Tales of series

[eclipse]

Hoo boy. . .let's see if I get them all. . .

- Phantasia: The graphics were meh because GBA, the combat was mostly meh, but damn if i didn't think Chester was hilarious.

- Symphonia (both of them): I wasn't overly fond of this one.  Something is SERIOUSLY wrong when the most interesting character, by far, is Zelos. . .the guy that appears halfway through the story.  Combat-wise, it was an improvement to Phantasia, which isn't that hard at all. ;/

- Abyss: Take Symphonia, and actually make it good.  The characters are much more memorable, the combat system's a lot more fun IMO, and there's actually some interesting moments in the story!  Like most Tales stories, there were some pretty silly moments, but it overall kept me interested.  Anise grated on me, though.

- Graces: While I preferred Abyss' combat system, this one wasn't too bad.  The story's somewhat of a mess, though, with the only memorable character being Malik.  The ending was one of the better-executed ones IMO.

- Hearts: The only reason why Symphonia isn't my least favorite is because this game exists.  Shitty naming schemes don't belong on playable characters.  Story wasn't particularly memorable, and neither were the characters (besides said shitty naming convention).

- World: Never finished this due to my PSP being finicky.  Was okay, I guess.

- Xillia (both of them): And here we shift to social issues.  I thought that the premise behind both was fairly solid.  The characters not named Rowan, on the other hand. . .

- Zestiria: This didn't beat out Abyss as my favorite for two reasons.  First, Rose exists.  Second, the next game was a prequel, not a sequel.  I really would've loved to see what happened AFTERWARDS not BEFORE.  Combat was absolutely solid, and despite the characters being a bit trope-y at times, it wasn't too badly executed.

- Berseria (need to actually play this): Found it on sale, used.  Need to actually open it and play it.  But if it's anything like Zestiria, I know I won't be disappointed!

- Overall: These games make me hungry.  Except when Jade cooks in Abyss.

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

Berseria's main similarities to Zestiria are

Spoiler

• same overworld and map design
• same theme for the elite monsters 
• sharing few characters in their story

Gameplaywise it was a huge difference for me. Berseria's battle system rather went back to classic parts although it still featured the unique orb system. Thankfully (for me) it got rid of armatization which was only fake difficulty to me. Because the enemies's stats where based on an armatization. if you weren't, you fight enemies twice as strong as usual. The reason why I needed all my life bottles and imported elixirs from a cleared file to beat the first elite monster on easy unarmatizated.
Also Berseria's character cast is more memorable, this also includes some villains. In Zestiria I couldn't really identify with any playable character except Edna. A pretty bland cast all in all. 
Same goes for the maps. Berseria's overworld features as many enemies as the other parts, and unlike in Zestiria it's worth to fight them because you get way more exp. there.
Storywise Berseria was the most emotional part besides Abyss. A very deep, to be more precise very dark story. Easily the darkest RPG I've played yet.
The only real downer of Berseria is the lacking of well designed and challenging dungeons. There was one dungeon with a tough and interesting puzzle, but that was really it. Postgame was like the dumbest shit I've ever played.

 

[eclipse]

So I started Berseria.  My thoughts are in spoilers, as I'm not going to mince plot points/locations/characters.

Spoiler

Story: I. . .can't take it seriously.  It's like everything bad happens to Velvet, and she's reacting as opposed to actually Doing Something.  She's the main character FFS.  I'm not that far into the game (detour to Rainy City), but the story already bugs me.  It's going to need a miracle, because it's ranked right down there with Graces.

