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Which "Tales of" game do you recommend me to play?


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Since I have played Tales of the Abyss for the 3DS, I am huge fan of the "Tales of" series. TotA gave me a first impression, how awesome this series is. And I want to play more sections in the future.

I think every game of the "Tales of" series is great, which complicates me the decission.

So I need your help: Which "Tales of" game should I play first? I own these games:

a) Symphonia

b) Symphonia Dawn of the new world

c) Vesperia

d) Graces

e) Xillia I

f) Hearts

Edited by MisterIceTeaPeach
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Vesperia, since you like Abyss so much. Their battle systems are so similar and I feel like Vesperia is an improvement.

The problem is I recommend the PS3 version, and the translation patch for that isn't done yet. Not to mention you have to have a jailbreakable PS3.

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Since you played Abyss, Symphonia or Vesperia are your best bets for consistency's sake with battle style. Xillia after those since Xillia's system is a mix of the system in Symphonia/Abyss/Vesperia with Grace's system.

Is your copy of Graces f, or is it a wii import? I feel the need to ask since you have an imported Hearts.

The problem is I recommend the PS3 version, and the translation patch for that isn't done yet. Not to mention you have to have a jailbreakable PS3.

Don't know if you've seen the progress bars as of late, but...

720af51b434f8461aeb277a92b1983b0.png

The translation is almost complete! Even if you're unable to to apply the patch, I'm sure they'll release the translations in a .txt file or a walkthrough somewhere.

Edited by DualSilverGunner
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Since you played Abyss, Symphonia or Vesperia are your best bets for consistency's sake with battle style. Xillia after those since Xillia's system is a mix of the system in Symphonia/Abyss/Vesperia with Grace's system.

Is your copy of Graces f, or is it a wii import? I feel the need to ask since you have an imported Hearts.

I got a JP import of ToH and the PS3 version of ToG. I did not even know, that ToG was released for the Wii as well.

I tried outToS for the PS3 a little bit and I have noticed, that it is harder than TotA. Even in the very first bossfight the party members can die.

Vesperia, since you like Abyss so much. Their battle systems are so similar and I feel like Vesperia is an improvement.

The problem is I recommend the PS3 version, and the translation patch for that isn't done yet. Not to mention you have to have a jailbreakable PS3.

I got the the uk-version for the Xbox360. But what are differences between the PS3 and Xbox version?

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I got the the uk-version for the Xbox360. But what are differences between the PS3 and Xbox version?

Two extra playable characters, skills, fully voiced main scenario, More artes, Second Mystic artes for characters, and items and weapons.

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Dawn of the New World should not exist and we will refrain from mentioning it lest we anger the elder gods

Symphonia is very good, but returning to it after playing Vesperia and Abyss 3DS was a big wake up for me. You can't free run, and trying to play with friends makes the camera angle really hard. Mystic Artes don't really exist, but even with all the changes like skills and EX Gems, it being my first Tales is still pretty special.

Vesperia is honestly my favorite for combat and things like that, but it feels like it drags on a lot especially early. Bosses are harder compared to Abyss 3DS and Symphonia but that's probably because I prefer the mage in Vesperia and bosses are really good in Vesperia when it comes to canceling spells.

Edited by Psych
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Since you played Abyss, Symphonia or Vesperia are your best bets for consistency's sake with battle style. Xillia after those since Xillia's system is a mix of the system in Symphonia/Abyss/Vesperia with Grace's system.

Is your copy of Graces f, or is it a wii import? I feel the need to ask since you have an imported Hearts.

Don't know if you've seen the progress bars as of late, but...

720af51b434f8461aeb277a92b1983b0.png

The translation is almost complete! Even if you're unable to to apply the patch, I'm sure they'll release the translations in a .txt file or a walkthrough somewhere.

Thx for the info of the translationpatch.

Two extra playable characters, skills, fully voiced main scenario, More artes, Second Mystic artes for characters, and items and weapons.

