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[SolVanderlyn]

I just got the skit where the party realizes Eizen has OCD.

I think Eizen is my favorite character ever. Got to admire his love for tunnels.

I definitely agree with this.

 

[ShadowSoldier89]

what to do? and oh, Is PS+ save upload thing activated by default when subscribing? maybe i would be able to download an old save data... really worried and not sure what to do

On PS4 it usually is. Thats the first thign I'd go looking for.

 

[texhnolyze]

Top 5 (taking everything in consideration, not just gameplay)

1.- Tales of the Abyss
2.- Tales of Symphonia

You.. I like you

 

[Pandora012]

You need to do 8 artes before triggering her second mystic arte. Using her claw allows you to continue your combo, then, as long as you have 4 BG, you should easily trigger it. Try using another set of artes on another button then what you started the combo with. It might help.

I wonder if my combos are breaking because the enemy is blocking. Thanks, will give it another try after work.

 

[FSLink]

So, general opinion

Is this game Good? in general?

And where is it located in your top 5 tales of series games?

My opinion: Yes, the game is good, better than expected

Top 5 (taking everything in consideration, not just gameplay)

1.- Tales of the Abyss
2.- Tales of Symphonia
3.- Tales of Berseria
4.- Tales of Vesperia
5.- Tales of Legendia

BUT WHOOT, VESPERIA IN 4TH!!!!?? WHY!!!?
Simply because the story is weak for me

And yes, Legendia is Good, like, really good, good enough to go back and try it

No full opinion on Berseria yet, but....

1. Tales of Destiny: DC (PS2)
2. Tales of Vesperia (PS3)
3. Tales of Graces f (PS3)
4. Tales of Xillia 2 (PS3)
5. Tales of Rebirth (PS2)
6. Tales of Narikiri Dungeon X (PSP)

my top 6 is something like this. Berseria is probably gonna fall around 2 or 3.

 

[SolVanderlyn]

As of right now, I'd place Berseria at No. 3, right below Destiny PS2 and Abyss.

It's about equal with Symphonia for me so far, maybe a bit better for a more cohesive cast. Symphonia had a lot of characters that ended up not doing much.

 

[OniBarubary]

This just proves that edgy works people.

All our games need to be edgy from now on.

Series failing? Make it edgy.

Series doing well? Make it edgy.

New IP? Make it edgy.

Game has too much edge? Make it edgy.

 

[dawgparty]

Ugh, I want this so badly but I don't even know if I have the time to finish a console JRPG before Persona 5 comes out. Estimates on length?

 

[Bladenic]

"Edgy" is such a catch-all and annoying ass word used around here.

Like, if you went through what Velvet did then yeah you'd be edgy too.

 

[SolVanderlyn]

"Edgy" is such a catch-all and annoying ass word used around here.

Like, if you went through what Velvet did then yeah you'd be edgy too.

Velvet's outfit and early character is pretty edgy though. And I say this as someone who find the term overused and misused very often. She's like Shadow the Hedgehog level.

Everyone else makes up for her though.

 

[Mendrox]

"Edgy" is such a catch-all and annoying ass word used around here.

Like, if you went through what Velvet did then yeah you'd be edgy too.

edgy is the new badass, but with a scent of negativity

 

[kewlmyc]

Did you get the standard or the Koto exclusive with the extra arm part? I didn't feel like paying the extra $20 for the latter.

Just ordered the Claw version of Kotobukiya's JP site. Hopefully I filled out all the forwarding info correctly.

I'm really hoping we hear something about the AI bug soon. Planning on playing through most of this on my plane to and from Japan, and having to mess with vjoy on my laptop sounds like a pain since it doesn't play well with Xbone controllers.

 

[R0ckman]

Not that far in the game and I think I'm just going to drop the difficulty for more cash. Besides battles where they really attempt to screw with you, and after fighting some super monsters I can no longer tell what difficulty I'm playing on. At this point for the sake of time I'm just going to play normal and cruise through gotta get done with this before switch hits.

