Madflavor
Member
I'm so thankful these things have never bothered me. I'm glad I'm the type of gamer that can just sit down, immerse myself, enjoy the gameplay/story, and not look for graphical/performance flaws.
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Tales of Arise Review Thread
- Thread starter saintjules
- Start date
- Review
I'm so thankful these things have never bothered me. I'm glad I'm the type of gamer that can just sit down, immerse myself, enjoy the gameplay/story, and not look for graphical/performance flaws.
Mr.ODST
Member
Oh no .... so did the pS5 version get worse? was my worry choosing the PS5 version over Series X
smart_brazileiro
Banned
Bitch, please. I don't look for flaws. These are blatantly obvious and hard to ignore. But u do u, champ.
I played on xbox sx and it's very noticeable there as well, but mostly in big open areas where you can view far into the distance. Honestly, it's not hard to ignore. Especially in performance mode. I feel it's abit more pronounced in graphics mode.
KàIRóS
Member
On that note If anyone here bought it digitally for Xbox, I read you could change region to japan and play it already, don't quote me on that though I just read it on another forum and I don't know if it will really work since I bought the PC version, but I guess it's worth trying out.
Allnamestakenlol
Member
Ugh, whyyyyyy... Pop-in is my biggest pet peeve. If it's bad on PC, too, then I'll likely be skipping the game. Can't stand that shit.
saintjules
Gold Member
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Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
Pop in exists in most games, for me its petty reason to skip a games for it.
Miyazaki’s Slave
Gold Member
**YMMV**
Based on my limited time with the PS5 version today it appears to be on par with the demo I played on both PS5 and XSX. Clocked maybe45 minutes or so with the game so this is by no means a final impression but since I was happy with the demo I am currently happy with what I found in most of the first hour of gameplay.
Based on my limited time with the PS5 version today it appears to be on par with the demo I played on both PS5 and XSX. Clocked maybe45 minutes or so with the game so this is by no means a final impression but since I was happy with the demo I am currently happy with what I found in most of the first hour of gameplay.
Ass of Can Whooping
Gold Member
Is this fully voice acted?
Asking for a friend. Not interested in this disgusting weeb game
Asking for a friend. Not interested in this disgusting weeb game
Miyazaki’s Slave
Gold Member
There is voice acting throughout but it is not fully voice acted. Conversations with town folks are not fully voice acted. You get some "hmmm's and Ahhhh's" while the text is scrolling during non critical conversations.
smart_brazileiro
Banned
Are there any other differences between the two modes besides res and framerate? Does anybody know? Otherwise I'm switching to framerate mode.
Castlevania is not anime though, it is a western cartoon through and through. It's no more anime than say Simpsons.
Mozzarella
Member
Thanks for the input, I assume you are one of the people who work on reviewing games, right?
I have another question, the process of reviews/reception and all that, its a result of relation between you the journalists and the publishers? meaning the developers themselves have no connection whatsoever to this?
I suppose you could say that but regardless it should be reviewed under similar conditions, because problem is when they are about to give award for Best RPG at lets say Game Awards there are number of journalist or outlets that didnt bother to play all RPGs of the year and that will be unfair to the niche ones, I wonder if that itself has an impact of i am just making assumptions now.
I didnt play any of them so i dont know which one is better but im just merely thinking about how they will handle such process.
I generally have no communication with devs, unless I'm actually talking to them during a preview or interview or something like that. The editor handles all pr communication with us, so we generlly get a mail saying who wants to review this. Sometimes there are games I want to review and I approach the editor with that. And yeah, we rarely have any contact with devs, we communicate with the publishers unless we're dealing with a situation where devs publish themselves.
Awards are by their very nature unfair, and that is why I don't like them at all. It's nothing more than clickbait where whichever game was played by the most people wins. I review a lot of more niche titles, so I'm the only one who played them. How do I convince my colleagues to vote for something they never played?
It's a hopeless thing and has no meaning. Most popular game wins cause that's the one everyone has played. And there is just not enough time to play everything you want to get around to. Everyone has backlogs, game journalists too.
KàIRóS
Member
I don't think there are, and yeah 60 FPS mode plays and looks better with the new shading style for whatever reason.
