Blisteredthumbs: It would be an understatement to say that JRPGs are slowly becoming irrelevant in this generation of gaming. Fewer and fewer titles from the genre get translated, and the ones that do hardly garner the attention they deserve. Enter Tales of Graces f; this enhanced PS3 port of the Japan-only Wii title is looking to quell the appetite of fans that are starved for a next-gen JRPG. Is this a game worth your time and money, or is this the final Tale we’ll ever hear?
Gary Green said: Namco Bandai heard the call of many fans asking for the PlayStation release of Tales of Graces which was originally released seemingly exclusively for the Wii back in 2009. If you’re acquainted with the Tales series then Graces f won’t be something entirely new to you, yet if you’re a newcomer then you’ll find a plethora of gameplay mechanics and nuances that distinguish this series from other JRPGs. While the game finds itself following the traditional archetype of JRPGs, such as a somewhat clichéd story, Graces has something to offer to both veterans and newcomers alike.
The Tales games may be less recognizable than the Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy games, but that doesn't mean that they aren't worth playing!
“Tales series is considered one of the top three Japanese RPG series next to RPG giants like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy.”
How you gonna talk about the top three JRPG franchises and not mention Pokémon, the top selling series in the genre?
This is how the top JRPG series stack up
1. Pokémon - 340M
2. Final Fantasy - 144M
3. Dragon Quest - 78M
4. Monster Hunter - 52M
5. Kingdom Hearts - 30M
6. Souls - 25M
7. Tales of - 20M
Bandai Namco will host a “Tales of Graces Anniversary Party” event at the Maihama Amphitheater on November 24 in celebration of the game’s 10th anniversary, the company announced.
This was actually my first Tales game. Took me forever to complete it, as I stopped mid-way through for a long time. I eventually came back, and beat it. It really lingered in my thoughts afterwards, to the point where I just knew I had to play the other games in the series. I've been a huge fan of the series ever since. I'm really pumped for Arise, seems to be just what the Tales games needed as a refresher.
I recommend playing vesperia definitive if you havent already. The last amazing tales game. Post-vesperia were just very mediocre. Really hope arise is a great game and a return to how great tales used to be, they did mention it would have "classic" gameplay and I hope they mean pre-graces. Also that baba is no longer there and now has the god eater guy there which is a series that has great story telling and gameplay so Im excited to see how this game will turn out and have higher hopes.
I actually really liked Xillia. The sequel and Berseria didn't do much for me though. Just felt like treading the same waters again. Which is why the new Arise engine (Unreal 4) should do wonders to help breathe new life into the series as a whole.
I haven't played Vesperia yet, I always wanted to do so after playing the demo on my Xbox 360 years ago. I just never got around to it. I've seen the Remastered version on sale, but I just don't have the time to devote to it right now. I'll definitely get around to it though. (Still trying to work my way through Persona 5 at the moment, lol.)
I think the only one I really didn't enjoy was Zesteria. My fav overall was Graces f. I loved the story. I like the personal story in it alot. Made me forget I was playing a game at times and the whole thing where you start as kids and then it goes into the future with a time skip. I was in complete shock because I thought I'd be using kids the whole game thinking because it was a Wii game initially, it went with the Symphonia style lol
I absolutely LOVE the battle system. the whole reward system in it made it soooooooo good compared to alot during those times. I think the only system I kinda enjoy more. but only in some aspects is Hearts R. The moment the ability triggers and you start going crazy and if you can time the parries perfectly. OMG it's amazing. But overall Graces has had my favourite battle system otherwise.
I really enjoyed the cast of this game. It caught me by surprise how good it was. I played it first because I was on a Tales of binge(I still am) and got hooked but that final boss was a long hard battle
Easily my favourite on
loved the characters in this
and just the world in general
i assume it's getting a ps4 release
This review is complete trash.........nothingsaid is true
a man who doesnt understand rpgs or even gaming
"It would be an understatement to say that JRPGs are slowly becoming irrelevant in this generation of gaming."
not true
"Fewer and fewer titles from the genre get translated"
100 percent false garbage
You're knocking it on technical flaws even though you know it's a fucking wii PORT!
You say the story and characters are great, the game seems to live up in all aspects that RPGs SHOULD but you knock the game for being a wii port.
i cant stop playing this game! i LOVE it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The thing I love about these games is their charm. Sure the stories are always rather standard for their genre but they still find a way to be endearing. I'm not saying these games are "cute" or "kidsy". Though there is nothing wrong with that. Just that where most "American rpgs" seem intent on catering to teens and young adults that think curse words or blood means a good game with a challenging story, I'm glad to see a series such as this doesn't compromise itself and still delivers what a loyal fan base loves about the games. While still finding new ways to try to make itself better. Though it is taking me a bit to get used to the new battle system.