Ultimadrago
Member
Time Stop is crazy.
Especially so when a human player is present to stack them together.
Especially so when a human player is present to stack them together.
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Tales of Xillia |OT| - Teach me about Bazongas!
- Thread starter ULTROS!
- Start date
AlphaDragoon
Member
I like Xillia's combat system a lot better for the most part. I felt like I was fighting the Graces battle system rather than the enemies for a good long time and even when I got used to it it still wasn't amazing. Xillia has its problems too but on the whole, I feel much less restricted.
It doesn't tell me I can't simply move out of the way of something because I don't have enough whatever the fuck points and have to instead take damage. "Oh, you can skillfully sidestep, you don't need Free Run! Oh wait, the attack is way too big to sidestep and avoid? But wow, you can use a shield to lower the damage of the bullshit magic spell you could have just walked out of the way of in Abyss/Vesperia/Xillia!" Yippee. Or I could just, you know, run out of the way and proceed to keep killing the caster. And I find the Graces "sidestep as the main dodge mechanic" to be far worse than just backstepping.
However as I said, Xillia has some lame parts too. Linking sucks as a forced mechanic, it should have been optional at times. There's no goddamn reason why you shouldn't be able to Overlimit on your own, especially when your enemies can. I also hate that the CC meter from Graces snuck in this game as AC. Also, boss fights with the "attack until they get super armor, Snap Pivot to avoid the counter and repeat" was dumb.
Ultimately for me, Vesperia is still and will probably be for a long time the king of Tales combat. Everything in that game's combat worked, and worked well. It made you feel like a badass and didn't make it needlessly complicated like Graces, or screw you over and force you to play a certain way like Xillia.
I just got to
Elympios. Jude punching the fuck out of Maxwell was some pimp shit. I really like the music in Elympios, the jazzy Cowboy Bebop style is way different from most Tales games.
Jude and Leia are the best characters in the game personality-wise, IMO.
Jude and Leia are the best characters in the game personality-wise, IMO.
Ar tonelico III was my first Platinum! Then I went back and Platinum'd the Japanese version too.
I just beat the game for the first time! Man, did that final boss get to me. I was playing on Moderate and was in the early 70s in levels for the most part and didn't have the best possible equips, so maybe that's why it was hard... But really
I really didn't expect to like this game as much as I did though, the cast is all so great in my opinion. I ended up loving pretty much almost every major character. So good. <3
I just beat the game for the first time! Man, did that final boss get to me. I was playing on Moderate and was in the early 70s in levels for the most part and didn't have the best possible equips, so maybe that's why it was hard... But really
Muzét made the fight ridiculous, with her MP drains and constant item usage/healing and then reviving after beating her the first time! I haven't cursed so much at a game in a while! Never actually had a party wipe at least!
I really didn't expect to like this game as much as I did though, the cast is all so great in my opinion. I ended up loving pretty much almost every major character. So good. <3
Ultimadrago
Member
I hope this Arena MC is in Xillia 2. He makes me chuckle.
Thank you! I tried to only listen to a few of those tracks as to not completely drive myself crazy before the release next year.
By the way Schala, I always love reading your detailed impressions. I don't know what you're majoring in but I hope it has something to do with teaching, because you do a fantastic job of getting your point across
chickdigger802
Banned
game really needs a zoe2 style 3d danger indicator.
Instead they do the opposite and hide enemies in the foreground >.>"
died way too much because of being blindsided by a boss when there are more than 1 dude.
tales games should really sit down and figure out how bosses should work. Or at the very least playtest them before shipping >.>"
having to cross your fingers hoping your ai friends can hold off the other boss while you wail on one is... just awful.
Instead they do the opposite and hide enemies in the foreground >.>"
died way too much because of being blindsided by a boss when there are more than 1 dude.
tales games should really sit down and figure out how bosses should work. Or at the very least playtest them before shipping >.>"
having to cross your fingers hoping your ai friends can hold off the other boss while you wail on one is... just awful.
BassForever
Member
You can change the camera settings to show every character in the battle at all times.
Add me to the list. What I really liked is how the cast clicked well together in Graces. I don't care what other people say. Definitely towards the end, there were some heartwarming moments. (at the end of the game and in L&L).
