Tales of Vesperia Definitive Edition - Review (NSW) - Tarks Gauntlet

Tales of Vesperia was one of the very first games I played when I moved away from home, and holds a very special place in my heart. For it's 10 year anniversary Bandai Namco released the Tales of Vesperia Definitive edition.
And immediately I began to feel old.
Vesperia isn't really 10 years old is it?
Well... 10 years old or not, we're gonna give it another look, and see if this game is aging gracefully, or if it's getting some joint pains in its old age.
Jay RPG - Tales of Vesperia Definitive Edition: Yuri's Voice Actor:
• Tales of Vesperia Defi...
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[@TarksGauntlet]

So I probably should have double checked JayRPGs sources, but the voice clips for Yuri... Were actually both Grant George. Jay made a mistake, but an honest one. Considering how good Grants impression is for most of the game, its not a mistake I was even able to pick up on in this instance, nor a mistake many of his commentors caught, which I think speaks volumes of how well the final product turned out. But, everybody makes mistakes, and I'd highly recommend checking out Jays channel nonetheless. The guy makes some solid vids, even if this time he made a mistake that most of us could have easily done as well.

[@biozelink6086]

Tarks Gauntlet This game really didn't do it for me. Yuri And a few other characters were awesome, but most of them are just shells of what could have been. The cities are extremely boring with nothing interesting to do inside, they are mostly one street. The game tries to tackle complex topics, but fails to do it with any complexity. One of the dudes Yuri kills feeds children to monsters and is so bad that when Yuri kills him it was absolutely the right thing to do. They should have made the story much more gray. It's too black and white. It also lacks a compelling villain, a consistent purpose and goal. The battle system is shallow and boring, lacking real strategy, the side quests are underwhelming and it's too easy to miss them altogether. All of that said, I somewhat like the game, and I have no idea why...

[@wellwellwell881]

Not sure if you'll see this, but what's your take on Tales of Symphonia? It's still my favorite Tales game of that era, but I also didn't play Vesperia since it was on XBox 360. Hard to tell if it's because of nostalgia since I did play Symphonia with some friends that stuck with me the whole game, but I found the story more intriguing than the other Tales games.

[@narutoash111]

i noticed the first change when i heard the different voice for yuri. was not happy about it but what can ya do.

[@jaxxh6529]

there are menny changes in this game. the ghost ship the boss battle is mutch later. but now its another great monster. and a formidable enemy stants in the way plays instead of the normal boss theme.

[@jaxxh6529]

the tales games most of the time play out in 3 acts sometimes 2.

[@KillaManReaper2]

I was excited for the definitive edition. I bought it and before I knew it I had 150+ hours into the game. I loved it just as much as I did when I played it on the 360 and with the added content it made me want to play it more. 150+ hours into this game was well worth what I paid for it and considering it wasn't a full 60 dollars that made it all the more worth it.

[@DanielSantosAnalysis]

To me, Tales of Vesperia is the last "old school" Tales game.

[@redcrimson1028]

It's that a bad or good thing?

[@DanielSantosAnalysis]

@@redcrimson1028 I don't think it's necessarily one way or the other, I love both the modern (Except for Zestiria) and the old school Tales of games.

[@artminusme]

100% agree, It's literally the reason I have had a hard time fully getting wrapped up in the Tales games after the fact, closest was Graces f, it's just the little things like a proper overworld and airship. I'd be perfectly fine with the next Tales game graphically progress where Vesperia left off

[@DanielSantosAnalysis]

@@artminusme Havent heard from you in awhile, everything alright?

[@artminusme]

@@DanielSantosAnalysis Hiya Shintai :) doing good bud, just switched up jobs which consumed February & March for me... Along with KH III lol Just bought a shotgun mic for my cannon camera so hopefully doing reviews soon. How's everything your end Shintai mate?

[@DuoBeard]

I certainly missed this game because it was on the 360, I’m really looking forward to this game whenever I get the chance

[@castielliu7085]

TOV is amazing, but my number 1 was TOA, I want TOA remaster on the Switch so bad.

[@alexanderastora8164]

I am new to the Tales games, but a friend recommended Vesperia for me due to my liking to story. Greatest start to a series that I ever had.

[@BridgeToClarity1]

"You can play with other real life humans..... If you know any" LMAO

[@Chris_Faust]

Absolutely excellent review. Completely helped me decide!

[@SwitchKraftMan]

Awesome video and awesome game. The Switch version has actually been my first run through. I'm loving it so far about 25 hours in and it sounds like I'm around half way in. I wanted to get a good chunk of it under my belt before watching this as I didn't want any spoilers. Loved this! Keep up the great work!

