly rib on it for being Tales of Kingdom Hearts because of how Shing looks, Kohaku's heart being shattered which turns her into an emotionless husk akin to how Kairi was like in KH1, and how his best friend is also a tall long-haired dude who hates him.
Gameplay wise though I really enjoy it. It has some of the best combat in the franchise if you ask me. Not better than either of the Xillia's but good enough to leave an impression. I really like the counter system in the middle of your combos to keep you on your toes, even if they're super trial and error in process since you have to learn most enemies timing to get the counter right with such a big list of enemies to account for. I mostly played Ines and Kunzite because I liked their playstyles the most but I did fuck around with basically every member of the cast and came away with a positive reaction to playing them.
All and all the game is serviceable. I would recommend picking it up if you have a vita.
I dont even really have much to say about Hearts R. I've finished the game twice at this point and I still hardly remember shit from it every time I finish it. It took me almost a full year to finish it the first time, and by that time Zestiria was about to come out. It doesn't help that even to the untrained eye this game's translation work is fucking horrendous and the characters are just bland and forgettable for the most part. I also constantly rib on it for being Tales of Kingdom Hearts because of how Shing looks, Kohaku's heart being shattered which turns her into an emotionless husk akin to how Kairi was like in KH1, and how his best friend is also a tall long-haired dude who hates him.
Gameplay wise though I really enjoy it. It has some of the best combat in the franchise if you ask me. Not better than either of the Xillia's but good enough to leave an impression. I really like the counter system in the middle of your combos to keep you on your toes, even if they're super trial and error in process since you have to learn most enemies timing to get the counter right with such a big list of enemies to account for. I mostly played Ines and Kunzite because I liked their playstyles the most but I did fuck around with basically every member of the cast and came away with a positive reaction to playing them.
All and all the game is serviceable. I would recommend picking it up if you have a vita.
October of 2015 was a weird time for me. I'm fresh out of high school and kinda suffering with the change from going to community college and balancing it with work. But I do remember fondly counting down the days and dodging any spoilers I could about it before release. I loved Xillia 2 I think i've made that clear enough so I was hyped as fuck for this game, too. I selfishly also kinda didn't want it to be better than Xillia 2 because I was so in love with that game I didn't think anything after it could compare (I'm kinda feeling this way now about every subsequent game but not so much out of selfishness but more so the quality of these games falling off so hard that I just don't think they can compete) but despite that I still came out on the other end of Zestiria liking it.
Now to the fandom, this game is basically walking sacrilege. The fanbase utterly DESPISES this game and, again, that's not a sentiment I share with them. In fact I fucking love this game lmao. Not because of the combat because like I said in the Graces section that this game's combat is kinda ass, but because this has got to be the funniest fucking game in the entire series.
My first playthrough I was in fucking stitches CONSTANTLY because of how fucking great the character interactions and line deliveries of the english cast were. Edna is fucking hilarious. Seeing her just constantly fuck with the entire party and especially Mikleo is comedy fucking gold. The scene in Lastonbell where the whole party takes place in this weird puppet show like comedy skit to convince Sergei that Rose and Sorey are this travelling merchant couple is equally funny and endearing to everyone involved. I love this cast so much because of these moments.