I also really dug the idea of Lambda and what eventually ended up happening in the end of the main game.
fallingdove
Member
Ran through Magnus Zero a few times last night. Felt like a lazy secret dungeon -
Still really enjoying the game - I have now finished with both Jude and Milla and with my 4th MZ run-through hit lvl 99 for all my characters. Does anyone know if levels get carried over to ToX 2 in some fashion? - i.e. how the new game + works in ToX
linking random areas you have visited throughout the game with the premise that the dungeon was 'created from your memories'
Still really enjoying the game - I have now finished with both Jude and Milla and with my 4th MZ run-through hit lvl 99 for all my characters. Does anyone know if levels get carried over to ToX 2 in some fashion? - i.e. how the new game + works in ToX
Nope, everyone starts from the beginning and they all forgot all their skills and artes. You know, like every other sequel
chickdigger802
Banned
TripleSun
Member
I love how Milla gets angry, lol. I didn't know you were that type of man, Jude! Hahah
I pretty much agree with every point with the exception of AC. I have mixed feelings about AC. I like it in that it's a little more accessible to chain artes, but Vesperia seemed to have a more satisfying chaining system.
dakkumauji
Member
Yes, level cap is 99. Not sure what you'll be looking for it in the grade shop.
BassForever
Member
IT SNOWED LAST NIGHT
IT SNOWED LAST NIGHT
MILLA AND THE FOUR HAD A PILLOW FIGHT
Dying over here
IT SNOWED LAST NIGHT
MILLA AND THE FOUR HAD A PILLOW FIGHT
Dying over here
The one that's in the highest party slot gets their music played.
no I just thought that there was something to unlock the level cap in the grade shop.
BassForever
Member
That makes me sad, I wish if I had four different dlc costumes it would randomly pick a battle theme from them.
Better yet, they should all play at the same time superimposed on one another.
There's definitely some comfort in the predictability of the story and certain other things I know the series won't stray away from. But I also know by now that Namco stirs things up plenty so it doesn't get too stale, so that comfort from the old is balanced by excitement over the new.
It's also one of the few remaining old-school-style console JRPG series, I'm told...
HawthorneKitty
Sgt. 2nd Class in the Creep Battalion, Waifu Wars
I think it's cute; not as cute as Japanese, but cute nonetheless.
Palette Swap
Member
Just had that skit, it was stupidly funny.
I didn't think I'd say that but I really like the character interactions in the game, they've all really grown on me.
Also, I finally understand where that title comes from.
leatherhat
Member
Man, that final boss really knows how to put one in a bad mood.
It's like all the bad design choices from the earlier boss battles combined into one Lovecraftian Horror of excessively annoying game design (one that at times put me through the wringer like I was playing Marvel vs Fucking Capcom with air combo juggles and resets).
It's like all the bad design choices from the earlier boss battles combined into one Lovecraftian Horror of excessively annoying game design (one that at times put me through the wringer like I was playing Marvel vs Fucking Capcom with air combo juggles and resets).
Free Run does exist in Graces. Side Stepping, or dodging with it, is encouraged and rewarded because of the CC bonus you get when it's timed properly. You can also back step, too, though yes free run and back step do cost CC.
The problem with Free Run is that it can trivialize encounters. The battle ring in 3D Tales is huge. This is notable even in early stuff like that hollow armor thing you can fight in Abyss (dungeon where you fight the little girl God General for the first time.) This is why placing a limit on Free Run is good. CC is also good because it limits arte spam in its own way...at least for a comparatively larger portion of the game, as in Graces you can get tons of CC much later on.
I actually think Vesperia's requirement to use artes repeatedly to unlock new ones, not just boost them as in other games, is annoying. Graces' inclusion of more weaknesses, iron stance, Title system (for specific bonuses that you may need for specific battles) make you feel like a badass. =) It takes that complexity, that intricacy of the system, to add more depth. However, I will say that the hiding of some titles (the way you get Asbel's third Blast Caliber, for example) is pretty annoying and the pacing of leveling up Titles is a little trying (though you do get a small incremental bonus for each star, which is nice, and a bonus for maxing.)