[@Falkirion]

I'm slowly chipping away at it. My entry to the series was Symphonia, and I loved that. Loved Vesperia too, played the 360 and PS3 versions (didn't get too far into the ps3 version because of the lack of English subs) Then the series took a wild turn with Graces (fantastic battle system there) and all the entries I've played since have felt lacking. Glad this remaster happened, Vesperia is still my favorite of the series

[@alfaucko]

Awesome review! As always, very thorough and work put in, appreciate it. I'll probably pick this up, since I missed it on the 360 and was wondering about it

[@imp3r1alx]

The game is worth every penny, not to mention the stories.. oh my those were the days... where the player are truly immerse on the game.. btw.. the story here make the player think of truly what is right or wrong, depend on how the player beliefs.. Thank you~

[@imp3r1alx]

@@ScarFase84 Just like what the vids is saying... if you are still early on... just keep playing there will be more option, in movement, combos, and others... just keep progressing.. cause on there's a lot of restricted movement and others when you are still early on the game.. GLuck~

[@williamhououin]

Played it for the first time last month, and it reignited my love for the tales of franchise! (They kinda lost me during the Tales of Graces time…) Next on my plate is Berseria! Nice video, cheers!

[@AkaRyuusei97]

The AI is actually highly customizable instead of just using the preset ones. You can go into strategy and choose a preset and edit it to see how you want each character to go about their stuff in battle. You can even make a purely do nothing preset where they just try and stay away from enemies and do nothing. Also, Baker isn't the only one they couldn't/didn't reprise for the new scenes. Judith also has a new voice in the new scenes and some side characters. Also the voice clip examples you took from JayRPG to differentiate Yuri's new and old voices were both Grant George lol

[@TarksGauntlet]

AI is customizable. I cover this, and go on to state that I never find it makes a substantial enough difference. They still do dumb shit regardless. Almost every tales game is like this in my experience, and I've played just about all of them. As per the audio clip, you're right. I kind of wanted to take a lazy way out and not track down examples, while also sending people to a great content creator. I guess he made a mistake, and one myself and seemingly many in his comment section didn't pick up on. I probably should have double checked that one but I took it on faith. That's my bad.

[@Manavine]

​@@TarksGauntletStill better than symphonia, where the moment Genis runs low on TP, he joins the fray with his hilariously bad melee and defense (even worse than wingless colette, the defacto worst character in the game)

[@zoozbuh]

Can’t wait to get this. I played the fan-translated PS3 version (after importing a legit JP copy, mind you) but I think it’ll be a whole different experience playing it with English dub. Sad that they couldn’t get Yuri’s VA back for the new lines, but still looking forward to it.

[@finnianheart]

REACHIN OUT TO NO MAN'S LAAND yeah same it hit me hard

[@naterisawesome1]

My first Tales game was Arise, now I'm starting this tomorrow as it is downloading

[@wolf4640]

Amazing video bro!! Keep up the good work. Just bought a Switch, and was going to buy Zelda Breath of the Wild, but after watching your review, i think i changed my mind! Haha.

[@Foxywaterable]

20 hours in on switch and really enjoying my time with the game!

[@redcrimson1028]

This was a seriously detailed review, damn. Even with its minor cut backs, it's the seitch version for me.i guess I'll give the game a chance.i never really could get into the series, I don't like the battle system.

[@scorpiodigit]

"Classic charm" really nails it. Got into the Tales series this year and really enjoying discovering these titles.

[@rensro2138]

I played Vesperia in 2009 and liked but then Liked Graces F and Symphonia more... after playing almost every Tales main game in 2019 I finished this version of Vesperia and it became my favorite in the series after Graces F, this version is a masterpiece

[@TerraWare]

I bought this for 25 bucks on sale for the Switch a while back not knowing much about it. It's a lot of fun. I also picked up a lot of Gamecube games for cheap in mint condition and Tales of Symphonia was in it as well.

[@martinomagic9230]

One thing you can do with the items is switch on the item command option where your party members ask you to use items and when you use the R3 trigger they will use it immediately. If all your characters are asking to use a item if you hit while they are all asking it will go through them one by one as soon as the item use cooldown refreshes.

[@TarksGauntlet]

I used R3 to cancel their item usage. As annoying as it is having somebody take an eternity to use a life bottle it's even worse having them go through orange gel like there's no tomorrow. The thing is, I need them to have the ability to use items, but even with the tactics menu and trying to better control the frequency in which they use them, it hardly makes the difference I need it to. Tales has always been like this though.

[@martinomagic9230]

@@TarksGauntlet Yeah what I am talking about is in the actual options there is a way to reverse it so they don't use items unless you press R3. So you can control when they use items and they will use it immediately as long as they are not stunned. I found it to work extremely well compared to the original like you said they go through items like crazy or just don't use them when you need them to. They just seem to be a lot smart about it when you switch it to they always use the items you want them to.

[@TarksGauntlet]

Yeah, while that solves 1 issue I do find it exacerbates another. It's a step in the right direction for some play styles I guess, but unfortunately there's no solid solution to get everything where you want it.