I think the character writing ranges from non-existent to "yeah this is okay." Like despite the terrible marketing around Alisha she still has a full arc despite not being in the party after the first half of the game ends that I really appreciate. Sorey's struggle with his pacifist nature and doing what needs to be done is a compelling story to follow as he thinks the romanticized version of Shepherd's he's read about in the Celestial Record is what he needs to be, when the reality couldn't be any farther from the truth. I like Lailah's...arc? Like the idea that she basically silences herself from talking about the last Shepherd due to the immense survivor's guilt she feels is very interesting I just wish it were explored more than an end-game side-quest scene where she apologizes to Sorey about not being able to say anything. I also wish Rose had literally something going on other than what the game establishes and then the anime goes on to ruin. Like the two sides of the same coin thing she's got going on with Dezel about her secret wish to take revenge on the Rolance Royal Family and her duty to the surviving Windriders would be a very compelling thing to follow, and the anime tries to do this but it results in ruining Dezel's character. Dezel was supposed to be the vengeful spirit for her due to the guilt he feels for his domain being one of misfortune like Eizen's and Symonne's that caused the tragedy that brought about the deaths of multiple windriders and Rose's dad in the first place. I also really wish Sergei and Lunarre had more presence in the plot. Like I don't even know why Lunarre is even here. He's basically just as pointless and stupid of a character as Zagi is in Vesperia. And Edna, as hilarious as she is, honestly needs more fleshing out as a character because I have no idea what that whole thing at the Earth Trial was supposed to be, same with Rose and Lunarre's duel near the end of the game. I like Zestiria, I really do, but there are a lot of areas it could improve on. An area I do think is really good all things considered is the writing when it comes to Sorey and his idolization of the idea of the Shepherd like I touched on earlier.
Sorey tries really hard to be like the Shepherd's he's read about in the Celestial Record, but during his journey he's constantly faced with some truly harrowing trials. Not being able to purify Cardinal Forton honestly fucked with him hard because it was the first time he couldn't purify a hellion so he was nearly forced to kill her as a result, but Rose did it for him. Sorey really tries to shoulder a lot of the burden of being a Shepherd by himself but his friends constantly try and help him, but it doesn't help his mental state at all. Rose killing Forton, Lailah taking the burns for Sorey, Goddodin's morally shady business, and Zaveid mercy killing hellions all took its toll on him. Sorey lived a very sheltered life and had a very black and white outlook on life due to it, and he tried to be that Pure White beacon of righteousness and good that he believed the Shepherd should be, but wound up realizing that trying to be that wasn't realistic, and while he still had a very positive outlook on life by the end, he truly came to understand what it means to be a Shepherd, which resulted in his decision to kill Heldalf at the end of the game. Sorey tried his best to take the route with the least suffering inflicted by purifying every hellion he came across, but getting rid of Heldalf came with the risk of possibly sacrificing his friends in the result of killing this mad man hellbent on destroying everything. Even in the end, Sorey wanted a world where he didn't have to make the choices he did, and he felt that Seraphim and Humans being disconnected due to most people's lack of resonance is a big part of that. Sorey is actually pretty fucking well-written for this game with writing so inconsistent and spotty.
But despite all of the multitude of problems this game has, I still enjoy it whole heartedly. Four playthrough's deep, and I still cannot bring myself to hate it or see eye to eye with the fanbase on it.
Also the Sorey vs. Heldalf 1v1 is hype as fuck anybody who thinks the image of Sorey and Heldalf clashing Beasts isn't hype can fuck off. That was one of the best moments in this entire franchise and I will not hear anything fucking different.
Now to the fandom, this game is basically walking sacrilege. The fanbase utterly DESPISES this game and, again, that's not a sentiment I share with them. In fact I fucking love this game lmao. Not because of the combat because like I said in the Graces section that this game's combat is kinda ass, but because this has got to be the funniest fucking game in the entire series.
My first playthrough I was in fucking stitches CONSTANTLY because of how fucking great the character interactions and line deliveries of the english cast were. Edna is fucking hilarious. Seeing her just constantly fuck with the entire party and especially Mikleo is comedy fucking gold. The scene in Lastonbell where the whole party takes place in this weird puppet show like comedy skit to convince Sergei that Rose and Sorey are this travelling merchant couple is equally funny and endearing to everyone involved. I love this cast so much because of these moments.