 

[Impulsor]

Velvet's outfit and early character is pretty edgy though. And I say this as someone who find the term overused and misused very often. She's like Shadow the Hedgehog level.

Everyone else makes up for her though.

She seems to be evolving nicely. Doesn't she change along the story?

I feel like she does.

 

[Basileus777]

Velvet's outfit and early character is pretty edgy though. And I say this as someone who find the term overused and misused very often. She's like Shadow the Hedgehog level.

Everyone else makes up for her though.

Shadow the Hedgehog? Oh come on with that comparison.

 

[kayos90]

I think that People that are ranking vesperia high haven't gone back to play in some time. It has not aged well in the combat area

 

[R0ckman]

She seems to be evolving nicely. Doesn't she change along the story?

I feel like she does.

Yeah her early character is a blot in the otherwise well rounded parter characterizations. They could have pulled it off by having little scenes during the time skip where you see how she got to that point.

 

[Crosseyes]

I'm around 8-10 hours or so in and am having a great time. IMO it's the characters that are the biggest determination of how good a Tales game is for me and so far I'm loving the cast.

Velvet could have been a train wreck of a character but so far they've handled her development perfectly with herself and her interactions with the different characters around her. Could also help that with the whole Trump stuff going on I'm feeling very sympathetic to a murder revenge plot against a world leader that people seem to think is such a great guy.

 

[FSLink]

I think that People that are ranking vesperia high haven't gone back to play in some time. It has not aged well in the combat area

I think it's still pretty good myself, despite Overlimit being broken it makes it really fun, and the rest of the game has aged pretty well.

 

[R0ckman]

Skits in this are definitely a highlight of the game.

This has to be Sakuraba's worst OST ever. Even Tales of Rebirth, his previous winner of the "most bland Tales OST" award, sounded catchier than the noise in this game.

Battle Organization stuck with me despite being bland. I couldn't recall Berseria's battle theme if I tried.

Iron Manufacture - Jungle is similarly soulless to most of Berseria's tracks, but has some sense of identity with the whistle/voice sounds at 0:47. Berseria's tracks are all repeating noise like the rest of this track.

And it has no stand out exceptions like a great victory theme, either.

If I were a modder I'd release a mod for Steam that replaced the OST with old Tales tracks, haha. I say this as someone who is normally a huge Sakuraba fan. His work on Star Ocean 2, Golden Sun, Vesperia... all amazing. This? Terrible.

Imagine if Prison Island Titania had this music playing instead of guitar riffs over and over? A good OST would make this already great game amazing, IMO.

I thought Rebirth was okay, not the best but I remember almost all the tracks, loved 4 fangs battle theme, edge of an oath, last dungeon battle theme die is cast I think.

I remember NOTHING from Berseria though so far.

Oberon Corp theme always feels me with sadness because it means that I'm going to lose Leon

 

[kromeo]

I think that People that are ranking vesperia high haven't gone back to play in some time. It has not aged well in the combat area

I'm fine with the combat, it's the story holds it back a bit for me, I just don't find it particularly interesting. Don't like Yuri or Estelle much either

Raven + Judith > the rest


What it does have that's been missing from every Tales game since is well designed dungeons

 

[OniBarubary]

I mean...I don't think it takes such a stretch to understand why Velvet is the way she is. You literally play an hour of her idyllic life as the prologue then watch her mentor, brother-in-law, the person she looks up to the most and the 2nd most important person in her life straight up murderize the most important person in her life, They had been living as a family for years before this, taking care of each other after the loss of Velvet and Laphicet's parents and sister. And she turns into a daemon which we have seen alters your senses and emotions, and left to rot in a prison for 3 years only fed with daemons that are thrown in with her that she has to fight, kill and eat to survive.

I mean...I think people have some weird expectations for how characters are emotionally considering some of the shit that happens to them in games.