[@martinomagic9230]

@@TarksGauntlet I agree, I have noticed the AI is awful in a lot of ways also, I don't remember it being so bad but it sure is. Like Patty and Raven if you don't turn off their spells they will just spam cast them never using any attack artes, Of course the casters like you said like to run into boss attacks to do some melee attacks for no reason. But as far as items go I think switching that command somewhat fixes the problem, I just use the "genie" with all his item skills and he is like having another healer at my control with just pressing R3.

[@TarksGauntlet]

I've never actually thought to use Repede that way. Never fails to surprise me how much you can do with the skills system.

[@PinstripeParagon]

As much as I want to pick it up again to play it on a more desirable console for myself, I'll probably wait a little while. My backlog is quite piled up, so I will probably pick it up when it's on discount.

[@LyricalGenius828]

It’s 7.99 on the eshop right now 🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️

[@drone124]

Your criticism of the direction only makes me want to play it more. I played Tales of the Abyss first time just recently and I found it charming

[@TarksGauntlet]

There's definitely a charm in the retro aesthetic. I find it more in the acting and melodrama than in the actual camera work and animation, but I can completely understand it.

[@MayankRages]

Finally found Linus's gaming channel XD

[@TarksGauntlet]

Make sure to visit the LTT Store and pick up one of our water bottles or CPU pillows on the way out!

[@Nybarius]

Nice rundown. Game is fantastic. 10/10, really had to dig deep to beat Spiral Draco on Hard & Unknown.

[@StarlinkNova]

Great review dude. One of the few Tales games I missed when it first came out. I'm looking forward to playing it for the first time. I just have to finish KH3 first lol.

[@andrewbenner6349]

I don't think we will get a Tales of as generally difficult as Vesperia because it was probably allowed to be more difficult because it was infamously one of the first major games to allow purchasable level ups. Still it's my favorite.

[@Spearra]

I always liked the idea of co-op RPGs especially real time ones and to have one go at a full on 4 player party is highly appreciated. I got one ordered for the quarantine and I'm excited to go at it with a friend that is stuck with me until this nonsense blows over LOL (It also helps that the combat system isn't super shallow late game)

[@jonnywatwong]

You can change the AI in the strategy menu so they they keep distance, only use artes etc...kinda massive part of combat system you missed...

[@TarksGauntlet]

No, didn't miss it. It's in damn near every tales game. I allude to the mechanic a few times. 11:55 "You can to a degree control what each character is allowed to do." 12:25 "Its impossible to get the AI right where you want it" 12:32 "If I just switch my party AI to be on defense rather than anything else they will generally hold out much better. They still make stupid decisions, its just less frequent." Fact of the matter is It just doesn't work well enough. Tales games are kind of notorious for this.

[@karendaniel450]

The first game I'm buying when I'm moved out, too!

[@exvalos6402]

I love Yuri, he reminds me alot Of Damon from Vampire diaries while he is at heart good, he will do what needs to be done for the greater good. While Flynn is strictly by the books.

[@maxmccutchen1753]

Ig Im still knew, vesperia was my first tales game, then went to arise. Vesperia was by far the best game I played 2 years ago, the story, voice acting, and the combat was so good to me. It's a very unique game that I can see myself going back to everytime

[@PizzaPC8]

Surprised no mention of the bad audio mixing in certain skits and cutscenes I’m gonna be that guy vesperia is a better game than berseria

[@TarksGauntlet]

It's always possible I didn't hit the right skits. I think around end game it said I only hit about 50% of them. Never noticed anything crazy with the mixing, just some audio quality with some of the older recordings. As for cutscenes, my biggest issue is how old they feel. Stilted directing. Missing sfx and stuff. The typical stuff of the generation.

[@ZioName]

Not that it takes much to be better than Berseria, lol. Game was a mess.

[@ThaPlaya1994]

There's also certain battle lines with Flynn and Patty that are in Japanese in the English audio.

[@TarksGauntlet]

Yeah, I didn't find anything like that. With a game of this size though I guess it's not likely we'll all hit the same content. Patty I mostly kept out of my party anyway. I love her, but her sound effects in battle really throw me the hell off lol.

[@ivanpabon2741]

Hay julio

[@michaelholland6533]

Great review, man. Thank you.

