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Tales of Xillia |OT| - Teach me about Bazongas!
- Thread starter ULTROS!
- Start date
throwawayname
Member
Will give this a try as my first Tales game.
that's the Collector Edition right
I'm referring to the Day One Limited Edition (first print)
unless the artbook and CD in that video is what I'll get too
birthbysleep
Member
Vesperia was okay, didn't love it, didn't hate it. I absolutely loathed Graces (the childhood intro still haunts my nightmares) but this game has really peaked my interest(same with Xillia 2), so this is gonna be my last try at giving the Tales series a chance.
Does the US version of Xillia have any changes/improvements over the JP release? I seem to recall Abyss getting a few.
I recall hearing this game is pretty unbalanced in terms of Link Artes and such, resulting in Jude/Milla having a lot more than the other characters. It would be disappointing if they released the game here knowing that was a common complaint from the JP release 2 years ago.
I've bought and played most of the mainline Tales games in the US (Symphonia, Abyss, Vesperia, and Graces), but I'm having a hard time justifying getting a game that's subpar in many respects. That said, I really enjoy the Tales series and want to support future releases of games in the west.
Not sure what I'll end up doing.
(For what it's worth, of the four Tales games I've played, Vesperia was my least favorite of by quite a margin. Seeing people compare Xillia with Vesperia makes me even more hesitant).
I recall hearing this game is pretty unbalanced in terms of Link Artes and such, resulting in Jude/Milla having a lot more than the other characters. It would be disappointing if they released the game here knowing that was a common complaint from the JP release 2 years ago.
I've bought and played most of the mainline Tales games in the US (Symphonia, Abyss, Vesperia, and Graces), but I'm having a hard time justifying getting a game that's subpar in many respects. That said, I really enjoy the Tales series and want to support future releases of games in the west.
Not sure what I'll end up doing.
(For what it's worth, of the four Tales games I've played, Vesperia was my least favorite of by quite a margin. Seeing people compare Xillia with Vesperia makes me even more hesitant).
I guess the real question is what kind of Tales person you are. If you're the 'it's like I'm really playing an anime' crowd who values story over gameplay (symphonia and abyss had awful combat but are loved by this crowd), you will like different Tales games than people who value gameplay over story (Graces F, at least once you get more than 20 hours in, has the best 3D combat system in the history of Tales but has an awful story).
At the pinnacle, of course, is the Tales of Destiny PS2 remake. Director's Cut, that is.
Not only does it have the best combat system in Tales history, it also has a pretty good story and Graces F took a few of its best elements from that game (but messed it up sometimes, Accel mode from the postgame was available early on in the main game in Destiny PS2).
Too bad we never got it in the West.
dakkumauji
Member
I honestly don't expect any changes since we never got any with Graces f.
The shortcomings of the game aren't as bad as everyone makes them out to be. We're pretty much nitpicking at stuff that you only really encounter near the end or so or after playing 40+ hours. It's mostly only after playing the game for so long where you start noticing stuff.
The lack of link artes isn't that big of deal. You won't get gimped on deciding who to pair with and really only one pair suffers (Leia and Elise) due to most of their link artes being healing moves.
Well, Xillia 2 was their way of addressing the complaints. Presumably all of the fixes and extra content they would have added in a hypothetical Xillia DC was put into that instead.
Can't believe this thread is 8 pages already.
Now someone tech me about bazongas!
Now someone tech me about bazongas!
SERIOUSLY
Because we did get the improved version of Graces (f version vs Wii original) + some bug fixes.
I agree :') Vesperia was so good. If I end up liking Xillia even close to as much as Vesperia it'll be top 3 for me
chickdigger802
Banned
Yep!
Same, some of that may be bias because it was my first Tales game, but I thought it was leagues better than Abyss and Graces which I played recently.
Can't wait for the next wave of Tales games, Xillia 1 + 2 not to mention when Symphonia HD comes out I will finally get to see what the big hubbub was about.
SatelliteOfLove
Member
Tales games has almost as much reiterative usage of monsters as FF, DQ, and SMT, but without any interest from the playerbase. It's wierd.