I think the character writing ranges from non-existent to "yeah this is okay." Like despite the terrible marketing around Alisha she still has a full arc despite not being in the party after the first half of the game ends that I really appreciate. Sorey's struggle with his pacifist nature and doing what needs to be done is a compelling story to follow as he thinks the romanticized version of Shepherd's he's read about in the Celestial Record is what he needs to be, when the reality couldn't be any farther from the truth. I like Lailah's...arc? Like the idea that she basically silences herself from talking about the last Shepherd due to the immense survivor's guilt she feels is very interesting I just wish it were explored more than an end-game side-quest scene where she apologizes to Sorey about not being able to say anything. I also wish Rose had literally something going on other than what the game establishes and then the anime goes on to ruin. Like the two sides of the same coin thing she's got going on with Dezel about her secret wish to take revenge on the Rolance Royal Family and her duty to the surviving Windriders would be a very compelling thing to follow, and the anime tries to do this but it results in ruining Dezel's character. Dezel was supposed to be the vengeful spirit for her due to the guilt he feels for his domain being one of misfortune like Eizen's and Symonne's that caused the tragedy that brought about the deaths of multiple windriders and Rose's dad in the first place. I also really wish Sergei and Lunarre had more presence in the plot. Like I don't even know why Lunarre is even here. He's basically just as pointless and stupid of a character as Zagi is in Vesperia. And Edna, as hilarious as she is, honestly needs more fleshing out as a character because I have no idea what that whole thing at the Earth Trial was supposed to be, same with Rose and Lunarre's duel near the end of the game. I like Zestiria, I really do, but there are a lot of areas it could improve on. An area I do think is really good all things considered is the writing when it comes to Sorey and his idolization of the idea of the Shepherd like I touched on earlier.
Sorey tries really hard to be like the Shepherd's he's read about in the Celestial Record, but during his journey he's constantly faced with some truly harrowing trials. Not being able to purify Cardinal Forton honestly fucked with him hard because it was the first time he couldn't purify a hellion so he was nearly forced to kill her as a result, but Rose did it for him. Sorey really tries to shoulder a lot of the burden of being a Shepherd by himself but his friends constantly try and help him, but it doesn't help his mental state at all. Rose killing Forton, Lailah taking the burns for Sorey, Goddodin's morally shady business, and Zaveid mercy killing hellions all took its toll on him. Sorey lived a very sheltered life and had a very black and white outlook on life due to it, and he tried to be that Pure White beacon of righteousness and good that he believed the Shepherd should be, but wound up realizing that trying to be that wasn't realistic, and while he still had a very positive outlook on life by the end, he truly came to understand what it means to be a Shepherd, which resulted in his decision to kill Heldalf at the end of the game. Sorey tried his best to take the route with the least suffering inflicted by purifying every hellion he came across, but getting rid of Heldalf came with the risk of possibly sacrificing his friends in the result of killing this mad man hellbent on destroying everything. Even in the end, Sorey wanted a world where he didn't have to make the choices he did, and he felt that Seraphim and Humans being disconnected due to most people's lack of resonance is a big part of that. Sorey is actually pretty fucking well-written for this game with writing so inconsistent and spotty.
But despite all of the multitude of problems this game has, I still enjoy it whole heartedly. Four playthrough's deep, and I still cannot bring myself to hate it or see eye to eye with the fanbase on it.
Also the Sorey vs. Heldalf 1v1 is hype as fuck anybody who thinks the image of Sorey and Heldalf clashing Beasts isn't hype can fuck off. That was one of the best moments in this entire franchise and I will not hear anything fucking different.
So my history with this game is a bit weird. I had originally gotten it as a christmas gift from my brother back in 2013, and the only xbox 360 I had available to me was his childhood friends xbox and I only got to like a quarter of the way through the game. Fast Foward to 2016 and I had a shitty fast food job that I saved up enough money for a cheap 360 for myself just to play this game. Was the 100 dollars I saved up worth it?
Ehhhh...
Kinda?
Like make no mistake i'm not so big of a fucking contrarian to say that "well ACKSHUALLY Vesperia didn't even look THAT good." Because that's just a blatant lie. This was easily, for the longest time, the best looking Tales game due to its ridiculously unique and awesome art-style. Arise is the only game in this franchise that I can say looks better than it. It's honestly a miracle this game existed during the era it came out in because most games were desaturated ugly messes when it came to color and art style during the 7th gen. So Kudos to the Tales team during this era for that.