[@COREcasual]

Don't worry... we're all "that old"

[@narubell]

Tales of Vesperia was probably one of my more favorite if not most favorite tales games . (didn't rlly enjoy zestiria) But I remember I played it 10 years ago too with a few playthroughs. Couple years later I was really itching to play it again but didn't have a xbox360 anymore so like every other month id check if the internet made an xbox360 or ps3 emulator yet so I could play it lmao. After the rerelease announced I freaked out especially cuz it was the full game meaning itd be a whole new experience to me. I got the switch version cuz i feel like this game is old enough where experiencing it handheld is appropriate and id highly recommend the switch version for convenience if ya like that. I'm a little sad that they didn't rehire Troy Baker to voice Yuri's extra lines because this was one of the english dubbed JRPGs i actually loved and Troy Baker fits Yuri really well. That isnt to say the new guy doing the voice is bad or anything tho Oh and for the party's item use I'd switch the R3 button to use the item instead of cancel using the item. The AIs will tend to throw it much faster

[@nezkeys79]

Xillia Xillia 2 and Graces F are the three best tales for combat imo. Also Lilium orbs, linking, and graces F title system. Both just have really satisfying features for my tastes. No convoluted +99 gear

[@andrewclear8905]

Dude love the kamelot shirt

[@TarksGauntlet]

I'm happy to see people recognizing Kamelot! For years I was in a small town and I swear I was their only fan lol.

[@andrewclear8905]

@@TarksGauntlet I know the feeling. I started listening to them in 2005 when I stumbled upon The Black Halo. Living in Montana at the time, I never got to see them in concert. Last year I was living in Texas, so I was able to finally see them. Just wish I could've seen them when Roy was with them.

[@TarksGauntlet]

@@andrewclear8905 I seen them last April for the first time. Tommy still slayed. They had battlebeast opening for them and they were incredible live too. Now if only I can get around to see Seventh Wonder live. Tommy really shines in that band. If I ever see Roy now it'll have to be a conception concert since they started up again, but I'm not too huge on that band personally.

[@akumaten]

Like the Aladdin comparisons. Funny. Patty would technically be the Genie because of her wacky playstyle and her Risk/Reward.

[@mediaglitch]

I really need to pick this game up, Great video

[@hmoobgvp]

Review is old but you have to press r3 to have your ai party members use items. That's why r3 icon pops up over their battle picture. Edit: r3 on ps4. Switch should be different.

[@TarksGauntlet]

IIRC I did mention there's a command for it but just that it's not good enough. They're often slow to respond or simply won't.

[@incursio5305]

I actually never got to finish this game. I will be getting it on PS4 soon though. Good review my dude.

[@KaiSaeren]

Great review, I still have yet to get through the game to the end, but I had the same issues as you, especially with the combat in the begining :D Its fine tho im not playing games like these for the combat anyways :)

[@vanthadoun1]

when I saw that Ps4 rereleased this game I was psyched, I dont care if its 10 years old, I loved it on Xbox and was a bit surprised that an RPG was released on Xbox, but pleasantly surprised how fun it was to play. If they rereleased FF7 (which they will) I am going to buy it. There is something about Nostalgia that makes me want to relive the 90s and best moments of my childhood. There is nothing wrong with reliving a great moment from your childhood.

[@manamaster6]

I consider this game to be the last great Tales game. I loved the end of the second part of the game but wasn't a fan of the last part of the game. Something I noticed when asking my cousin, who was 16 two years ago, to play this game is that the first 2 hours of the game weren't engaging enough for someone of his generation who expects instant gratification and an easy challenge, he didn't play it again.

[@ned993]

Dude, the strategy menu. You can adjust everything for each party member and whether they use items or not by using edit.

[@TarksGauntlet]

I know. I talked about that, but literally only gave it a sentence. 11:52 "Granted, you can control to a degree what each party member is allowed to do, but they rarely listen." I don't feel much of a difference setting up your own tactics. At best, it's inconsistent.

[@nezkeys79]

I booted it up yesterday, midway through a zestiria playthrough. It was decent but just didn't seem as good as zestiria for combat. Booting up symphonia was an even harder sell because vesperia is basically an upgraded symphonia. Abyss is probably somewhere inbetween. I loved symphonia on it's initial release but the combat is very dated. Zestiria combat actually reminded me of graces F in a way and armatization was a great mechanic I agree about vesperia's opening theme. It's one of the best

[@flowmotiiion9441]

never heard or seen vesperia until the trailer dropped. i saw it looked alot like symphonia and i instantly wanted to play it so for me the new things in the definitive edition are not that special for me because this is my first version playing it but man oh man am i in love! currently still playing (spoiler) i just met judith

[@Iychoenk]

How's the story?

[@nadirmuhammad9357]

I read somewhere that you can do co op online on the PS4 via playshare

[@redcrimson1028]

Nice room. Can u do a video tour of your game room?

[@AstonishingRed]

Tried playing this game on two different Xbox 360s, only for both to red ring. So I never got a chance to complete it. Looking forward to getting my copy in a few days

[@TheMegaRin]

The story takes 14-15 hours to get going. The game suffers the worst case of "Take 2 steps and get interrupted by a cutscene" I have ever seen. The combat is clunky even with the manual block cancelling technique. But man, are the characters good. Superb, even.