DragoonKain
Neighbours from Hell
The North American Collector's Editions shipping were delayed, so won't be getting my copy on time.
Madflavor
Member
You're being petty. A Peter Petty.
Arsic
Loves his juicy stink trail scent
My main issue as a PC player is that I think the resolution options are broken for full screen mode.
It only has two resolution options for me, and only one works. That one is not 3840x2160 for 4k, but some other shit then 2160 (can't recall from memory).
Normally when I select 4k resolution for my 4k TV it caps at 60fps. If it goes above 60fps then I know with other titles I'm doing either 2K or 1080P which let's me get to 120fps.
This game at 2160P was netting me way above 60fps on max settings. Which leads me to believe it isn't actually 4k and is bugged.
Lots of pop in, not everything is voiced, some odd camera choices in the prologue scene, and attacking with RB on a Xbox controller feels weird.
The visuals are hard to tell without being sure if it's 4k or not. The trailers made it look way better.
The game still is visually appealing, runs well otherwise, has good audio, voice acting, combat, and the story is interesting thus far. Also, the written dialogue is very good so far too.
Going to stick it out a few hours more to get a full feel. Right now I wouldn't recommend the PC version if you have console options.
It only has two resolution options for me, and only one works. That one is not 3840x2160 for 4k, but some other shit then 2160 (can't recall from memory).
Normally when I select 4k resolution for my 4k TV it caps at 60fps. If it goes above 60fps then I know with other titles I'm doing either 2K or 1080P which let's me get to 120fps.
This game at 2160P was netting me way above 60fps on max settings. Which leads me to believe it isn't actually 4k and is bugged.
Lots of pop in, not everything is voiced, some odd camera choices in the prologue scene, and attacking with RB on a Xbox controller feels weird.
The visuals are hard to tell without being sure if it's 4k or not. The trailers made it look way better.
The game still is visually appealing, runs well otherwise, has good audio, voice acting, combat, and the story is interesting thus far. Also, the written dialogue is very good so far too.
Going to stick it out a few hours more to get a full feel. Right now I wouldn't recommend the PC version if you have console options.
Yeah, but with a PC version you can always use CheatEngine if you get bored of grinding..can't do that with a console version.
Can you remap the controller?
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smart_brazileiro
Banned
Why can't I be petty Peter?
Low Moral Fibre
Member
Bought on PC and seems a decent version.
At least double the console framerate at 1440p (cut scenes seemed to be 60fps locked though) which feels a lot nicer but doesn't look noticeably better without a side by side at least. Probably better AF as per usual.
Xbox One controller worked fine out of the box as I know some people have been having problems with controllers on PC. Can rebind buttons from the Steam Controller Menu it seems which is a bit weird but whatever.
At least double the console framerate at 1440p (cut scenes seemed to be 60fps locked though) which feels a lot nicer but doesn't look noticeably better without a side by side at least. Probably better AF as per usual.
Xbox One controller worked fine out of the box as I know some people have been having problems with controllers on PC. Can rebind buttons from the Steam Controller Menu it seems which is a bit weird but whatever.
GeorgPrime
Banned
*rofl*
Those +5 Level Up and + 100.000 Gold microtransactions are hilarious
Those +5 Level Up and + 100.000 Gold microtransactions are hilarious
SkylineRKR
Member
First few hours are decent, not great. So far I liked Xillia and Vesperia DE more. I don't feel the combat. Its mashy and I whiff a lot. Its hard to lock onto an enemy. You're mashing artes in sequence and using d-pad for assists. There doesn't seem to be much more to it so far.
Yamisan
Member
5 hours in so far on ps5. First 40 minutes are great then it gets VERY slow. Playing on performance mode and yet NPCs don't even load until I stand still next to where they should be at times, this is not ok. Beat the first main boss and hoping it picks up. TOB had a much better opening.
Athreous
Member
Me too! I remember ppl bashing Star Ocean 4 and Infinite Undiscovery, while I had such a blast playing both of them!