Thx for the interesting info. I did not know, that elements were added in the PS3 version. But I can watch your ToV LP!

Dawn of the New World should not exist and we will refrain from mentioning it lest we anger the elder gods

Symphonia is very good, but returning to it after playing Vesperia and Abyss 3DS was a big wake up for me. You can't free run, and trying to play with friends makes the camera angle really hard. Mystic Artes don't really exist, but even with all the changes like skills and EX Gems, it being my first Tales is still pretty special.

Vesperia is honestly my favorite for combat and things like that, but it feels like it drags on a lot especially early. Bosses are harder compared to Abyss 3DS and Symphonia but that's probably because I prefer the mage in Vesperia and bosses are really good in Vesperia when it comes to canceling spells.

Thx for your suggestion and reason. I feel like to play Vesperia, because it seems more similar to TotA.

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Vesperia is the one and only Tales game I regret not playing. I'm willing to import it, and play through it in Japanese, translation be damned. Symphonia gets cheesy at points, but the battle system's alright (skill customization is something that is semi-important). Dawn of the New World is awful, save for Tenebrae - if you got it as a bundle, I'd say play through it ONCE, and never again. After that, go Graces -> Xillia 1 (Graces has the most technical battle system, and Xillia has a lot of small things that get awesome once you have some Tales experience under your belt).

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Tales of the Tempest

I really like Tales of Innocence. The dungeons are pretty bland, but it has a great story and battle system (also similar to Abyss's one. You're able to move freely on the battle map).

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Vesperia is the one and only Tales game I regret not playing. I'm willing to import it, and play through it in Japanese, translation be damned. Symphonia gets cheesy at points, but the battle system's alright (skill customization is something that is semi-important). Dawn of the New World is awful, save for Tenebrae - if you got it as a bundle, I'd say play through it ONCE, and never again. After that, go Graces -> Xillia 1 (Graces has the most technical battle system, and Xillia has a lot of small things that get awesome once you have some Tales experience under your belt).

This, although Vesperia, while probably being much better and fleshed out in the JPN PS3 port, is still a good game to play in the localized xbox360 version. It really depends on whether you're willing to import an updated version in a language you may or may not be able to understand, or deal with getting less content for a translation in return. Or maybe we'll get lucky and Namco decides to localize the PS3 port someday.

You should only bother playing DotNW if you really like and want to be "complete" with the Tales of Symphonia storyline, though you'll probably be disappointed with it if you come in with the same lofty expectations that the other main games induce. You are indeed probably better off playing it only once, but TBQH I don't find it as terribly unplayable as some people claim it to be, and I don't really hate it; I just find it vastly disappointing compared to the other titles.

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This, although Vesperia, while probably being much better and fleshed out in the JPN PS3 port, is still a good game to play in the localized xbox360 version. It really depends on whether you're willing to import an updated version in a language you may or may not be able to understand, or deal with getting less content for a translation in return. Or maybe we'll get lucky and Namco decides to localize the PS3 port someday.

You should only bother playing DotNW if you really like and want to be "complete" with the Tales of Symphonia storyline, though you'll probably be disappointed with it if you come in with the same lofty expectations that the other main games induce. You are indeed probably better off playing it only once, but TBQH I don't find it as terribly unplayable as some people claim it to be, and I don't really hate it; I just find it vastly disappointing compared to the other titles.

Vesperia is the one and only Tales game I regret not playing. I'm willing to import it, and play through it in Japanese, translation be damned. Symphonia gets cheesy at points, but the battle system's alright (skill customization is something that is semi-important). Dawn of the New World is awful, save for Tenebrae - if you got it as a bundle, I'd say play through it ONCE, and never again. After that, go Graces -> Xillia 1 (Graces has the most technical battle system, and Xillia has a lot of small things that get awesome once you have some Tales experience under your belt).