[@oreoclaspxxgizmo1538]

The game is over a decade old. But i agree, the characters are great. I personally dont mind the cutscenes because they offer insight to the characters imo. I can see how it gets annoying after a bit though.

[@slowloris3108]

The only thing isn’t fantastic is the side quests, I never would have thought a game’s, side quests could be more convoluted than dark souls, but the side quests for this game easily take the cake as the most convoluted shit I’ve ever had to deal with in a game.

[@Metty96]

One thing I liked about vespiria is that although it is a good challenge, you can pick up level packs on eshop if you don't want/have the time to grind and just continue on with the game. Also the 30fps to 60fps wasn't that obnoxious as the game doesn't really need 60fps. It was my first time playing it and was a very comfy game to play. Good review!

[@dynastystar5515]

Darkness > Megumin.

[@torturedkfpemployee883]

I'm a sucker for classic style rpgs and modern ones I'm addicted to this game and the graphics don't bother me since its my first game of it

[@BawesomeBurf]

I'm the opposite when it comes to story and characters. Really loved them when this game first came out, but after playing the PS4 remaster, there is just so much fluff and bloated dialogue. It's like the development team made it a goal to have mandatory participation in every single bit of dialogue, regardless of whether or not they had anything meaningful to add. This leads to a lot of 'Yeah!', or characters just parroting what other party members just said. There were also a number of times where there would be a big chunk of dialogue, it would end, you walk 3 feet, and another lengthy dialogue segment would trigger. When you're finally done with that, a skit pops up. Enough already lol. I found that about 30 hours into the game I was just exhausted from all the meaningless chatter and just wanted the game to end. But man, that final chunk of the game just drags on and on. Still a good game, and I did have fun with it, but I definitely will not be returning to it.

[@TarksGauntlet]

There is a bit of "Mandatory Participation" for sure. Its even more noticeable in the definitive edition with the new character and added scenes. Act 3 of the game is also pretty fat and bloated and story progression comes to a bit of a halt there. A lot of people tend to complain about the pacing there but it never actually hit me as that's always when I stop progressing the story anyway to pop off the Giganto Monster quest, which often ends up being some of my favourite gameplay it has to offer.

[@finnhaverkamp]

Champing at the bit.

[@mars8799]

its. ITS ON THE SWITCH?

[@RagingWolffe]

Google is your friend.

[@joerexhausen8897]

I had Vesperia back on 360 but never managed to finish it before i screwed up the disc tray, luckily it was on sale at one point so i could still play digitally. I stupidly traded the game in because it felt pointless when i couldn't use the disc but should have kept it for collector's value. I bought the DE on Switch at launch though was annoyed about waiting until noon to actually play and to support the series i got the Xbox One and Steam versions when they were on sale.

[@MsSaskue360]

Glad that choosing Japanese version gave me the Japanese version of the op, playing it again it's good, I still think berseria is easily the best in the series as velveto journey is the best in the series but this one is still great even though it doesn't have the modern style of just watching cutscenes that xilla brought to the series, now I hope xilla gets a modern release so I can enjoy it's Japanese audio,

[@chris092283]

Never played this when it was on 360 but always wanted to. Really want to get it on switch cause I love jrpgs

[@Casperwinde]

Awesome game..the graphic just suit the Tales series. Better than ToB.

[@79Dtrain]

Should I go for this or Berseria for my first tales game on ps4?

[@GreyWarden00]

My question for you then, would you recommend this game at its full retail price or wait for sale?

[@TarksGauntlet]

I mean, this is my second time buying it at full price and I'm not at all disappointed. That said, coming back to an older game like this is easier if you've already played it I feel. Personally, I'd say that if you're concerned, hold off for a little bit. It will price drop. Furthermore, there's apparently more translation errors than what I caught, where certain party members will speak japanese to each other in battle even if you play in english. I never caught this cause I never built my team to have those party members together at once, but I'd wait to see if there's patches first.

[@GreyWarden00]

@@TarksGauntlet Thank you very much for the reply and the great vid as well!

[@iamstephanflowers7578]

So, Vesperia for Switch is worth it?? To carry Vesperia everywhere for 100% completion??? Tales of Abyss was part of my childhood tho. And Symphonia.

[@ReadThis_]

Damn I would like Abyss on the switch. I had enjoyed it so much on the ps2, where I played the first few hours. I gotta play it again!

[@Heroinedown]

Contrary to what you said, most real RPgamers definitely bought the 360 for games such as Lost Odyssey, Magna carta 2 and of course, Tales of Vesperia which couldn't be found anywhere else. I bought the game day-one but I had a backlog so big that I still haven't found the time to play it yet. That's the story of my life, it's hard to find the time and the money for most great games and I had to make hard choices...

[@TarksGauntlet]

I bought ToV around release, but definitely wouldn't have bought a 360 for the small handful of JRPGs they got. I only had a 360 cause the PS3 was too damn expensive at the time. That all said, if I knew I'd love Lost Odyssey as much as I do I might have considered the system purchase for that haha.