In a Post-Graces, Pre-Xillia world this game definitely had the best combat in the franchise at the time, what with Judith's creative and original air combos, Yuri's fresh and innovative moveset, and all the in-grained tech into its system with using the free-run button to cancel attacks into free-run attacks which got expanded on later in the ps3 re-release which allows you to cancel artes to further innovate your combos, with the double-edged sword effect of this mechanic now making offense too safe, giving everything you do a low-risk, high-reward feel. The boss design is inconsistent and fighting human bosses can be a chore because you can't do any of your fun moves on them or you risk getting punished in the middle of comboing them. They'll hop out of combos randomly and hit stun on them is wildly inconsistent. The Yuri vs. Flynn fight should have been the best boss fight in the game but this design they have for human bosses ruins it. But despite all of that, I still like the combat in this game, because it's not what ruins the game for me.
It's the story and writing that does it. Before Yuri's "Big Fucky Wucky" that I'm more than certain most of you know about that vastly sets him apart from the rest of the cast and is probably the biggest reason why he's a fan-favorite protagonist to this day, the story is okay and the writing and pacing are fine. But after "The Incident", the overall writing of the story takes a nose dive. Yuri is the only protagonist in this franchise that I believe dangerously flirts with Mary Sue-dom. Everyone but incredibly shallow and 1-dimensional characters like him, he never suffers any consequences for his actions, and he even gets to basically kettle and pot an ancient dragon and then never gets his own bullshit really thrown in his face. He's the textbook definition of Style over Substance and I hate this guy. Estelle is okay even if she's basically just Aerith from FF7, Judith is okay even though she's basically Tifa from FF7, Raven is okay even though- okay you get it right? Like I can't be the only person who sees this, right?
So much of this game reminds me of FF7 that if someone tried to tell me that this game wasn't at least a little bit inspired by FF7 I would call them a filthy liar. Like Aer is used to create Blastia like how Mako is used to create Materia, Estelle and Aerith both being descendants of an ancient race who are being held captive by the biggest world spanning entity, The Red-Eyes being a type of well-dressed mercenary outfit just like the Turks that are tasked by that same Shinra type force that the knights basically are. The white-haired mysterious, deep voiced main villain, the similarities are head-turning to say the least. Would I say Vesperia is ripping FF7 off? No. Would I say it's still flirting dangerously with the idea of it? OH ABSOLUTELY. "oh but Tuck! Wouldn't you say Blastia are more like Exsphere's from Symphonia?" I mean I would if Blastia were only used for combat purposes like Exsphere's but they aren't. That makes them more like Materia.
But yeah FF7 is pretty cool when you're not paying attention to its god awful story.
Ehhhh...
Kinda?
Like make no mistake i'm not so big of a fucking contrarian to say that "well ACKSHUALLY Vesperia didn't even look THAT good." Because that's just a blatant lie. This was easily, for the longest time, the best looking Tales game due to its ridiculously unique and awesome art-style. Arise is the only game in this franchise that I can say looks better than it. It's honestly a miracle this game existed during the era it came out in because most games were desaturated ugly messes when it came to color and art style during the 7th gen. So Kudos to the Tales team during this era for that.
In a Post-Graces, Pre-Xillia world this game definitely had the best combat in the franchise at the time, what with Judith's creative and original air combos, Yuri's fresh and innovative moveset, and all the in-grained tech into its system with using the free-run button to cancel attacks into free-run attacks which got expanded on later in the ps3 re-release which allows you to cancel artes to further innovate your combos, with the double-edged sword effect of this mechanic now making offense too safe, giving everything you do a low-risk, high-reward feel. The boss design is inconsistent and fighting human bosses can be a chore because you can't do any of your fun moves on them or you risk getting punished in the middle of comboing them. They'll hop out of combos randomly and hit stun on them is wildly inconsistent. The Yuri vs. Flynn fight should have been the best boss fight in the game but this design they have for human bosses ruins it. But despite all of that, I still like the combat in this game, because it's not what ruins the game for me.