I ordered a JP import of ToV (surprisingly really inexpensive), although I do not get an usuable PS3 for a possible translationpatch yet. But I think, I will manage it soon. Till this point, the LP of SoC will help me a little bit.

Edited by MisterIceTeaPeach
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I hate all Tales plots so don't go to me for plot stuff. I did think graces f had really fun gameplay, and Xillia's was second in that regard (Abyss being third). I got bored of Vesperia's really quickly though.

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I found Vesperia's story more engaging than Abyss's... though I guess Abyss's was a lot more dark.

That frigging kid sinking in... yeah.

WOULD IT KILL THEM TO ADD A SKIP SCENE FUNCTION IN THE ABYSS AND SYMPHONIA REMAKES?

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Admittedly I didn't get more than a few hours into Vesperia, but I found the whole thing extraordinarily juvenile to the point where I would have been embarrassed to have anyone see me play it. Perhaps it improves later on.

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Admittedly I didn't get more than a few hours into Vesperia, but I found the whole thing extraordinarily juvenile to the point where I would have been embarrassed to have anyone see me play it. Perhaps it improves later on.

The lightheartedness is what got me into it.

I was a little tired of "too serious" Abyss.

Which is why I'm only at Grand Chokmah despite having the game for the longest time.

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Edited by shadowofchaos
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To my mind TotA has great plot. I love the character designs and the mix of funny and very tragic moments. And ToV looks great as well, after watching a few of episodes.

Oh I thought both plots were pretty bad, Legendia had by far the best plot but by far the worst gameplay...

I do not know ToL. How was the gameplay worse than in other Tales games?

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Admittedly I didn't get more than a few hours into Vesperia, but I found the whole thing extraordinarily juvenile to the point where I would have been embarrassed to have anyone see me play it. Perhaps it improves later on.

Vesperia is pretty cheesy. It mimics the whole Shonen anime style of a group of friends making a team and fighting evil with a princess and saving the world thing, but at the same time I liked it mostly because while it seemed similar to the other games, the style and look felt very fresh especially with graphics. The characters are pretty archetypical though Karol, Raven, and Judith do have some interesting sides at times.

Honestly the second and third times I played though the plot did bore me heavily at least up to Barbos, but then after that it feels like a serious of "Go Here, Kill Boss" quests so not sure how I felt about that either. It's kind of a pick-up-once game whereas I can go back to Symphonia over and over and not get bored.

So Vesperia won me for gameplay but Symphonia has me for plot. I would have I actually didn't really like Abyss? That may have been due to it being on 3DS and not getting the same multiplayer feeling, but I didn't really like the handheld part either or the need to learn all the skills just for basic things, though Vesperia was easier in that regard. A lot of the time it felt like I was lost since they hardly tell you anything about the Abyss plot until right as it happens, while the other two are much better and not keeping the player in the dark.

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It's kind of a pick-up-once game whereas I can go back to Symphonia over and over and not get bored.

It all boils down to preference.

When it came to Symphonia, it bored me in both gameplay and plot.

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It all boils down to preference.

When it came to Symphonia, it bored me in both gameplay and plot.

Eh I felt like the dual-worlds thing happens in the middle enough that it's still a good plot twist and keeps you interested in stuff, and then the switch to summoning spirits keeps things from being boring. Plus you have the constant knowledge that there's a second disk so you know there's more to the game at any point. Honestly the disk change feels like it happens at 75% rather than the half way point.

Another part may have to do with the fact that I like the combat styles of several people in Symphonia. I'll play as either Collette or Genis but I switch to Sheena when I have her since she's by far my favorite. Her summons are cool too, and the fact the game forces some Lloyd fights helps too.

Vesperia I really only play Rita. Raven is interesting but his style is hard for me to get into as the range/melee ends up being more of a hassle than a boon. Yuri's isn't as fun as Lloyd's even if it mimics him, and since Rita rarely leaves the party for fights I am usually always her or Yuri.

