Tales of Xillia (and other "Tales of" games)

[lisalover1]

Yeah I don't get it, with how much steam this series has picked up over time and continues to carry a good budget, you'd think they'd high a good writer or two that could take that stuff to another level.

In the end I think it is probably one of the biggest reasons why I've never finished a single Tales game. The gameplay is always fantastic, but the story is just so safe and bare bones, maybe too frequent in some cases too? I was definitely feeling that in Graces F after a bit, it wasn't the battles that felt like a grind, but the cutscenes... but I agree the character interactions and skits are great. Would just be even better if things beyond that were a bit more interesting. lol

This is like Sesume Street compared to Suikoden / Tactics Ogre / Fire Emblem stuff (thinking of war based JRPG's here).

But yeah can't wait to get Xilia.

I'll be the first to agree with that. The story is never all that strong in a Tales game; it's really the charming characters that steal the show, as well as the world itself.

[Jagosaurus]

Dungeons in Abyss are...tough?

I might be up for that.

Not all, but some are surprisingly long with a large amount of tougher enemies, compared to the short, quick dungeons at the beginning. Also, some puzzle aspects that surprised me.

I stalled out a bit on this one bc I started Baldur's Gate, but am getting back into it soon. For less than $30 new on the 3DS... worth it.

[Valkyrie-Favor]

So, is there are hard more or something that makes the game better? I don't mind a long game if it keeps offering more throughout the experience.

I really like the design of Tales combat systems, but they seem to be too easy and too long to interest me. It's kind of a shame...

[BoneSnapDeez]

Yeah... with the exception of maybe Phantasia, the Tales games overstay their welcome by a good 25 hours or so.

[CavZee]

Yeah... with the exception of maybe Phantasia, the Tales games overstay their welcome by a good 25 hours or so.

I know that's how I felt about Abyss for sure.

[Violent By Design]

Me and my friends played 4 player mode and Vesperia, and we dumped so many hours and the plot hardly progressed. The games are really damn long.

[Soldier Blue]

So which Tales game has the best story? I've played Symphonia and the storyline wasn't anything special.

[Stark]

Tales of the Abyss is $20 on AMZ: http://t.co/brMH56eAcx

[KoLAddict]

I've liked all the Tales games I've played so far, although I agree the stories are lacking. The only one I've actually finished is Tales of Destiny on the PS1. I really loved it for some reason.

Am I alone in preferring the 2D-plane combat of Tales of Phantasia/Destiny/Destiny 2 rather than the 3D-plane combat of Symphonia and everything else?

[Xeogred]

Imagine a Tales game directed by Matsuno (the FFT, Ogre Battle, Vagrant Story, etc dude). Tales games always dwell on war, as do Matsuno's stuff... they're just about 900 worlds apart in terms of depth and seriousness.

But man, masterful storytelling with that masterful gameplay. Would be amazing.