 

[R0ckman]

I mean...I don't think it takes such a stretch to understand why Velvet is the way she is. You literally play an hour of her idyllic life as the prologue then watch her mentor, brother-in-law, the person she looks up to the most and the 2nd most important person in her life straight up murderize the most important person in her life, They had been living as a family for years before this, taking care of each other after the loss of Velvet and Laphicet's parents and sister. And she turns into a daemon which we have seen alters your senses and emotions, and left to rot in a prison for 3 years only fed with daemons that are thrown in with her that she has to fight, kill and eat to survive.

I mean...I think people have some weird expectations for how characters are emotionally considering some of the shit that happens to them in games.

Its just a huge 180 though, the fact that it becomes the epitome of her personality. Hell she use to be a great cook but her attitude when you choose her for cooking is completely gone.

 

[ShadowSoldier89]

Just ordered the Claw version of Kotobukiya's JP site. Hopefully I filled out all the forwarding info correctly.

I'm really hoping we hear something about the AI bug soon. Planning on playing through most of this on my plane to and from Japan, and having to mess with vjoy on my laptop sounds like a pain since it doesn't play well with Xbone controllers.

Was it cheaper on the JP site? I ordered from NA for simplicities sake

shit I was going to bring my xbone controller just because its less fiddling with potential compatibility issues while on a plane. I think Ill just bring my PS4 one then, since its what I usually use and vjoy looking more and more like something I'll need to grab for this.

Its just a huge 180 though, the fact that it becomes the epitome of her personality. Hell she use to be a great cook but her attitude when you choose her for cooking is completely gone.

I havent started playing yet, but besides the initial cause, theres also 3(?) years in prison without the ability to cook anything. Plenty of time for revenge to stew and boil to the surface as the only remaining emotion

 

[aravuus]

Its just a huge 180 though, the fact that it becomes the epitome of her personality. Hell she use to be a great cook but her attitude when you choose her for cooking is completely gone.

Well, she does become a daemon, and there's some speculation from the characters

Spoiler

that daemons reflect the emotion they felt when they turned

or something along those lines, can't remember properly tbh. I think her being so driven by revenge and anger isn't far-fetched at all, she's not human anymore after all.

I'd lose all my interest in cooking too if

Spoiler

I literally couldn't taste anything.

 

[OniBarubary]

Its just a huge 180 though, the fact that it becomes the epitome of her personality. Hell she use to be a great cook but her attitude when you choose her for cooking is completely gone.

I mean...yeah?

That's what trauma does.

 

[Valkyri von Thanatos]

Skits in this are definitely a highlight of the game.

This has to be Sakuraba's worst OST ever. Even Tales of Rebirth, his previous winner of the "most bland Tales OST" award, sounded catchier than the noise in this game.

Battle Organization stuck with me despite being bland. I couldn't recall Berseria's battle theme if I tried.

Iron Manufacture - Jungle is similarly soulless to most of Berseria's tracks, but has some sense of identity with the whistle/voice sounds at 0:47. Berseria's tracks are all repeating noise like the rest of this track.

And it has no stand out exceptions like a great victory theme, either.

If I were a modder I'd release a mod for Steam that replaced the OST with old Tales tracks, haha. I say this as someone who is normally a huge Sakuraba fan. His work on Star Ocean 2, Golden Sun, Vesperia... all amazing. This? Terrible.

Imagine if Prison Island Titania had this music playing instead of guitar riffs over and over? A good OST would make this already great game amazing, IMO.

This might actually be possible, though I've yet to find out how to do it. However this video demonstrates that replacing the music is at least possible in Zestiria. I really want to do this too, but I don't know how it works yet.

One reason I've been hesitant to get the game is because it seems like getting it on PC is the best option but so far there is this still the AI bug, and I'm not sure if anyone has figured out how to maximize the draw distance to be much better than on PS4 (or is that just a simple option in the menu), plus there is the possibility of the lesser music being replaced.