Yamisan
Member
ps5 battles instant, new zones <1 second
Paltheos
Member
It's really been 4 years since Berseria, huh. I'm interested to jump back into a Tales title after submerging myself in Trails games in the interim. I replayed Vesperia last year (the Definitive Edition, now) and confirmed that yeah these games are still pretty rad, but I'm interested to see how a modern title compares. I'm coming off Trails to Azure so the expectations are kinda high but based off just the first two hours Arise has not quite been meeting that same standard of quality lol
Skits have been the worst part, I think. Vesperia skits were actually funny or served some purpose in filling in dialogue the characters might have related to the plot that you didn't need to see but might have been nice to hear all the same. Sometimes redundant, sometimes revealing, but usually with some character in it for you to enjoy. The handful of Arise skits I've seen have just been inane shit. I'm also concerned that the style of presentation just won't work. The Phantasy Star IV style comicbook idea is fine and all, in theory, but I'm not feeling all the shot choices. I think the choice to replace the characters with their 3D models in the skits is a big mistake too. The 2D portraits they'd been using since Symphonia (?) added allot of character to the cast - they were simple, expressive, and clean-looking.
I don't know. I'll see. These gamesalways usually come together once the cast is all in one team, so I'll give it some time.
Skits have been the worst part, I think. Vesperia skits were actually funny or served some purpose in filling in dialogue the characters might have related to the plot that you didn't need to see but might have been nice to hear all the same. Sometimes redundant, sometimes revealing, but usually with some character in it for you to enjoy. The handful of Arise skits I've seen have just been inane shit. I'm also concerned that the style of presentation just won't work. The Phantasy Star IV style comicbook idea is fine and all, in theory, but I'm not feeling all the shot choices. I think the choice to replace the characters with their 3D models in the skits is a big mistake too. The 2D portraits they'd been using since Symphonia (?) added allot of character to the cast - they were simple, expressive, and clean-looking.
I don't know. I'll see. These games
Low Moral Fibre
Member
Loading the ruins at the start took 4.11 seconds on PS5 and 3.63 seconds on my PC with a 2500mb/s drive so I don't think they are taking advantage of the I/O and are just brute forcing it.
Fast enough either way.
Spukc
always chasing the next thrill
I was about to laugh at you..
Dodge a bullet there m8
Zenaku
Member
I'm enjoying the game, but for the first Tales built on the PS4/XBOne generation it doesn't feel like a full evolution. Areas feel like prettier versions of what we found in previous games, combat is different as with most games in the series and will come down to preference, and while I do like the characters so far they don't feel any better written than any of the series better characters.
It's... a Tales of game, through and through. That's not a bad thing, but there's still a lot of room for improvement, be it writing, characters, overworld, graphics or otherwise.
I will say this though, the lack of a 'focus target's option is starting to piss me off where I am in the game. It was annoying me regardless, as I prefer picking off enemies one-by-one, but the AI in this game just switches targets randomly, which makes it harder to utilize the strike system. Especially annoying as at least some of the previous games had this (can't remember if Zestiria/Berseria did, but I don't remember being annoyed by groups of enemies in those games).
It's... a Tales of game, through and through. That's not a bad thing, but there's still a lot of room for improvement, be it writing, characters, overworld, graphics or otherwise.
I will say this though, the lack of a 'focus target's option is starting to piss me off where I am in the game. It was annoying me regardless, as I prefer picking off enemies one-by-one, but the AI in this game just switches targets randomly, which makes it harder to utilize the strike system. Especially annoying as at least some of the previous games had this (can't remember if Zestiria/Berseria did, but I don't remember being annoyed by groups of enemies in those games).
SkylineRKR
Member
The targeting is busted. Enemies walk away at leisure as they do in FFXV. You can eventually lock them down if you have more AC and use your equipped artes in correct sequence. Their meter will build if you don't pause attacking for a second or 2 and you can end them with a team attack. But a lot of the times you are slashing air. It just feels bad. You can target other enemies with L1 + left stick but it feels awkward. Why isn't this on RS or something?