I'm waiting for the Milla/Jude Big Bang photoshop.
I'm interested in buying this... then I realized I haven't even finished Graces F yet. Mainly because I was an idiot and was playing through large chunks of the game with the difficulty all the way up. Which makes the random mobs way more interesting to fight (especially with a wipe actually being a real threat), but it made some of the bosses real bullshit. Took way too long (probably 80 hours after calculating in restarts and reloads) to get to the end... which is where I left it. (Insert snide comment about how awful the characters in Graces were HERE)
I just have this weird tendency to quit playing J-RPGs at the very end of it. I got to the end of Persona 4 but didn't beat the final boss until about 4 years later, and I'm sitting at the final boss of EO4, and I have FE:A at the final chapter (or thereabouts, 25 or something) and then I realize I haven't started SMT4 yet and halp ;_;.
I just have this weird tendency to quit playing J-RPGs at the very end of it. I got to the end of Persona 4 but didn't beat the final boss until about 4 years later, and I'm sitting at the final boss of EO4, and I have FE:A at the final chapter (or thereabouts, 25 or something) and then I realize I haven't started SMT4 yet and halp ;_;.
HawthorneKitty
Sgt. 2nd Class in the Creep Battalion, Waifu Wars
Damn, already?
Urrrgh, so many games to play.
Urrrgh, so many games to play.
This. I'm slowly weaning myself off of Animal Crossing long enough to play SMT. I should be able to give my full attention to Xillia next week.
Then it's all about FFXIV...
Accel mode is a completely different and new mechanic. It was more similar to an Overlimit type thing.
The way it differs is that Destiny has more characters with a more varied playstyle, and with how CC works, instead of going for correctly timed dodges, it's more of a resource management...but it differs from TP since it's "infinite". You start off with your min CC and build yourself up, so like a character like Phillia would be using stuff like Lightning until her CC gets high enough to use Indignation.Yeah if you're more story oriented, or enjoyed Abyss and Vesperia more than Graces, Xillia is more up your alley.
I like the new designs in Vesperia and such, but I dunno, the Abyss set of monsters kinda sucks and we've seen them overused in every spinoff title too (the same exact model) so they got tiring fast.
I think the CD is the same, and they show off a "Codex of Ideologies" which is what Namco sent them separately, so I think that's the artbook with the Limited Edition?
Agreed with this. People shouldn't have anything to worry about, Xillia is one of the most solid games in the series. However, if you judge all the Tales games with their end game content, it falls short.
cj_iwakura
Member
Same day as Dragon's Crown. Poor
games, always sent to die.
Namco
Same day as Dragon's Crown. Poorgames, always sent to die.Namco
I think you're overestimating DC. It's hardly being sent to die against that game. Nothing like Graces being out same month as ME3 or Abyss being out right before FFXII
Mauricio_Magus
Banned
How's the combat? I loved Graces combat so much more than the Symphonia/Abyss/Vesperia one.
It's sad that everything else about Graces was bad.
It's sad that everything else about Graces was bad.
It's more akin to those games than Graces. Xillia 2 has a lot of Graces elements though.
cj_iwakura
Member
R_thanatos
Member
the in -battle skits are the most fun because they happen during battle and during some specific bosses . Tipo in particular has several lines that are just ..."golden"
I know.
I want both though.
Well I wouldn't say bad timing for DC either haha. It'll probably sell better than Xillia
If anything, they're both being sent to die against M&L4
Byronic Hero
Member
Wow, had no idea about the other two types of skits. Looking forward to this game that much more.
About those missable sidequests, is there somewhere I can find them without getting spoiled? I usually search out the quests on my own, but I'd hate to miss a good one and have to wait until the next playthrough to get it.
TheFLYINGManga_Ka
Member
This one had a good story right?
It sounds like it's a step above Graces but not necessarily up to par to Vesperia. However, it's all a matter of opinion, right?
Ghost_Protocol
Member
How's the music?
TheFLYINGManga_Ka
Member
Also based on the trailer the story looks darker than past Tales games.
Probably the best in the series in a long while. I think the only tracks I didn't really like were the boss themes. The dungeon, field, and battle tracks are great.