I'd still prefer to have a physical copy, but if anyone figured out how to modify the music it'd probably be enough to make the PC version "definitive". (Along with the possibility of removing the silly censorship.)

 

[Bladenic]

Its just a huge 180 though, the fact that it becomes the epitome of her personality. Hell she use to be a great cook but her attitude when you choose her for cooking is completely gone.

That's because

Spoiler

she no longer has a sense of taste.

And also regarding Velvet, all that edginess i.e. her actions throughout the game... they aren't just forgotten and there is a payoff for everything she did.

Edit: the costume is trash though. I like the color scheme but the shit like a chain from one thigh to the other is just... yeesh.

 

[kewlmyc]

Most of the "edgy" comments seem to stem from her costume mostly, which is black and red, shredded, and has unnecessary belts. Plus her hand turns into a black and red claw. The personality is secondary. I'm cool with it, but it does seem like a design you would see a 13 year old come up with when tasked to create a custom character. "Her name is Velvet, and she doesn't take anything from anyone. She dresses in black and red, has a cool demon hand that she used to devour people, and won't let let anyone get in her way!"

Was it cheaper on the JP site? I ordered from NA for simplicities sake

Probably not after shipping, but the US shop is sold out.

 

[Metroidvania]

I wonder if my combos are breaking because the enemy is blocking. Thanks, will give it another try after work.

I definitely seem to have issues with the combos 'breaking' and only triggering the level 1 Mystic arte as well.

I assume that it does have something to do with blocks/resists, as I've had times with 4+ BG where I don't even activate the regular mystic arte without getting one 'unblocked' hit in.

Also, for the Velvet cooking thing, one of the key points is that due to her transformation,

Spoiler

she literally can't taste anything anymore either (other than blood)

.

 

[OniBarubary]

lol I won't defend her costume but I also won't mention that my entire wardrobe consists of black and red and that I love stupid fucking anime as hell designs and my "fighting for better represented women" weakness is underboob.

I won't mention any of those things. >_____>;;

 

[aravuus]

I'm cool with it, but it does seem like a design you would see a 13 year old come up with when tasked to create a custom character. "Her name is Velvet, and she doesn't take anything from anyone. She dresses in black and red, has a cool demon hand that she used to devour people, and won't let let anyone get in her way!"

Hah yeah, exactly what I thought when I saw it. It's like those shadow slayer predator david the hedgehogs you see on deviantart that have all kinds of dark assassin deadly mega ultra skills and "my dad" and "nick from school" listed in their dislikes.

I genuinely would like to hear why she was designed to be so over-the-top. I think it even kind of undermines her character.

 

[SolVanderlyn]

Shadow the Hedgehog? Oh come on with that comparison.

I can just imagine her saying this during Act 1.

I actually think her outfit has the makings of cool in there somewhere. The cape and cloak are really badass. The red shirt and black pants are the start of a good design, it's just that they're hyper racy and torn for no good reason. Her villager outfit isn't bad, but as someone earlier in the topic put it, it feels a bit "NPC tier" compared to everyone else's default outfits, and ends up looking jarring in cutscenes.

So far - I think I'm in act 3 - her character has improved quite a bit. It actually starts improving fairly early on and just snowballs from there.

 

[ShadowSoldier89]

I wouldnt change anything about the default outfit other than possibly removing a belt or two

 

[ryushe]

I mean...I don't think it takes such a stretch to understand why Velvet is the way she is. You literally play an hour of her idyllic life as the prologue then watch her mentor, brother-in-law, the person she looks up to the most and the 2nd most important person in her life straight up murderize the most important person in her life, They had been living as a family for years before this, taking care of each other after the loss of Velvet and Laphicet's parents and sister. And she turns into a daemon which we have seen alters your senses and emotions, and left to rot in a prison for 3 years only fed with daemons that are thrown in with her that she has to fight, kill and eat to survive.