The random mobs are far too easy, but the bosses are hard. It feels unbalanced but this is par for the course in Tales games. The last one I played was Vesperia DE and that game had some tough bosses at the beginning as well and later on I had to dial the difficulty up. There is some strategy involved also. You'll want to use the mage girl assist if an enemy is charging a spell and Law on shielded enemies for instance. In the demo they recharged ridiculously fast but not here, you don't want to waste them. Mainly for the bosses you need enhanced accessories. For the poison boss, buff one that makes you immune to poison. And for the snow area boss, level up Alexandrites. They're clutch. You can change everything mid battle which is good.
Since artes are on cool down (with 3 points initially, so you can do 3 level 1 artes in succession before charging up), magic points are gone. To ensure you can't free heal ad infinitum, they introduced the CP system. This is a pool thats shared between the party and depletes when using heals etc. If its at zero you cannot heal or revive with spells. Orange Gel and some other gels replenish an amount. CP management is crucial, with it you can keep healing, resurrecting etc. Its generally not an issue in dungeons, once you're depleted you're likely nearing the end and before an important fight there is usually a restore spot. I guess I have to change Shionne as for random fights I don't really need healing. Ofcourse, you can always chuck gels and bottles in battle (and here you don't have to change characters for it, so if you're dead you can throw a life bottle on yourself), but i'd save the orange gel (and life bottles) for bosses.
I'm kind of conflicted on this system. In old games you had to replenish items a lot and the AI would waste MP on weak mobs unless you made them passive. In this game you only have to manage one shared CP pool.
But why I don't understand this game is rated so high is that it doesn't look all that amazing, and doesn't feel like much of an evolution over Xillia. It has the same kind of towns and connected open fields with ladders and other hidden spots with loot. You can also swim over small lakes and collect fish. The story is very basic, you topple some regional leaders and the first area is fire, the second is ice. Its very formulaic. The VA is Tales tier. The story is somewhat less cringe. Its darker. The amount of backtracking is rather obscene in the first hours, going back and forth between the same 3 areas all the time but you can fast travel from the get go.
The random mobs are far too easy, but the bosses are hard. It feels unbalanced but this is par for the course in Tales games. The last one I played was Vesperia DE and that game had some tough bosses at the beginning as well and later on I had to dial the difficulty up. There is some strategy involved also. You'll want to use the mage girl assist if an enemy is charging a spell and Law on shielded enemies for instance. In the demo they recharged ridiculously fast but not here, you don't want to waste them. Mainly for the bosses you need enhanced accessories. For the poison boss, buff one that makes you immune to poison. And for the snow area boss, level up Alexandrites. They're clutch. You can change everything mid battle which is good.
Since artes are on cool down (with 3 points initially, so you can do 3 level 1 artes in succession before charging up), magic points are gone. To ensure you can't free heal ad infinitum, they introduced the CP system. This is a pool thats shared between the party and depletes when using heals etc. If its at zero you cannot heal or revive with spells. Orange Gel and some other gels replenish an amount. CP management is crucial, with it you can keep healing, resurrecting etc. Its generally not an issue in dungeons, once you're depleted you're likely nearing the end and before an important fight there is usually a restore spot. I guess I have to change Shionne as for random fights I don't really need healing. Ofcourse, you can always chuck gels and bottles in battle (and here you don't have to change characters for it, so if you're dead you can throw a life bottle on yourself), but i'd save the orange gel (and life bottles) for bosses.
I'm kind of conflicted on this system. In old games you had to replenish items a lot and the AI would waste MP on weak mobs unless you made them passive. In this game you only have to manage one shared CP pool.
But why I don't understand this game is rated so high is that it doesn't look all that amazing, and doesn't feel like much of an evolution over Xillia. It has the same kind of towns and connected open fields with ladders and other hidden spots with loot. You can also swim over small lakes and collect fish. The story is very basic, you topple some regional leaders and the first area is fire, the second is ice. Its very formulaic. The VA is Tales tier. The story is somewhat less cringe. Its darker. The amount of backtracking is rather obscene in the first hours, going back and forth between the same 3 areas all the time but you can fast travel from the get go.
KàIRóS
Member
So are we going to use this thread as the OT?
