Exclusive Tales

Published September 16, 2008

Namco Bandai's hugely popular Tales series has made it at last to Xbox 360® with Tales of Vesperia™. Better yet, it's exclusive to the console and the number one reason for the recent, unprecedented upsurge in Xbox 360 sales in Japan.

Always the wise guy is Yuri.

Most important though, the allure of the game isn't lost in the translation. If you've ever loved classic role-playing games or had even a passing interest in anime, sweeping stories, real-time action, gorgeous environments, and deep customization, Tales of Vesperia offers it all with the kind of slick polish reserved for only top-tier titles.

Anime fans can find joy in the hand-drawn cutscenes
that add a welcome artistic touch to the game's
most poignant, critical story sequences.

Your Tale Begins
The world of Tales is overrun with eager monsters in such ferocious numbers that humanity can exist only in isolated pockets, protected by Blastia (gems that harness the magical power of Aer) surrounding towns and cities.

When the ne'er-do-well mage Mordio makes off with a Blastia gem, flooding the capital's Lower Quarter, ex-Imperial Knight Yuri sets off in hot pursuit. This small quest for justice thrusts Yuri into a larger conflict, sending him off into the unprotected wilds to track down a missing knight (his childhood friend Flynn), accompanied by his trusty, pipe-toting, sword wielding dog (don't call him that though) Repede, and the mysterious noble, Estelle.

Pastel Beauty
Screenshots may speak a thousand words, but it's worth noting the beauty of the game. Much of the world is so sun-drenched and paradisiacal that it provides an almost startling backdrop to the vicious monsters and intense combat throughout.

Idyllic landscapes are found throughout.

This proves to be a remarkable breath of fresh air in an industry that thrives on grim environments, while also providing even more impact when making your forays into gloomy dungeons and haunting forests.

Anime fans can find joy in the hand-drawn cutscenes that add a welcome artistic touch to the game's most poignant, critical story sequences. These scenes fit in so perfectly with the look and feel of the game that there's no jarring shift, just a seamless transition.

Tales Real-Time
The Tales series was one of the first Japanese role-playing games to embrace a real-time approach to combat, and that commitment remains with Tales of Vesperia. Your basic combos, special Artes powers, jumps, and blocks are all handled in real-time, though you can hold RB to highlight a new target and so pause the action in the process. This can prove invaluable for catching your breath and reassessing your team's tactics.

Artes and Skills
While you'll no doubt pick up plenty of armor, weapons, and accessories to further customize your character, it's the Artes powers that really define how you play Yuri. From ranged attacks to powerful melee combos, healing powers and more, Artes powers represent your most potent tools in combat.

It's not just which Artes you use though, but which combination of them (you can have four active at any given time) that can give you a tactical edge.

Few games set the mood better.

Skills on the other hand are learned from weapons imbued with them and are largely passive in nature. For example, Cross Counter does bonus damage whenever you strike an enemy in the middle of an attack. Likewise, Resist bumps up your resistance to magical attacks.

While you'll earn the benefit from these skills when wielding a weapon that boasts them, you can learn the skills permanently if you wield the weapon long enough. You'll have to think strategically when choosing your weapon as you weigh its damage-dealing properties against its skill set.

Battle Strategy
Because Tales of Vesperia plays out in real-time, you won't have active use of your party members. That doesn't mean you can't influence how they behave in battle. Script their behavior and focus in the Battle Strategy menu.

While you can rely on pre-scripted tactics such as Full Charge, setting your allies to unleash their full might on nearby enemies at the cost of all their Technical Points and items, the true value of Battle Strategy is found when you create your own tactics.

Customize the types of target each party member should focus on (such as weakest, strongest, enemies using Artes powers, etc.), what kinds of actions they should primarily use (heal, cure, or defend), whether to avoid risk or charge into the fray, where to position themselves in combat, and a great deal more besides. There's an enormous amount of depth here for creating a well-oiled fighting unit.

Unleash that Artes!

Crafting Time
You'll find all manner of odds and ends throughout your Tales travels. Whether it's scraps of metal, bird feathers, weeds, fangs, needles, eggs, bread, or gels, nearly every item can be combined through Synthesis or Cooking to create ability-boosting food, items for use in combat, and even rare weapons and armor.

This system of crafting is filled with experimentation and self-discovery, and if made constant use of, can really tip the balance of power in your party's favor.

Tales of Vesperia is enormous in scope, game time, and features. There are dozens of hours of RPG goodness packed just into the core story line, to say nothing of the various side quests, in-game guilds to work for, world bosses to track down and conquer, recipes, Artes, and skills to discover.

If you're itching for a game that can keep you entertained for months at a time, experience Tales of Vesperia.

Article by Ryan Treit