Characters: Velvet would've been a lot better if she wasn't the main character - she gets some decent character growth, and I'm hopeful that she'll continue to evolve.  Rokurou's backstory doesn't have me convinced, though he works decently enough as a character in a vacuum.  Laphicet could use a lot more work, as his transition from robot to curious kid feels a bit rough.  Eizen's currently my favorite character - he feels like he belongs in the world, and his heaping helpings of wisdom are always welcome.  Maggy's pretty annoying, but I'm positive the game will tell us a bit more about her.  Eleanor's character development should take off sooner or later, and she holds a lot of promise.  The villains aren't as amazing, though - Oscar/Theresa feel like what Ephraim denies, Artorius gives me Van vibes (first half Van, that is).  Melchior has my attention.  Shigure, not so much - his schtick gets really old, really fast.

Gameplay: The new armor system is a lot less confusing that Zestiria's originally was, but I really liked the bingo aspect.  I'm swimming in extra gear, and while obtaining skills is somewhat tedious, the game throws a lot of enemies my way.  My go-to guy is Eizen, because for whatever stupid reason, I have the easiest time with his martial arts, which segue into his ridiculous R2 skill.  Worse comes to worse, I can run away and spam Quickness to keep the AI alive.  Since i kinda suck at combat, getting souls is a bit rough.  Before Eizen showed up, I used Rokurou.  Earth Form was amazing, but I kept whiffing my combos.

Other: Screw those balloon games.  Card game's okay.  Haven't tried the serving one, because I'm tired.

Overall, I think I need to see more of the game before I form a solid opinion of it.  So far, it's decent.  If the story shapes up, and the characters continue to grow, it has a chance of tying with Zestiria.

 

[-Cynthia-]

I really liked Abyss and Berseria was also very good. Zestiria was ok, but the story really started to lag by the second half of the game and I kinda lost interest even though I finished it. Vesperia I found hard to get into storywise and the cast was rubbing me the wrong way- Yuri seemed like a Gary Stu, Estelle was naive princess #694 and Karol was just annoying.

[The Unlikely Knight]

I've been meaning to try out this series. I have Tales of the Abyss on 3DS but haven't gotten around to playing it...and I've had it since the 3DS version came out!

I would like to try out Tales of Phanstasia at some point. And maybe the PS4 Tales of game. Pretty sure that one is Berseria.

[Ronnie]

15 minutes ago, The Unlikely Knight said:

I've been meaning to try out this series. I have Tales of the Abyss on 3DS but haven't gotten around to playing it...and I've had it since the 3DS version came out!

I would like to try out Tales of Phanstasia at some point. And maybe the PS4 Tales of game. Pretty sure that one is Berseria.

Play Berseria. It's fantastic.

[eclipse]

So I'm close to the end of the main game of Berseria (can access almost all areas).  I like how grade is used in this game, but man it's slow going with the upper-tier equipment.  I also like how easy it is to avoid encounters.  It means I'm underleveled when it comes to boss fights, but I tend to throw items at the problem, and it solves itself.

Story-wise and character-wise

Spoiler

I can't stand the premise - "let's specifically make one person miserable for our own ends".  That's the kind of story that I have a hard time believing.  At least Velvet isn't quite as grating.  Rokurou's story arc didn't really captivate me (Kurogane's the most interesting thing about it), but I like him as a character.  Magilou's story felt tacked-on, which is a shame, because it helps to explain why she's so damn annoying.  Eleanor/Laphicet had a good amount of growth.  Eizen makes me sad, though. . .he's a cool character!

 

[Dandy Druid]

Vesperia is my favorite: I really liked the world it took place in and I like the character design (and the extra costumes too). The characters were very interesting as well, and Yuri is my favorite main protagonist. The story can get confusing though.

I also really liked Symphonia, despite how long it is. Celes has my favorite character design for some reason. I didn't like the sequel though. The story was fine for the most part but the leads (Emil and Marta?) were bad.

 

[Etrurian emperor]

10 minutes ago, Dandy Druid said:

I also really liked Symphonia, despite how long it is. Celes has my favorite character design for some reason. I didn't like the sequel though. The story was fine for the most part but the leads (Emil and Marta?) were bad.