Anyway, l played all day yesterday, I'm currently on Chapter 3, the story is pretty interesting so far, I wasn't expecting the Sci-Fi stuff to hit so fast, but I'm liking it. Combat definitly feels more expanded than the demo with the skill panel alone, and the main bosses are super flashy and cinematic like in FFVIIR, I really like those.
Now I'm off to play some more, time to get big ass Kisara in the party xD
Anyway, l played all day yesterday, I'm currently on Chapter 3, the story is pretty interesting so far, I wasn't expecting the Sci-Fi stuff to hit so fast, but I'm liking it. Combat definitly feels more expanded than the demo with the skill panel alone, and the main bosses are super flashy and cinematic like in FFVIIR, I really like those.
Now I'm off to play some more, time to get big ass Kisara in the party xD
SinDelta
Member
Tales of Arise is the most fun I've had with a RPG since Dragon Quest XI and Xenoblade DE/X.
Bravely Default 2 is on the sideburner (its still good mind you),but I've been wanting something like Tales of Arise for a while now.
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GeorgPrime
Banned
I decreased vamera speed on the field and a bit in the battles. Good enough. Still button smashing but ok
SkylineRKR
Member
Its getting better the further I progress. The third area is really good, it also breaks the otherwise straightforward plot in a good way. So far I like the first the least.
I have a decent amount of hidden artes and AG. The game is incredibly easy. The first 2 areas were tough, esp. the bosses. But I've went straight to Hard in the third area since I felt the enemies died way too quickly (and I want to combo them). Battles still end quickly and the forest boss was a pushover still.
The game has good pacing. And I like looting areas, finding hidden spots. If you fight enough you'll always have the needed mats to craft the best weaponry. I like how Alphen plays with his perfect dodge and fire attacks. But once I get Kisara, I probably main her in both field and combat. I liked her in the demo.
The lock on is still shit, some skills barely work because of it. But the combat isn't bad. You'll want to combo them without running out, and unleash those finishers. I do feel the game could've been optimized better, there is no real reason for these loading screens on PS5. Its not long, about 5 seconds if you fast travel way back, but I feel it could've been instant. Same goes for the framerate in graphics mode, if you look upwards its 60fps. And the pop in is awful, which is a shame as the atmosphere and graphical style is really great.
Namco is also really trying to push DLC, the links are even in the camp screen. But level ups are not needed, trust me this game becomes easy AF. Even on Hard mode. I think the AI is decent, Shionne casts healing area quite a bit and she also revives when not attacked. Law gets off quite a bit of Mystic artes and the 2 girls sometimes as well.
I have a decent amount of hidden artes and AG. The game is incredibly easy. The first 2 areas were tough, esp. the bosses. But I've went straight to Hard in the third area since I felt the enemies died way too quickly (and I want to combo them). Battles still end quickly and the forest boss was a pushover still.
The game has good pacing. And I like looting areas, finding hidden spots. If you fight enough you'll always have the needed mats to craft the best weaponry. I like how Alphen plays with his perfect dodge and fire attacks. But once I get Kisara, I probably main her in both field and combat. I liked her in the demo.
The lock on is still shit, some skills barely work because of it. But the combat isn't bad. You'll want to combo them without running out, and unleash those finishers. I do feel the game could've been optimized better, there is no real reason for these loading screens on PS5. Its not long, about 5 seconds if you fast travel way back, but I feel it could've been instant. Same goes for the framerate in graphics mode, if you look upwards its 60fps. And the pop in is awful, which is a shame as the atmosphere and graphical style is really great.
Namco is also really trying to push DLC, the links are even in the camp screen. But level ups are not needed, trust me this game becomes easy AF. Even on Hard mode. I think the AI is decent, Shionne casts healing area quite a bit and she also revives when not attacked. Law gets off quite a bit of Mystic artes and the 2 girls sometimes as well.
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Dynasty8
Member
I'm surprised how much I'm enjoying the game so far. Very well done, and I hated the previous 3 or 4 installments. I quit on the last two Tales games having been a big fan of vesperia back in the day.
I also recommend hard difficulty for those who want a challenge. Makes battles, especially boss battles, very epic and cool.
I also recommend hard difficulty for those who want a challenge. Makes battles, especially boss battles, very epic and cool.