[@heribertoesquivel7500]

I agree, I bought a 360 instead of a ps3 because of the Jrpg's, Lost odyssey alone made the purchase worth, PS3 eventually got a decent number of games too, but I argue 360's exclusives are better (except for maybe valkyria Chronicles)

[@TarksGauntlet]

I mean... the ps3 had a shit tonne of great JRPGs. Like literally every other Tales of game of the generation. But that said, that whole generation is when JRPGs kind of started slipping in quality anyway, save for a few. I feel they've only been on a real upswing again recently.

[@heribertoesquivel7500]

Tarks Gauntlet I feel the opposite actually, between 360, wii and (very) late ps3 the genre was alright, even better if we add the DS and psp (the ds alone is already impressive, only comparable to the ps1 era). I have felt this gen far worse outside a couple of games (like stella glow, Tokyo Mirage sessions or octopath traveler) the best ones are mostly just ports or underwhelming sequels (Persona 5 or xenoblade x comes to mind, I also didn't feel most of the tales of games since graces f). The "Jrpgs (or japanese games in general) are finally good again" argument always felt more like just a marketing selling point considering the number of great games the past gen gave us.

[@TarksGauntlet]

@@heribertoesquivel7500 Its not that I ever felt Japanese games were bad, but during that generation I thought the RPGs were a bit of a step back. Way more prominent misses than prominent hits. There were still a lot of great games of course, but the old trustees were really falling apart. Everything between vesperia and berseria felt like "Worse than vesperia" to me. Never did like how graces f killed overworlds. Took a while for the new tales identity to feel good to me after that. Then star ocean and kingdom hearts went to complete hell, final fantasy got a trilogy nobody wanted. Felt like bad jrpgs like Infinite undiscovery were too close to being the norm. I don't know. Lots of great games, but too many major shifts that felt like they were for the worst to me. The great games (VC, Xenoblade Chronicles, Lost Odyssey) feel like exceptions, where I feel in the ps1-ps2 generation that wasn't the case. Most things then were new, interesting and exciting. By the time we hit PS3-gen we established formulas and found a way to be lazy with them.

[@Mr.Blue987]

i picked this game up on game pass 2 weeks ago 27hrs of game play later i havent looked back

[@DaemonLestat]

70% off right now on the eshop

[@fva1835]

early = oh man i cant even hit 5 hit in late game = how can i be a god? i only hit like 170 hit combo T.T rita = bla bla bla

[@metlspaz1]

in your artes description you went, base, altered, burst, mystic, missing arcane artes.

[@TarksGauntlet]

Well fuck... I tried to make a check list of the different arte types when I was making my notes prior to the scripting phase. I guess I missed one. Hopefully people get whats going on here anyway. I feel most reviewers would just say "Different types of artes" and leave it at that lol.

[@doctorcragmire7299]

When you talked about the characters, why didn't you mention Judith?

[@TarksGauntlet]

No particular reason. Busty elf is a fun character but I only wanted to highlight a point about how characters are handled and I only needed 1 or 2 characters to work with for examples.

[@doctorcragmire7299]

@@TarksGauntlet I still would have liked it if you gave her even a very brief mention.

[@artminusme]

I only wish.... Zagi pulled a Kefka..... He's literally dismissed as a known threat through out the entire story, I was really hoping he was going to go into fourth gear and really f&+k the world up, posing as a Credable villain I feel this game really needed towards the end.

[@TarksGauntlet]

I always felt he was just there to be a comedic punching bag. Would be cool to see him reveal as something bigger though.

[@artminusme]

@@TarksGauntlet Don't get me wrong, entertaining punching bag ol Zagi ^^ just compared to the actual main villain of the game, I thought it would of been more impactful, still my 2nd favorite Tales game tho, does so many things right

[@bananatearex1232]

tales of vesperia is like an adventure with friends and you can even play with friend.. not that i found a friend that love the game but you know pepesad why i am here i bet your tooooo OLD to know what a pepe ...god

[@thejonbrownshow8470]

This was my first tales game, barely looked at any of the other games, do other tales game generally have local co-op battles?

[@TarksGauntlet]

All the mainline tales of games except Tales of Legendia on PS2 have co-op.

[@thejonbrownshow8470]

@@TarksGauntlet Intriguing, cheers mate, just recently starting off with abyss and zestiria (after that besteria, since I heard zest was apparently worse in general apparently lol), had a crazy life last year so I think I only did half of vesperia(it's hard to be a adult jrpg, but with the pandemic and the engross nature of the stories, least I can still spend time on them 😂)

[@animefreak8884]

I have the switch version too and I play it in handheld mode only and it's great. I'm a fan of tales of and I never played vesperia because it was a xbox exclusive and I hate xbox and I got the switch version for portability and such and it's one of my favorite tales of so far and I want more tales of for the nintendo switch

[@coolguy48457]

Lazy remaster to say the least....improved resolution and thats about it. No effort to fix any annoying mechanics. Enjoy constant lost combos due to the 10 seconds of invincibility frames when you knock an enemy down. You will spend more time waiting for enemies to get off the ground so you can hit them again than actually attacking them.