I do agree that AC in Xillia is pretty bizarre. It sort of feels redundant.
dakkumauji
Member
Xillia's CC is probably just their way of limiting the number of moves you can do since you can literally chain whatever arte the hell you want with whatever arte you want unless an arte leaves you in the air or whatever.
Much different from the old way of normal attacks, a base arte to an arcane arte system or how Graces limits you to either having to run up the A-arte chain or having a CC requirement per arte.
Much different from the old way of normal attacks, a base arte to an arcane arte system or how Graces limits you to either having to run up the A-arte chain or having a CC requirement per arte.
AlphaDragoon
Member
I know that Free Run and Backstep are in Graces, I own the game, beat the main game and played Future Arc until I couldn't stand the game enough to finish it. I don't like that in Graces the Free Run that might save your ass is stuck to the CC system, so if you don't have enough and suddenly here comes an AoE that the dinky sidestep isn't going to save you from, you're eating it. You can Magic Guard or whatever but you still ate damage that you couldn't avoid because your character is all of a sudden too stupid to move off a straight line.
For me, Graces vs. Vesperia isn't even close, and it's not in favor of Graces like a lot of GAF.
AlphaDragoon
Member
Didn't it? I remember some kind of blocking technique to mitigate damage.
I'm at the
spyrix laboratory in Elympios now. Okay, giving Gaius the equivalent of the Eternal Sword is some broke shit.
Try setting your character to manual.
... so backstep? I don't remember any AoE attack you can't dodge with two-three jumps back at worst.
Go to the Sacred Mountain of Nia Khera or whatever the name was and look for the horse enemies. Almost every attack they do knocks characters off. Obviously go through Jude's skills first and make sure nothing makes it easier to get up, because all those skills are linked.
BassForever
Member
Finally wiped for the first time against
was doing fine... and then she did a mystic arte and killed EVERYONE! Rematch with everyone using fire guard made it a joke fight
The hardest part of this for me is years of playing Tales has told me "get hit in the air/knocked to the ground hit guard to recover" it's hard to intentionally not recover.
Agrias 2 in Fennmont
The hardest part of this for me is years of playing Tales has told me "get hit in the air/knocked to the ground hit guard to recover" it's hard to intentionally not recover.
It's definitely the worst fight of the game imo.
They do exactly what you said and I'm not sure who thought that would be a fun, fair challenge instead of totally annoying and tedious. Then again it was probably the same person that thought the annoying stuff from earlier boss battles was fine, so...
Nah, Graces goes for the "Standard guard blocks everything" style IIRC.
I'm trying to remember any attack other than a Mystic Arte that was undodgeable. Certainly a number of unblockable attacks, but I recall sidestepping getting me out of everything if I learned which dodge to use and at what timing.
And it's called resource management. What do you mean you couldn't avoid it? Because you used all of your CC and didn't save any for defense? People act like TP is a resource system and CC isn't, and that's completely not true. Hell, a number of characters could even use their Artes to get out of the way of attacks early.
At the very least, Graces had a basic movement system (up to move towards your enemy, down to move away, no matter how you're facing) that actually made sense for a 3D game using a linear motion battle system. Free Run will often put you in positions where you can end up attacking the wrong way unless you spend extra time planning around it, and it's worse in multiplayer.
Sounds like someone's not playing on Semi-Auto
I swear you lucked out. I swear. lol
I didn't get it until level 99 since I put it off forever. The horse enemies in the EX dungeon make it go by really fast.
Maybe haha. But you gotta admit the set up
with your party members arriving and using their MAs was awesome!
Nephitamine
Member
I agree with this. It's ridiculous that most of the time I can't even expend all my AC before getting knocked away. This game is fun when I can actually piece together my combos, but it's only possible when there's no more than 2 enemies. Having bosses (and some normal enemies) break out of combos that don't even last 8 AC is just stupid. I find myself just spamming knockdown artes on bosses because they do a good deal of damage in 1 hit and the bosses will recover right away, allowing me to continuously deal full damage to them before their anti-combo shield kicks in.
There should have been an iron stance-like skill (or maybe there is but I haven't unlocked it yet) to counteract the mobs of monsters problem. I just unlocked mirage step (I think that's what it is called), so I'm hoping that with this I can at least perform a forward step between hits if I see an attack coming to not get knocked out of my combo.