I think it's because they don't really try to assign a consistent "personality" to each monster that would make fans pleased (or at least not unhappy) to see them. Often some monsters will suddenly disappear for a game or two, or they'll arbitrarily change the colors or add one-off details in one game that will disappear in the next. It makes it hard for anyone to get any familiarity with the designs and get attached to them.
Palette swaps are hardly uncommon in RPGs, but if you look at the Slime from Dragon Quest, or the Bomb from Final Fantasy, or Jack Frost in SMT, there's a method to the madness and there's a relative consistency in how each is designed. The designs are so established and well-known by now that they often can't arbitrarily change things without considering it a different enemy entirely. The Slime can't be orange or else it would be a She-Slime, the Bomb can't be Blue or else it would be a Grenade, and Jack Frost can't be black or else it's Black Frost. Those enemies also tend to show up in every mainline game and many of the spinoffs, so they have set characteristics established in the player's mind. A monster may have been blue in Abyss and green in Xillia, but no one really notices or cares because it was red in Vesperia and wasn't even in Graces.
There's also arguably not enough creativity or stylization in the designs for anything to stand out. They take stuff like turtles, birds, bees, wolves, lizards, frogs, and tadpoles and often play the designs pretty straight. There aren't many designs that make you think "I'm not sure what it's supposed to be, but it looks cool!" or "that barely resembles a <insert animal here>, but the design is really nice".
Usually seen as better than recent Tales games like Graces' and Vesperia, but opinions of how good it is beyond that seems to be more mixed. It's not my favorite Tales soundtrack but it's in the top 5 at least.
Solid Amit
Member
I wonder how good is it next to Tales of The Abyss, or next to Vesperia because these two was amazing
Agreed, definitely in my top 5. Not sure if it's my favorite though, haven't listened to much of X2's OST and it's hard to top Phantasia's stellar OST.
As far as monsters go...well Eggbears are neat. ToS2 disappointed me in making them joinable as party members but can't use them like in Eternia for a short bit, lol. NDX did well and fixed this. I also like the different styles the summons show up in the series too.
Put my preorder in today. I got Graces f day one, and the great battle system and all the extras really carried the game through most of the low points. Seriously, one of the best battle systems I've played.
I am looking forward to a game with a better story, however. I like what I see so far of Xillia's visual design as well. More naturally formed characters and grittier colors.
I am looking forward to a game with a better story, however. I like what I see so far of Xillia's visual design as well. More naturally formed characters and grittier colors.
hmm guess there's not much to the first print then :/
Makes me question how much of a Tales fan I am lol. Egg Bear might be the only common enemy that I can name off the top of my head. There are some I can remember just based on looks, but that's because Abyss monsters were reused quite a bit.
DIrtyWeasel
Member
Holy crap! I stopped playing in the desert too! I want Tales of Xillia but I keep telling myself I shouldn't get it until I beat Graces. I only stopped because Diablo 3 came out and had to play D3 while my friends were playing it.
R_thanatos
Member
About the missable sidequests ... it's easy to track them once you have them started ( because they can expire at some points ) but no you actually have to wonder around to get them first.
The game does have plenty of field skits to give you an idea on where to go to get them at some points .. the game for example told me to get back to x town in numerous way " i wonder how X is doing ?", "don't you wonder what happenned to X ?" and so on.but it's not a failsafe way to get them all.
There do was a spoiler-free guide for the sidequests that was for mila path in the japanese version , but it will need to be updated with the new locations names, names , skill names and so on.
Dark Schala
Eloquent Princess
Well, the hardest difficulty is unlocked when you beat the game, so people should be aware of that if their only experience is with Graces.
It's just like with the other games for people familiar with past games localized from the previous generation.
What? That's fucking bullshit. Whaaaaaat.
dakkumauji
Member
There isn't? Huh, never noticed that.
Though I guess with enemies having more HP means you could get more bonus combo exp hence why I never noticed a regular increase in battle rewards.
solid mike
Member
Shame. I actually think the school outfits are really good and the swimsuits....for research purposes.