[@animefreak8884]

I just got my copy of the switch version

[@faidou9954]

I started off this series Playing Tales of the Abyss, and Im pretty sure it's my favorite in the series, but it's the only one I've played. Ive heard that this game is just as good.

[@whiteheartaspie9544]

Did anyone have pro controller issues?

[@solidskullz5736]

I got it today and I like it so far but the controls are so awkward to use

[@TarksGauntlet]

They are a bit at first. It can feel dated for a little while but the further in you get and the more skills and combo extensions you unlock the smoother it'll get.

[@DaPlatinumTrim]

I think it might just be the fact you don't manual cancel or spell cancel lol on how you die very often.

[@TarksGauntlet]

But... I don't die often...

[@ScottMakesGames]

I've played Graces, Xillia and Abyss but I've always wanted to play this one but never had a 360.

[@RagingWolffe]

LittleBigAnimation cool story bro

[@Shiro92224]

@@RagingWolffe no need to be a fucking dick

[@zankudragon]

I feel as though the damage stagger system was incredibly unbalanced. Nearly game breaking at times. That's where 90% of the game's difficulty comes from. I honestly didn't have too much of a problem with my ally's AI, after the initial hours of micromanaging their strategy settings. For most of the game they operated really well for me. And I have to disagree about a few things, story-wise. Yuri as a character is very unique. His willingness to commit murder and live with his decisions was a very different and dark perspective on the series. One that we haven't seen much like since Zestiria and Berseria. The guild system also felt unique to a Tales game. The entire plot structure in general had a lot of clearly defined arcs, while many Tales games feel like a more natural progression of the story. Not to say that Vesperia's was bad. It was just structured differently. But more than anything, I really need to say that the "Your princess is in another castle" arc of the game was ungodly long and committed a jrpg sin that I didn't even know existed until this game. You should never be left without a dedicated healer for 4 dungeons. It was an interesting and fun idea for the first dungeon. But then it got old fast. The battles became a chore. The story began to feel irrelevant. I started skipping dialogue because it was just padding time between me and getting a healer back into my party. So, in that one arc near the end of the game, Vesperia went from being one of the best Tales games to being one of the worst. Which is a shame because most of the rest of the game is fantastic. I just refuse to see it as one of the best games like most others do. I wonder why no one ever talks about that portion of the game..

[@TarksGauntlet]

Personally I never had an issue with that part, it was the arc immediately after I found bloated, but that's a typical fault in most JRPGs I find. The end always drags itself out to obnoxious degrees. What I meant about saying the story was generic (Outside of characters like yuri who I think I gave due credit to) is that there's basically not a single event in the game that we haven't seen in another tales of game already. Sure they use guilds to make some of the events happen, but that's almost like a skin-swap. Instead of using gangs and tribes it's guilds. A rose by any other name.

[@uchennaobi5985]

I hope you watch donguri990 combo videos for vesperia, They are awesome. Bandai namco needs to get him to market their games like betheseda did with stealthgamerBR

[@zhaoyun255]

Vesperia AI needed old school manipulation like turning on/off unnecesary artes (For example, for Raven, I turned off all of his Melee skills and Spell. Leaving only Dark Chase, Azure's Heaven and any long range skill and Love Shot. It's easy to manipulate the AI but you needed to configure it a little bit more.

[@TarksGauntlet]

I do this if I struggle on a boss or when I hit the final dungeon. Times when things like low level healing artes are useless and they won't stop getting cast if I don't disable them. Otherwise, although the AI is rough, it never creates so much of a pinch that I need to bother too much, and I still appreciate to a degree the added level of difficulty it creates.

[@zhaoyun255]

@@TarksGauntlet IMO, some characters are better than others in term of AI. For example, Repede with the right setting (I usually turn off OVL, Fatal Strike (all of the cast I turn those off first) and have him dedicate as the item user.) with Raven and make sure for them to target different enemies. Raven has his own setting so I turn off all of his melee and trap skill and leave him with more useful skill like Dark Chase or Azure Heaven's or Love Shot. My main team always involve Repede and Raven and the other team member would be optional. Sometime, it's Judith, Rita, Flynn or Patty or RARELY Estelle. For Estelle, turn off all Melee skill except for Calvary. The AI wasn't bad but you had to specifically manipulate them to your way. In the late game, I got hit by Brave Vesperia and my whole team recover in FULL HEALTH within 3 secs flat. For Rita, turn off all of her Melee arte, that's all you need to do. It's a general consensus that Estelle wasn't even that good of a healer when you got Guardian Field+Repede+Raven. Now, you had Flynn and that mean DOUBLE GUARDIAN FIELD.