It's the story and writing that does it. Before Yuri's "Big Fucky Wucky" that I'm more than certain most of you know about that vastly sets him apart from the rest of the cast and is probably the biggest reason why he's a fan-favorite protagonist to this day, the story is okay and the writing and pacing are fine. But after "The Incident", the overall writing of the story takes a nose dive. Yuri is the only protagonist in this franchise that I believe dangerously flirts with Mary Sue-dom. Everyone but incredibly shallow and 1-dimensional characters like him, he never suffers any consequences for his actions, and he even gets to basically kettle and pot an ancient dragon and then never gets his own bullshit really thrown in his face. He's the textbook definition of Style over Substance and I hate this guy. Estelle is okay even if she's basically just Aerith from FF7, Judith is okay even though she's basically Tifa from FF7, Raven is okay even though- okay you get it right? Like I can't be the only person who sees this, right?
So much of this game reminds me of FF7 that if someone tried to tell me that this game wasn't at least a little bit inspired by FF7 I would call them a filthy liar. Like Aer is used to create Blastia like how Mako is used to create Materia, Estelle and Aerith both being descendants of an ancient race who are being held captive by the biggest world spanning entity, The Red-Eyes being a type of well-dressed mercenary outfit just like the Turks that are tasked by that same Shinra type force that the knights basically are. The white-haired mysterious, deep voiced main villain, the similarities are head-turning to say the least. Would I say Vesperia is ripping FF7 off? No. Would I say it's still flirting dangerously with the idea of it? OH ABSOLUTELY. "oh but Tuck! Wouldn't you say Blastia are more like Exsphere's from Symphonia?" I mean I would if Blastia were only used for combat purposes like Exsphere's but they aren't. That makes them more like Materia.
But yeah FF7 is pretty cool when you're not paying attention to its god awful story.
Okay.
Alright.
Let's just get it out of the fucking way.
I fucking hate Tales of Berseria. This is easily the worst game in the fucking franchise and I will die a bloody, slow, painful death on this hill I'm on over it.
Flashback to late 2016.
Berseria had been out in Japan for a few months. I'm streaming God Eater Resurrection with the boys. Someone in chat asks about our hopes for Berseria when it eventually comes out in the states in a few months.
I.
Like the foolish, optimistic dipshit that I was, said this:
"I think Berseria will be good.
Like.
It's really hard to be worse than Graces."
So then I played Berseria.
It was worse than Graces. Funny how that works.
And not even by a small margin like it is significantly worse than Graces. Yeah sure Graces' combat sucks but it's also the best version of that shitty combat. Yeah sure the story and characters in Graces suck but they're nowhere near as shit as Berseria's story and characters are. Berseria's writing is honestly offensive to me. It is so mind-numbingly bad I can't believe this schlock got green lit.
The funniest thing from my experience with this game is the amount of Tales fans that hate my guts over it. I have two shitty streams on this game on my youtube channel that are just pointing out how bad the combat is and they've got so many fucking dislikes it's honestly hilarious. I've had this fandom tell me i'm a "pissant" of all things for not liking this game and this game is the main reason why I'm seen as some Armond White tier hyper-contrarian. But I'm sorry, guys, this game fucking sucks.
