The release of Tales of Vesperia for the XBOX 360 is one of the most unforgettable moments in the Tales history, as it was the celebration of the 10th Year Anniversary of the series here in North America. Selling over 100,000 units in its first week in Japan, Tales of Vesperia is the game that made all XBOX 360 systems in Japan sell out in all stores, making it impossible to purchase until now. Now that Namco Bandai Games has released the game in North America, it is time for gamers to take on an epic journey that will be unforgettable. Trust me; this game is better than Symphonia!

In North America, the release of Tales of Symphonia for the Nintendo GameCube made history in the Tales series, as many RPG gamers have considered Symphonia to be one of the best Tales game ever created. Do you agree? Well, that will all change now because Tales of Vesperia is twice as good and also deeper than Symphonia!

Tales of Vesperia will take you to the world of Terca Lumireis, where the towns and the people that resides within rely on a magic barrier that keeps the monsters from disturbing their daily lives. The barrier that give the town the peace they want is made by a Blastia, an ancient technology that powers up the “aer” and provides the world with fire, water, and light. This Blastia itself has been used for generations, and it is the prime source power of the empire.

One day, in the lower quarters of the Imperial City, Zaphias, a mage named Mr. Mordio steals the Aque Blastia that’s been powering up the city’s water. Because of it, the water has gone out of control. This is where Yuri Lowell comes in, a former Knight of the Empire who’s personality is very rebellious. His principle is opposite to his friend, Flynn Scifo. The journey of Yuri to take back the stolen Blastia will eventually lead to a big adventure where Yuri and the people that will accompany him must do something in order to save the world from destruction. Are you ready for a 60 hour adventure?

People who have played Tales of the Abyss on the PlayStation 2 should be familiar with the battle system of Tales of Vesperia. The FRLM (Free Range Linear Motion) Battle System that was introduced in Tales of the Abyss has been enhanced in Tales of Vesperia, making gamers enjoy the battle system even more. Tales fans should already know what to expect in Tales of Vesperia when it comes to the battle system. The battles in Tales of Vesperia are done in real time, making every second you have in battle counts. Moving around the battle field is a good idea to practice how to plan and know when or where to strike the enemy. Controls in the game can give Tales veterans some confusion on how the combo and Artes are laid out in the game. Instead of the A button acting out as the primary combo attack, it is been changed to B, and making the A button to perform Artes.

There are a lot of things that can be done in Tales of Vesperia. Just like in previous Tales games, it can take you weeks or even months to fully complete Tales of Vesperia. The main story should take you somewhere up to 60 hours to complete the game for an average RPG gamer. If you’re a completionist, get ready to spend over 100 hours to do everything what you must do!

One of the things that will challenge the players’ skill is the Secret Missions in the game. During specific boss fights in the game, there are secret challenges that players can perform if they want to get an achievement to prove their worth. These vary from hitting the boss in certain parts of their body to making the bosses’ weapon explode while in battle. These are just some of the examples that you can expect, but, of course, you have to figure out what these special conditions are for each boss.

Getting your characters the strongest they can be is possible in the game. Each character in the game can reach the Level 200, making your character undefeatable. Griding levels and Galds are strongly encouraged, as there are secret boss fights that seem to be impossible to win without the emphasized level. There are a lot of ways to customize your characters in Tales of Vesperia, like equipping and teaching skills to your characters. Skills in the game can be acquired through the weapons and armor you purchase from the shop, or you can buy them using real money over the XBOX Live Marketplace. If the Skill is equipped to the weapon, mastering it will require gamers to use that weapon in battle until the skill is learned. The skills learned to a specific character can lead to something better, like increasing your combo rate or creating a new altered artes that can be permanently taught to the character after repeated use.

The cooking system is also back, and it’s been enhanced in the game. There are approximately 12 cooking recipes that can be learned from Wonder Chef, and it is up to you to evolve those recipes into something better by finding out what recipes suit the characters when cooking them. Numerous times of cooking the recipes that favor the character can open the way to a new recipe, making the recipe collection even bigger!

When it comes to the visuals of Tales of Vesperia, all I can say that it is indeed beautiful and one of the best looking RPG games up-to-date. The cel-shaded technology used in the game is very well crafted. Playing in a high definition display is truly a pleasure and those big towns and castles in the game looks gorgeous. Each town you go to may seem big, but exploration is very limited, which is very disappointing. There are several short anime cut scenes in the game that look spectacular as well.

One of the strengths I find in Tales of Vesperia is the voiceovers and overall soundtrack in the game. From start to finish, you’ll wonder how this game ever fit on a dual layered disc when most of the cut scenes in the game are voiceovered. There are approximately 100+ skits in the game that are fully voiceovered, and this truly adds to the overall fun of the game. When it comes to the voice actors of the game, all I can say is that they have done a truly remarkable job in making these characters in the game alive.

Tales of Vesperia is a game that will be appealing to a majority of RPG gamers. There is no doubt that fans will miss this game if they don’t buy it. If this game is the reason for selling out all XBOX 360 systems in Japan, it’s not impossible for the same thing to happen here in the United States. If you’re the type of gamer that wants a truly satisfying and lengthy adventure, Tales of Vesperia is a must, and your money will be well spent!

SCORING BREAKDOWN:

STORY 8.9/10
Getting to the real story is a pain. It can take you up to 15 hours before the story picks up, but once it’s there, you’ll never want to put down your controller. A lot of plot twists and unpredicted scenes will take place in Tales of Vesperia. A truly well-written story! Even better than Symphonia!

GAMEPLAY 9.3/10
100+ Hours of gameplay might be too much, but this is what this series has been known for. Main quests can take from 40-60 hours and even more if you want to do a bunch of sidequests in the game. Things such as hidden bosses, bonus dungeon, new game +, secret weapons, secret missions, and collecting costumes are the goodies you can expect!

GRAPHICS 9.4/10
One of the best graphics I’ve ever seen in an RPG. Very well drawn and environments are such a pleasure to look at.

MUSIC 9.1/10
Great voiceovers by talented voice actors from past Tales game are back! They did a good job with the dub voices, and the soundtrack has never been better!

OVERALL 9.2/10
Tales of Vesperia is a must have for RPG gamers looking for a lengthy adventure and a true JRPG game. If you buy it, you won’t regret it. Namco has done a great job once again in Tales of Vesperia!