[@stephenscott9200]

Rad, now I dont have to buy the game. He just told me the whole story basically. This isnt a review for Tales, its spark notes for Tales

[@TarksGauntlet]

Lol, I told you the first 20 minutes. If you think this runs down the plot of a near 60 hour game you got another thing coming!

[@DongusMcBongus]

I gotta say. I can’t get into it. The story is so meh compared to Symphonia and Abyss. I just feel like it wanders from point to point and people are just giving you task after task that have very little connections at first. “Oh go to the forest on the way to the Guild City but go back to the waterfall city for one cutscene oh okay NOW go to the Guild City, psyche! After one cutscene go BACK to the waterfall city for one cutscene again NOW go find that Aque Blastia you’ve been hunting!” Also Karol is more annoying than Myu Myuu and Genis combined. Abyss and Symphonia are like hey good morning, BAM! Plot! And shoutout again for ToS having the best romance options in the series. Lloyd will forever be with Sheena.

[@albundy1485]

I kinda liked it but wasn't impressed. The plot was all other place and the characters lack depth and development.

[@minakohiashi8882]

Who ever thought computer should auto use item needs hit in the face. It good to turn that off but when someone new gives the party auto items is back

[@guy3090]

is it me or is vesperia still the best looking tales of game. . . baseria, xillia & zestiria look worst than vesperia to me.

[@TarksGauntlet]

Nah, it's not just you. It's my favorite looking of the bunch too. The art style is way more timeless. Sure the animation is a bit more stilted, but it all looks much cleaner and attractive.

[@Crystan]

It's a fun game, but man oh man does it have a few problems too. Early game is a wall to climb in terms of difficulty. You're thrown into combat and expected to know everything there is to know in order to win. The game does a terrible job of explaining mechanics, and only a few good hits on normal difficulty will literally end you. When you get to the first boss, you'd have beaten one half-challenge (assuming you won - you proceed regardless if you lose against Tweedle dumb and dumber) and a bunch of worthless guards. None of which teach you anything about proper combat. The boss then proceeds to block your attacks with ease (and no stagger), countering with attacks that easily can knock you down for a cheap hit. Who takes a ridiculous number of hits to take down, and during which you have zero heals until your partner joins you mid way. After which the boss spams back-to-back unblockable specials, which throw any earlier tactics right out of the window. From a game design standpoint, early game is absolutely horrid. It does improve a lot later, once you can learn skills and have teammates, but I can see why some players gave up early.

[@milamaxwell1731]

In my humble opinion the new Tales of games only lack three qualities good endgame and good weapons costumes and Mystic Arts the Mystic Arts from zestiria and berseria they suck they're flashy but they have no substance they don't feel powerful they don't feel like mystic arts they feel like I'm wasting a hundred Mp for a 7 hit combo as compared to Symphonia Symphonia dawn of the new world Vesperia xisteria and so on those Mystic Arts feel powerful they look powerful they feel GOOD to use not cheap and easy to access like beseria the Mystic Arts in zestiria and berseria feel like cheap Mystic Arts they feel like an MMO Far Cry 2 invincibility frames skill they don't feel like actual techniques Mystic Arts were techniques very powerful and very costly but these techniques in my opinion were completely absent in zestiria and berseria berseria moreso

[@anwarshadaad1553]

its a good game, but not great. with all the hype built up by fans, i have high expectation. seems my expectation is too high. i dont really have problems with character and battles system. again, good but not great. but the story is kinda weak. its good at the first part, but then on the second part when you know what is the problem thats happening in the world, it feels mainstream. and the villain... dissapointing. Vesperia is my third game after Abyss and Berseria, and for me Vesperia is the weakest. Abyss is still better in anything. the character, the story, and the villain.

[@MrGnuh]

tales of STUTTERia - CHOPPYnitive edition. that's what it is. on every plattform -.-

[@TarksGauntlet]

Does the combat here actually look choppy to you? Cause I guarantee that's not what I experienced here nor on its original release.

[@ForgottenShinobi11]

Im playing this game now for the first time and man the story sucks hard, Estelle is so annoying and the combat omfg it's just you beeing perma staggered for life i really liked WAAAY more Berseria .

[@TheMegaRin]

You have insulted my waifu you dishonorable swine, take it back.

[@minakohiashi8882]

This game is hard and i played Hard mode on first try. I don't know but it seem like a bad idea to fight in a dungeons as I'm only wining bosses from items. Alexie is where the game gots too hard with is party kills mysic and he'll heal all is life in battle. He heal faster then i hurt him. I was probably 20 levels under level but i learn Tida wave and level 40s to 60s