I don't think there could possibly be a worse party after Berseria's, to be honest. Like 3 of them get no depth and are the same from the beginning to the end of the story, 2 of them can be taken out of the game and nothing would change in the unravelling of the plot, and character arcs that are so poorly written I can't even fathom what kinda drugs the writer was on when he made it. "Oh I follow the code of Bushido" Rokurou says while his whole backstory is basically not doing that. "Oh I left my sister behind because my curse would put her in danger." Eizen says while going on to befriend new people and get them in the same danger. "I've had a shitty life and people have treated me like a freak all my life but I will suddenly have a change of heart after watching Velvet commit atrocities where I suddenly care about humanity.' Says Magilou. "I am a moral bastion for humanity" says Laphicet as he watches Velvet commit atrocity after atrocity and say nothing, but then finally gets the balls to say something when she dares to see him as a surrogate little brother. It's really fucking weird how Laphicet is only really influenced by the words of the people around him say and literally none of their actions. He should be a little fucking tyrant near the end of the story but I GUESS NOT. Eleanor is like the only one I kinda like but she also suffers from the fact that she would be the ONE other person that could call Velvet out on her bullshit and very easily should be able to, but anytime Velvet slightly raises her voice she pisses her pants and gets quiet. Fuckin' Rokurou over here nearly kills Laphicet for getting in his way in some throw away fight with an unimportant character and then after all this talk about him wanting to 1v1 his brother to prove he's better than him, he fucking jumps him with the party and kills him and he gets no narrative payoff to his existence. I would love to say that maybe the game is making an argument that Rokurou feels guilty for ruining the relationship he and his brother had which is why he doesnt throw a stink over how he beats him, but the game only ever implies that their relationship was toxic as fuck so that's definitely not it. He's such a pointless character he's only here to fill a party slot. Don't even get me started on how pointless Magilou is. Spends the whole game being unfunny comic relief and then suddenly out of nowhere cares about humanity when she's probably the one who's suffered at humanities hands the most out of the entire cast. Bitch has been treated like a freak her entire life and has been getting some semi-erotic catharsis out of Velvet's lust for revenge that has been getting multitudes of innocent people hurt/killed but I guess she cares about humanity now that her adopted Dad doesn't??? But please. Please. Let me get to the star of the show.
I don't buy for a singular second that Velvet would commit a lot of crimes she does and not bat an eye over them until the plot suddenly needs her to care. The character she was introduced as before The Eclipse would not suddenly disappear without a trace just because she's suddenly a daemon.
Wait did I say Eclipse? Oh I'm sorry I meant to say Scarlet Night. I have no idea how that happened maybe having to watch the main characters little brother get sacrificed by the main villain they trusted more than anyone else while being restrained and losing their left fucking arm did it. Did I also mention the main villain tends to look like a traditional hero who wears all white while the actual hero of the story wears all black? And how the story is about healing from the trauma of a great betrayal? Gosh the similarities are so crazy. But no I can't say it's ripping off Berserk that would be ridiculous. Everything is inspired by something saying something is a rip-off is just hating on it. And you know what? You're right. Berseria isn't ripping off Berserk.
It's actually ripping off Blazblue. And it's also not as well-written as that convoluted mess either.
But anyway, back to Velvet, I don't think any part of her character has a solid through line for how she operates.
Betrayed by 1 dude -----> will commit multiple acts of terrorism without batting an eye.
Betrayed by 1 dude ----> "Yes I will cut your tail off like a sociopath and not let the actual sociopath do it."
Betrayed by 1 dude who killed a kid -----> "I will now kill this child as well"
What is this character bro. Nothing she does makes sense. Why is she getting upset when her actions cause innocent people to have their lives ruined midway through the game with no actual change in her character before this happened. She was doing these just fine earlier. She caused a prison break that no doubt got a bunch of people killed earlier without batting an eye.
"oh but this whole town turned into daemons because of me tho."
Because of this games bad writing, when she broke out of the fucking super gulag she was in, that also should have happened, especially because of the super gulag where all these terrible and innocent people were at. But nah. Didn't happen. Game just forgot and needed to force her """""character growth""""" for the writing to work.
Game with the best writing in the franchise so says the fandom btw.
Fucking god this game, man. I swear it's like nobody pays attention to the stories these games are telling. The fucking hive mentality this fandom has. Jesus Christ.
