Tales of Vesperia

[Avi]

Alright.  The latest installment in what I believe is one of the longest-running RPG series to date, Tales of Vesperia definitely is worth looking into if you are an RPG fan at all, or a gamer in general.  If anything, you'll enjoy the battle system which, while seemingly simple, is in fact quite deep, with loads of different combos, strategies, and character arrangements bringing much more to the table than just simple button-mashing. 

While the story is nothing revolutionary, it is told in plenty of style.  The characters are diverse and realistic, each one having their own unique personality and back story.  More than half of the dialogue in the game is fully voice-acted, and none of the actors that I have run into so far seem out-of-place for their characters.  Rita, in particular, is very well-done.  More than a few of her lines have made me laugh out loud, probably making my neighbors in the dorm think I'm crazy. >_>

Simply put, this game is gorgeous.  As with previous Tales games, the art style is anime, with cel-shaded graphics.  The power of the Xbox 360 is used very well, there have been times where I was simply stunned by just how beautiful a particular background or how detailed a city's atmosphere was.  In all, the quality of this game is impressive. 

Anyone else checked this game out yet?

[Chris Brady]

Given that I love the Tales series, I would, but I don't have a Xbox360, nor any money.

[ZK]

Own it, beaten it. Will be doing a full review of it soon. ^.^

[Avi]

Own it, beaten it. Will be doing a full review of it soon. ^.^

I just got it on Friday, so I've been plodding my way through it.  Just got Judith into the party, so I know I've got a way to go yet.  Favorite character, ZK?

[ZK]

Main character. Cause  Yuri is the goddamn batman.

Play it some more and you'll see.

[Avi]

Maybe it's just me, but Yuri reminds me of InuYasha in a lot of his mannerisms.  The devil-may-care attitude, the non-chalant way he carries himself, and how he's not scared to rattle a few cages and be a bit politically incorrect if it means the best thing for the little guy is what happens.