Ah yes, I don't believe the sequel has been mentioned here yet. Its quality is probably to thank for that. I don't think its bad per se but its a mediocre title clearly held back by its budget. Compared from Symphonia that's kind of a downgrade. 

But I actually hold the opposite opinion. I think the story itself is really weak but I really like Emil and Marta. I think I'm the only one who does though. But Tenabrae is really, really great. 

[Interdimensional Observer]

3 hours ago, Dandy Druid said:

I also really liked Symphonia, despite how long it is. Celes has my favorite character design for some reason. I didn't like the sequel though. The story was fine for the most part but the leads (Emil and Marta?) were bad.

I can understand @eclipse's scathing remark on the characters- I mean I can't consider ToS the absolute worse given its place in my childhood, but I can totally see why you would dislike everyone. It was one of the few JRPGs on the Gamecube, and the world was nice, and the dungeons complex. The gameplay doesn't hold up I shall admit as well.

Celes was one mean boss- largely because you have to fight her solo in the Coliseum- itemless too right? But if you can't beat her, you can't get the ultimate sword, so she's worth besting.

2 hours ago, Etrurian emperor said:

Ah yes, I don't believe the sequel has been mentioned here yet. Its quality is probably to thank for that. I don't think its bad per se but its a mediocre title clearly held back by its budget. Compared from Symphonia that's kind of a downgrade. 

But I actually hold the opposite opinion. I think the story itself is really weak but I really like Emil and Marta. I think I'm the only one who does though. But Tenabrae is really, really great.

The budget was clearly small on DotNW given the non-Tenebrae and Aqua Centurions never actually showed up. Emil was kinda pathetic (but complete perfection vs. a terrible wimp, I guess the latter is better), but fairly fun to play as. Marta I never really used (Photon spam is great though- both Symphonias make it powerful), but she was a good healer, and a decent character when she wasn't trying too hard to win Yew Genealogia's Emil's heart. Richter was pretty good- I liked his weapon combo and he worked as an antagonist and I liked how he behaved around Emil- reflecting the complicated feelings he has towards him (though some may wink at his devotion to Aster).

I consider the plot of DotNW to be ToS Gaiden- the stakes are high at the very end, but they're generally much lower than the original's. Emil's journey isn't as impactful as Lloyd's, but it was still a nice little journey in the unified world. It's plot-wise a better petit sequel than FFX-2 at least (rather than what we got, i'd have liked a ~30-40 years later sequel called Reformation: Final Fantasy X-2, and when I say Reformation, I mean the real historical deal).

[Dandy Druid]

4 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

Celes was one mean boss- largely because you have to fight her solo in the Coliseum- itemless too right? But if you can't beat her, you can't get the ultimate sword, so she's worth besting.

Celes/Seles was a great character/boss. I enjoy fighting her almost as much as I enjoy Gauche and Droite (most underrated bosses in this series, IMO, they're so fun to battle).

I wish Celes was a boss in DOTNW, but at least she was in the story, albeit, short, but I do enjoy her as a character.

Also, since I brought them up, I want to give a shout out to Gauche and Droite; really fun to fight against, and the best the part is that they'll show up in the arena so you can fight for all your heart desires. They have such a cool moveset and character design.

[Magical CC]

Tales of Destiny: Crappy main characters. One hot blood guy, one brainless and flatchest country girl, two loli, one nerd, one weirdo. You may like this game if you are into loli. The rest are super boring and awkward. The weirdo old guy is actually the best character since he's fun and random. 

[Gemma]

Usually JRPGs aren't that fun to co-op if they have the option, but I've always enjoyed playing Tales with friends. I prefer games with the classic 3D LMBS, like Vesperia and Symphonia. 

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

Funnily I didn't even know until a friend of SF told me that Tales games are multiplayer games.
Wished to play them with other people but the few ones I have, don't care for videogames much less for this series. :,(
Honestly I'm curious how the controls work like switching characters. I assume you can't change to the character the other player is using.