"OoO this braindead ass combat is definitely better than Zestiria's. I love backdashing an opponents attack just to have this stupid diamond fall on the field and have one of my ai teammates steal it from me. I love it when I get a random crit and the game just gifts me the diamond to my diamond bar so that I can combo for longer. Not being able to combo bosses is so great. I love not being rewarded for engaging with the combat, bro."
Fuck this game.
Fuck this fandom.
Alright.
Let's just get it out of the fucking way.
I fucking hate Tales of Berseria. This is easily the worst game in the fucking franchise and I will die a bloody, slow, painful death on this hill I'm on over it.
Flashback to late 2016.
Berseria had been out in Japan for a few months. I'm streaming God Eater Resurrection with the boys. Someone in chat asks about our hopes for Berseria when it eventually comes out in the states in a few months.
I.
Like the foolish, optimistic dipshit that I was, said this:
"I think Berseria will be good.
Like.
It's really hard to be worse than Graces."
So then I played Berseria.
It was worse than Graces. Funny how that works.
And not even by a small margin like it is significantly worse than Graces. Yeah sure Graces' combat sucks but it's also the best version of that shitty combat. Yeah sure the story and characters in Graces suck but they're nowhere near as shit as Berseria's story and characters are. Berseria's writing is honestly offensive to me. It is so mind-numbingly bad I can't believe this schlock got green lit.
The funniest thing from my experience with this game is the amount of Tales fans that hate my guts over it. I have two shitty streams on this game on my youtube channel that are just pointing out how bad the combat is and they've got so many fucking dislikes it's honestly hilarious. I've had this fandom tell me i'm a "pissant" of all things for not liking this game and this game is the main reason why I'm seen as some Armond White tier hyper-contrarian. But I'm sorry, guys, this game fucking sucks.
I don't think there could possibly be a worse party after Berseria's, to be honest. Like 3 of them get no depth and are the same from the beginning to the end of the story, 2 of them can be taken out of the game and nothing would change in the unravelling of the plot, and character arcs that are so poorly written I can't even fathom what kinda drugs the writer was on when he made it. "Oh I follow the code of Bushido" Rokurou says while his whole backstory is basically not doing that. "Oh I left my sister behind because my curse would put her in danger." Eizen says while going on to befriend new people and get them in the same danger. "I've had a shitty life and people have treated me like a freak all my life but I will suddenly have a change of heart after watching Velvet commit atrocities where I suddenly care about humanity.' Says Magilou. "I am a moral bastion for humanity" says Laphicet as he watches Velvet commit atrocity after atrocity and say nothing, but then finally gets the balls to say something when she dares to see him as a surrogate little brother. It's really fucking weird how Laphicet is only really influenced by the words of the people around him say and literally none of their actions. He should be a little fucking tyrant near the end of the story but I GUESS NOT. Eleanor is like the only one I kinda like but she also suffers from the fact that she would be the ONE other person that could call Velvet out on her bullshit and very easily should be able to, but anytime Velvet slightly raises her voice she pisses her pants and gets quiet. Fuckin' Rokurou over here nearly kills Laphicet for getting in his way in some throw away fight with an unimportant character and then after all this talk about him wanting to 1v1 his brother to prove he's better than him, he fucking jumps him with the party and kills him and he gets no narrative payoff to his existence. I would love to say that maybe the game is making an argument that Rokurou feels guilty for ruining the relationship he and his brother had which is why he doesnt throw a stink over how he beats him, but the game only ever implies that their relationship was toxic as fuck so that's definitely not it. He's such a pointless character he's only here to fill a party slot. Don't even get me started on how pointless Magilou is. Spends the whole game being unfunny comic relief and then suddenly out of nowhere cares about humanity when she's probably the one who's suffered at humanities hands the most out of the entire cast. Bitch has been treated like a freak her entire life and has been getting some semi-erotic catharsis out of Velvet's lust for revenge that has been getting multitudes of innocent people hurt/killed but I guess she cares about humanity now that her adopted Dad doesn't??? But please. Please. Let me get to the star of the show.