I mean...I think people have some weird expectations for how characters are emotionally considering some of the shit that happens to them in games.

Yeah, I'm seriously not getting it. Girls been through some things. Heck, I've known characters act much worse for less.

 

[#sorrynotsorry]

This seems like the best place to ask this. Should I buy and play this game or play Final Fantasy 10 and 10-2 (neither of which I have ever played)?

 

[Bladenic]

Who cares about Velvet's design though, Rokurou and Eizen are both perfect.

Oh and another major thing! I've yet to see any boob jokes! I believe this is the second game (Zestiria didn't have them either) to not have them in a row, is the Tales series finally grown up enough? Or is it simply because none of the females were designed with DD boobs in mind?

This seems like the best place to ask this. Should I buy and play this game or play Final Fantasy 10 and 10-2 (neither of which I have ever played)?

Do you want turn-based/realtime turn based combat or super fast paced action combat?

FFX is a classic and X-2 is an underrated gem with super fun battle system. It's ultimately what kind of JRPG you're itching to play at the moment.

 

[Brandon F]

I can just imagine her saying this during Act 1.

I have not once ever imagined her saying anything like that. She's driven by revenge and is deadset on a singular goal, but she's not a complete asshole for the sake of being an asshole.

 

[kromeo]

This seems like the best place to ask this. Should I buy and play this game or play Final Fantasy 10 and 10-2 (neither of which I have ever played)?

As much as I love Tales, nothing the series has ever done comes close to the quality of FFX. Just my opinion of course

Depends whether you want to play a linear, turn based, story focused game or a combo based action rpg I guess

 

[SolVanderlyn]

I have not once ever imagined her saying anything like that. She's driven by revenge and is deadset on a singular goal, but she's not a complete asshole for the sake of being an asshole.

If a baby holding candy got in the way of her revenge, you bet she'd take that candy and remark about not apologizing for it.

It's not a 100% accurate comparison, and there is a reason for her to be the way she is, but I found it fell a bit flat early on in the game. They push the fact that your enemy is the savior of the world and that you're playing a group of villains pretty hard. Thankfully things become more nuanced fairly quickly.

 

[kewlmyc]

Who cares about Velvet's design though

A lot of people since it's constantly being brought up. I agree that the rest of the designs, sans maybe Magilou, are fine. Magilou's personality makes up for it though, and at least her design is weird enough to be memorable.

 

[VanillaCakeIsBurning]

I have not once ever imagined her saying anything like that.

The Shadow the Hedgehog comparison is seriously overblown.

I see it thrown around for the flimsiest of reasons.

And edgy is one of those words that when I see my brain just turns off because it doesn't tell me anything other than that someone can repeat recent popular trendy words.

I mean...I don't think it takes such a stretch to understand why Velvet is the way she is. You literally play an hour of her idyllic life as the prologue then watch her mentor, brother-in-law, the person she looks up to the most and the 2nd most important person in her life straight up murderize the most important person in her life, They had been living as a family for years before this, taking care of each other after the loss of Velvet and Laphicet's parents and sister. And she turns into a daemon which we have seen alters your senses and emotions, and left to rot in a prison for 3 years only fed with daemons that are thrown in with her that she has to fight, kill and eat to survive.

I mean...I think people have some weird expectations for how characters are emotionally considering some of the shit that happens to them in games.

What I've learned over the years is that some people don't want characters to act in a way that's consistent with what's been shown on screen. People want characters to immediately bounce back from any trauma and act all chipper. It just annoys me when people blatantly ignore what's been shown and criticize a character for not being happy or just not caring about what's happened to them.

 

[OniBarubary]

Okay, if you don't like Magilou's book skirt, we're gonna have fighting words.