Edited by Psych
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Vesperia PS3 made it really fun post-game. The new EX Dungeon as well as the Team Arena was really something I enjoyed.

I guess we're pretty much opposites with opinions of Yuri's playstyle. You can do so much with him.

Especially with his stupid broken Limits Plus and Limits Team skills.

Edited by shadowofchaos
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Abyss is IMO one of the worst Tales games with boring gameplay, boring plot, terrible characters, and many other issues. I always find it funny when people try that as their first Tales game (especially since it's for the 3DS and most Tales games are for Sony systems--irony, lol) and think it was great and want to try the others. I just tell myself "gosh, if only you had started with a good Tales game...", lol. *shots fired*

That's just my opinion though--Abyss was my 3rd or so Tales game I think (and I've played like ten) but I didn't really enjoy it compared to the others.

Anyhow, if you don't mind going back to a relatively old game where the age shows (monsters don't have unique sprites, no free run, no skippable cutscenes, amongst many other things) go play Symphonia which you can get in HD with a few "new" features (compared to the Gamecube version) for the PS3. I suggest doing a little research into EX Skills and the gameplay in general so you can get the most out of the game--it's a lot more fun when you play on Manual and know how to combo enemies and time unison attacks and such.

Dawn of the New World is totally broken but if you liked Symphonia it's probably worth it to play it once to know what happens, the gameplay is also fun if you like easy games where you can pull ridiculous combo bullcrap and such but don't expect very technical gameplay like with Symphonia or Vesperia.

I'd personally suggest Vesperia though, it has some of the best gameplay of any Tales of game that's very technical and with lots of depth (unlike Graces F which is fun but mostly because of the dodge mechanic and Xillia which is notoriously known to be boring and bland) and with some sweet voice acting and good in-game graphics as well. Graces F after that--the battle system is a bit different but once you learn it it's quite fun, albeit again, I don't think the battle system is as deep or exploitable as Vesperia--the most fun will be learning to time dodges and enjoying the beautiful, colorful gameplay (as opposed to Xillia's more dull but slightly more realistic graphics).

Both Vesperia's and Graces F's plots are probably just average from a normal standpoint, I happen to like Vesperia's a lot because of the character development and was able to enjoy Graces F but in general Tales plots aren't very amazing or revolutionary, expect lots of cliches amongst other things. Xillia's plot is really boring and the gameplay isn't as technical but it's still a Tales game so it'll probably still be fun. (I also think Xillia's music wasn't as good as Symphonia's, Vesperia's, or Graces F's, and I think I'm not the only one who feels this way.)

If I had to order my suggestions (starting with the most suggested)...

1. Vesperia (I'd play the English version unless you understand Japanese; the language barrier is a huge setback to proper enjoyment of the game otherwise, save the PS3 version for a 2nd playthrough if you really want to)

2. Symphonia (HD! includes new mystic artes and a few other things)

3. Graces F

4. Symphonia 2 (again, HD, though it doesn't really matter)

5. Xillia

6. Xillia 2 (it'll probably be out by then unless you're a super fast gamer)

7. Hearts R if you imported the original DS version, I feel kinda bad lol

Legendia's story and music are great but if you aren't a fan of the Tales series already I don't think you'll be able to get into it--the gameplay is pretty stale and 2D at that and in general the game is kinda slow to play.

Innocence R is another suggestion if you can understand Japanese. I'd avoid playing the Tempest, Innocence, or Hearts unless you become a hardcore Tales of fan who wants to play every game.

If by that point you aren't sick of the Tales series, go back and play some of the older titles like Phantasia and Destiny... and there are lots of spin-offs, too, like the various Tales of the World games. The series is actually pretty freaking big, all things considered.

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I honnestly prefered Innocence to Abyss. The cast is at least more sympathetic (Hermana and Ange are both amazing on their own ways).

I only tried Abyss, Innocence and Phantasia (Obviously.). Well, and the Narikiri Dungeons, but that doesn't really counts.

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