I don't buy for a singular second that Velvet would commit a lot of crimes she does and not bat an eye over them until the plot suddenly needs her to care. The character she was introduced as before The Eclipse would not suddenly disappear without a trace just because she's suddenly a daemon.
Wait did I say Eclipse? Oh I'm sorry I meant to say Scarlet Night. I have no idea how that happened maybe having to watch the main characters little brother get sacrificed by the main villain they trusted more than anyone else while being restrained and losing their left fucking arm did it. Did I also mention the main villain tends to look like a traditional hero who wears all white while the actual hero of the story wears all black? And how the story is about healing from the trauma of a great betrayal? Gosh the similarities are so crazy. But no I can't say it's ripping off Berserk that would be ridiculous. Everything is inspired by something saying something is a rip-off is just hating on it. And you know what? You're right. Berseria isn't ripping off Berserk.
It's actually ripping off Blazblue. And it's also not as well-written as that convoluted mess either.
But anyway, back to Velvet, I don't think any part of her character has a solid through line for how she operates.
Betrayed by 1 dude -----> will commit multiple acts of terrorism without batting an eye.
Betrayed by 1 dude ----> "Yes I will cut your tail off like a sociopath and not let the actual sociopath do it."
Betrayed by 1 dude who killed a kid -----> "I will now kill this child as well"
What is this character bro. Nothing she does makes sense. Why is she getting upset when her actions cause innocent people to have their lives ruined midway through the game with no actual change in her character before this happened. She was doing these just fine earlier. She caused a prison break that no doubt got a bunch of people killed earlier without batting an eye.
"oh but this whole town turned into daemons because of me tho."
Because of this games bad writing, when she broke out of the fucking super gulag she was in, that also should have happened, especially because of the super gulag where all these terrible and innocent people were at. But nah. Didn't happen. Game just forgot and needed to force her """""character growth""""" for the writing to work.
Game with the best writing in the franchise so says the fandom btw.
Fucking god this game, man. I swear it's like nobody pays attention to the stories these games are telling. The fucking hive mentality this fandom has. Jesus Christ.
"OoO this braindead ass combat is definitely better than Zestiria's. I love backdashing an opponents attack just to have this stupid diamond fall on the field and have one of my ai teammates steal it from me. I love it when I get a random crit and the game just gifts me the diamond to my diamond bar so that I can combo for longer. Not being able to combo bosses is so great. I love not being rewarded for engaging with the combat, bro."
Fuck this game.
Fuck this fandom.
I roll da Gacha.
I get da character I want.
Good Gayme.
I roll da Gacha.
I don't get character I want.
Bad Gayme. Stop playing for a month.
I come back.
I roll da Gacha.
I get character I want.
Good Gayme. I play for months again.
I get da character I want.
Good Gayme.
I roll da Gacha.
I don't get character I want.
Bad Gayme. Stop playing for a month.
I come back.
I roll da Gacha.
I get character I want.
Good Gayme. I play for months again.
Ain't got much to say about the rerelease. All my opinions mentioned in the original version are still valid only with the added caveat that Patty is a cool gameplay style added into the party but her actual character is fucking awful and she drags the already bad writing down even more. That and Flynn becoming a mainstay party member also ruins the plot even further by completely ruining the dynamic between him and Yuri throughout the game.
As of writing this note it is midnight of February 7th and Crestoria's servers officially shutdown for good three hours ago. It's a gacha game so the gameplay is literally nothing to write home about, but the story and writing were fucking wasted on this travesty of a mobile game and I will never let the Tales team live down this massive fuck up for the rest of their natural lives.
Free the Crestoria Party.
Free the Crestoria Party.
I already have a whole ass review for this game on this website so I don't need to really reiterate anything here.
Game is good.
Berseria is trash.
I'm done.
Goodnight.
Game is good.
Berseria is trash.
I'm done.
Goodnight.