 

[SolVanderlyn]

What I've learned over the years is that some people don't want characters to act in a way that's consistent with what's been shown on screen. People want characters to immediately bounce back from any trauma and act all chipper. It just annoys me when people blatantly ignore what's been shown and criticize a character for not being happy or just not caring about what's happened to them.

Literally nobody is saying this. The complaints - which have all been from people who, from what I can tell, enjoy the game and don't even hate Velvet - are that it feels a bit heavy handed early on. That's all.

 

[Metroidvania]

The thing with Velvet is that in the beginning, she never really had time to....come to terms with things, such as it were.

Immediately being chucked in solitary for 3 years after what happens in the prologue, and being forced to consume other beings for sustenance would probably tend to leave one with being pretty damn focused on their 'goal' - it's either that, or go insane, I would imagine. This is even addressed in-game, IIRC.

She definitely evolves over the story as well (though that evolution is at times uneven, and mainly focused on 2 or 3 story 'beats', at least one of which is pretty late into the 2nd act), but I'll grant that some of 'the edge' comes from her not giving a shit about the general populace.

But at the same time, she also has some moments, even early on, where she doesn't 'just' take the path of least resistance in terms of furthering her goals re:revenge - such as not (early spoiler)

Spoiler

Killing Doyle the sailor when it would have been much easier to do so in the cave, even with the convenient timing of his reveal about his being the fall guy

.

If her costume either evolved after escaping the prison (not feeling the temp is still pretty silly as a reason, given that she still shows points of being embarrassed and what have you), or at least had a few less belts and zippers as the only things holding it together, it would definitely help.

 

[kewlmyc]

Okay, if you don't like Magilou's book skirt, we're gonna have fighting words.

It's bizarre but weird enough to be memorable.

I'd buy a figure of her.

 

[Bladenic]

Character design ranking IMO:

Rokurou >= Eizen > Magilou > Eleanor > Velvet = Laphicet

Edit: I was gonna save this for after I finish the game and wrote my review but Tales series rankings because everyone is doing it (sans Berseria till I finish it)

1. Vesperia
2. Symphonia
3. Rebirth

The holy trinity IMO.

4. Xillia 2

After that it's harder to rank since I like and dislike aspects of all the rest. I'd say Legendia and Zestiria would be pretty low overall and Hearts and Graces would be mid maybe.

 

[straylize]

So, general opinion

Is this game Good? in general?

And where is it located in your top 5 tales of series games?

My opinion: Yes, the game is good, better than expected

Top 5 (taking everything in consideration, not just gameplay)

1.- Tales of the Abyss
2.- Tales of Symphonia
3.- Tales of Berseria
4.- Tales of Vesperia
5.- Tales of Legendia

BUT WHOOT, VESPERIA IN 4TH!!!!?? WHY!!!?
Simply because the story is weak for me

And yes, Legendia is Good, like, really good, good enough to go back and try it

1. Tales of Destiny DC
2. Tales of Destiny 2
3. Tales of Rebirth
4. Tales of Graces
5. Tales of Berseria

Graces makes it for combat, but little else since it's one of my favorites, Berseria is great overall but the combat isn't really challenging at any point for me so it's just that I really enjoy the story and characters more than the other parts.

I ruminated on this for a while after playing the import to see if my feelings for Berseria would change with time as they did for the Xillias and Graces, but... nope, upon replaying it a few months later, I love it just the same as I did the first go-around.

 

[Jiraiza]

"Edgy" is such a catch-all and annoying ass word used around here.

Like, if you went through what Velvet did then yeah you'd be edgy too.

She's cute though, so it's okay.

 

[aravuus]

1. Tales of Destiny DC
2. Tales of Destiny 2
3. Tales of Rebirth

Always depressing to see these three in folks' favorite Tales lists since I know I'll most likely never get to play them in a language I can understand

I'm probably only halfway or two thirds through Berseria so I'm not gonna post any personal rankings. Maybe after I'm done.

e: I've never played Legendia though, should get around to it some day